Rwanda has allocated $4.7 million towards preparation to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) that will take place in Kigali in June.

The meeting, which was first set for June 2020, has already been postponed twice due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Before the first postponement, Rwanda had put aside up to Rwf10 billion ($10.5 million) to improve and build infrastructure needed for the event.

“We have been preparing for CHOGM for a long time so most of what was supposed to be done has been done. In this budget we allocated money for those things that haven’t yet been completed. The rest of the money will meet expenses related to receiving and hosting CHOGM delegates,” said Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Uzziel Ndagijimana.

Easing congestion

The government used the 2020 budget allocation to build inter-city and connecting road networks and those around the airport, aiming at decongesting the main Kigali International Airport Road.

Kigali has also been working on city beautification along the principal roads as well as recreational sites and green parks.

A tender document posted on the Rwanda Convention Bureau website last year seeking to hire professional conference organisers indicated venues such as Intare arena, Kigali Serena Hotel, Ubumwe Hotel, and the Kigali Conference and Exhibition Village.

Although this will be by far the biggest event Rwanda has hosted since it embarked on positioning itself as a MICE destination a few years ago, the country will be counting on the experience acquired in hosting big events like the World Economic Forum, AU General Assembly meeting, and the AfDB meeting.

The event is expected to bring up to 10,000 delegates from 54 Common Wealth member countries.