Kigali Convention Center

The hallway at the top floor of the hotel, where all suites will be situated. 

The large building in the back is the hotel, the small building in front is the convention center, and the dirt area (soccer field) will be the IT center.

Excavation of up to 50 feet was done to place these large rain water tanks for the convention center.

A view of the convention center from the top floor of the hotel.  The circular area is the base of the dome.

Standing at the top of the hotel in front of the Kacyiru roundabout. 

A view inside the hotel from the roof.  The hotel pool will be placed where the crane currently sits.

At the sewer plant with Leo, my collegue from the Chinese construction firm.

The architct's rendering of the hotel, convention center, and IT park upon completion. 

Last October I left the Peace Corps and began work with a British firm to help project manager the Kigali Convention Center.  The center is planned to be a crux of the Rwanda and the East Africa Community for events and conferences.  Currently all major conferences and events (including President Kagame’s state functions) are held at the Serena Inn in Kigali, so the Kigali Convention Center would replace the Serena Inn as the go-to place for high profile events.

The center will be a 300 room, 5 star hotel connected to a convention center and IT park.  There is currently proposed a museum that will bring further tourism to the center.  The convention center is designed to have a clear dome (similar the Reichstag in Berlin) that will become the iconic image of the country.

At $360 million, it is also one of the largest projects in Africa too.  The entire project is slated to finish in 2014, and is being design by German architects and built by a Chinese construction firm.  Due to the variation of cultures on site (Germans, Chinese, Rwandans, Brits, Americans, Indians) the business language on site is English.  This is due to the contract being written in English.

My role is project manager, where I overview the construction site daily and report to the board of directors and client on the progress and any potential issues with the project.  Due to the size and complexity of the project, it is a great job to learn about various aspects of engineering, design, and procurement.