Author: IGIHE

As RRA conducts the Taxpayers Appreciation Month launched on 4th November, one of the key activities for this month is the visit to taxpayers at their premises to understand the nature of their business, discuss tax related issues if any, and take note of their recommendation to improve services delivered to them and tax procedures for a business friendly environment.

Mr Ruganintwali asserted that this year, the Taxpayers Appreciation Month is celebrated under the theme “Support Business for economic resilience” and this support starts by listening, to identify areas of weakness and provide guidance.

Alex Karera Kabuto, the Chief Executive Officer of Shema Power Lake Kivu welcomed RRA’s support and the initiative of reaching out to taxpayers and listening, discussing and advising where necessary.

“The tax administration has for instance facilitated this project by exempting all our imported machinery and other raw materials. On our end, we strive to comply with tax laws and procedures and when a misunderstanding arises, they provide a team to help us to solve the issue,” said Mr. Karera.

The execution time for SPLK is estimated to be 36 months. For the last 12 months, the project has paid around Rwf 4 billion in taxes. Mr Karera states that when the project becomes operational, it will be generating an estimated Rwf 5 billion monthly income, with 56 megawatts produced regularly.

Taxpayers’ visits started in Kigali City with BAKHRESA GRAIN MILL (AZAM), VOVA PRODUCTS (Matelas Dodoma), and SPERANZA, then extended in Eastern province when the management visited IMANA Steel. These visits are intended to strengthen relations between the revenue body and taxpayers and thereby improve on the level of tax compliance.

All activities comprised in the Taxpayers Appreciation Month will be concluded by celebrations at the National level on 20th November, 2020 at Kigali Convection Center.

ONOMO is one of the first hotel groups to have its properties receive the prestigious safeguard certification. The Safeguard Label is awarded based on compliance with all requirements, following independent verification carried out by a duly qualified auditor.

ONOMO’s 21 hotel properties across 12 African countries are supported by the Bureau Veritas partnership, with ONOMO Hotel Conakry, Lomé, Douala, Bamako, Casablanca City Center and Casablanca Airport already certified, among others.

ONOMO Hotels has partnered with Bureau Veritas, one of the global leaders in conformity assessment services, for the certification of the sanitary system implemented in its hotels, thus preparing the best conditions to host their guests and working conditions for their employees and collaborators.

These assessment services are applied to the areas of Quality, Hygiene-Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE) for the restart of the business since the pandemic.

“This partnership testifies our commitment as a hotel group, to offer the best service to our guests and the best working conditions to our team members. Benefiting from the expertise of a world leader is the best guarantee for our teams, our partners and our customers and enables us to establish a world-level standard in all the hotels of the group” states Cedric Guilleminot, CEO of ONOMO Hotels Group.

A world renowned leader in compliance, Bureau Veritas, developed the checklists with a group of health, safety and hygiene experts based on global, most recognized good practices and recommendations related to preventative measures to be applied for a safer business restart after government restrictions forced all businesses to close in mid March.

The audit reviews the following areas:

• Customer contact and preventative measures
• Cleaning frequency and disinfection
• Monitoring compliance with the reinforced rules

The certification process is based on a two-step assessment. The first consists of an audit of the Covid-19 preventive measures guide developed by the ONOMO group in accordance with the recommendations in force in terms of prevention and customer reception.

It is followed by an on-site audit to confirm the implementation of the provisions, before granting certification. From the definition of processes, passing by the organization, to control and verification, Bureau Veritas brings their expertise in hygiene and safety to the 21 hotel properties of the ONOMO group to continue to make them safe and secure places for employees, partners and customers.

“Bureau Veritas provides ONOMO hotels with a unit of auditors specialized in the hotel and catering industry for tailor-made support covering the various businesses of the group, allowing business continuity in a way adapted to the health situation and responding to regulatory requirements of each market”, states Bouyaguy Diawara, Director of Bureau Veritas Côte d’Ivoire.

By choosing this serious and strict approach, the ONOMO Hotels group renews its commitment to the health, safety and comfort of its communities, which are their top priorities. Completion of the audit and certification process confirms its desire to offer an African hotel experience with international industry standards.

In line with the group’s DNA, ONOMO hotels continue to offer safe and secure living and working spaces, fostering inspiration and creativity.

Souleymane Khol, COO of the ONOMO Hotels group explains, “The pandemic situation requires the strengthening of sanitary procedures in hotels and restaurants and reassuring our customers and our teams about health safety becoming our priority. In our 21 hotels, our teams have worked extensively for the design and implementation of reinforced sanitary systems. These measures, combined with state-of-the-art training and several awareness-raising actions, have made it possible to develop our prevention model. Its effectiveness and compliance with the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) are the subject of this partnership with Bureau Veritas.”

The launch of the Shupavu in Rwanda is part of the Mastercard Foundation’s COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Program which has two main goals; to deliver emergency support for health workers, first responders, and students and, Secondly, to strengthen the diverse institutions that are the first line of defense against the social and economic aftermath of this disease.

The SMS platform will provide access to the Ask a Teacher feature where students can ask questions to a pool of teachers and receive responses via SMS shortcode 2910 on the MTN network. On the 1st of November, they will also be able to access lessons and quizzes aligned to the Rwandan curriculum via the same shortcode. The service will be free to students in Upper Primary and Lower Secondary till 31st July 2021. Students will register using their ID number used for accessing REB eLearning.

“Our Shupavu platform digitizes the local curriculum and makes it available to any mobile phone, however basic. We have had the privilege of serving millions of learners in Kenya, Ghana, and Cote d’Ivoire and we look forward to serving millions of Rwandese learners too. We hope learners in Rwanda will find our Ask A Teacher Platform that will be linked to REB eLearning to be a valuable study companion at this time,” said Wambura Kimunyu, Eneza Education CEO.

Since mid-March, 3,161,990 students in Primary and Secondary school are currently out of school in Rwanda as part of social distancing measures put in place by the government due to COVID19 pandemic. With uncertainty prevailing about when schools will be able to reopen again, we face the spectre of children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds falling even further behind their peers in their learning.

We leveraged the most widely available tools and technologies to support continued learning for those who would otherwise be left behind. Our aim is to complement lessons being broadcast via Radio by the Rwanda Education Board to the students.

“While many educational technologies rely on an internet connection, Eneza is fairly unique in its focus on enabling learning via SMS with no data or connectivity requirement. This makes it accessible to the majority of households, including the most vulnerable. We’ve seen how impactful this model has been in Kenya and other countries and look forward to seeing it support thousands, if not more, of young Rwandans,” said Rica Rwigamba, Country Head, Rwanda at the Mastercard Foundation.

“Since the pandemic began, we have launched several initiatives including TV and Radio airing lessons, to ensure that students continue to learn while at home. Using low-tech is key to ensure wide access. Ongoing TV and Radio lessons will be complemented by Eneza education’s SMS based platform by adding interaction between teachers and students. Furthermore, SMS based lessons and assessment delivery will support our eLearning to reach as many students as possible.” said Christine Niyizamwiyitira, Head of Department of ICT in Education at Rwanda Education Board.

About Eneza Education
Eneza Education is an education technology company founded in 2013 that provides learning and revision materials via any phone however basic. Eneza is based in Kenya, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.

Eneza’s mission is to make 50 million learners in Africa through mobile technology. We believe that any phone can be turned into a classroom and that levels the playing field when it comes to content delivery.

Msheireb Properties and Qatar Foundation collaborated with Harvard University to undertake a multi-year research study to establish a holistic framework documenting, analyzing and deciphering the principles of urban sustainability of selected case study cities in the Gulf region.

The launch of the book will bring together experts and professors from Qatar and the wider region, in addition to professors from Harvard University and guests. A unique blended in-person and virtual event will be hosted by Msheireb Properties and held simultaneously at Msheireb Museums.

The launch event will be followed by on-line panel discussions on October 14 and 21 to discuss topics related to ‘the historic environment, culture, and economy of the Gulf region’, ‘the development of urbanism, and public health of the Gulf region’, ‘the traditional neighborhoods and architecture of the Gulf region’, and a special session titled ‘The study of the past informs future sustainable urbanism in the Gulf.’
Eng. Ali Al Kuwari, Acting CEO, Msheireb Properties, said: “We are proud to launch this important book that provides a comprehensive and in-depth study on sustainable urbanism in the Gulf region and its impact on other aspects of life.

Sustainability, which is a core value of Msheireb Properties, has a huge impact on our present and future. This value is clearly reflected in our flagship development project, Msheireb Downtown Doha, which is an exemplary model of modern sustainable cities. We thank Harvard University for the great effort to conduct this study, which is the main reference for Qatar and the whole Gulf region”.

Msheireb Properties and Qatar Foundation sponsorship and funding of the book reflects their effort in supporting sustainable urbanism and preserving the environment through funding field researches, building strong relationships with scientific and research institutions such as Harvard University, and supporting the studies that have a direct benefit on Qatar and the region.

The GSU book is a reference for academic institutions, universities, libraries, and researchers in sustainability and urban planning. This ground-breaking body of research holds the potential to be transformed into useful guidance for making holistic, sustainable decisions for the future urbanism of the Gulf region.

The Gulf Sustainable Urbanism book is available in an electronic version and a special print edition of 900 pages, with nearly 1,000 illustrations/analytical diagrams in high-quality graphics.

The GSU book results from more than nine years of research; it started in 2011, with the first phase completed in 2020. The study covers three periods: past, present, and the future. Harvard University has completed the first phase, “The Past,” and released the first part of the book, which covered eight countries and ten cities bordering the coastal zone of the Gulf: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Iran, and Iraq.

For more information and registration, visit: https://www.gsubooklaunch.com/
Follow our social media channels for updates:

The decade-long Gulf Sustainable Urbanism research project, commissioned from Harvard University by Msheireb Properties, part of Qatar Foundation, will release its findings on Wed 7th October – 6:30 PM (Doha Time). To register for the online launch, visit https://t.co/cbRgIGbpWa pic.twitter.com/k8iBa7yJNx

— Msheireb Properties | مشيرب العقارية (@MsheirebDoha) October 3, 2020

https://www.instagram.com/p/CF9KdQbgvHa/
www.facebook.com/MsheirebProperties/

The Rwandan Government had to set up measures and postponed the classes. Students had to return home and adapt to a new e-learning system.

Covid-19 has had a significant impact on the education sector, including disrupting the normal schedule in this area. In search of answers, some schools have introduced a new online-based learning method. The process is slow and still facing some challenges.

In light of the reopening of schools and universities, leaders in the Education sector will gather at the Leaders Roundtable to discuss the Education in the New Normal. The program is organized by Kora Coaching Group (KORA) together with IGIHE
and the University of Rwanda.

The purpose of the event hosted as a Live Stream this Friday 9th of October at 14:0 is to inform and ensure that no one is left behind through EdTech.

The #LeadersRoundTableSeries is a monthly live discussion organized by KORA. This platform is mainly aimed at educating and advising leaders in Rwanda, Africa and the world on how to solve certain issues that affect communities around the world.

Among the panelists are the Vice Chancellor of the University of Rwanda, Prof. Phillip Cotton and the former VP of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), Dr. Youssef Travaly, who’s currently Executive Chairman of AllSightsAfrica.

KORA Coaching Group (KORA) is a pan African company with operations in Rwanda and South Africa. KORA provides bespoke coaching and consulting services to clients around the globe.

Its subsidiary, Kora Coaching & Business Academy (KCA) is the first Rwandan Coaching Academy, which provides Global Coach Training Certification Programs in Executive & Leadership Coaching as well as Life Coaching.

Certified Professional Coaches graduating are Business Leaders who serve Rwanda and export their expertise to Africa and the rest of the world.

Hence putting Rwanda on the map of the Global Coaching Industry. For more information, please visit www.kora-coaching.com