Author: Elina Jonas Ruzindaza

The bodies were found on Wednesday, September 2, 2020. 42 bodies were found in Rwamibabi Village in Ntovi Cell, and two more were found in Bare Village in Rwintashya Cell. The discovery followed information provided by the community, prompting Ibuka authorities in collaboration with local authorities to begin the search.

Rukumberi Sector Executive Secretary Mbarushimana Ildephonse told IGIHE that they had started searching for the bodies two days ago after receiving information from the community that may people were killed from that place.

He called on those who still have information on the whereabouts of the bodies of Tutsis killed in the genocide against the Tutsi to provide it so that victims can be afforded decent burial.

There is a memorial in Rukumberi sector where remains of over 40,000 victims are buried.

Effective Thursday, September 3, a liter of petrol will cost Rwf966, up from Rwf908 while diesel prices have been increased to Rwf943 from Rwf883.

RURA explains that this rise is due to changes in international oil prices.

The event was organized by Access Bank Plc through its department that cares for women, Maternal Health Care in collaboration with the national blood transfusion center, Inzira Collect na Iby’Iwacu.

The event was themed ‘Protect mother’s life, donate blood, give life.’ It was aimed at collecting blood that will be given to people who need it, especially women who give birth and face a problem of over bleeding.

Natacha Sandrine Umuhoza, Representative of Access Bank Rwanda at the beginning of the event, said that in addition to their work as a bank they also have other activities that help the country.

She added that as a bank they have chosen to launch a blood donation campaign because they believe that a person does not thrive without good health.

“We have chosen to do this through our branch at Access Bank because we have thought that women are among the people who need blood mostly, especially when they give birth they often have various problems that require blood, and for a person to thrive she also has to have a healthy life,” she said.

The blood donation process will last for three days and will end on September 4, 2020.

The Director of the National Blood Transfusion Center, Dr. Gatare Swaibu, thanked Access Bank’s involvement in the long-running blood donation drive due to COVID-19.

“The event seemed to have stalled since COVID-19 arrived in Rwanda, we realized it is necessary, we collaborated with Access Bank Rwanda branch which cares for women to make this event possible,” he said.

Fiona Cecile Umulisa, the director of Ibyiwacu, says Rwandans should have a better blood donation culture.

Akingabire Marie Claire, one of the participants in the blood donation event, said that she donates happily because she has seen so many people lose their lives because of the lack of blood which makes her sad.

The inauguration was held at Masaka Hospital in Kicukiro District on Tuesday, September 1, 2020.

The Ministry of Health says the project will be completed with the construction of 300 toilets across the country.

The Minister of Health, Dr. Ngamije Daniel, explained the importance of health to the people of Masaka Hospital and encouraged the people to practice hand-washing in their homes.

“We thank this partnership with World Vision and other partners who worked hard to avail of these facilities. The important thing is to thank the person who did the work, not the amount of money spent. Here I look at the importance of these modern hand washing facilities. It is going to help us prevent the Covid-19 pandemic and other hygiene-related diseases. I also urge the recipients to take good care of them.”

“For the general public, these activities are at the hospital but also in your home you should do it. Protect your children from hygiene-related diseases including worms,” he added.

Sean Kerrigan, National Director of World Vision Rwanda assured that the organization he leads will continue to support activities aimed at improving the health of the community.

“We thank the Government of Rwanda for its efforts in the fight of COVID-19. This is something that the government started doing many years ago before Coronavirus outbreak. This is reflected in the government’s long-standing efforts to bring water closer to the people, improve the health, hygiene, and sanitation sectors and more. We are happy that the children will have a healthy life. ”

In an interview with IGIHE, the Director of Masaka Hospital, Dr. Uwizeye Marcel, said the hand washing machine they were given has come in handy.

“Because we receive so many patients, it’s going to help us. Having six modern hand-washing facilities is going to help us speed up our services. It will help us to prevent Cororonavirus and other contagious diseases. ”

The 49modern hand-washing facilities cost Rwf290 million, built in partnership with World Vision as a major donor. About 47 were built at various hospitals across the country, while two were built at health centers.

In collaboration with World Vision, there is also the construction of other 250 modern hand-washing facilities which will cost Rwf260 million.

Prime Cement Ltd on Tuesday, September 1, 2020, unveiled its new cement, confirming that it is now on market.

The factory was completed at a cost of more than Rwf37 billion. It is located in Kimonyi Sector in Musanze District in an industrial area known as Ruvunda.

Prime Cement has entered Rwanda to close the cement gap in the domestic market.

Rwanda needs 800,000 tons of cement per year while the country has a processing capacity of about 480,000 tons.

Rolf Anttila, CEO of Prime Cement Ltd, says their main goal is to increase the volume of cement produced in Rwanda and reduce imports.

“This is a day of joy for us, for the first time we are putting Prime Cement on the market. Our goal is to increase the volume of cement produced in Rwanda and close the gap in the market.”

Some of the major building materials traders and others in the construction projects say that they’re optimistic cement prices will stabilize as a result of Prime Cement LTD entry into the market.

Janabyere Musabyimana, who is in the construction business, said they were very happy with the proximity of the cement factory near them.

“Our businesses are bound to grow. Secondly, there was scarcity of cement that some had stopped their construction works. A bag would go for Rwf13,000, but Prime Cement costs Rwf9,500.”

Simpenzwe David, who is also in the construction business, said the cement was not easily available on the market.

Some of the facilities used to make Prime Cement include special volcanic rocks, which are widely available in Musanze, Burera, Nyabihu, and Rubavu Districts, as well as a variety of other chemicals.

The Prime Cement plant has capacity of making 600,000 tons at the start of the project, which is expected to increase to 1,200,000 tons in the next two years. The plant has already processed about 100,000 tons of cement.

Prime Cement specializes in building materials including cement, steel, electrical wires, paint, and more; operating in countries including Angola, Dubai, Rwanda, and South Africa.

The ceremony was also witnessed by other dignitaries including Côte d’Ivoire’s President Alassane Ouattara, Alpha Condé of Guinea, Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, George Weah of Liberia, and others.

On Thursday, August 27, 2020, Nigerian Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, 60, was elected to lead the African Development Bank (AfDB) in the second term of five years.

President Kagame praised AfDB ‘s achievements in the first five-year term of Dr.

Adesina, wishing him new and good luck in his five-year term, which will end in 2025.

“Over the past five years, he has led the bank in integrity and solidarity, through key projects in the fields of agriculture, energy, infrastructure, education, and technology that bring it all together,” he said.

He added that in the years of Dr. Adesina’s second term there are even better expectations, assuring him of all possible support for this term he is going to lead, especially as it contains barriers due to the Coronavirus pandemic that has devastated all sectors.

President Kagame commended the African Development Bank for its significant role in highlighting the need for Africa’s contribution and interest to the world today at risk of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Dr. Adesina was elected to chair the AfDB for the first five-year term at a meeting of the bank’s Governors in Abidjan on May 28, 2015. He is the eighth President of the bank, the first from Nigeria.

In his remarks, Adesina said there has been a lot of progress over the past five years, but there is more to be done, especially as the whole world is now facing the Coronavirus pandemic.

“Coronavirus pandemic has changed everything in the world. It has slowed down the African economy. The continent has lost economic development that it achieved for over 10 years. The journey to Africa will be long and difficult.”

He added that the African continent should be helped to rebuild, especially in the areas of health, climate, and the environment.

Dr. Adesina went on to say that the Coronavirus pandemic has opened up new opportunities and highlights what needs to be addressed first of all to build a strong African industrial sector and take steps to help in the implementation of the African Common Market.

In his first term, in October last year, AfDB shareholders approved a $ 108 billion capital increase, from $ 93 billion to $ 208 billion. It gave a strong signal of the willingness of the governors of this bank to develop it.

Over the past five years, AfDB has transformed the lives of 335 million Africans, including 18 million who have been provided with electricity, 141 million provided with food security through agriculture, 15 million provided with development funds, 101 million provided with transportation, and 60 million provided with assistance to access to water and sanitation services.

The AfDB fund has received $ 7.6 billion from donors as an aid to developing countries. Under Dr. Adesina’s leadership, AfDB has pledged $ 10 billion to help African countries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The African Development Bank has also continued to retain the AAA rating awarded by research institutes in the financial sector. Its board has approved an additional 125 percent of its capital budget, from $ 93 billion to $ 208 billion.

Adesina is an economist who has worked in various international positions including the Rockefeller Foundation and has been Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development from 2011 to 2015 and other positions.

The motorcycles were donated by Spare Motors and Sound, which represents Yamaha’s operations in Rwanda, with no collateral or advance payments. All of this is aimed at removing motorists from unemployment so that they too can become entrepreneurs.

The head of the Federation of Motorcyclists in Rwanda (Ferwacotamo), Daniel Ngarambe, said that the motorcycles are going to be given to unemployed motorcyclists through their cooperatives, which will enable them to care for their families and also to develop themselves.

The motorcycles were sourced as loans to motorcycle cooperatives. The recipient is not required to provide any other collateral because the cooperative in question is the one who signs it ‘certifying that he or she is a qualified and honest member.’

Ngarambe said the ownership and responsible driving will strengthen read safety.

“These motorcycles meet all the requirements; GPS, meter, they are registered and trusted. ”

Murenzi Donatien, CEO of Spare Motors and Sound, said that the City of Kigali usually has 43 motorcycle cooperatives, but today the participants were 26 cooperatives who received 104 motorcycles worth Rwf229 million to be paid within 18 months.

“We want people who are willing to work, especially since they are strong young people, and we want them to use that energy to build the country instead of using it for other reasons,” he said.

One of the recipients of the motorcycle, Dushimirimana Aime Polycarpe, said they were happy to receive the new motorcycle and they believe that they will benefit from them.

“I’m happy because I didn’t have a job, the fact that I got a job that’s a big thing for me,” he said.

“What is even more gratifying is that our cooperatives are becoming more and more mindful of their members. The fact that they think of unemployed members and find one for them, these things have never happened in the past. It shows the positive steps we are taking and we are more than happy with it”.

The agreement stipulates that the investor will continue to monitor and maintain these motorcycles until the contract expires. A person who buys it individually is worth one million and Rwf600,000 including all the requirements.

In the early hours of Monday morning, Rusesabagina was shown to the media where the agency said he had been arrested with the help of international agencies.

The RIB said he was suspected of creating and leading armed terrorist groups, including the Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD) and PDR-Ihumure, operating in various parts of the region and abroad.

Rusesabagina has recently been charged with felony criminal including intimidation, arson, kidnapping, and murder of innocent civilians.

Foods, rice, cooking oil, maize flour, sugar, and salt, as well as hygiene items including soaps, sanitary pads, and masks, were provided to the families.

The beneficiaries include families with people living with HIV. The items were handed over to Kabuye Health Center in Jabana Sector which is regularly monitoring them.
Those who take antiviral drugs are among the most affected by Covid-19 and the medications they take require proper nutrition.

CSDI Director-General Leon Pierre, said they were already working in the Sector, seeking funding to provide them with food after realizing that their livelihoods had stalled.

It is an initiative of CSDI in partnership with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, AHF, which already works with 30 health centers across the country.

Director of AHF in Rwanda, Dr. Brenda Kateera Asiimwe, said the support is in line with their plan to deliver food to people living with HIV in the health centers they work with.

“Today we have helped CSDI deliver food and other items to the community but we are usually working with 30 Health Centers. We are also supporting them to deliver food to those affected by Covid-19 especially those with HIV and other people in need. ”

One of the recipients of the grant said it has come in handy because the ARV drugs they take need a person to eat well.

The donation is valued at $ 12,000 (over Rwf11.6 million).