President Ruto, in a press statement on Thursday night said, Ogolla was among nine people killed in the crash that occurred at around 2:20 pm. There were two survivors in the crash.
“I am deeply saddened to announce the passing on of General Francis Omondi Ogolla, the Chief of Kenya Defence Forces,” President Ruto said.
“The Chief of Defence Forces onboard the Kenya Airforce helicopter had left Nairobi in the morning to visit troops deployed in the North Rift under the operation Malisha Uhalifu and to also inspect the ongoing school renovation works in the region,” he added.
The chopper crashed before bursting into flames, killing Ogolla and the eight military personnel shortly after takeoff from Chesegon in West Pokot for the Recruits Training School in Uasin Gishu County, where he was scheduled to inspect ongoing construction works.
“This is a very sad moment for me as the commander in chief of defence forces. It’s a tragic moment for the KDF fraternity and it’s a most unfortunate day for the nation at large,” President Ruto stated.
He said a team of investigative officers from the Kenya Air Force has been dispatched to probe the cause of crash, even as he announced a three day of national mourning in honour of the fallen General.
Other soldiers who perished in the crash include Brigadier Swale Saidi, Colonel Duncan Keittany, Lieutenant Colonel David Sawe, Major George Benson Magondu (Pilot), Captain Sora Mohamed, Captain Hillary Litali, Senior Sergeant John Kinyua Mureithi, Sergeant Cliphonce Omondi, and Sergeant Rose Nyawira.
“I convey my deepest condolences to all families that are grieving this untimely loss, and our mourning nation as well. I also wish quick recovery to the two injured soldiers in this accident who are now in accident,” stated the President.
Gen. Ogolla’s death comes nearly a year after he was sworn in as Kenya’s military boss on April 29, 2023.
He took over the CDF mantle from Gen. Robert Kibochi whose term ended after 44 years in the military.
Prior to assuming the CDF role, Ogolla served as the Commander of the Air Force and Vice Chief of Defence Forces.
Gen. Ogolla joined the Kenya Defence Forces on April 24, 1984. He was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant on 6 May 1985 and posted to Kenya Air Force.
He trained as a fighter pilot with United States Air Force (USAF) and as an instructor pilot at the Kenya Air Force (KAF).
The late military boss also trained in other fields including imagery intelligence, counter terrorism and accident investigation.
He rose through the ranks to become a Major General and was appointed as the Commander of the Kenya Air Force on July 15, 2018, a post he held for three years before former President Uhuru Kenyatta promoted him to the rank of Lieutenant General and appointed him as the Vice Chief of Defence Forces.
Previously, he held various appointments in Training, Command and Staff including Deputy Commander Kenya Air Force, Base Commander Laikipia Air Base, Commanding Officer of Tactical Fighter Wing, Chief Flying Instructor at Kenya Air Force Flying Training School and Operations Desk Officer at Kenya Air Force Headquarters.
He also served in the former Yugoslavia as an Observer and Military Information Officer from 1992 to 1993, as chairman of Military Christian Fellowship from 1994 to 2004 and co-Chair of Association of African Air Chiefs between 2018-2019.
The late army General is survived by his wife Aileen, two children and a grandson.
The minister lamented that, while boda boda riders in the neighboring country have shown utmost discipline in compliance with safety rules, recklessness on the part of Kenyan counterparts is to blame for the rising carnage.
“If we are going to sort out the accident issue, we have to sort out the boda boda sector. We should ask ourselves how come to our neighbouring country has managed to organize the boda boda sector that everyone dutifully wears a helmet including passengers,” Murkomen said in an apparent reference to Rwanda which is widely regarded as a shining example for compliance of safety rules not only in the East African region but Africa and beyond.
Murkomen also blamed residents for contributing to the deterioration of the boda boda sector in Kenya, stating, “When you tell our Nairobi slay queens to wear a helmet, they will tell you it is smelling or it’s messing my hair.”
He posed, “Which one is more important: your hair or your safety?”
Comparing past and present statistics, the CS said the boda boda sector is the leading cause of road accidents in Kenya.
“From 2000 to 2008, it used to be public service and private vehicles. But today, 38 per cent of the people we lose are pedestrians, 32 per cent are boda boda riders, and 26 per cent are lost through public and private vehicle accidents,” he added.
The CS spoke during the launch of the National Road Safety Action Plan 2024 – 2028 in Nairobi on Wednesday, April 17.
To tame the menace, he called for strategic partnerships between the national and county governments to ensure that all the 47 devolved units in Kenya are empowered to manage the motorcycle sector in Kenya.
Meanwhile, while the boda boda sector continues to give leaders in neighboring countries a headache, Rwanda continues to stun the region with how it got everything right in managing the sector, popularly known as ‘Taxi Moto’ among the locals.
In Rwanda, stringent rules set by the Transport authorities require a rider to carry only one passenger at a time. Additionally, the rider and their customer must wear helmets at all times. The helmets must be stamped with a unique identifying number, which has to be printed on the driver’s jacket and bike as well.
The sector is also governed by cooperatives which work hand in hand with traffic police to enforce compliance to the set laws.
Unlike in Nairobi, Kenya, Kampala, Uganda, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, it’s not uncommon to find boda boda riders stopping at pedestrian crossings to allow pedestrians to pass in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda.
The boda boda operators in Rwanda are also required to use designated stages to pick up passengers, promoting discipline and order in the sector.
Yesterday, members of the House of Lords backed plans to remove exceptions to the scheme for children and ensure it adheres to international law, despite the House of Commons voting to reject previous amendments to the Rwanda Bill.
At the same time, the Lords renewed their support for the Labour Party’s proposal to exempt agents, allies, and employees of the UK overseas seeking asylum in the UK from being removed to Rwanda.
The peers also maintained their demand that the Bill must have “due regard” for domestic and international law, including human rights and modern slavery legislation.
The Lords also agreed to crossbench peer Lord Hope’s measure that requires Rwanda to undergo independent verification before it is considered safe.
The Bill returned to the Lords for further scrutiny after MPs rejected all their amendments to the legislation.
MPs are scheduled to deliberate on the new developments before taking a vote later today.
The Bill will not become law until both the Upper and Lower chambers agree on its final wording.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had earlier indicated that he hopes the legislation will be adopted this week, paving the way for the first flight to depart to Rwanda.
The scheme, first announced in April 2022 by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government following a deal with Rwandan authorities, seeks to act as a deterrent to people arriving in the UK on small boats across the English Channel.
Unlawful
The Bill was introduced to Parliament after the UK Supreme Court ruled that the government’s scheme was unlawful.
The judges argued that genuine refugees being removed to Rwanda faced the risk of being returned to their home countries, where they could face harm.
The UK government says failed asylum seekers would be offered £3,000 (Rwf4,866,727) to move to Rwanda under the new voluntary scheme.
Israeli authorities said on Sunday, April 15, 2024, that the Iron Dome had intercepted 99 percent of more than 300 drones and missiles fired by Iran on Saturday night, resulting to minimal damage on the country with a population of more than 9.5 million people.
Iran’s unpresented retaliatory attack followed Israel’s armed attacks against the diplomatic premises of Iran in Damascus, the Syrian Arab Republic, which killed seven senior military personnel.
In reaction to Saturday’s attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Israel’s defense system capabilities in a post on social platform X, saying “We intercepted. We blocked. Together, we will win.”
The Iron Dome also stunned the world in October last year after intercepting hundreds of missiles fired over Tel Aviv by the Hamas militant group.
It’s estimated that the Iron Dome has intercepted thousands of missiles and drones since its launch in 2011, mainly in response to the 2006 war that ended with Hamas taking control of Gaza the following year.
How the missile defense system works
The all-weather air defense system was developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries with financial support from the United States, which has so far contributed more than US$1.6 billion to develop and improve the system.
The system was designed to protect Israel against incoming short-range weapons and is powered by mobile missile-defense batteries.
Each of the batteries is fitted with three to four launchers that can fire 20 interceptor missiles.
The system usually activates upon the detection of an incoming rocket by the Iron Dome radar units. These units then relay information about speed and trajectory to the control center of the batteries.
The control center’s operators calculate whether the rocket is going to hit a populated area. If so, a missile is fired from the launchers, destroying the incoming rocket by exploding near it.
To reduce the chances of damage on the ground, each missile receives constant guidance updates from the control center.
The US uses a similar technology dubbed MIM-104 Patriot to protect its territory against short-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and advanced aircraft.
The US also uses the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system for defense against long-range ballistic missiles, particularly intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) launched by adversaries.
Russia, on its part, uses S-400 system to protect itself against external attacks.
Unveiled in 2007, the defense system is capable of eliminating a wide variety of aerial adversaries, such as stealth fighter jets, bombers, cruise and ballistic missiles, and even unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). It carries two separate radar systems that can detect aerial targets up to a range of 600 kilometres and can simultaneously engage 80 aerial targets.
The best liars, the really crafty ones, take the truth and twist it just a little so that it’s not an obvious lie. Such are the majority of the purveyors of the “Beware of false prophets” narrative. It’s never about what they purport it’s about. It’s about managing others perceptions without much regard for the Truth.
We must come to terms with this if we’re to usher these lying, conniving, deceitful fellows to where they belong. The road less traveled, the one that’s mainly more concerned about true prophets than false ones is the one that would lead us to the solution of the issue at hand. How do you recognize a false or fake bill/note? By knowing the authentic bill first, and not the other way round.
It’s of relevance to note also that the Bible doesn’t tell us to be on the lookout for false prophets only but also false apostles, false teachers, false pastors, and – surprise surprise – false brethren!!! For such are FALSE APOSTLES, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ – 2 Corinthians 11:13 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be FALSE TEACHERS among you… 2 Peter 2:1 And that because of FALSE BRETHREN unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage – Galatians 2:4.
And as for the false pastors or other words shepherds, Jesus Christ sets the precedence of knowing the authentic if you’re to identify the false when He says in John 10:11-12: “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is a hireling, and is not the shepherd…seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep…. It’s obvious that by now you’ve had run-ins with the “false brethren”, either in real life or online. These are such that have assumed the roles of being some kind of spiritual inspectors, advising whoever they come across as to who is false or not. For most of these, their delusions are as strong to them as reality itself. They are largely the protégés of the false pastor, whose hatefests disguised as sermons are the reason why the church is in such a dire state, contextually speaking. My people have been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray – Jeremiah 50:6
Safeguarding the sheep against false prophets is a cover-up these false religious leaders have used to divide and rule. It’s all a facade. The “false prophet” narrative isn’t, therefore, for the protection of the sheep but of the shepherd. They weaponize the “false prophets” narrative against those they consider a threat, driving their flock paranoid into their fold. Truth is weaponized when it serves the person instead of the person being a servant of the truth.
So, if we’re to go by Jesus’ methodology, it should be basic for us to know how to know the good first, the true, the authentic if we’re going to know how to know the false, the fake, or the hireling. From this basis, we can deduce that just as we have true government officials and legal tender officially authorized, the true prophet is God’s official – officially authorized by God and therefore has God’s backing.
The false prophet, on the other hand, is an imposter – a construct of himself, a theological institution, or devil – and therefore, does not have the backing of God! How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; GOD ALSO BEARING THEM WITNESS; both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and the gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will – Hebrews 2:3-4
And if thou say in thine heart, how shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him – Deuteronomy 18:21-22
#ProphetElvisMbonye is the founder of the Prophet Elvis Mbonye Ministries based in Uganda.
In a report released last week, Britain-based charity Debt Justice found that African governments owe three times more debt to Western banks, asset managers, and oil traders than to China, and are charged double the interest.
The report said 12 percent of African governments’ external debt is owed to Chinese lenders compared to 35 percent owed to Western private lenders, adding that the average interest rate on private loans is 5 percent, compared to 2.7 percent on loans from Chinese public and private lenders.
The new finding came after Harry Verhoeven from the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, and Nicolas Lippolis from the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Oxford published a new study in May, which said the rise in African debt due to Chinese lending pales in comparison with the debt burden created by private creditors of other countries over the last decade.
The new findings lay bare the absurdity of the so-called “debt-trap diplomacy” that has been for too long touted by Western politicians and propaganda machines in smear campaigns against China, experts have said.
Debt trap?
The so-called debt-trap narrative exploited by the West against China is untrue, African scholars and economists told Xinhua.
Charles Onunaiju, director of Nigeria-based Center for China Studies, said Western private creditors not only account for a third of Africa’s external debt, but also charge higher interest and offer a shorter period for repayment, describing them as manipulating and strangulating.
“The debt trap issue has always been political slander …,” he said, adding that the narrative is nothing but a distraction to absolve the West of its responsibilities.
Costantinos Bt. Costantinos, professor of public policy at the Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, said Western administrations and media have been unable to adopt a rational perspective on China’s growing influence in Africa.
“They depict China as a predatory lender that is weaponizing capital in order to practice a new form of colonialism in Africa. However, such accusations have little factual basis,” said the expert.
Beatrice Matiri-Maisori, a senior economics lecturer at Kenya’s Riara University, said the figures and percentages revealed by the studies clearly indicate that Africa’s external debt is largely owed to private financial groups, Eurobonds, and oil creditors.
“The debt trap diplomacy … has got nothing to do with the reality of the debt structure in Africa,” she said.
“Western lenders for long have not been put on the spotlight for debt relief because they successfully managed to dupe the world that it’s only Chinese lenders that pose a threat to Africa,” Uganda-based Vision Group journalist Mubarak Mugabo said.
West urged to do more
Campaigners have been calling on Western countries, particularly Britain and the United States, to compel their private lenders to do more in helping address the debt burdens of emerging and developing countries including those in Africa.
Emerging and developing countries have been experiencing sustained capital outflows for four months in a row, said International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva at a recent meeting, adding that more than 30 percent of emerging and developing countries, and 60 percent of low-income countries are at or near debt distress.
China has extended debt suspension to other developing countries during the pandemic, but private lenders in the West did not, said Tim Jones, head of policy at Debt Justice.
“Western leaders blame China for debt crises in Africa, but this is a distraction … The UK and U.S. should introduce legislation to compel private lenders to take part in debt relief,” he said.
Official data showed that China ranked first among the Group of 20 members in terms of debt deferral amounts. “China has done quite a lot in terms of agreeing to come to a common agreement with over 19 countries in Africa, reaching a common understanding on how they are going to pursue debt relief for the same,” Matiri-Maisori said.
Onunaiju said China has demonstrated what a responsible major country should do in this regard, adding that Africans want to see more of such examples.
At a news briefing last week, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin called on developed countries, their private lenders and multilateral financial institutions to take more robust actions to give developing countries funding support and relieve their debt burden so that the world economy will achieve inclusive and sustainable development.
Concrete support from China
Over the years, China’s financing support for Africa, particularly in the field of infrastructure investment, has won wide applause from African governments and people, especially at a time when the ambitious African Continental Free Trade Area is being promoted.
“We are seeing connectivity, we are seeing airports remodeling, and we are seeing ports remodeling,” Onunaiju said, adding that China’s support for Africa can be clearly felt in different areas.
Referring to the Lekki Deep Sea Port in Lagos State, Nigeria’s economic hub, as an example, he said the China-funded port project will create up to 170,000 jobs and bring billions of U.S. dollars in revenues to the government through taxes, royalties and duties after being in operation.
“These are not propaganda. These are reality,” Onunaiju said.
Over the last more than two decades since the founding of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, a bulk of Chinese financing has been quickly translated into infrastructures in Africa, which can be seen with countless connectivity projects, such as railways, roads, dams, and telecommunications, said Matiri-Maisori.
“This is very important for us in terms of pursuing our aspirations to be an integrated Africa, the Africa continental free trade area, and all the countries in Africa trading with one another,” she said.
“What is really happening is that this connectivity is aiding the future and long-term growth of Africa, so that Africa can begin to participate in the global supply chains,” added the expert.
China has provided African governments with access to good funding to support development, said Peter Kagwanja, CEO of the Africa Policy Institute based in Kenya.
Speaking of the Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway, he said the railway “opened our country Kenya, and we have started to see industrialization growing around there, business growing around the railway line, the value of land increasing greatly around that, and people getting employment around the railway.”
“And these are things we could never, ever have dreamt about before China came into the picture as Africa’s partner,” he said.
(Xinhua reporters Cao Kai, Li Cheng, Bai Lin, Li Hualing in Nairobi, Guo Jun in Abuja, Zhang Gaiping in Kampala, Wang Ping in Addis Ababa, and Xu Zheng in Accra also contributed to the story.) (Video reporters: Li Cheng, Guo Jun, James Harry, Adewale Amzat; video editors: Liu Ruoshi, Cao Ying, Zhao Yuchao)
Good evening! It is a great pleasure to join you in celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
Twenty years ago, shortly after the adoption of the United Nations Millennium Declaration, Chinese and African leaders gathered in Beijing to inaugurate FOCAC. A new era was thus opened for China-Africa relations.
Over the two decades, by acting along the prevailing trend of peace, development and cooperation, FOCAC has established itself as a pacesetter for cooperation with Africa, a champion of multilateralism, and a fine example of mutually beneficial cooperation.
Over the past 20 years, FOCAC has come a long way in strengthening China-Africa solidarity and friendship. It has grown into a big family where all are equal members bound by brotherly ties and treat each other with respect, regardless of size or strength. We have carried forward the profound friendship forged in our struggles for national liberation. We have firmly supported each other on issues concerning core interests and major concerns. We have stood together in upholding the banner of multilateralism, fairness and justice. Together, we have elevated the international standing and influence of developing countries and safeguarded the overall interests of the developing world.
Over the past 20 years, FOCAC has come a long way in boosting common development of China and Africa. In 2019, trade between China and Africa hit US$208.7 billion, and total Chinese FDI in Africa reached US$49.1 billion, grown by 20-fold and 100-fold respectively compared with 20 years ago.
We have jointly formulated and implemented the ten cooperation plans (adopted at the Johannesburg Summit) and the eight major initiatives (adopted at the Beijing Summit). Dozens of economic and trade cooperation zones and industrial parks are up and running across Africa.
China has built for Africa over 6,000 kilometers of railways and the same mileage of roads, nearly 20 ports and over 80 large-scale power plants, and more than 130 medical facilities, 45 stadiums and 170 or so schools. These infrastructures have made a big difference in Africa’s economic and social development.
The African Union (AU) Conference Center, the Mombasa-Nairobi railway, and the Maputo-Katembe Bridge, key projects in Africa’s drive to achieve the “Century Dream”, have been dedicated one after another, and stand as monumental symbols of the shared development of China and Africa.
Over the past 20 years, FOCAC has come a long way in enhancing the friendship between the Chinese and African peoples. Mechanisms, such as the Think Tank Forum, the People’s Forum, the Press Center and the Youth Festival, are playing a greater role as bridges of friendship.
To date, China has provided some 120,000 government scholarships, and opened 61 Confucius Institutes and 44 Confucius Classrooms in 46 African countries. As many as 21,000 Chinese medical personnel have worked, or are working, in 48 African countries, providing treatment to around 220 million African people.
When West Africa was raged by Ebola in 2014, over 1,000 Chinese health professionals defied the dangers and rushed to their help. Today, facing COVID-19, China and Africa have again come together in a joint fight. Last June, President Xi Jinping and African leaders convened an extraordinary summit, sending a powerful message of shared commitment to defeating the virus with solidarity.
Time and again, we have supported each other through thick and thin, forging an enduring China-Africa friendship that continues to grow from strength to strength.
Friends,
China is the world’s largest developing country. Africa is the continent with the largest number of developing countries. While the past two decades have been extraordinary for FOCAC, they have also seen the Chinese people striving for national rejuvenation and African countries pursuing strength through unity. In this great historical journey, China and Africa have always been there for each other. We have shown the world that with hard work, countries who are still in the process of development can build a better life for their people; and with self-reliance and exploration, China and African countries can find our own path toward prosperity that suits our national conditions.
Friends,
The world is undergoing changes unseen in a century, and COVID-19 is accelerating the evolution of the international order. The new challenge calls for new responsibility, and the new situation calls for new actions. How to make sure that China-Africa relations will seize the trend of the times and scale new heights? How to build on our achievement and further upgrade and enhance China-Africa cooperation? How to enable FOCAC to meet the challenges and achieve progress in creative ways? To answer these questions, China would like to share the following propositions with our African friends.
First, we need to strengthen solidarity and build a stronger community with a shared future. At the 2018 FOCAC Beijing Summit, leaders of China and Africa agreed to build a stronger China-Africa community with a shared future. The new international circumstances we face today further underscore the importance of this strategic decision, a decision that has become more relevant than ever. We must remain guided by the principle of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith and the principle of pursuing the greater good and shared interests. We need to firmly support each other in safeguarding national sovereignty and dignity, in independently pursuing a development path suited to national realities, and in protecting legitimate rights to development and achieve national rejuvenation together through joint efforts.
Second, we need to tide over the current challenge together and build a China-Africa community of health for all. China will continue to work with Africa to fully deliver on the outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit and the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity Against COVID-19, with greater focus on public health, economic reopening and improvement of livelihoods. I would like to reaffirm China’s firm commitment to making its vaccines a global public good. When the development of the vaccines is completed and they are available for use, China will actively consider providing them to African countries in need to help secure an early victory against the virus.
Third, we need to pursue win-win cooperation to build a China-Africa community of development for all. China will continue to support Africa in enhancing infrastructure, advancing industrialization and building up capacity for independent development. China welcomes the development of the African Continental Free Trade Area, and will provide cash assistance and capacity-building training to its Secretariat. China and Africa need to deepen free trade cooperation and better connect industrial and supply chains so that Africa can better access the vast China market and join the international economic circulation. China is also ready to work with Africa on a framework of strategic cooperation on climate change to jointly tackle this challenge.
Fourth, we need to embrace our responsibilities and work toward a community with a shared future for mankind. China and Africa are staunch supporters of multilateralism and important forces for world peace and development. We need to take on our historic duty to firmly safeguard the UN’s central role in international and multilateral affairs, defend basic norms governing international relations, and uphold multilateralism, fairness and justice. We must work in concert in addressing global challenges and participating in global governance. By doing so, we will bring about a more equitable and reasonable international order and an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity.
Friends,
FOCAC is a valuable asset for China and Africa. We must keep pace with the times to ensure that the Forum remains a shining example of China-Africa relations. The next FOCAC meeting is scheduled to be held next year in Senegal. China is ready to work with Africa to make good preparations on the arrangements and deliverables of the meeting. We hope the meeting will create greater synergy between China’s second centenary goal and the AU’s Agenda 2063, form new consensus on China-Africa solidarity, explore new cooperation areas, and bring new benefits to the Chinese and African peoples. We hope the meeting will take the China-Africa comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership to a new height.
Friends,
We live in a new, momentous era. We are standing at the threshold of a new chapter to be added to history. No matter how the world may change and no matter what challenges may come up ahead, cooperation between China and Africa will never stop, and the efforts to build a better and stronger FOCAC will never stop. Let us join our efforts to stand up to challenges, strive for high quality in our cooperation and open up a far brighter future for China-Africa relations.
Now, please join me in a toast,
To the long-standing friendship between the people of China and Africa,
To the peace and development of the world, and
To the health and happiness of all the brothers and sisters present.
Cheers!
Thank you! Remarks by H.E. Wang Yi
State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs
At the Reception Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of
The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation
We people can interpret morning differently; there are those who may consider it as the time at which they wake up yet people wake up at different hours.
Similarly, evening can be interpreted differently; some people may think it’s the time they go to bed or time they go to dinner which might vary along the week days or vary between people. All in all ,it’s not only the amount of medications to take that matters but also how often to take them is vital to maximizing the therapeutic effectiveness.
Consideration must always be given to the actual time of administration so that a sufficient period occurs between doses.
For some medicines it doesn’t matter what time you take them. But for others, the Pharmacist will recommend to take them at the same time each day. Medications taken regularly ensure that you have an effective amount of drug in your body at all times.
Though they are meant to improve our health, medications can harm us when not properly taken. When they are not taken regularly, the level of drug in the blood can become either too low to be effective or too high and damages the body organs like kidney or liver.
For each drug to reach to the unhealthy part of the body; it is first absorbed into the blood. The blood then distributes the drug through the body. Each drug has a maximum level of concentration in the blood that when it goes beyond it becomes no longer beneficial but rather toxic to the body.
The moment you start taking your medication, its level of concentration in the blood raises and later falls down to its minimum level as the body breaks down the active ingredients and eliminates the waste from the body.
That minimum level is called minimum effective concentration, below which the drug becomes not effective but rather the body becomes used to the medication and consequently in the future use of the same drug, the drug doesn’t bring the same benefits or effects as before.
Therefore, taking your next dose on time helps to ensure that the already reached drug in the blood stays above the lowest useful level/minimum effective concentration.
Taking a dose too soon could lead to drug levels that are too high, whereas waiting too long between doses could lower the amount of drug in your body and keep it from working properly.
Healthcare providers should make it clear on how many hours apart are between doses so that side effects can be minimized. The routine of telling patients to take their medication in the morning, noon, and in the evening, leaves the ambiguity and may cause other issues as it is not clear at what exact time is in the morning or the evening.
When your healthcare providers didn’t clarify your dosing intervals, it is simple to calculate but people need to make sure the schedule is according to their daily routine. For instance, medications that are to be taken three times a day are to be taken every eight hours.
They are not to be taken morning, noon and evening as most of us are led to believe. To know how to calculate it, you simply take 24 hours and divide by the number of times your medication ought to be taken per day. You will find how many hours should be between doses or dosing intervals.
In the tenacious fight against Covid-19, China and Rwanda have extended helping hands to each other and engaged in extensive mutual support. China will never forget the sincere assistance from Rwanda during its most difficult period to defeat the virus.
President Paul Kagame and Secretary General Francois Ngarambe of Rwanda Patriotic Front sent letters of solidarity and support to the Chinese government and the Communist Party of China respectively.
Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation issued a statement to express trust and support for China. Rwanda-China Alumni made special video, sending Chinese people their sympathy and best wishes.
Since Rwanda initiated its all-out fight against Covid-19 from middle March, China has been repaying goodwill to Rwanda with greater kindness.
Through different channels and at different levels, the Chinese government and people have continuously donated dozens of batches of medical supplies to the RBC, RPF, RDF, parliament, as well as the emergency food to low-income households.
The Chinese medical experts also share the epidemic control practices, diagnostics and therapeutics with their Rwandan counterparts. All these fully demonstrate the precious friendship between our two countries in the times of adversity.
At the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity against Covid-19, the meeting to Commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations and on other multi-lateral occasions, both President Xi Jinping and President Kagame insist solidarity and cooperation as the only way to defeat the virus, rejecting stigmatization or name-calling associated with the virus, supporting WHO’s lead role in global response efforts, and keeping global industrial and supply chains secure and stable for economic recovery.
On October 8, China officially joined COVAX and solemnly pledged to make vaccines developed and deployed by China a global public good and ensure early access for developing countries. It has been welcomed and supported by the international community, especially African countries, as we all believe only through global efforts and commitments can we win the fight against the pandemic.
Thanks to our effective leadership, strong action and unwavering commitments in responding to Covid-19, China and Rwanda are among the few countries to keep the pandemic under control.
As the country firstly hit by Covid-19, China knows the significance of trustful institutions, universal health coverage, well-supported health workers and transparent public health communications in this fight. China highly commends Rwanda for the achievements in these aspects. Hand in hand, China and Rwanda have shown the world our determination to defeat Covid-19 with solidarity and cooperation, writing a new chapter in the bilateral relations.
Geographically far apart as China and Rwanda are, as developing countries, both countries pursue the goal of poverty eradication and boosting the economy. We share the aspiration to achieve national prosperity and a better life for our peoples.
At present, China and Rwanda are facing the daunting task to beat the virus while stabilizing the economy and protecting livelihoods.
Although the virus has brought about many restraints to the bilateral exchanges, the cooperation still keeps a strong momentum and shows huge resilience. Partners from both countries have kept in touch and coordination through various channels, thus ensured steady progress of major projects such as Nyabarongo II Hydro-power station, Masaka Hospital Renovation and Expansion, Smart Education, just to name a few.
Also, to facilitate travel for reopening the economy, Rwanda Air has resumed the direct flight between Kigali and Guangzhou. E-WTP is another successful story during the pandemic. Last May in an online promotion event organized by Alibaba Group and Rwandan Embassy in China, 3000 bags of Rwandan coffee beans were sold out just in seconds. Under the e-WTP program, Rwandan farmers can now earn 4 more US dollars per kilo at T-mall because of the direct sales channel to Chinese consumers.
On September 28th, 2020, the 8th session of Rwanda-China Joint Committee on Economic, Technical and Trade was successfully held virtually. This session is the first meeting held under a trade and economic mechanism between China and an African country since the Covid-19 outbreak began.
Thirteen Rwandan cabinet members attended the session, discussing with the Chinese counterparts on topics of bilateral cooperation in trade, infrastructure, investment and development assistance, especially in aligning Rwanda’s Vision 2050 and China’s Belt and Road initiative, accelerating the registration of Rwanda’s agriculture products exporters in China, and deepening cooperation in digital economy etc.
All these will contribute to the enhancement of bilateral ties in the Post- Covid-19 era.
Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Rwanda. Though a lot has been changed because of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, but not the friendly exchanges and cooperation between China and Rwanda.
The two sides will not only celebrate the anniversary in flexible and diverse ways, but also take this chance to open up new chapters of common development and prosperity, so as to make further contributions to a community with shared future for mankind.
The Author is Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Rwanda
A statement from the Ministry of Health on Tuesday said that of the new cases, three were detected in Kigali City and one in Bugesera District.
Rwanda has confirmed a total of 4,836 COVID-19 cases out of 492,986 sample tests taken, 3,125 recoveries, 1,682 active cases, and 29 deaths.
Coronavirus symptoms include coughing, flu, and difficulty in breathing. The virus is said to be transmitted through the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract.
Rwandans are required to continue complying with government regulations, especially with frequent washing of hands and water and soap, wearing masks when leaving home or in public.
