Last year, Kagame attended the same exercise in Gabiro and requested military men to uphold professionalism in their daily service of protecting peace and security and sovereignty of the country.
He requested them to maintain values of Rwandan soldiers by being good models for the rest of the World.
The cocktail reception showcased food from around the world and gave customers a chance to relax and network with other guests and hotel staff. The event concluded with a much anticipated raffle featuring high value prizes such as free access to different hotel services and a flight to Kenya as the grand prize.
Rex A.G. Nijhof, Kigali Marriott’s General Manager, appreciated customers’ loyalty and ensured the hotel’s continued loyalty towards them too.
“If you have been able to follow Marriott on social media, you have seen pictures about this week’s celebrations all over the world. It is a nice time to be together, enjoy food, and have a glass of wine, cocktail or any other of your favourites. Let me say thanks and cheers to all of you,” said Nijhof as he raised a glass to toast with participants.
The participants commended the Marriott, which has made a strong commitment to outstanding services and experiences not only in Kigali, but in all properties around the world.
“Marriott is my favourite hotel here in the country. Their customer care is unrivalled by any other and this reception has been sweet to me. The facility looks fantastically smart and I like their swimming pool so much. Their meals, drinks, the list is long, are all delectably delicious,” exclaimed young lady Aline Gatesi Ndayizeye who turned up for the reception.
Vivian Umubyeyi, winner of a flight to Nairobi on Kenya Airways, said she was thrilled by the coveted prize she won.
“I am very happy. I am really surprised and this encourages me to keep coming back. I like their services and Marriott is the hotel I recommend to anyone visiting Rwanda,” said the mother of one and employee of Bank of Africa in Kigali.
The winner of a deluxe room getaway and member of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Ernest chirwa said, “I am a very happy man. I was shocked, it is a surprise. Marriott is our best friend; they have been loyal to us and they even dropped a Christmas cake to our offices last year.”
Pablo Alonso, Kigali Marriott’s Director of Sales and Marketing, said similar celebrations have taken place in over 6,000 Marriott’s properties around the world. The last seven days have celebrated customers’ loyalty through F&B events, music, fantastic prizes and other appreciative gestures.
The award was from presented during a meeting of African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) in El Jadida, Morocco from 6-10th this month.
The yearly AAPAM Innovative Management award, aims at recognizing institutions, organizations and Ministries that performed valuable activities towards helping population access justice.
Speaking to IGIHE, the Director of Access to Justice Coordination Unit in the Ministry of Justice, Frank Mugabo said that the award is a recognition of the ministry and justice system in general.
“This award shows the level of the ministry in terms of legal justice aid provision to the population. It is under the government’s programme to provide legal advice to people and avoiding bureaucracy whether in institutions or in courts,” he said.
He said that MAJ advises people on law related issues, disseminate laws and regulations, advise mediators (Abunzi) on legal matters and procedures, monitor and follow-up their activities.
MAJ also coordinates the execution of court judgments and execute judgments for poor and vulnerable people and handles all issues related to Gender Based Violence.
MINIJUST has also established MAJ to assist people in conflict resolution through mediation (between themselves) or between them and other relevant organs.
MAJ operates from all districts with three lawyers per District.
The Ombudsman’s activities report of 2016-2017 indicates poor resources management, embezzlement and mismanagement of arrears among others.
The Minister of Trade, Vincent Munyeshyaka was yesterday summoned by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Political and Gender Affairs about what they expect to do to address challenges among cooperatives.
“The report shows different problems where members are not satisfied with management, characterized with sweeping embezzlement of funds; what do you plan to do to end these challenges?” questioned MP Evariste Karisa.
Munyeshyaka said that they are aware of the problems, adding that they are planning to revise laws regulating cooperatives and suing cooperatives managers who embezzled members’ funds.
“There are management problems in cooperatives, corruption and embezzlement; our prime purpose is to revise laws regulating cooperatives in Rwanda and increase members’ participation in resources management,” he explained.
He added that they are planning to partner with Police and local government officials to help them during monitoring. He said that Rwanda Cooperative Agency (RCA) has few employees that cannot solve all problems in cooperatives.
While presenting the state of the country’s economy and execution of the National Budget to parliamentarians yesterday, Gatete said that mining sector is among the fastest growing – economic sectors in the country.
He said that the country targets to earn $800 million in 2020 and $1.6 billion in 2024 from the mining sector.
He explained that different studies, have shown that the country has enough minerals especially, Coltan and Wolfram.
“As we know the production we have today, for us to get enough profit, we need to engage the private sector for investments in the sector” he said.
“We need to explore other minerals like gold. For gold we are constructing a processing plant and construction activities will be completed in March next year in Special Economic Zone. Currently we produce more than 200 tons of gold weekly. We want to fast-truck activities so that we start processing gold form within the country,” he explained.
Rwanda has 537 mining quarries across the country with 130 companies and 30 cooperatives with80% of them in the medium category.
Gatete was speaking Thursday while presenting the recent economic development and Budget Implementation to parliamentarians.
He said that during the first quarter of 2017/18 fiscal year, the global economy continued to maintain the momentum with economic activities having been sustained compared to the previous year.
Inflation, he said, continued to drop below the medium-term target of 5% after one year above target as both imported and food inflation moderated.
He said that exports have increased substantially compared to the same period last year whereas imports have been well contained.
In the monetary sector, he said credit to Private Sector have grown faster in the first nine months of 2017 than they did in the whole of 2016 and depreciation has slowed down.
“The budget implementation was in line with economic performance and is on-track” he said.
However, Gatete said that Rwanda’s growth rate slowed in 2016 and the first half of 2017 as a result of drought during second half of 2016.
He said that trade deficit reduced by 24.9%, from USD1179.10 million to USD885.35 million
He said, this year, the monetary sector recorded growth of credit to private sector at 9.6% from December 2016 to September 2017 (compared to 9.1% for the whole year 2016)
He said the economic activity is projected to recover progressively in 2017 and higher in 2018 and over the medium term
Exports are projected to continue growing steadily with observed improvements in commodity prices and growing contribution of other minerals
“The Government will continue to put more efforts to achieve the economic growth of at least 7% over the medium term as early signs show a recovered dynamism” he said
Gatete is optimistic that the government will fully implement the budget approved for 2017/18 fiscal year and more efforts will also be put in monitoring project implementation
Speaking to the media yesterday, FERWACY president, AimableBayingana said that it is the first time to use such budget.
“It was expected that this year’s Tour du Rwanda will take Rwf400 million but it has slightly increased to Rwf500 million due to ICT that will be used and the number of sponsors that increased” he said
Bayingana said that preparation for 15 cyclists that will represent three Rwandan teams went smoothly. He is optimistic that Rwandans will shine in the competition as they did in the previous seasons.
The 2017 Tour du Rwanda will run from 12nd to 19thNovember, 2017.
The issue was raised by Members of Parliaments this Thursday, as it appeared in the 2016/2017 Ombudsman’s report.
The Standing Committee on Political and Gender Affairs invited the Minister of Local Governance, Francis Kaboneka to explain more about measures in place to end the problem.
MPs said that some people in the report spent four years waiting for compensation after being relocated from their properties by the government.
MP Evariste Kaliza said that the problem is a concern everywhere across the country. He said that laws should be revised if they are hampering compensation and that the government should raise resources to compensate population before they start relocation exercise to avoid interrupting their welfare.
“There is a big problem of local debts that the government owes the population; we always come across this problem in all reports. We always request the Minister of Finance to solve it, but it is still there. You should think of how to solve it,” he said.
By responding to MPs, Kabonekasaid there are more than 1000 people claiming over Rwf200 million.
“I cannot mention the deadline to solve this problem as it touches on different ministries. Also it requires using resources from national budget where sometimes we encounter other priority activities to invest in, but we wish to have this problem solved by 2018-2019 financial year,” he said.
Kaboneka went on to explain that the government has changed ways to compensate people on their properties saying that those relocated from their homes will have new houses constructed for them other than giving them cash.
The Rwf12 million infrastructure launched Wednesday will benefit over 3200 residents.
Speaking to IGIHE, PriscaMukarugema from Nyagishubi Sector said that they used to fetch water from rivers, some of which was contaminated leaving them susceptible to diseases.
“In case we needed water to drink we had to travel from Shyogwe Sector of Muhanga District where we could get water from taps” she said adding that they are now relieved.
FH-Rwanda Country Director, Alice Kamau said that they understood how people were burdened with water problem and constructed the 3km water connection which she believes will bring cross-cutting impacts.
“Households heads will spend more time doing other economic activities. Even children used to drop out of school and others missed some classes because of the long distances they had to walk. As our corporate responsibility we decided to connect the community to water supply and support government end these problems,” she said.
The Acting Mayor of Kamonyi District, ThaddéeTuyizere welcomed the activity saying that it will help in people’s development and the district in general.
Chaired by President Paul Kagame, the cabinet meeting has appointed Françoise Tengera as the new University of Rwanda’s (UR) Vice-chancellor in charge of administration and Finance
Tengera has been appointed to replace Pudence Rubingisa who is facing justice over awarding undue advantage during tender awards.
Tengera has been serving at University of Rwanda’s College of Business and Economics as the Head of Department of Finance.
Among others appointed by the Cabinet Meeting is Judith Kazaire, the Head of Service Delivery, Good Governance and Joint Action Development Forum (JADF) Department in Rwanda Governance Board (RGB).
Prior to new appointments, Kazaire was the Eastern Province Governor, before being replaced by Fred Mufulukye.
The Cabinet Meeting has also appointed Hubert Ruzibiza, the Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda National Fund for Environment and Climate Change (FONERWA)
Also Dr. Augustin Sendegeya has been appointed the Director General of University Teaching Hospital of Butare (CHUB)
The cabinet has also approved Mrs. Martha T.M Phiri to represent African Development Bank Group in Rwanda with residence in Kigali.
The meeting also approved Mrs. Joanne Lomas to represent the United Kingdom of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Rwanda as a Commissioner. She will have residence in Kigali.
In the Ministry of Health, Col. Dr. Zuberi Muvunyi has been appointed the Director General of Clinical Services and Dr. Theophile Dushime, the Division Manager, Medical Emergency Services (SAMU).
In the Ministry of Environment, Juliet Kabera has been appointed the Director General of Environment and Climate Change.