Dr. Sangwoo Park (L) met with Prime Minister Dr. Édouard Ngirente
Rwanda and the Republic of Korea have committed to promoting bilateral cooperation in the field of infrastructure development, particularly in terms of urbanization.
This follows discussions held this April 12, 2024 between the Prime Minister Dr. Édouard Ngirente and Dr. Sangwoo Park, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Korea alongside a Korean delegation where both parties held fruitful discussions on fostering cooperation and partnership across various domains.
Rwanda’ Minister of Infrastructure, Dr. Jimmy Gasore stated that Rwanda could learn a lot from South Korea, as an advanced country in the field of urbanization but specifically on how Rwanda can adopt trends of constructing houses upwards to copy with high population density and limited land resources.
Officials from the Rwandan government and the Republic of Korea at the meeting held April 12, 2024
“We have a lot to learn from South Korea. One of the things we can learn from them is their urbanization policy developed for the last 40 years,” Minister Gasore said.
Gasore stated that there was a time when Koreans lived in an urban situation and economic era similar to that of Rwanda, but their experience in urban development, their investments in Rwanda could enable Rwandans to do likewise in relation to the country’s surface area.
“With this partnership, we could learn from their journey on how to improve the quality of our urbanization with constructions moving upwards,” Gasore said.
Prime Minister Dr. Édouard Ngirente (center) holding a meeting with the delegation from the Republic of Korea
The officials also discussed plans to support Rwanda in the renovation and expansion of Kigali-Muhanga road and potential investment opportunities- which the Korean investor (on the delegation) could tap in especially in the housing sector.
The South Korean delegation was in Rwanda on behalf of their country, to participate in the 30th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Dr. Sangwoo Park expressed Korea’s commitment to supporting Rwanda’s development efforts, citing the importance of infrastructure, particularly in the need for urban housing developed for the country’s rapid development.
Park said that there is need to support Rwanda in developing more housing units but also structures which respond to the population density and surface area.
