Author: IGIHE

Rwanda’s satellite will be used in agriculture, a sector employing 70% of the population and contributing 30% of the country’s GDP.

RWASAT-1 project was launched two years ago and will be used to capture images on Rwanda’s surface. The satellite is equipped with a small technology device that can test the quantity of water, warmth, humidity among other climate measurements.

It weighs 3.8 kgs, 30 cm by 10 cm.

Takayoshi Fukuyo, advisor at Japan’s National Space Policy Secretariat handed the satellite to Rwanda’s Minister of ICT and Innovation, Paula Ingabire yesterday at Transform Africa Summit 2019.

Gaspard Twagirayezu, Science and Technology Knowledge Transfer Analyst at the National Commission of Science and Technology (NCST) who was in Japan during the construction of the satellite said the target is to have more satellites made in Rwanda.

“Many parts of a satellite can be made in Rwanda but there are some parts involved in testing it that require firms and laboratories not available here in Rwanda. Otherwise, other parts can be made in Rwanda,” he said.

“This is what we are assessing in coming days so that large parts of coming satellites can be made in Rwanda and conduct other tests abroad,” added Twagirayezu.

Based on experience acquired from Japan and his colleagues, Twagirayezu said that Rwandans in will be able to build own satellite starting from scratch.

The satellite will be launched into space in Japan on 400 km altitude.

Takayoshi Fukuyo, advisor at Japan’s National Space Policy Secretariat said that Tokyo University has a partnership with Tumba College of Science and Technology where Rwandans will be trained on monitoring data provided by satellites.

“The idea doesn’t end with making the satellite only. It is crucial to building the capacity of people who can monitor and use this technology,” he revealed.

A team of 15 Rwandans was involved in making RWASAT-1.

Mr. Hafez Ghanem is in Rwanda to attend Transform Africa Summit 2019.

Premier Ngirente thanked the World Bank for its close partnership and cooperation with the Government of Rwanda in implementing the Stunting Prevention and Reduction Project.

He also hailed the World Bank for speeding up the process of approving the two agreements which were signed yesterday between Rwanda and the World Bank (Socio-Economic Inclusion of Refugees Project worth US$ 60 Million and additional financing to PSTA4 Program for Results Phase II)

The two leaders discussed and agreed on how to fast-track different projects in the pipeline (financing Rwanda’s vision for better education, making agriculture more resilient to climate change, urbanization, and more)

Prime Minister Ngirente commended the World Bank cooperation with Rwanda and reiterated the commitment of the Government of Rwanda to further strengthen this cooperation.

It has been announced by Eugene Kaspersky, founder and the CEO of the global cyber-security firm, Kaspersky who is among delegates attending Transform Africa 2019 in Kigali. He has been involved in the business of countering cybersecurity attacks for 30 years.

Eugene has told IGIHE that the office was opened in Kigali two days ago.

The Kigali office will provide more office space for the growing global cyber Security Company as well as close proximity to new partners for better collaboration.

The new office will also provide greater space for Kaspersky Lab and will be an opportunity for Rwandan companies dealing in IT and cybersecurity related issues to work closely with the most renowned anti-virus solution provider.

Kaspersky talked on opening the office to Rwanda as he featured on a panel at the ongoing Transform Africa Summit 2019 with the Director General of Rwanda Utility Regulatory Authority, Lt. Col. Patrick Nyirishema.

Eugene Kaspersky stressed that Governments and enterprises need an integrated approach to complex threat detection and response as they fight cybercriminals who have significant financial resources and constantly looking to exploit any vulnerability.

He also talked on different topics related to cybersecurity attacks pointing out most recent ones on WhatsApp.

Eugene explained that the most important thing nowadays is countering cyber-attacks.
He said Kaspersky collaborates with universities to ensure students get the right knowledge and skills in the area of ICT and is ready to partner with Rwanda’s universities.

“We have a partnership with universities worldwide and we are ready to start cooperation with universities in Rwanda. We offer most of the services for free to share our expertise and knowledge because we need a large number of intellectuals in technology,” he revealed.

Kaspersky Lab already has 37 branches in 32 countries worldwide.

After featuring on the Transform Africa Summit panel yesterday, Eugene Kaspersky met with President Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda and discussed further cooperation with Rwanda government and the ways to protect the country from cyber threats.

They also discussed plans for the new local office and the plans to expand the operation to other neighboring countries.

Discussions were attended by the delegation accompanying Eugene while and the Director General of RURA and the Minister of ICT and Innovation, Paula Ingabire on the side of Rwanda.

“We have to make sure the private sector does not work alone. They have to work in partnership with governments and Governments cannot work alone. If you want to maximize resources, you have to bring the two together and each does what they do best,” he said.

President observed this yesterday as he delivered a keynote address on the second day of the 5th edition of Transform Africa 2019 taking place at Kigali Convention Center from 14th to 16th May 2019 attended by Kenya president, Uhuru Kenyatta, and Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta.

He said that Governments must also invest, especially in the backbone and infrastructure on which the private sector can build for connectivity.

“This investment has to result into things that are affordable, accessible to our citizens. The regulators, policymakers have to bear in mind that they have to put in place a framework to facilitate investments that are not too expensive to avoid transferring the cost to consumers,” stressed Kagame.

The President said that creating the market and investing in the development of digital skills of citizens so more and more is making good use of these investments and justifying a large number of resources that have to go into it.

The project to acquire the satellite implemented in collaboration with the Government of Rwanda and Japan through Tokyo University was announced two months ago.

The project was designed to have the first institution in Rwanda helping to reduce expenses spent on obtaining data from foreign satellites.

In December 2018, three Rwandans went to Japan to work on the project and acquire knowledge that would lead into making their own satellite in coming days and fixing technical issues for ‘RWASAT-1’.

Today, ‘RWASAT I’ has been completed and is exhibited at Kigali Convention Center where the 5th edition of Transform Africa Summit is taking place.

RWASAT project Program Manager, Quentin Verspieren has told IGIHE that the satellite has two major duties.

“The first is to collect data from the earth. The satellite is made with advanced technology enabling it to record data even from remote areas without phone network,” he said.

The satellite is equipped with a small technology device that can test the quantity of water, warmth, humidity among other climate measurements.

“We can synchronize all these measurements and combine them into the device before sending them to the satellite using weak signal,” said Quentin.

The satellite has the capacity to monitor different directions using its two cameras that can capture pictures on Rwanda’s earth.

“By combining these indications, we can identify the structure of a particular area whether there is water or productive fertile garden,” said Quenti.

The satellite weighs 3.8 Kgs. It will in the near future be handed to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) which will take it to the monitoring station before launching it into space.

RWASAT will be launched on 400 kilometers altitude.

Rwanda’s satellite will be used in agriculture and preserving the environment.

RWASAT I will be the second satellite Rwanda launches in the space following the launch of ‘Icyerekezo’ satellite on 28th February 2019 expected to expand internet access in rural areas.

It was launched by the Government of Rwanda in collaboration with OneWeb.

With 30,000 youths from all over the world present, the Declaration was announced on 25 May, 2013 by an international peace NGO called Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) in Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and associated with the UN Department of Global Communications (DGC).

Chairman Man Hee Lee of HWPL, a war veteran, stated the background of proclaiming the Declaration. “We cannot claim to desire peace and continue to provoke one another, causing conflict for the sake of valuing our own national interests above those of others. This will only take the lives of the youth, wasting them in the futility of war. This is not a legacy we can leave to future generations.”

The Declaration addresses the value of shared effort of all members of society as they work as peace messengers. It includes principles such as that the heads of each state to sign an international agreement—a commitment to bring all wars to an end, that all youth to unite in an effort to stop wars and pursue the restoration of peace, and that the media to report responsibly and promote a message of peace to the world.

Such values from the Declaration led to drafting the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) as an advanced designation of global responsibility to establish a legally binding international legal framework for peace. This year’s event will be focused on the “Peace Letter Campaign” led by the International Peace Youth Group (IPYG), an affiliated youth organization of HWPL. The campaign is aimed to urge for the support of the heads of each state to develop it into a legally binding document by submitting it as a resolution to the UN.

According to the official of HWPL, the foundation of the DPCW is to build a world of peace secured by the rule of law that is based on the universal values including coexistence, cooperation, and mutual respect. The 10 articles and 38 clauses with the settlement of a dispute and measures for sustainable peace address the international cooperation at the governmental level as well as the role of individual of the global society to achieve peace.

At the commemoration of this year, the participants will call for the replies against the heads of state for the peace letters that have been already sent to them and the messages of peace written by citizens will be delivered to high-level officials of governments and international organizations in 193 different countries.

Kagame made the call yesterday on the second day of the 5th edition of Transform Africa 2019 as he featured on the panel with his counterpart of Mali, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta.

President Kagame said that Africans need to understand their responsibilities to advance technology which is the key to further development programs in Africa.

He revealed that the African continent has attained a lot of achievements like the Single African Air Transport Market inaugurated in February 2018 and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to go into effect since 30th May 2019.

He, however, observed that there are issues that need to be addressed carefully.

“If you believe that when flying from Rwanda necessitates going through Poland, Brussels to make it to Bamako. One must keep asking themselves the rationale. We should set up direct lines linking these places or at least go through Nairobi or Addis Ababa to reach Bamako. I can understand that. But why going through Poland, Bruxelles. It is not clear,” said Kagame.

He also brought the situation in the context of telecommunication as the world strives root economic transformation on technology.

“Data is moving like this air transport. When I make a call to the President of Kenya or Mali, I think I am speaking to them directly but the call first had to take my voice to Europe to be inspected. How can we not be talking about these things? Why don’t we create own systems for people on our continent? What is the problem? Why should we skip it as we discuss such issues,” he said

President Kagame explained that some of these issues are technical; others require resources but noted that the essential thing is politics.

“Going through other countries comes with increased costs. We shouldn’t be talking about increasing the cost to our people. We should be thinking of reducing the cost for all these discussed issues. These are things seeming to be disregarded in such discussions,” he said.

“We need to keep upping our game in realizing the need for cooperation. It means working directly with each other and it is just logical. Everything we need for transformation is in this room or represented in this room,” added Kagame.

President Uhuru Kenyatta said Africans should remove all barriers impeding Africa to maximize advantages from technology.

President Kagame unveiled that the Republic of Guinea will be the host of the 6th Transform Africa Summit in 2020.

According to the results of the Labor force survey, February 2019 (Q1) by National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR), percentage distribution of employed population in mining and quarry has grown from 1.4 in 2017 to 3.1 in 2019 (Q1).

A comparison between February 2018 and February 2019 (Q1) shows that only three economic activities have shown a change of at least 1 percentage point. These are Agriculture forestry and fishing with a decline of 2.9 percentage points, Mining, and quarrying which recorded an increase of 1.3 percentage points and Transportation and storage, which showed an increase of 1.1-percentage points. “Activity of household as employers” sector has also declined in employment by around 1 percentage point.

The Rwanda Labor Force Survey (LFS) started in 2016 with an annual sample spread into two rounds to provide bi-annual estimates of main labor market indicators at National level. From February 2019, the sample was spread into four rounds to provide estimates of labor market indicators at the national level on a quarterly basis. The main objective of the survey is to provide data on the structure and trends of the labor force, employment, and unemployment as well as other related labor market statistics for the implementation and evaluation of economic and social policies related to employment creation, income generation, skills development, and related decent work policies.

Kagame highlighted that remaining behind is not an option as the world is in the era of the digital economy noting that economic transformation and prosperity require mastery of technology.

“Technology connects the world like never before. Access to knowledge has become much more equitable as a result. At the same time, let’s not be empty vessels, using broadband internet merely to consume the content and ideas produced by others. We are innovators and thinkers. We have our own products to sell. We have our own stories to tell,” he said.

The president who was delivering a keynote address today on the second day of the 5th edition of Transform Africa 2019 taking place at Kigali Convention Center from 14th to 17th May 2019 attended by Kenya president, Uhuru Kenyatta and Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, commended Smart Africa for organizing the Transform Africa Summit, and bringing together an impressive range of partners, innovators, and policy-makers.

He said that it is time to build the necessary infrastructure and skills in Africa.

“There is a great deal at stake for our continent, which is why African governments came together to establish Smart Africa in the first place, with the private sector as a key partner from the outset,” said Kagame.

Commenting on the role of Smart Africa, Kagame said it firstly lies in keeping Africa together, in terms of the digital agenda, highlighting that ‘collaboration is the only way for us to navigate successfully, through the complex global dynamics we have to face’.

Kagame urged Africans to tackle tendencies intending to divide the continent for various reasons.

He said, Africa, can only protect its peoples’ interests, and increase the size of the market, through integration and cooperation.

“This is especially the case when it comes to harmonizing laws and regulations, and ensuring that Africa’s ICT infrastructure is managed in a sensible way. The emergence of a common African agenda on ICTs should not be a source of worry to anyone. It is long overdue, and in the end, greater African unity will benefit both Africa and its partners globally,” he said.

President Kagame also unveiled that the host of the 6th Transform Africa Summit in 2020 will be the Republic of Guinea.

The Transform Africa Summit is the Smart Africa flagship event.

Under the theme “Boosting Africa’s Digital Economy”, the Summit attracted over 4,000 participants, including Heads of State and Government, First Ladies, UN Broadband Commissioners, Ministers, Regulators, Mayors and Governors, Public and Private Sector, International Organizations, Industry Leaders, Investors, Entrepreneurs, Young Innovators, Civil Society and Academia.