16-17 January, 2020: Minister of Infrastructure, Hon. Claver Gatete represented the Government of Rwanda to the Transforming Transportation Conference held from 16-17 January 2020 in Washington DC, United States of America under the theme "Connecting People for Sustainable Growth".

The conference was co-hosted by the World Bank and EMBARQ, the sustainable urban mobility initiative of WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities and it attracted over 1,1000 delegates from Government institutions, global transport bodies and private operators.

Participants to the conference discussed current and future challenges faced by countries in providing sustainable mobility for everyone, with emphasis on how countries can transform transportation to meet the high demand for mobility in a world where population growth and increased economies are at stake.

During the conference, Minister Claver Gatete participated in a panel discussion themed “harnessing digital economy for transport” where he touched on the impact of drone technology in Rwanda as well as the link between this technology and the digital economy.

He highlighted that drones facilitate not only blood and blood product distribution to remote mountainous areas, but also they are used in collecting video data on infrastructure and traffic situations.

“Integrating drone technology in health, agriculture, transport, housing and mining sector serves the basic needs of citizens.” he mentioned and continued that cutting edge innovations continue to better our future.

It brought to the attention of the participants that drone usage improved the turn-around time from 2-4hrs to 5-45mins to specific hospitals in upcountry hospitals in remote areas of Rwanda.

On the sidelines of the conference, Minister of Infrastructure met with the World Bank Vice President in charge of Infrastructure where the discussions revolved around the support of the World Bank and the progress Rwanda has made in provision of basic infrastructure to its people.

In another discussion with Fiscal Affairs Director of the International Monetary Fund, different financial models of encouraging private investment in infrastructure for financial sustainability was at the forefront.

Transforming transportation conference examined issues of transport emissions and road fatalities triggered by a number of vehicles soaring every day. At the same time, it tackled on the issue of ensuring better and affordable public transport to over 1 billion rural residents who still lack access to an all-season road.