[A-DX] Fw: [dxld] Germans Close Business in Rwanda After Half Century Lease Expires

[Wolfgang Bueschel]

für einen DWL Türkisch/Kurdisch/Armenisch Dienst wäre ein Kigali Relais
ja sowieso nicht zu gebrauchen  ‚-) ‚-) ‚-)

wb df5sx


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Terry  [dxld]"
Sent: Thursday, June 02, 2016 8:08 AM
Germans Close Business in Rwanda After Half Century Lease Expires

KT Press
May 31, 2016
By Jean de la Croix Tabaro

Once a powerful facility in the region, the German owned Deutsche Welle
radio center at Kinyinya hill outside Kigali is finally and completely
shutting down. It’s no more.

In 1965, Rwanda leased 68.4 hectares on Kinyinya hill for fifty years to the
Germans- that later set up a massive facility to boost Deutsche Welle,
Germany’s international broadcaster.

“We are stopping our short wave transmitters today and then next week we
will start dismantling them and the masts in order to meet the deadline of
August when our license expires,” said Bernhard Ahlborn, the deputy director
of Deutsche Welle.

On March 28, 2015 the facility stopped its operations, to begin dismantling
their equipment, to pave away for the handover of the Land to Rwanda
government.

The Germans will today hand over the premises of the relay station with its
infrastructure to the Government of Rwanda, to mark the end of 50 year
concession agreement.

The Deutsche Welle relay station in Kigali has been serving African and the
Middle East audiences. It was the only firm facility of the kind that was
remaining. The Germans had similar facilities in other 60 countries.

According to officials at Rwanda Utilities Regulation Authorities (RURA) the
land, plus houses that were developed in the area will be handed over to
government of Rwanda.

The annual operational cost of Kinyinya transmitters was said to be €3.3
million (about Rwf2.7 billion), but it is alleged the firm was making loss,
hence giving up its relay station in Rwanda.

With new technology, Frequency Modulation (FM) and internet available, the
public finds no need of switching to short wave radio signals.

Today, Rwanda government officials from Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Ministry of infrastructure and the Germany Embassy will witness the
handover.

The Deutsche Welle property is adjacent to hundreds of hectares of land that
was acquired by Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) to develop affordable
housing units.

http://ktpress.rw/2016/05/germans-close-business-in-rwanda-after-half-century-lease-expires/