The report released last week, provided a glimpse of the influx of goods across the Rwandan border, before and after the arrival of the Coronavirus pandemic in the country.
According to the report, imports to Rwanda fell by 32% in April compared to March 2020.
At the Rusumo border, commodity traffic decreased by 35%, while at airports it decreased by 16%.
In terms of exports from Rwanda, it fell by 8% in April compared to March 2020.
According to the report, customs duties and taxes have also been severely affected as they fell by 55% in April compared to March. At the Rusumo border, customs duties and taxes were reduced by 52%, Kagitumba by 71%, and at the airport by 41%.
To prevent the spread of Coronavirus, one of the measures taken is for all customs services to be transported to the border where goods are imported into the country, and to arrange for drivers from outside these trucks to return to the border and not to enter the country except those carrying oil and gas.
Warehouses along the border have also been set up, to facilitate the process of unloading and packing goods from abroad.
Cargoes and trucks are unloaded and stored in warehouses or other vehicles arriving at Customs imported into Rwanda. All Customs services were started in Kigali and elsewhere in the country, starting at the border.
At the Rusumo border, there are all customs services, and the warehouses run by the usual providers in Rwanda are MAGERWA, DP World, and Boloré. All of this is in an area of 7.5 ha but the construction area is about 5 ha. Since the launch of these services, there has been a problem of delays in some of the trucks, and yet on the day of the park over 100. In the Kagitumba border, these services are also set up.
The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr. Ndagijimana Uzziel, said that due to the turmoil in the business sector, it would affect the collection of taxes so that the revenue collected by 2020/2021 would be reduced to 1421 billion Frw compared to Rwf1569 billion collected in the closing budget.
The RRA states that exporters must use EBM version 2, to facilitate the control and release of goods at Customs.
This report, dubbed Rwanda Vital Statistics Report, combines information provided by the technology used by various agencies such as local, health, courts and others to obtain accurate and statistical information on the various health aspects of the country.
Of the newborns, 49.5% were girls while 50.5% were boys. Of these children, 98.1% were born in the hospital while 1.9% were born at home.
Usually, after birth, the health facility has the responsibility of informing the sector administration.
After the identification, the child’s mother has 30 days for registering the child within the sector in which she lives. This was amended by a decision of the Cabinet meeting held on Tuesday, June 16, authorizing hospitals and clinics to register newborns.
Since last year there was still a first-hand application for a hospital to identify a child and then get him or her registered. The NISR report shows that among the children who were identified by the clinics, the number of registered children was 313,398.
Most children were born in Gasabo District where 24,521 were born, followed by Nyagatare with 16,762 children and in Bugesera with 15,923 children.
Nyabihu had 7,696 children, Ngororero had 8,312 children and Ruhango had 8,566 children.
There are 42 foreigners born in Rwanda, including 20 boys and 22 girls.
In 2019, the NISR report shows that total deaths were 23,791.
Agreement signed on Tuesday, June 16, 2020, will help KIFC benefit from the CDC Group’s experience, enabling the new center to thrive.
The CDC Group will work with KIFC through its experience to help it establish a better legal and regulatory framework, enabling it to achieve its goal of attracting investment firms that want to support business in Africa.
KIFC is overseen by Rwanda Finance Ltd, which aims to help international and regional financial services providers control their operations.
The agreement is part of an amendment to the Financial Services Regulations and Regulations, fiscal policy related to the financial sector and capacity building, and knowledge in financial services.
Rwanda Finance Limited CEO Nick Barigye said the partnership was important in terms of capacity building in the legal, auditing, and corporate sectors.
He went on to say that the agreement will enable KIFC to cooperate and enter into agreements with other agencies.
CDC Group CEO Nick O’Donohoe said they were confident of KIFC’s mission, which led to an agreement. Although KIFC has just started, they are confident that it will work well and very quickly.
Last month Rwanda Finance Ltd signed a partnership agreement with Casablanca Finance City, to promote investment between Rwanda and Morocco, and to strengthen long-term cooperation between the two countries.
The establishment of the Kigali International Finance Agency, KIFC, was approved at a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Paul Kagame on December 5, 2017.
This center will be a host of institutions including banks, financial and stock markets, collateral, and lending institutions, which will enable Rwanda to move to the level of managing others’ finances.
In addition to contributing to the country’s GDP, GDP will enable Rwanda to manage its bank accounts in other countries, so that investors can participate in depositing their money in Rwanda, even if their operations are elsewhere.
This means that Rwanda will have a vested interest in charging whoever brings in the money, which will be put at the agreed rate between the two sides. The interest rate is usually between 1-2%.
“Churches will continue to be closed, religious leaders are encouraged to continue to put in place measures to prevent COVID-19, in preparation for the opening of churches in the next 15 days based on the results of the health analysis,” the cabinet said in a statement.”
The decision came after the Religious of the Immaculate Conception, RIC, last week wrote to the Rwandan Government Board, RGB, outlining some of its strategies to protect against the Coronavirus pandemic, as long as the government has sustained them and continued their activities to pray.
On May 28 this year, the forum wrote to the Prime Minister requesting that churches and other faith-based activities be facilitated so that they too can begin to operate.
On June 5 this year, a meeting was held between the government’s representatives and the administration of the RIC, chaired by the minister local government, Prof Shyaka Anastase. The meeting was aimed at exchanging views on RIC’s recommendations of religious activities in this period of coronavirus.
RIC has been asked to develop and demonstrate measures to protect against Coronavirus in churches, Parish, and mosques, to be reviewed by government agencies.
{{Religious measures to prevent Coronavirus}}
RIC management wrote to RGB informing them of the proposed measures including cleaning synagogue buildings such as Parish, churches, or mosque before and after using them, using soap and clean water.
There is also the provision of washing hands tanks or hand sanitizer, buying temperature fever testing machines and people to be examined before entering the church, leaving a one meter distance between people, and wearing masks while attending religious services.
There are also appointed toilet cleaners and assistants to comply with the pre-and-post-wash hands’ culture and inform RIC members of the COVID-19 guidelines to be followed by faith-based organizations.
Also religious services last no more than two hours, the services are held where they were held regularly and meet all the need requirements. It also includes scheduling at least an hour between the services that take place in the same room to make room for cleaning.
“During these times only one service is conducted, (Sunday for Protestants, Catholics, and Pentecost). Saturday for Seventh-day Adventists, and Friday for Muslims. Other services will be considered later based on the members’ compliance with the coronavirus prevention guidelines and the progress of the pandemic in the country,” the statement said.
According to the RIC, anyone who leads the Mass wand anyone in charge of the program will be allowed not to wear masks while standing in front of the congregation and comply with at least a two- distance meters.
There is also the fact that each church reduces the number of people who lead the song by keeping at least a two-meter distance while singing, greeting people by shaking hands and hugging is forbidden, sharing or using public microphones is also not allowed.
“Holy Communion will be done by receiving on the hands, the giver and receiver will both be wearing masks and having a one-meter between them. There is also a continuation on one meter between people who a going to receive the Holy Communion.”
Among the religious observances includes “night gatherings, large evangelistic concerts, public prayer rooms, children’s services, zone services, and praying for people while touching them, are unauthorized.”
RIC also told RGB that it is forbidden to exchange materials, for example, to take songbooks, the Quran and the Bible.
To avoid the exchange offering baskets, the RIC says that members should be encouraged to offer on Mobile Money, Money Transfer, Bank Transfer and to set up baskets that won’t move around the congregation.
It is said that at the time of the funeral of a Christian who has died, it has to be done under the general government’s guidelines, the sacrament of marriage in the church should not exceed 50 people.
The Cabinet meeting decided that “wedding ceremonies are valid but not attended by no more than 30 people. The Ministry of local government will issue detailed instructions on this matter”.
RIC pointed out that spouses and those escorting them must abide by all the rules, be encouraged, and not hold celebrations after marriage. Baptism for Catholics will be performed by the recipients while wearing masks and performed at a mass of minorities and appropriate intervals.
While this practice was also resumed, the clergy agreed that baptism for Protestants, Pentecost, and Seventh-day Adventists because they baptize in rivers and lakes, will be suspended.
According to the RIC, Muslims are required to go to the mosque with their praying equipment such as small mats, to use the Quran in the cell phone, and not to touch in the Quran or other books in the mosque.
{{Joy to religious members}}
The clerics, who had been out of the church for three months, said they hoped the analysis of the health sector will inevitably allow them to return to God’s house because the steps taken by the clergy are clear.
Kayitare Jean Claude of Rutonde Catholic Parish in the Archdiocese of Kigali said that although the mass continued through radio and television, he is happy that the churches are about to reopen.
“We work together to study the word of God and to pray together as a family. It is a great pleasure to have God perform miracles and we are going to return to His house,” Bazambanza Enock of the Seventh-day Adventist Church said.
The CEO of Mara Phones Rwanda Eddy Sebera explained that the donation is a gesture is meant to protect customers and employees as well.
“Mara Phones had suspended activities for two months following measures put in place to contain the spread of Coronavirus. We have donated 40,000 face masks to support Government’s efforts,” he said.
The face masks made in Hong Kong in China have been handed to Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) to be distributed to beneficiaries.
Funds to buy the face masks came from Mara Phones employees and board committee’s contributions.
Located at Plot No. 2166 Kigali Special Economic Zone, Ndera, Gasabo District, Kigali, Mara Phones Rwanda Factory, is first Africa’s high tech smartphone factory inaugurated last year in October.
The lead fuel marketers in Rwanda have donated 5,000 liters to be distributed to thousands of motorists across the country.
The Vivo Energy Rwanda Managing Director, Sarah Doukouré, said the idea was hatched after realizing that motorists were among the worst affected by COVID-19 prevention measures, part of which included suspending taxi-motor activities.
She explained that the donation is part of a contribution to recovery efforts, giving relief to people whose health and livelihoods are continuously affected by the novel coronavirus.
“Although all of us were affected in one way or another, there is a special group among us who were severely impacted by the lockdown- the taxi-moto operators. Their only source of income was put on hold yet they have families to feed,” she said.
“As we adjust to the normal situation, they need a bit of hoist to be able to get back on the road. In this regard, Vivo Energy Rwanda pledges 5,000 litres of fuel to be donated to commercial motorcyclists across the country,” added Doukoure.
Doukouré says the fuel will be provided to the most impacted motorcyclists, with the help of the Rwanda Motorcycle Cooperative, Ferwacotamo.
One of Engen customers and a motorist, Ndatimana Aimable, praised the initiative, saying it will go a long way in giving a big push to motorists that had difficulties getting fuel as they resume work after a long lull.
Ndatimana shares this sentiment with his colleague Harerimana
“Staying at home had a very big toll on our incomes and life has been full of daily survival struggles. The Engen kind gesture has come in handy,” appreciated.
“We’re going to start work but we were just starting with nothing. All our small savings had got exhausted. Thank you Engen for helping us,” Ferwacotamo member, Mayor Ngarambe said.
In addition to the fuel, Engen Rwanda has also provided masks to the motorists as a way of further ushering them back into business.
For those wishing to donate to this campaign, they can do so via Twitter using #FuelMyMoto where they can agree to donate fuel or money and even pay for it using MTN Mobile Money by typing * 182 * 8 * 1 * 222222 * money #.
The Director-General of Rwanda Biomedical Centre, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, told IGIHE that the man infected with Coronavirus was a driver from outside Rwanda.
Normally people crossing the border are examined when they are about to enter the country and then put in quarantine but when it is found that someone has met or stood in a place, these measurements are taken and the place he passed through is disinfected.
In Rwanda, 431 people have been diagnosed with Coronavirus, while two have died and 283 have recovered from the virus. Of all the infections, the largest number are males as they account for 81.44% of the total number of 351 people.
The Mayor of Gisagara District, Rutaburingoga Jérome, told IGIHE that all the remaining 35,669 households will have electricity by 2024.
He said great strides have been made in delivering electricity to the people.
“In 1994 we were at 0%; in 2010 we had only 1107 households with 3% electricity; we had reached 15% in 2016, and now we have reached 52 532 households which is60%. Our goal is that by 2024 we will have 100% of every household with electricity,” he said.
Gisagara District has 88,201 households in 13 sectors consisting of 59 cells and 514 villages.
The number of households receiving On-grid electricity is 41,318 which is 47% and the Off-grid is 11214 which is 13%.
Only Kiri and Munini cells in Kansi Sector go without electricity but, Rutaburingoga says, will also be partly connected before the end of 2020.
The accident took place in Rusongati Village in Rusesa Cell in Kanama Sector on June 4, 2020, at around 5:40 p.m.
The Executive Secretary of the Kanama Sector, Mugisha Honoré, confirmed the information adding that the victim was rushed to Gisenyi Hospital for treatment.
The place where the grenade exploded it is where the major infiltration battles between 1996 and 2000 took place.
Officials have urged residents to be vigilant about any unfamiliar metallic products they come across and caution children against playing with such objects.
