Background and objectives:

In Rwanda, due to the fact that housing is extremely dispersed, there is limited access to basic infrastructure for the majority of the population. To address this problem, the government’s objective is to develop strategies to attract the rural population into improved urban centres. However, currently there are no policies guiding the urban development and planning sector. This project focuses on the institutional development and capacity building of the ministry in charge of urban development. The objectives are to:

• support and provide the ministry with advisory expertise in urban development and housing policies.
• support the formulation of an urban development policy and
• strengthen the capacity of a national training institution to develop tools and train its staff.

Activities:
The main activities included:

• Recruit an international expert to provide advisory services to MININFRA.
• Prepare relevant documents for the launching of two global campaigns on secure tenure and good urban governance.
• Review existing legislation related to norms for building construction and urban development and management tools.
• Strengthen the national training institution by developing training manuals on urban planning, urban environment and management techniques and train urban planners.

Results:
The results achieved were:   

• An international expert assisted MININFRA in preparing a document for the urban development policy.
• A document on access to land for the poor prepared. Recommendations included new land law and the launching of two campaigns on secure tenure and good urban governance.
• Existing legislation related to building construction and urban development and management tools reviewed
• Policy document on urban development prepared and discussed during a national workshop and endorsed by the ministry in charge of urban development.
• Rwanda Institute for Administration identified as an anchoring institution to develop training manuals on urban planning techniques and to train urban planners.
• Cooperation agreement signed with Rwanda Institute of Administration and Management (RIAM) to strengthen its capacity.
• About 30 district urban planners trained using training manuals developed by RIAM with the UN-HABITAT technical assistance.
• International conference on housing, urban development and poverty reduction strategy  held in Kigali to share experiences of the East African regional on urban development and poverty reduction issues.
• Project proposal for improving informal settlements in two secondary cities developed and submitted to the ONE UN Trust Fund.