SOTERI GATERA Managing Director of the Road Maintenance Fund

Soteri Gatera, Managing Director of Rwanda’s Road Maintenance Fund, is a man with a mission. “My vision is to reach a level where we have a sustainable and well-maintained road network that will be among the best in Africa,” he says.

It is a challenging task and one of crucial importance to the country’s social and economic development. Rwanda has one of the densest road networks in Africa, but only a small percentage of the 8,600 miles of it is tarmacked.

“Our main objective is to get these roads into the best possible condition,” says Mr. Gatera. “We need to maintain the network so that we are able to trade with our neighbors, with our partners overseas, and within Rwanda itself.”

According to Mr. Gatera, there are signals from the government that more money will be coming to the road sector in the near future. The European Union and the World Bank are also expected to contribute to the fund’s budget.

“Our financial capacity is growing steadily and this gives us enough muscle and confidence to meet the challenges.

“Many roads within the existing infrastructure are being rehabilitated. We are hopeful that, between now and 2020, more than 25 percent of the entire network will be tarmacked.”

Mr. Gatera says there are many opportunities for foreign construction companies to come to Rwanda.

“At the moment we have German, French and Chinese companies operating in the country. We would like more companies to come and compete for contracts.”