DW’s relay station in Kigali (Source: Deutsche Welle)
(Source: KT Press via Richard Cuff)
Germans Close Business in Rwanda After Half Century Lease Expires
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.
Shortwave radio is taking some big hit’s this year, it’s a bit dis-heartening you know?
Well, that explains why I haven’t heard it in a few months. What a shame. The Kigali relay was one of the more reliable catches for me in Alabama from inner Africa. It was also the first SW site that I found by hunting satellite view on Google Maps! I have since found dozens of others but this was the first and one of the more impressive ones if I do say so myself.
I guess I can’t edit my post. I see it was off in March 2015, not 2016. I can’t believe it’s been over a year then since it was on air. Yikes.