Kigali City Tower Since his accession to power in 2000, President Paul Kagame has sought to transform Rwanda from an impoverished country dependent on subsistence agriculture into a middle income country with a strong service sector. This policy, which is based on liberalising the economy, privatising state owned industries and reducing red tape for businesses, has led to a strong GDP growth between 2004 and 2010 of per year. The changing economy has prompted a construction boom as the need for office and urban residential space has increased. The Kigali City Tower project was begun in 2006 by Rwandan businessman Hatari Sekoko, through
Kigali act as a water store and flood protection for the city, although these are under threat from agriculture and development. The central business district (CBD) (known in Kinyarwanda as "mu mujyi") of Kigali lies on Nyarugenge Hill, and was the site of the original city founded by Richard Kandt in 1907. The house that Kandt lived in is now a museum. Geographically, the CBD lies towards the western edge of the built-up area, as the terrain to the east was more suitable for development of the expanding city than the high slopes of Mount Kigali to the west. Several of