Author: IGIHE

Visiting delegation commend RNP’s strategies against graft

{A delegation of ten officials from Mali, Burkina Faso and Congo Brazzaville, yesterday, visited Rwanda National Police (RNP) to learn from the force’s strategies in prevention and fighting corruption.}

The delegation was comprised representatives of different civil society organizations linked to Transparency International in their respective countries.

At the RNP General Headquarters, the team was received by the Commissioner for Public Relation and Media, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Theos Badege alongside the Commissioner for Inspectorate of Services and Ethics, ACP Jean Nepo Mbonyumuvunyi.

They briefed the officials on the ‘RNP role and strategy in preventing and fighting fraud and corruption.’

“Corruption is viewed as an enemy of the rule of law and a major obstacle to protection and promotion of human rights and development as it destroys the proper functioning of both public and private institutions; that’s why fighting it is part of the political agenda backed by strong public support,” ACP Mbonyumuvunyi said.

Graft, he added, manifests in various forms including bribery in form of money, moral, gifts, sexual and gratuities among others.

This, he said, can lead to lack of public trust and confidence and undermining of operational effectiveness of security services.

As part of the RNP to implement legal tools and policies, ACP Mbonyumuvunyi explained the force established an anti-corruption unit and runs campaigns in partnership with other public and private players in the anti-corruption sector to raise awareness against the vice.

“Any police officer caught in such malpractices is penalized accordingly including dismissal from the force, because there is zero tolerance to whoever is implicated in graft regardless of the rank or seniority.”

Public support through community policing, establishment of communication channels like toll-free lines to report police officers – twitter, facebook, online crime reporting, he said, has supported the police efforts in responding to the vice through information sharing.

ACP Badege told the delegation that besides several initiatives, no one is indispensable and that laws are very strict against any corrupt person.

He noted that the use of IT in policing has limited individual contact with police officers like in registration and processing of driver’s license while the created disciplinary unit within the force, internal audits and ethical trainings and standards keep police officers in check.

One of the delegates, Dr Abdoulaye Sall said: “Rwanda has managed to be where it is because of the political will and its committed leadership, that’s why we chose to learn from Rwanda and so far the finding are very impressive.”

Source:Police

June 1, 2017
Budgerigars can identify spoken sounds without prior exposure to human speech

{Like people, the birds ‘trade’ vocal cues to distinguish ‘d’ from ‘t’}

No experience with human speech is necessary for budgerigars to perceive the difference between “d” and “t,” according to a study published May 31, 2017 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Mary Flaherty from The State University of New York, Buffalo, USA, and colleagues.

The debate over speech perception is unresolved, with some evidence supporting a speech-specific mechanism and other evidence supporting a general auditory mechanism. The latter case holds that, in the absence of extensive experience with speech, there should be no difference between speech and nonspeech perception. To investigate this scenario, Flaherty and colleagues used budgerigars, vocal mimics that are similar to people in their ability to perceive consonant and vowel tokens. The researchers divided 25 budgerigars into groups before hatching, raising some in complete isolation from human speech and others with extensive exposure to human speech.

After the birds fledged, the researchers trained them to peck keys in response to synthetic speech sounds that began with “d” or “t.” Then they tested the birds’ perception of speech sounds that varied in two cues: voice onset time and the frequency of the first formant (formants are resonating frequencies of the vocal tract). For comparison, they likewise tested the perception of speech sounds in 25 people.

The researchers found that, much like people, the budgerigars “traded cues” that is, offset changes in one cue with those in another when perceiving speech sounds. For example, when the first formant frequency differed, the birds identified “d” when the voice onset time was short and “t” when it was long. Moreover, the observed cue trading did not depend on prior experience with speech. These findings support a general auditory mechanism for speech perception rather than one that is speech-specific.

“Regardless of their experience with speech sounds — whether completely isolated from human speech for their whole lives or trained extensively to mimic speech — the birds in our study used speech cues in a manner very similar to humans,” says Flaherty. “To the extent that birds can be used as a model for speech perception, these results indicate that prior experience with speech sounds is not a prerequisite for speech perception.”

Source:Science Daily

June 1, 2017
6 reasons you shouldn’t judge your life on social media

{The fact is that social media has come to stay, and it has its blessings and curses; it all depends on how you see it and what you make of it.}

The mistake a lot of people make is that they judge their life based on what they see on social media; they compare their lives with others based on social media.

If you have been using social media to judge your life, these are reasons you shouldn’t:

{{1. You shouldn’t compare your life with anyone }}

Life isn’t a competition; there’re no winners and losers medal, there’s no trophy for who comes first and second. You should be your own competition; you should wake up every morning and try to be the best you can be. Don’t compare your life with other people based on what they post on social media; you’ll never be your best when you do this.

{{2. There are lots of things on social media }}

You don’t need a prophet to tell you that there are so many fake things on social media; so why should you compare the real things in your life with the fake things in someone else’s life. The fact you see a picture of a happy person doesn’t necessarily mean that person is happy and without worries in life. Social media is just an illusion that you shouldn’t get carried away with.

{{3. Your worst vs their best }}

The human in you probably tends to look at the worst things going on in your life and not the best things; you tend to pay more attention to what’s not working than what is working. The worst part of it is, you then compare your worst moments with the best moments of others when you judge your life on social media.

{{4. It kills joy }}

When you judge your life on social media, you’d lose your joy; you can never be happy when you do this.

{{5. You lose focus }}

You can never have focus in life when your attention and mindset are on the wrong things. You need focus to succeed in life and judging your life on social media can never give you success.

{{6. You’ll keep going on the wrong path}}

When you compare your life with others on social media, you’ll keep going on the wrong path, and how can you get to the right destination when you are on the wrong path?

Never judge your life on social media; there’s nothing there for you. You’d lose a whole lot when you judge your life on social media.

Source:Elcrema

June 1, 2017
UoK positions itself as a centre of academic excellence and quality education in Rwanda

{A member of the Inter University Council of East Africa (IUCEA) and a fully accredited /chartered University by the Government of Rwanda, University of Kigali is one of the leading private higher institutions of learning in Rwanda within the shortest distance from Kigali City Center and its surroundings. The University campus can be accessed easily within a maximum of 10 minutes from the main City Centre.}

UoK started its operations in October, 2013 and acclaims to be the fastest growing university in Rwanda with a student body of more than 4500 students within three years time, enrolled for various undergraduate, post graduate and masters programs. The University has two campuses, one in Kigali, the main campus and the other, a branch in Musanze, Northern Rwanda. It has so far graduated more than 700 students and many more are expected to graduate this year.

The University has three faculties namely, the faculty of Business Management and Economics, the Faculty of Information Technology and Architecture, the Faculty of Law and the School of Post Graduate Studies. In addition, UoK has a School of Accountancy, a Centre for Economic Governance and Leadership and a CISCO Academy and enjoys partnerships with reputable Universities from India, Germany and Kenya. The University has International students from Nigeria, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, an indication of its drive towards internationalization and excellence.

The facilities existing at UoK include the state of Art lecture Rooms, computer laboratories, main Library and well equipped administrative offices. With the new upcoming state of the Art building in Kiyovu, Kigali City Centre, UoK is on the course of becoming the only Private University that will have a complex of such kind with modern education facilities in Rwanda and even the region.

Research occupies a central place in the University affairs and receives full support of University promoters. The focus on Research is guided by UoK’s mandate to help Rwandan communities to solve problems that they face and also to inform them the teaching-learning process. The broader research themes include but are not limited to corporate governance and leadership, small and medium enterprises, Entrepreneurship, project planning and management and sustainable development among others.

Early this year, the University organized an “International Conference on Advances in Business and Information Technology & Doctoral Colloquium(ICBITDC, 2017) in collaboration Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi, India and Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek, Namibia. This will be an annual event of the University bringing together from all over the world academicians, practitioners, policy makers, researchers, and students to brainstorm on contemporary issues in Management, Economics, Public Policy, Administration, Accounting, Information Technology, Finance and other Business related topics. UoK is also in the process of launching an accredited peer reviewed journal with an internationally acclaimed board of editors and reviewers.

Under Graduate Programmes offered: Bachelor of Science ( honors) in Accounting, Bachelor of Science (honors) in Finance, Bachelor of Science (honors) Marketing, Bachelor of Science (honors) in Economics, Bachelors of Science( Honors) in Procurement, Bachelor of Science (Honors) Public Administration & Local Governance, Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT), Bachelor of Education , Bachelor of Law (LLB), Bachelor of Business Information Technology (BBIT) and Bachelor of Computer Science (BCS).

Post Graduate Programmes offered: Master in Business Administration, Master of Science in Finance, Master of Science in Information Technology, Master of Commerce, Master of Arts in Public Administration, Master of Science in Project Management, Master of Science in Human Resource Management, Master of Science in Business Information Technology, Master of Science in Entrepreneurship, Master of Science in Economics, Master in Public Policy and Management, MASTER OF BUSINESS EDUCATION (NEW) AND POST GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN EDUCATION (NEW).UoK School of Accountancy: offers training for professional accounting courses that are high on labour market demand. UoK is currently training professionals from different Government Institutions for the professional accounting professions of ICPAR. The school offers training in ACCA, CIMA, CPA-R, CPA-K, CAT, ATD, CIFA and IPSAS.

For more information and details on enrollment: Tel:0788303385/0788303386, E-mail: universityofkigali@uok.ac.rw, Website: www.uok.ac.rw

June 1, 2017
Tigo Cash unveils free integration with major local banks

{Tigo Cash customers are now able to move money from their own bank accounts into their Tigo Cash wallets and vice-versa for free. This facility is open to account holders in Bank of Kigali, I&M Bank, Zigama CSS, KCB and Equity Bank.}

Tigo Rwanda, the only mobile operator that offers bank integration to its customers for free, removed its transaction charges to further Rwanda’s vision of becoming a cashless economy.

This was revealed today at a press event that brought together Tigo Rwanda, its mobile financial services partners and members of the local media at the Marriot Hotel.

Commenting on how the facility will benefit Tigo Cash customers, Yaw AnkomaAgyapong, the Tigo Chief Commercial Officer, said:

“Previously, our Tigo Cash customers had to pay fees to transfer money between their bank accounts and their Tigo Cash wallets. Now, with the elimination of this fee barrier, we are making it more convenient for them to move into their wallets to pay for services, send to another person or perform many other electronic financial transactions.”

The unveiling of the bank integration facility was part of the Tigo Cash new brand campaign that was launched by TemitopeAyedun, the Head of Maketing, Mobile Financial Services Millicom.

“This brand campaign is all about letting our customers know that we haven’t rested on our laurels. We are constantly working on and creating innovative, affordable and accessible products for our customers in order to allow them to live and work better”.

In his opening address, Philip Amoateng, the Tigo Rwanda Chief Executive Officer, said that the bank integration facility was further evidence of the innovative solutions that Tigo Rwanda offers its customers.

“Tigo understands that mobile devices have a tremendously important role to play in providing strong and supportive solutions that address both communication and payment challenges. Since the launch of the Tigo Cash platform in May, 2011, we have been the leader in innovation.

We were the first to launch a mobile savings product in Rwanda called TigoSugira and to create an international mobile money service with currency conversion. We were the first to introduce a loan service on mobile called TigoNshoboza and with the launch of our payment solution for farmers, we brought financial inclusion to more than 10,000 tea farmers in Rusizi and Gicumbi District.

We want our customers to know that our innovations are geared to ensuring that we marry the needs of our customers to the latest technology. Today we are happy to tell you that we have continued this proud tradition of innovation and listening to what our customers want.

And that is why Tigo Cash is now the largest mobile financial service in Rwanda in terms of subscribers with 1.3 million active subscribers”, he ended.

{{How Bank Integration Works}}

1.Register at your bank for mobile banking

2.To pull money from the bank account to the Tigo Cash wallet dial the bank short code and follow the prompts

3.To push money from your Tigo Cash wallet to your bank account dial *500# and follow the prompts

4.Once the transaction is successful, you shall receive a confirmation SMS

June 1, 2017
Genocide ideology to elicit stronger punishment

{The Minister of Justice, Johnston Busingye, has said that genocide ideology acts persist in the country noting, however, that new measures are underway to completely address the matter. }

He unveiled this yesterday during the night vigil to commemorate fallen prison warders and other employees of Rwanda Correctional Services (RCS) killed during the 1994 genocide against Tutsi.

The representative of IBUKA during the event Kabandana Callixte expressed frustrations over lingering genocide ideologues and requested MINIJUST to act against the matter to have it eradicated.

“Voices have been recently raised calling for amendment of the law punishing genocide ideologists. You should revise it because genocide deniers have taken them very light. They have been hurting genocide survivors saying it is a short time in prison to meet again after serving the sentence. We have found that giving light punishment to deniers is a serious problem,” he said.

Kabandana explained that genocide survivors don’t blame laws passed by the government noting that raising the concern is meant to highlight the need to have serious punishments for genocide ideology.

He compared genocide ideology to poison which kills people regardless of the quantity and called MINIJUST to take action.

Minister Busingye said that genocide ideology cases have reduced but unveiled that the judicial sector is revising ways of eradicating genocide ideology.

“The representative of IBUKA has raised concern over persistent genocide ideology. What you say is right that poison doesn’t require big quantities to kill. Being poison is enough. I would like to assure you that we can’t keep quiet on poison circulation. It is impossible,” he said.

“I would like to assure you that the judicial sector is in the process of seeking cure to neutralize such poison,” he said.

A person convicted of genocide ideology or related crimes is liable to a punishment from five to nine years of imprisonment and a fine ranging from Rwf 100, 000 to 1,000,000 as per article 135 of Rwanda’s penal code.

May 31, 2017
Mushikiwabo faults Electoral Commission on social media censorship

{The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Government of Rwanda Spokesperson, Louise Mushikiwabo, has expressed disappointment over a decision taken by the National Electoral Commission (NEC) to censor social media messages from presidential candidates describing the act as suppression of citizens’ views. }

As Mushikiwabo held conversations with various followers on Twitter yesterday, she said the decision is not necessary as Rwandans are mature and respect laws that whoever disrespects them has to be held accountable individually.

“I strongly respect the National Electoral Commission but I disagree with licensing Rwandans on social media messages,” she tweeted.

“The thing is: majority of Rwandans are mature and law-abiding; the few abusers should face the law, instead of restricting citizens’ views!” she said.

“Sharing with NEC before expressing ourselves is problematic! Let Rwandans air views on elections, then the law take its course, if needed!” she added.

Mushikiwabo highlighted that she agrees with NEC on objective, which is to prevent divisionism, abuse but ‘don’t agree on the applied method!’

She said that ‘Rwanda has laws that deal with criminal behavior’ insisting that preventing abuse is right but faulted censoring freedom of expression.

Mushikiwabo’s comments follow the NEC Chairman Prof Kalisa Mbanda comments who said that the regulations incorporate clauses restricting individual supporters from holding campaigns on social media except when that individual was declared among the team members allowed to campaign for a particular presidential candidate.

Mbanda explained that a candidate must present the team helping in presidential campaigning to NEC prior to the campaigns.

According to the regulations, members of the team are required to submit all social media messages to NEC for censor before sharing to with the public.

Mbanda explained that failure to comply with regulations would lead to closure of the social network.

NEC announced that social media campaigns have to end the same date the presidential campaigns close.

The Minister of Justice and State’s Attorney General, Johnston Busingye has via twitter account said that “Rwandans have a right to ask and receive explanations on government programs regarding laws and regulations and even take part in it.”

NEC had announced the move last week in a press briefing that current regulations allow censor of social media use during presidential campaigns.

May 31, 2017
Former Malawi President Joyce Banda Joins Akilah Institute as Honorary Chancellor

{Joyce Banda, Africa’s second female president and long-time champion of women and girl’s education, will bring her wide-ranging experience in public life, business, and advocacy to the Akilah Institute, Rwanda’s only college for women. }

The Akilah Institute announced that former Malawi President Joyce Banda will join the college as Honorary Chancellor. Banda brings extensive experience in leadership and women’s empowerment to the Akilah Institute at an important time, as Akilah scales its proven model across sub-Saharan Africa via a network of new campuses.

“Akilah is thrilled to welcome Dr. Banda as our Honorary Chancellor,” said Akilah President Karen Sherman. “Given her staunch commitment to education and her extensive track record in women’s advocacy, the partnership is a very natural one. Dr. Banda’s personal mission to empower women aligns with Akilah’s own vision to educate the next generation of women leaders in Africa. She will be a key thought partner as we execute our plans for scale, including opening seven new campuses to serve a collective 53,000 women across Africa.”

Banda and Sherman formalized the partnership today with a meeting in Virginia. “As a former president, businesswoman, and philanthropist, Dr. Banda exemplifies the values we seek to instill in our students,” Ms. Sherman said following the meeting. “Leadership, community service, professionalism, and career growth are pillars of the Akilah curriculum. Dr. Banda embodies all of them. Dr. Banda is a role model not only for our students and women in sub-Saharan Africa but also for women around the world.”

For Banda, the appointment offers an opportunity to build on her extensive track record in advocacy for women. “I am tirelessly researching, documenting, and raising my voice for the education of the African girl-child and the empowerment of women,” Banda wrote in her acceptance of the appointment. “You can therefore count on my commitment in the task before me.”

“Governments, academic institutions, and the private sector must actively work together to remove barriers facing women so that they can attain positions of leadership,” Banda said. “Akilah offers an important success story in this regard. By selecting promising young women, providing them with intensive leadership training, and partnering with the private sector to prepare them for careers in Africa’s fastest-growing industries, Akilah has pioneered a new and effective method for women’s education,” she said.

Banda will bring her decades of experience in government, advocacy, business, and philanthropy to Akilah’s executive team. She will play a strategic role in the Akilah Institute’s growth plans and will provide advisory support as the institute identifies new campus locations, diploma programs, and education products to better serve women across Africa.

{{About the Akilah Institute: }} As the only women’s college in Rwanda, the Akilah Institute provides market-relevant education programs using a competency-based learning model. Opened in 2010, Akilah offers diplomas in Hospitality Management, Entrepreneurship & Business Management, Information Systems, and more and prepares graduates for meaningful careers and leadership roles. Akilah’s unique focus on ethical leadership skills, public speaking, and community service equips students with the lifelong knowledge required for personal and professional growth. By 2031, Akilah will serve 53,000 woman across an international network of eight campuses.

{{About Former President Joyce Banda:}} Joyce Banda was the president of the Republic of Malawi from 2012 to 2014. She was Malawi’s first female president and Africa’s second. She is also an entrepreneur, activist, politician, and philanthropist. In 1997, she received the Africa Prize for Leadership for the Sustainable End of Hunger, alongside the President of Mozambique, and used the prize money to launch the Joyce Banda Foundation International, which has started three schools and provided an education to more than 3,500 girls. Banda was instrumental in the formation of the African Federation of Women Entrepreneurs, the Council for the Economic Empowerment of Women in Africa, and the American & African Business Women’s Alliance. Forbes Magazine recognized her as one of the 100 most powerful women in the world.

Banda holds an M.A. in leadership from the Royal Rhodes University of Canada, a B.S. in gender studies from Atlantic International University (U.S.), and a diploma in NGO management from the International Labor Organization Center in Turin, Italy. Jeonju University of South Korea conferred an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Economics on Banda in January 2013, and Wheelock College conferred an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Education on her in May 2015.

May 31, 2017
Chief Ombudsman calls for collective action against corruption

{The Chief Ombudsman Aloysia Cyanzayire has said that consequences of corruption are far reaching and called for personal and collective commitment in the fight against the vice.}

She said that “eliminating corruption is achievable” if mindsets of people involved are changed at the expense of the community.

The Chief Ombudsman was speaking yesterday in Kigali where she presided over the launch of the ‘Anti-Corruption Week’ which falls under the ongoing ‘Police Week 2017’ to mark the 17th anniversary of Rwanda National Police where she was the chief guest.

“Strategies established to combat corruption can not entirely succeed if we cannot individually and collectively interpret the immense side effects of the vice” she said.

She said that the young generations must be taught the values of integrity in fighting such malpractices combating graft is not a one agency activity but rather a collective undertaking.

Speaking at the same occasion, the Inspector General Police (IGP) Emmanuel K. Gasana thanked all stakeholders involved in eradicating corruption.

“We believe that we can’t succeed without the partnership and active involvement of the people, and records have showed that,” IGP Gasana said.

He called for collective action against corruption adding that the vice is a major contributor to economic retardation and negatively affects sustainable development of the country.

The Police Chief said that the force remains at the forefront to combat the vice and observed that once corruption becomes entrenched, its negative effects multiply.

“Over the last two years police forwarded about 700 cases related to corruption, to prosecution, with 42 among these cases involving police officers,” IGP Gasana said.

“Various international reports have ranked Rwanda as one of the countries which have put in place tough measures against graft, which is the basis for the lowest level of corruption globally. Despite this, we well know that there are some people who still indulge in these criminal tendencies, which pose high impact on the well-being of the people, the economy and the development of the country in general,” he said.

The Corruption Perception Index by Transparency International released in January this year, placed Rwanda as third least corrupt country in sub-Saharan Africa after Botswana and Cape Verde, respectively.

The same report also ranked Rwanda 50th least corrupt country globally.

The 2016 Rwanda bribery Index (RBI) by Transparency International-Rwanda (TI-R) also indicate that about 24.4 percent of people either offered or received a bribe.

“Fighting all sorts of corruption is a national policy that we implement as law enforcers in partnership with Rwandans and other institutions to give way for smooth development, social wellbeing of the people service delivery,” IGP Gasana said.

The chairperson of TI-Rwanda, Marie immaculatee Ingabire called for more legal reforms against graft noting that although it is not widespread, it’s real than imaginary.

She went on to highlight the consequences of corruption including mistrust of leadership and scaring foreign investments.

“Corruption inevitably leads to a diminished business climate when public trust is lost” she said.

Present at the same occasion were the mayor of City of Kigali, Pascal Nyamulinda, Prosecutor General John Bosco Mutangana and mayors of Kicukiro, Gasabo and Nyarugenge districts, among others.

Prosecutor General said that so far his office achieved 79% conviction rate of the 187 cases brought before courts.

It was also attended by hundred of students from schools around Kigali, local leaders, youth volunteers in crime prevention, and motorcyclists, among other police partners.

The event was also characterized by open discussions on how effective to combat graft.

Source:Police

May 31, 2017
Groundwater ‘pit stops’ enabled survival, migration of our ancient ancestors

{New study reveals the importance of African groundwater in kick-starting the evolutionary history of humans}

An international team led by a researcher at Cardiff University believe that the movement of our ancestors across East Africa was shaped by the locations of groundwater springs.

In a new study, the team argue that the springs acted as pit stops to allow early humans to survive as they moved across the African landscape.

The team believe that populations were able to mix with each other at these junctions, influencing genetic diversity and, ultimately, the evolution of the human population.

The results of the study have been published in the journal Nature Communications.

Humans are thought to have first evolved in Africa, and evidence currently suggests that early humans first migrated out of the continent probably between 2 million and 1.8 million years ago.

During this time, rainfall was affected by the African monsoon which strengthened and weakened on a 23,000 year cycle driven by the precession of the equinoxes. During intense periods of aridity, monsoon rains would have been light and drinking water in short supply.

By mapping persistent springs across the African landscape, the researchers have been able to model how our ancestors may have moved between water sources at different times and how this impacted their ability to traverse the landscape as the climate changed.

Lead author of the study Dr Mark Cuthbert, from Cardiff University’s School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, said: “We found that the geology is really important in controlling how much rainfall gets stored in the ground during wet periods. Modelling the springs showed that many could still flow during long dry periods because this groundwater store acts like a buffer against climate change.

“As such, we begin to see that the geology, and not just the climate, control the availability of water — the landscape was a catalyst for change in Africa.”

Co-author of the study Professor Matthew Bennett, from Bournemouth University, said: “What we are seeing is the movement of people across vast areas of land. You can think of springs as the service stations or rest stops along the way, where people would be drawn to get their vital water sources.

“Through our mapping we have found the routes on the current landscape by which our ancestors may have walked, like motorways, taking people from one water source to the next. This is another vital clue in understanding how these people migrated across the African continent, from water source to source, and how this may have impacted on gene flow and mixing.”

Isabelle Durance, Director of the Cardiff University Water Research Institute, said: “Groundwater currently provides nearly a third of the world’s population with drinking water. It is also used to produce the largest share of the world’s food supply and is a vital component of our natural capital, but this research shows that it may have also shaped our evolutionary history.”

Source:Science Daily

May 31, 2017