Local people work on the road project on November 20, 2021 (ALAFATI MUGABO)

Lilian Nikuze, a 34-year-old mother of four, is one of the many mothers working on a road construction project of China Road and Bridge Corp. (CRBC). “Two years back, my life was a mess and I couldn’t afford basic necessities at home. Today, I can feed my family from the timely salary from CRBC,” she said.

The salaries and benefits from CRBC have allowed Nikuze to not only improve her own life, but also that of her family. She can now share the responsibility to run the household with her husband, where she takes care of the basic needs at home, while her husband covers the cost of their children’s schooling.

Nikuze is not alone. The Chinese road construction company has made a similar impact on the lives of more than 8,000 locals it employs for the two-way road to the new Bugesera International Airport in the eastern part of Rwanda. More than 90 percent of the company’s workforce is local.

At a distinctive flyover under construction near the Kicukiro Market in Kigali, the capital city, local workers narrated to ChinAfrica how job opportunities from the Chinese company have transformed their lives.

A vital source of income

Ildephonse Rwagaju, one of the workers, said that he has been able to save $4,000 from the job at the company. “With the money, I bought 1 hectare of land in Rwamagana in the Eastern Province of Rwanda,” he said, adding that the job has helped him build a five-room house on his land.

“Before working at CRBC, I had nothing and even paying the rent of $30 in Kigali was difficult,” he said.

Nikuze has also saved enough to buy a plot of land in the city of Kigali.

Anastase Twahirwa, Secretary for the Sonatube-Gahanga-Akagera road upgrade project, said that the high-quality roads built by Chinese companies in Rwanda have improved local transportation and given employment to many jobless young Rwandans.

“It’s been nearly seven years at CRBC now and the work there has been rewarding not only in terms of stable income but also the acquisition of skills and knowledge in road construction,” said Twahirwa.

“At the beginning, I knew nothing about road construction, but today I am considered one of the highly experienced; I can go to the site and supervise workers on road construction,” he added.

Jean Damascene Mutabazi, 25, another young roadside drainage and water channel builder, said that working at CRBC has enabled him to survive the challenging times of COVID-19.

“When you work with the Chinese, you can never think of having another employer because, in addition to good pay, you get skills that you can never get anywhere else,” he said, adding that when he first joined the company, he did not know how to construct dry stream and swales. But today his workmates consider him an expert. “Every month, I can save $40 and this has enormously changed my life.”

“China has participated in Rwanda’s road construction and development [for a long time]. The sharing of expertise by the Chinese continues to help Rwanda solve transportation problems while, at the same time, bringing jobs to local people,” he said.

A site of the road construction project on November 20, 2021 (ALAFATI MUGABO)

Skills training

Liu Zemin, Chief Engineer of CRBC Rwanda Office, said that a decade ago, they had difficulty finding experienced local people to work on road construction.

“We have provided skills training to many young graduates on road construction and these skills have enabled many of them to get good jobs in local construction companies and government offices,” said Liu.

Liu revealed that when the company started, it worked with unskilled local workers, and the technicians and experts were all Chinese. To change this situation and to create job opportunities for local Rwandans, it started recruiting fresh university graduates.

Liu said that with the trust the company has earned in Rwanda in road construction, he believes more Rwandan citizens will continue to want to work at CRBC.

Infrastructure development

Emile Patrick Baganizi, Deputy Director General of the Rwanda Transport Development Agency, said CRBC and other Chinese firms have never disappointed with their work. Each project in Rwanda undertaken by a Chinese firm is completed according to the quality standards and time schedule set by the client.

Baganizi added that the airport road project is now 96 percent complete, with the construction work on a flyover and roundabout in Kicukiro Center still underway.

Rwanda’s statistics show that roads built by Chinese firms account for up to 70 percent of the total mileage of Rwanda’s national roads. In July 2018, the two countries also signed multiple agreements on bilateral cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

According to data released by the Rwanda Development Board, 24 more companies from China were registered in Rwanda in 2020, bringing in investments totaling $300 million. These investments are in the sectors of construction and real estate, mining, ICT (information and communication technologies), manufacturing and hospitality.

Chinese investments and projects don’t just provide jobs; they help the local people acquire much-needed knowledge and skills that they can use elsewhere, thus contributing to the overall development of the country.

Local workers reiterated that CRBC’s presence in this small East African nation has made a big difference to the local development and the livelihood of people, which has further cemented China’s image in the minds of citizens of Rwanda.

“Rwandan youth must be grateful for the Chinese expertise shared in the infrastructure sector,” Nikuze noted.

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