Positivo BGH started to operate in Rwanda in 2015 by assembling laptops to use in the education sector.
In line with their expansion programme, the company targets to start assembling Television sets, power solar system lamps, electricity meters and Electronic Billing Machines among others.
Speaking to IGIHE, the Positivo BGH Country Director, Zoran Gordic said that they target to expand their activities by making less costly tools that will compete on the market.
“Our target is to produce these devices at affordable prices in Rwanda and the region,” Zoran said.
The four-day festival starts today (Thursday) at the Kigali Marriott Hotel which organised the fair in partnership with Turkish Airlines and the Embassy of Turkey in Rwanda.
IGIHE caught up with Ismail Keklikci and Samet Yildiz, two chefs from Istanbul Marriott Sisli, who have been in Kigali for two days preparing for delivering authentic Turkish dishes to festival goers.
Keklikci, a Turkish national with 13 years of experience in food industry, said the Turkish cuisine touches on several other cuisines including Mediterranean, Arabic and Greek to produce ideal mouthwatering dishes.
“We have come to make Kigali residents and visitors taste delectable dishes from Turkey. We will serve mezze (hummus, eggplant salad, spicy tomato paste, feta cheese, green olive salad and ‘coban’salad). As hot starters, we have cheese ‘borek’ and manti with yoghurt sauce. Our main course features chicken skewers, beef kebabs, kofte, crushed wheat rice and grilled tomato, as well as many other dishes. We also have desserts such as rice pudding, the world-famous lokum (Turkish delight), and more. Coffee and tea lovers can even taste the flavoursome tea and coffee from the heart of Turkey,” he said.
Keklikci invites festival goers to try kuru fasulye, one of the most loved Turkish dishes, that brings together cheese pastry, feta cheese, butter, tomato paste, dry beans and dry beef.
Spiced up with Turkish music, Ottoman uniforms, and authentic Turkish decorations direct from Istanbul, the Turkish Food Festival is expected to be graced by envoy of Turkey to Rwanda, Mr Mehmet Karaca, among other dignitaries.
“We’re very excited to showcase, not just the food, but the exciting spectacle that goes into Turkish cooking. We want Rwanda to experience a taste of Turkey,” Keklikci says.
Participants can enjoy delicious all-you-can-eat Turkish dishes and entertainment from Thursday to Sunday (October 26th-29th) for Rwf 25,000.
CAF confirmed both officials as members of the standing committees yesterday.
According to FERWAFA statement, Nzamwita will serve on the organising committee for Africa Nations Championship Chaired by Hassan Musa Bility from Liberia while Uwamahoro will serve on the organising committee for Women’s Football whose Chairperson is Isha Johansen from Sierra Leone.
Both Nzamwita and Uwamahoro join former FERWAFA president Celestin Ntagungira and former vice president Celestin Musabyimana who were appointed last week to serve on the Referees committee and the organizing committee for Africa Nations Championship respectively.
The Rwandan quartet will serve a two-year term in office as they will contribute in the planning and execution of the continent’s flagship football competition.
During the ceremony of awarding certificates of grading and licensing, 67 tourism entities including 50 hotels, 8 tour operators and 9 tour guides were awarded with a tourism operating license, a tool that will now be used by consumers and policy makers to define quality standards of facilities and services.
The tourism operating license regulatory system is anticipated to improve quality of service, build the capacity of the private sector and improve the marketing efforts of stakeholders in the industry in favourably positioning the destination.
Hon. Clare Akamanzi, the Chief Executive Officer at Rwanda Development Board during the occasion said that, “We are convinced that this new development will warrant a more vibrant industry, enhance stakeholder competitiveness and widespread success. The tourism operating licenses will also enhance transparency, accountability and proper standardization of the industry, maintaining the country’s front row position as a desirable tourism destination.”
Rwanda’s current ranking as the leading tourist destination in Africa as awarded by the World Travel Awards calls for actions such as this in order to maintain this providential position.
All tourism entities in the country, including accommodation establishments, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, tour operators, travel agencies, tour guides, tourism information offices, cultural tourism entities (cultural villages, private museums), and any other entity as determined by Order of the Minister are required to obtain an operating license.
This will also enhance Rwanda’s product positioning in line with the East African Tourism Marketing Platform as both the law and the ministerial orders were developed in accordance with East African Community (EAC) standards and were subject to technical review.
The application process leverages on technology to enhance efficiency and tourism entities are now expected to submit an online license application, upload a series of supporting documents on the tourism regulation website www.tourismregulation.rw and pay an application fee of 80,000 RWF. After the above steps have been achieved the entities are entitled to physical inspection where they must demonstrate that they have fulfilled all license requirements before being awarded a certificate.
Rwanda’s tourism industry has grown rapidly in the past few years, as the number of hotel rooms and tour operators have grown from 680 hotel rooms and 5 tour companies in 2003 to about 10,000 rooms and 44 tour companies currently. Last year the tourism sector fetched a total of $395 million with the MICE initiative solely bringing in about $47 million.
As Rwanda’s tourism industry continues to expand, the number of tourists flocking in also continues to increase. In 2016 Rwanda hosted 32 major conferences hosting about 32,500 delegates. Reports show that since Rwanda began offering visas upon arrival to all African nationals in 2013, the number of tourist arrivals has gone up by 14%, for instance African nationals arrivals in the country increased from 970,152 in 2015 to 1,157,171 in 2016.
Mrs. Belise Kariza, the Chief Tourism Officer at Rwanda Development Board while talking about the significance of this process said that, “Through this law, industry leaders anticipate to support stakeholders by ensuring that they maintain high quality standards, consistently improve quality of service and enhance efforts in training private sector stakeholders.”
It is through the cooperation that started in 2015 between RSB’s National Metrology Division and Germany Metrology Institute (PTB) which aims at strengthening metrological services in Rwanda.
The certificate was awarded to three laboratories testing Mass, Balance and Temperature Calibration.
Speaking at the event this Wednesday, the RSB Director General, Raymond Murenzi said that the certificate adds value to Rwanda’s laboratories and locally made products.
“When a product is tested from these laboratories, results will be the same with those tested from other international laborites,” he said.
He said that it is a big achievement since they started to train staff and buying decent materials towards meeting international standards.
“It will facilitate the country to export reliable Made in Rwanda products. Some people used to question them, but today we hope to export well standardized products” Murenzi added.
The PTB project coordinator, Florian Paffenholz commended RSB’s commitment to meeting standards requirements and urged to continue the trend in daily activities.
The exercise started this Wednesday in different parts of Gasabo and Nyarugenge districts.
In Gasabo district, three bakeries which were packaging bread in plastic bags were fined with Rwf300,000 each and plastic bags for small shops were confiscated.
REMA staff also took off some time to talk to shop owners about the effects of plastic bags on the environment in the short and long term.
A Remera-based trader, Diane Uwamahoro who was found with plastic bags said they are cheap in comparison to other packaging materials.
“I used to wholesale them at Rwf300 from Nyabugogo. We use them because they are cheap, but from today I will not use them again” she said.
The Environment Inspection Officer at REMA, Israel Dufatanye urged the public not to use plastic bags as they negatively affect the environment and human health.
He urged the public to use paper bags, emphasizing that those found in possession of plastics bags will be penalized.
At the opening ceremony for the forum, Rwanda’s Minister of Environment, Vincent Biruta, said all countries need to work together to ensure the sustainability of the Nile Basin.
“Water security is one of the key challenges of our time and we need to work together to manage this precious and shared resource. Indeed, shared challenges need shared solutions. To member states countries represented here today, I commend the efforts you are making to advance cooperation on water management through the Nile Basin Initiative,” Minister Biruta said.
Nile Basin countries have been working together to protect and sustain the basin since 1967. This cooperation was formalised with the creation of the Nile Basin Initiative in 1999.
The initiative aims to ensure efficient water management and the optimal use of the resource in the Nile Basin. The Initiative is an intergovernmental partnership of ten Nile Basin countries including Burundi, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, The Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Eritrea participates as an observer.
Rwanda ratified the Nile Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement in 2012.
The increase in arrivals was also promoted by different initiatives like Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) and flights of RwandAir in different African countries.
According to the Directorate General of Migration and Emigration, a total of 3,030,057 visitors entered the country in 2015 and 3,297,976 in 2016.
A total of 1,157,171 used Rwanda as transit to neighboring countries in 2016.
Speaking to IGIHE, the Spokesperson for the Directorate General of Migration and Emigration, Yves Butera said that among major attractions of Africans to Rwanda are tourism, businesses and conferences and visiting families and friends.
He said that the guaranteed security in the country and removal of obstacles in acquiring travel documents also boosted movements.
“Since 2013, Rwanda opened borders, Africans can get their visas at border posts. This, mainly, explains arrivals expansion,” he said.
Rwanda’s growing MICE programme, different big conferences like World Economic Forum,the 27th African Union Heads of State Summit, Global Africa Investment Summit and Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) competition that took place in the beginning of 2016 all attracted many visitors.
Speaking to IGIHE, Police Spokesperson in Southern Region, IP Emmanuel Kayigi said that the unfortunate incident happened Tuesday evening and Police have launched investigations.
“They shot dead one person and injured three who were taken to Gitwe Hospital. We are still investigating to establish more details about the incident,” Kayigi told IGIHE yesterday.
According to Ruhango District Mayor, François Xavier Mbabazi, the deceased was a bank cashier. Among injured are the branch manager, accountant and a security officer.
Well, that shouldn’t be a problem for you any longer because we’ve put together some of the telling signs of excessive salt intake.
{{Frequent urination}}
Frequenting the toilet to pee very often can be a sign you’re eating too much salt, but we also know that diabetes and bladder problems come with that symptom too. So the best thing is to visit your doctor whenever you notice something odd like this in your system.
{{Persistent thirst}}
There are known causes of this problem, including diabetes, urinary tract infection, and bladder problems. However, it must be said that a dry mouth can also be a problem of eating too much salt. So check with your doctor for proper diagnosis.
{{Kidney challenge}}
Eating too much salt can hinder the smooth performance of one’s kidney. This is because it increases the amount of protein found in the urine. More protein in your urine is a major risk factor for kidney disease.
{{Swollen ankles}}
An excess of salt in your diet can lead to swollen ankles. Swollen ankles can be caused by water retention as a result of eating too much salt.
An excess of salt in your diet can lead to swollen ankles. Swollen ankles can be caused by water retention as a result of eating too much salt.
Frequent and mild headache
If you suffer from frequent mild headaches and have no idea what’s causing them, you might want to reduce your salt intake. An overload of salt in the diet can lead to dehydration-induced headache symptoms. If cutting down on salt has no effect, your doctor will be able to help you figure out the cause.
No matter what symptom(s) it is you have, you’re never sure until you consult with your doctor. So don’t presume, just go get a proper check up on yourself.
