On June 23, Ambassador Gao Wenqi attended the first session of the "Luban Classroom-Road and Bridge" associated with China-aid Project of Road Expansion and Upgrading from Prince House to Masaka (10Km) in Kigali, and delivered a speech. Also present were Counselor Gao Zhiqiang from the Embassy, Chairman of the Board of Directors for RTDA and Dean of Engineering Faculty for University of Rwanda, Mbereyaho Leopold, and SPIU Coordinator of RTDA, Francois Mivugo. Around 40 participants attended the training, including officials and engineering technicians from the Ministry of Infrastructure of Rwanda and Kigali City Council, as well as faculty and students from the University of Rwanda and Rwanda Polytechnic.
Ambassador Gao noted that the China-aid 10km road project is one of the key projects identified at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and is being implemented by Hunan Road and Bridge Construction Group , and an important economic artery connecting Kigali city center, Masaka, and the Eastern Province. The simultaneous launch of the “Luban Classroom” during project construction—turning the construction site into a “lifestream classroom”--is an innovative practice to deepen China-Rwanda cooperation in engineering technology and to promote vocational skills development, which not only helps ensure the high-quality implementation of the project, but also represents a key step for China to actively fulfil corporate social responsibilities and support local talent cultivation in Rwanda.
The “Luban Classroom-Road and Bridge” course materials and modules are developed by Hunan Road and Bridge Construction Group, covering five major topics: camp construction, subgrade construction, pavement construction, overpass bridge construction, and underpass construction. The first session is dedicated to “camp construction”, systematically explaining the full process of camp concepts, planning, construction, operation and maintenance. Through lectures, on-site visits and interactive exchanges, participants gained a clearer and deeper understanding of the planning and construction of large-scale infrastructure camps and their supporting facilities.
China-aid Project of Road Expansion and Upgrading from Prince House to Masaka (10Km) in Kigali has a total length of 10.3 kilometers, running from Prince House to Masaka. At present, preparatory work for the project has been largely finalized, and full-scale construction is about to commence.