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| Parsons to develop sustainable road infrastructure in Africa Parsons, the engineering and construction firm, announced that it has been awarded a contract by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to expand rural roads in the East African nation of Rwanda. The expansion of Rwanda's rural road infrastructure will substantially benefit the Rwandan economy by supporting regional trade and giving farmers an improved transportation system and access to markets for their crops—90% of Rwanda's population is involved in some way with crop cultivation, and improved roads will significantly impact a nation where many farmers live at the subsistence level. Under this contract, Parsons will provide a roads inventory and condition assessments, prioritization, planning, preparation of technical designs, procurement support, and construction supervision for 1, 000 kms of improved roads. The project will benefit Rwandans by employing and training local labor forces—women will comprise at least 30% of the labor force. Parsons will also provide mentor-protégé training on procurement to Rwanda's District governments that will build local expertise and ultimately enable the Districts to tender maintenance programs directly to rural communities, empowering local work forces. write your comments about the article :: © 2011 Construction News :: home page |