Bilateral talks between a Qatari government delegation led by Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and the Rwandan Governement was held recently. One of the key discussions among them was the financing of the Bugesera International Airport. The airport when completed will be the largest in the country and Rwanda has been seeking funds for the new airport whose construction began in August 2017 with a deadline set for 2020.
Portuguese firm Mota Engil and the Government of Rwanda entered into a public-private partnership that granted the company the rights to operate the airport for 25 years to refinance its total investment which is estimated at about $820 million. This also includes an option to extend the agreement for 15 more years. However, late last year, to make improvements in design and quality and even expand it, the government suspended construction works. Mota Engil has already injected $418 million in the initial phase of the project while the second phase has been estimated to cost $382 million.
The redesign is also expected to push up costs and thus has forced Rwanda to reachout for more financiers.
Foreign minister Richard Sezibera led the Rwandan delegation that is discussing the project with the Qataris. Also present during the discussion were Ministers for Infrastructure Claver Gatete and ICT Paula Ingabire as well as the national carrier RwandAir chief executive Yvonne Manzi Makolo.
Dr Sezibera told journalists at a press briefing that the discussions regarding the investment in Bugesera airport is going well and there is a good interest in the same. The deal is expected to be closed soon. Asked whether Mota Engil will be part of the new agreement, Dr Sezibera said: “Bugesera and other potential investments we have are big enough for many actors. The only challenge is that we don’t have as many investors as we would like to.”
The Qatari delegation also met Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente on Friday and held private talks with President Paul Kagame at his home in Muhazi. Once complete, Bugesera is expected to handle 1.7 million passengers per year, almost double the country's current total traffic.