IGIHE

Author: IGIHE

  • Mwenedata for presidential race

    {Mwenedata Gilbert, a 42-year old father of four and former employee of USAID, has announced his ambitions to join the presidential race for elections which will take place in August 2017. }

    Speaking to IGIHE, Mwenedata unveiled that he didn’t get discouraged despite the defeat for the parliamentary seat in 2013.

    “I didn’t stop political activities. May be I only kept quiet,” he said.

    Mwenedata said he is going to get documents and process other requirements needed to qualify for presidential candidacy.

    Other independent presidential aspirants are Mpayimana Philippe and Shima Diane Rwigara.

    Mwenedata Gilbert was among contenders of parliamentary seats in 2013.

  • First Lady urges on diversifying innovations responding to health challenges

    {As Transform Africa Summit kicked off yesterday, First Lady Jeannette Kagame chaired a session themed ‘Smart Health Opportunities in Africa’ which aimed to explore creative and entrepreneurial ways for the youth, institutions and other key players to address an important aspect of any community.}

    She called on the world to diversify innovations to respond to new realities and address challenges affecting the community.

    The First Lady talked on Rwanda’s solutions in the heath sector, highlighting achievements and solutions brought in by Imbuto Foundation, an organization she founded.

    She highlighted health interventions initiated by ‘Imbuto Foundation’ including the ‘Family Package’ initiated 16 years ago to help respond to the HIV and AIDS epidemic crisis, which had been fuelled by mass rapes during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

    Referring to the use of drones to deliver blood and medical supplies to hospitals, to centralising medical data from nationwide health institutions among others, Jeannette Kagame reminded participants that Rwanda’s progress in education, health, social, political and economic innovations should serve as an inspiration to addressing community challenges.

    {{Read the full speech below }}

    Honourable Guests,

    Distinguished Speakers,

    Esteemed Entrepreneurs,

    Ladies and Gentlemen,

    Good Morning.

    It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to this Imbuto’s Youth

    Forum Series, themed ‘Smart Health Opportunities in Africa’, held on the occasion of the Transform Africa Summit.

    These Youth Forum Series are very dear to us at the Foundation, as for the past 10 years, they have provided our youth with a platform to interact with leaders, and experts from all walks of life, to discuss a wide range of topics of social, political, educational and professional relevance to their lives.

    I take this opportunity to also thank our panellists for being with us today, and for sharing the kind of knowledge that builds stronger and healthier communities.

    Our hope is that each and everyone present here today, will leave this forum, feeling the urge to share what they learned and in the process, will ignite a spark in someone else’s mind, to leave their mark in this world, by seeing in a challenge an opportunity to innovate.

    {{Distinguished audience,
    }}

    Today’s forum themed ‘SmartHealth Opportunities in Africa’ provides a suitable platform to explore creative and entrepreneurial ways for the youth, institutions and other key players to address an important aspect of any community.

    As our world continues to evolve, we must learn how to capitalise on diverse innovations, adapt or improve them to respond to new realities and resulting priorities.

    Indeed, it is our duty as citizens of this world to play our role in contributing, in our own capacities, to the strengthening of our health systems, while devising new strategies that ensure all members of our communities can fully benefit from their rights to affordable, and efficient healthcare.

    Rwanda’s track record in relation to education, health, social, political and economic innovations is one that should inspire us all to continue breaking new grounds, as we see original approaches to solving challenges found in our communities.

    From the use of drones to deliver blood and medical supplies to hospitals, to centralising medical data from nationwide health institutions, to seeing our young people rewarded for using the latest technologies to improve service delivery in hospitals, we can certainly say that we are living in an exciting era, as we are witnessing the realisation of the immense possibilities, of the imagination.

    {{Ladies and Gentlemen,}}

    The health of the Rwandan population has always been a national priority, and as such, an integral aspect of the diverse interventions carried out by Imbuto Foundation through the years.

    In fact, our first programme, called Family Package, was initiated 16 years ago, to help respond to the HIV and AIDS epidemic crisis, which was heightened by the mass rapes that occurred during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

    Today, my Foundation implements 6 projects, directly or indirectly, linked to the health sector, and targeting different segments of our population.

    Through our different programmes, we also pay particular attention to the question of sexual and reproductive health of our young people, as this issue will have a direct impact on the health of our future generations.

    For instance, the continental All-In campaign, which was initiated by the Organisation of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS, was launched last year in Rwanda, in partnership with the Ministry ofHealth. This campaign addressed the HIV/AIDS epidemic among the youth, through nationwide projects for the elimination of the mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of the virus; activities involving voluntary counselling and testing (VCT); but also mobilising the community to actively fight the spread of the virus and its stigma; while dismantling stereotypes associated with this disease.

    Issues affecting the wellbeing of this demographic group, which makes 40% of our population, simply cannot be ignored, and it is our duty to empower our youth with life-saving information, while encouraging them to take a front seat in the efforts aiming to curb health issues affecting our communities.

    {{Esteemed audience,}}

    Last year, Imbuto Foundation, in partnership with UNFPA and UKAid, also launched the iAccelerator project, and with it, was given a challenge to young people to provide a business-oriented solution to a sexual reproductive health issue. It was with great pleasure that we saw several young people using their creative and entrepreneurial spirit, to design sustainable, and youth-friendly, solutions.
    Distinguished Partners

    I would like to take this moment to thank you for your commitment, through which we are able to see the realisation of projects such as the iAccelerator, which provides significant financial and professional development support, via a much-needed platform for young people to put their creative minds, at the service of a greater good.

    {{Esteemed Innovators,}}

    Thank you for being torchbearers among your peers, in the fight for solutions to sexual and reproductive health issues, that threaten our communities.

    Your innovation will play a role in providing young people with informed knowledge on HIV and AIDS, STIs and other reproductive health related issues.

    Your dedication aligns with Rwanda’s efforts towards reducing our current HIV prevalence rate of 3%, to a much lower one.

    We have every faith, that your great ideas, combined with strong health systems, will change our communities for the better, and ultimately offer great hope for a healthier future.

    {{Distinguished Audience,}}

    As I conclude my remarks, I would like to acknowledge all those young men and women that participated in the iAccelerator challenge, and extend my congratulations to the Top 4 Innovators who will present their work today.

    I wish you all the success during your pitching session with “Face the Gorillas” and trust this is just the beginning of your entrepreneurial journey.

    I thank you for your kind attention and wish us all fruitful discussions throughout this Transform Africa Summit.

  • Journalists from Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine discuss on improvement of Press Freedom

    On 4 May 2017, a joint forum on “The Freedom and Responsibility of the Press for a Just and Peaceful Society” was held with journalists from Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine by an international NGO under the UN Department of Public Information (DPI) called Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL).

    This forum celebrating the ‘World Press Freedom Day’, May 3rd, designated by the UN aimed to discuss the role of the press in both protecting freedom of expression and promoting the public awareness of peace.

    The participants shared the level of the freedom of expression and the responsibility of the press in each country. The head of Kazakhstan editors club in the forum said, ”Freedom is like air. It always has to be. But if there are too much freedom, we, the journalists, might be lose our responsibility.”

    Mr. Fedorov Petr, the director of international affairs at the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (vgtrk) in Russia, commented, “It’s important not only how the media works but also how free the information space within the country is. Russia has 2,300 broadcasting channels, 80% of which are private broadcasting ones, and about 600 are foreign broadcasting ones. The freedom of access to information is as important as the freedom of the founding reporter of information.”

    The mutual relationship between the role of the press and building a just and peaceful society was also discussed. Igor Shevyryov, a journalist from Ivestia, Ukraine, who has been carrying our journalists’ cooperation for peacebuilding, highlighted that journalists should communicate with each other for understanding, rather than engaging themselves in international conflicts. ”Evil causes more evil,” said other Ukraine participants to explain the role of media that ”should have communication with each other.” Kazakhstani particiants also added, ”Journalism should not be dividing, but should be uniting.”

    The cooperation between media and NGOs for peace as an example of the positive role of media was introduced. Peace campaigns including seminars, forums, and peace walks by the local citizens in areas of conflict were operated by HWPL, when its association network with international media covered the 40 years of conflict and the need for global attention for peace in Mindanao, the Philippines. Vasily Nikulenkov, an editor of “The Newman in Foreign Policy”, a magazine in Russia, who participated in the forum, mentioned, “HWPL makes an effort to cease war and carious conflicts and work for peace with youth, women’s groups and media organizations for agreement on cessation of the war at the UN. This part is respectful. We educate for many students as examples of voluntary civil society activities.”

    HWPL is working with about 130 public ambassadors of the press to form public opinion for creating a culture of peace designated in the UN resolutions. As a part of HWPL’s media forums, ‘Voice of Press’, an online conference, has been held five times in Ukraine, three times in Kazakhstan, once in Sweden, once in Crimea of Russia, once in Algeria. The participants of these forums agreed that the significant role of the press is to motivate people to acknowledge the importance of peace and to introduce the peace activities in solving the matters of the society.

    Participants came from Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine.

  • Passengers go through terrible ordeal at bus stations following fuel shortage

    {Scuffles, frustrations, quarrels…. are noticed at the north bus stop in Bujumbura city center. Long queues of passengers are built up at different bus stops.}

    Pupils, civil servants, everyone rushes to go back home. But a shortage of buses is observed; they come in small numbers due to the shortage of fuel. Some agents in uniform are trying to get things in order. It is not easy, all passengers must line up.

    Some of them refuse while others follow the instructions. They threaten to use force.

    “I have just spent an hour and a half and I do not even know if I am going to get a bus to go back home,” says a resident living in “Mutanga Nord”, northern Bujumbura neighborhood.

    A student says she has just spent two hours at the bus stop waiting for the bus.

    “I have been waiting for the bus since 5p.m., I do not even know if I am going to get time to review my studies,” he says.

    “Seeing the small number of buses transporting passengers, I am not sure my children will eat tonight. I wanted to go home to give money to buy something to eat but cannot make it now,” says a mother of five.

    However, the passengers accuse the people charged with ensuring order of favoritism.

    “It is frustrating to see a person jumping the queue”, says angrily a passenger at the stop of buses going to the north of the capital.

    One of the agents says they did that to protect young children and pregnant women.

    “We cannot allow youths to push children and pregnant women and we must protect them by letting them get on the bus,” he says. For them, buses using fuel oil should complete those which consume gasoline.

    Charles Ntirampeba, secretary general of the Burundi Association of Transport says the shortage of buses due to fuel scarcity is beyond their competence.

    “From this Monday 8 May, the shortage of fuel has been added to the lack of gasoline. We don’t know how to handle these long queues”, he says.

    Ntirampeba says some measures have been imposed. “Some buses from less crowded neighborhoods of the capital and those from the countryside must complete buses carrying passengers to more crowded areas”, he says.

    Following the shortage of fuel these few months, the Minister of Energy and Mining had announced that petroleum products will now be distributed only at fuel stations and in daytime from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

    Source:Iwacu

  • Rwanda tops Africa’s best performing institutions

    {Rwanda has been ranked as the country with the best performing institutions in Africa. The East African country is followed by Mauritius and Botswana, which have also been named in the list of 32 African countries assessed for the performance of their institutions.}

    Ghana came 12th on the table in spite of a marginal improvement of its institutional performance from 2015.

    The Africa Competitiveness Report 2017, released by the World Economic Forum on Thursday, noted that the general performance of institutions in Africa was low “but is slowly improving.”

    It said the improvement witnessed in some countries although impressive, faced major setbacks including the inability of leaders to respond to the demands of the growing youth population.

    “A combination of small improvements in Africa’s institutional quality and lower standards in advanced economies has reduced the gap between the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) average and Africa’s performance on this dimension.

    “…although some countries remain very fragile, governments across Africa have started to mature and are now better equipped to coordinate economic activity than they used to be.”

    Chad, Mauritania, and Burundi, took the last three spots of the ranking table.

    Citi FM’s Hello Kigali tour that set out to discover the systems and practices in Rwanda that have contributed to the country’s impressive economic growth, identified effectively functional institutions very different from what is witnessed in some institutions in Ghana.

    The country has effectively utilized technology to improve the system of passport acquisition, setting up of businesses, national identification, tax collection, and property acquisition.

    The team on the tour found that staff of state institutions were proactive and attended to customers in a fairly impressive manner.

    In Ghana, most state institutions including the Ghana Post, Passport office, Lands Commission and the Birth and Death registry have been accused of poor customer service and corruption.

    On the Citi Breakfast Show on Friday, May 5, 2017, text messages from the public highlighted poor delivery of service by some of the country’s institutions.

    Some said their bad experiences at many of these institutions have forced them to resort to private service providers where possible.

  • Rwandan young entrepreneur Gasabwa globally sells Rwandan products online

    {Young entrepreneur Keila Gasabwa has brought in yet another boost towards Made-in-Rwanda move through her online platform www.madeinrw.com through which she sells products from Rwanda to the United States, Canada, Europe and soon reaching out to Australia.}

    Gasabwa is a Rwandan national living in the USA where she is pursuing her university studies since 2013. She has recently started a company named ‘MadeInRW Inc’.

    Gasabwa is a Rwandan national living in the USA

    Speaking to IGIHE, the 25-year Gasabwa expressed confidence that she will take Rwandan products to all corners of the world drawing from the success of her project’s six-month pilot phase during which 21 metric tons of foodstuffs and wares from Rwanda were sold abroad via her website.

    {{Gasabwa, emerging name to fame}}

    Little was known of the Rwandan young girl, Gasabwa, until she came out as one of the best meeting and events coordinators at the recent Rwanda Day held in San Francisco, California, in the USA. At the occasion, she proved her competencies as she superbly coordinated a session that discussed culture in the presence of many dignitaries including Minister for Foreign Affairs, Louise Mushikiwabo and Prof. Anastase Shyaka, the CEO of Rwanda Governance Board (RGB), among others.

    Gasabwa has origin in Nyarugenge Sector of Nyarugenge District in the City of Kigali. She is doing Political Sciences in Sacramento, State of California where she has got a job in Wells Fargo Bank as the assistant to young entrepreneurs, a job she acquired due to her proven competencies.

    She got into USA in 2013 after completing primary and secondary education in Rwanda at La Colombiere School and Riviera High School.

    {{Business as passion}}

    Despite her current studies in Political Sciences, Gasabwa says she felt passionate about business since her early age, inspired by her mother. She pursued her childhood dreams until recently when she started a company ‘MadeInRW’ which is registered and operational in California. She targets to sell Rwandan products to all corners of the globe to let everyone experience the quality of Rwandan products as well as contributing to the country’s economy growth.

    “I started this company after realizing that it was so hard to find Rwandan products at foreign markets and I am committed to giving my contribution in developing my country. Via my site, people buy different products from Rwanda and products are delivered to them wherever they are in the USA, Canada and Europe,” she said.

    Gasabwa started selling products of Urwibutso Ese, also known as Nyirangarama by Sina Gerard, flour of Kinazi Cassava Plant (KCP), Rwandan coffee and other local drinks. She also sells fashion products by UZI Collections and Kabash Fashion House.

    Through Gasabwa’s online platform, products in 21 tons have been sold to the USA and Canada including mainly 20 tons of KCP’s flour and one ton of other foodstuffs and wares.

    She is facing challenges of high prices on Rwandan products which make it hard for clients abroad but she is seeking a solution in collaboration with Rwandan exporters.

    {{MadeInRw winning foreign customers}}

    Gasabwa’s MadeInRW company seeks to win more non-Rwandan foreign customers from the current 40% while the remaining 60% is comprised of Rwandans living abroad. She says that more foreigners are turning to Rwandan products due to their quality and through her efforts in publicity using digital marketing strategies.

    “For example, we use ICT tools to help interested customers to get information about Rwandan coffee rating and other buyers’ reviews,” she says.

    MadeInRw currently employs a number of people but Gasabwa wants to keep expanding the business to employ more in a bid to fight unemployment. She targets to export at least 40 tons of Rwandan products by 2017 and multiply the sales several times in the years ahead.

    “I am currently selling to USA, Canada and Europe but want to penetrate Australia’s market in the near future as I keep reaching out to more countries. My objectives are to help Rwandan exporters to get their products to international market and grow the country’s exports,” says Gasabwa.

    Efforts of different entrepreneurs, like Gasabwa, have contributed to the reduction of Rwanda’s trade deficit by 25.2% in the first two months of 2017, according to Central Bank (BNR).

    By Jean d’Amour Mugabo and Munyengabe Murungi Sabin

  • Six ADEPR leaders for prosecution

    {Files of six leaders in the Pentecostal Church in Rwanda (ADEPR) accused of misallocating the church resources, have been transferred to the prosecution as confirmed by police spokesperson, ACP Theo Badege. }

    “Files of the six suspects have been transferred to Gasabo district prosecution,” he has told IGIHE.

    The deputy ADEPR spokesperson, Bishop Tom Rwagasana, ADEPR general secretary Rev. Sebagabo Bernard, Eng. SindayigayaTheophile, head of finance department Gasana Valens and head of administration and finance,Mutuyemariya Christine are among ADEPR leaders arrested last week on account of resources misappropriation.

    Their arrests were preceded by discoveries that established that there was gross misuse of church resources which forced some Christians to form a transformation committee seeking to elect new leadership to replace the current one.

    The deputy ADEPR spokesperson, Bishop Tom Rwagasana is among arrested leaders.

  • Rwanda hosts Transform Africa Summit 2017

    {Rwanda is hosting the third edition of Transform Africa, a Summit that brings together different players from across Africa and the globe to fast-tract the continent’s digital transformation agenda.}

    Themed “Smart Cities Fast Forward”, the Summit convenes Heads of State and other senior government officials, business leaders, young innovators, and representatives from international organization’s to collaborate on new ways of shaping, accelerating and sustaining Africa’s on-going digital revolution.

    Geared towards connecting, innovating and transforming the continent into a knowledge economy thereby driving global competitiveness and job creation, Transform Africa aims to enable Member States to become more competitive, agile, open and innovative smart economies. The Summit calls on African nations to leverage ICT innovations to transform the continent into a smart society.

    In its first edition held in 2013, seven African Heads of State signed the ‘Smart Africa Manifesto’ in which they pledged to provide leadership in accelerating socio-economic development through ICT. In January 2014, African Union Heads of State endorsed the Manifesto during the 22nd Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly n Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

    Transform Africa 2017 brings special focus on the incorporation of ICT in building “Smart Cities.” The Executive Director of Smart Africa Secretariat, Dr Hamadoun Toure, points out that the Summit serves as a platform for edge-cutting ideas and initiatives in creating better and sustainable cities across the continent.

    “Participants will have an opportunity to debate and experience the next wave of innovative, integrated technologies that are already helping cities around the world become more compassionate, connected, responsive and sustainable,” Dr Hamadoun says.

    He further adds that challenges brought about by urbanisation require African cities to have specific and efficient solution schemes.

    During summit, the ‘Africa Smart Cities Blueprint’ will be unveiled. Speaking about the Blueprint earlier in February 2017, the Rwandan Minister of Youth and ICT, Jean Philbert Nsengimana, revealed that connectivity, security, digital service delivery, efficiently managed utilities, environment protection, health, and education are vital aspects of the Blueprint.

    The Summit that runs from 10-12 May 2017 will feature a number of key events. These include:

    Smart Africa Leaders Summit
    Smart Africa Women’s Summit
    Smart Africa Business Leaders’ Symposium
    Smart Africa Conference
    Smart Africa Invest Programme
    Smart Africa Networking Hub
    Smart City Exhibition
    Ms Geek
    Face the Gorillas Smart City Edition

    The Summit is co-organised by the Government of Rwanda and the Smart Africa Secretariat.

  • Kinazi Cassava Plant ups quality, explores and exploits international markets

    {High quality cassava flour from Rwanda has won global market appreciation as the product is examined and authorized by standards agencies in the United States, Europe and Australia before reaching out to the markets. }

    The flour has been on the market in the USA for two years now but new markets in Europe, Australia, Central and Western Africa have recently been penetrated.

    From January 2017, 80 metric tons of flour have been exported but the increasing demand will see more 150 tons exported by next month (June), according to Emile Nsanzabaganwa, the General Manager of Kinazi Cassava Plant (KCP).

    Speaking to IGIHE on Monday, Nsanzabaganwa said KCP aims to constitute a big part of the country’s exports and huge contribution to Made-in-Rwanda strategy to reduce trade deficit.

    “We have got a big foreign market which is on a fast expansion. Our product has a good presence in USA where we want to reach all states by next month to avail our products to all customers. Our flour is sold in shops and online via the website of Rwandan young entrepreneur Keila Gasabwa,” he said.

    Gasabwa lives in the USA and owns a website www.madeinrw.com that sells Made-in-Rwanda products and has so far sold 21 tons including 20 tons of KCP’s flour.

    “Good enough, our products are recommended at all those foreign markets, being authorized by U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after meeting international standards. Australia’s Department of Quarantine and Food also certifies our products before getting to the market,” said Nsanzabaganwa.

    He added that Agence Fédérale de la Sécurité Alimentaire, based in Belgium, also examines and authorizes KCP’s flour before being sold at the European markets and end users speak well of the product.

    “All the three organs in three continents are internationally renowned and so reliable for examining foods that their certification earns us much trust from customers worldwide and encourages us to expand exports.”

    Nsanzabaganwa appreciates the government’s Exports Growth Fund and Rwanda’s Diaspora for the role in promoting products made in Rwanda at the foreign markets.

    KCP has the capacity to process 120 metric tons to produce between 20 and 30 metric tons of flour daily. Its bigger part of the production has been going to local market but the firm aims to sell more abroad than locally.

    Kinazi Cassava Plant's milling machines
    Kinazi Cassava milling factory has the capacity to process 120 metric tons of raw cassava per day
    Kinazi flour sacks
    KCP buildings in Muhanga District
    Packages of Kinazi flour

    Jean d’Amour Mugabo

  • East African standby force brings hope to wartorn South Sudan

    {The beginning of the deployment of the Regional Protection Force is a major relief for the people of South Sudan who have been suffering from atrocities, displacement and war-induced famine.}

    The Regional Protection Force will improve the security situation and enhance the delivery of humanitarian aid to those who have been displaced by the escalating war in Upper Nile and the three Equatorias —West, East and Central.

    The first batch of military engineers from Rwanda and Bangladesh arrived in Juba early last week, after the government of President Sava Kiir agreed to the deployment after eight months of resistance.

    The real deployment starts in June through to July, with the initial troops from Rwanda, while contingents from Ethiopia, Nepal and Bangladesh will follow later.

    The force, which will be led by Brig-Gen Jean Mupenzi from Rwanda, is expected to free the 13,000 United Nations Mission in South Sudan (Unmiss) to advance to other areas that are experiencing fresh fighting.

    {{Civilian protection}}

    The force will also protect civilians from the proliferating ethnic militias that have been killing, raping and burning the houses of civilians.

    Major-General Molla Hailemariam, the chairman of the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring Mechanism (CTSAMM), said the security situation remains calm in Juba despite heightened tensions attributed to economic difficulties, but there is fighting in many parts of the country.

    “Large and small-scale offensive military operations continue in parts of the Greater Upper Nile region while fighting in the Greater Equatorias and the Greater Bahr El Ghazal regions is ongoing also. Citizens continue to be targeted by both parties and other armed groups,” said Gen Molla.

    The force will also provide protection to the main routes to and out of Juba such as the Nimule Highway, which is central to trade between South Sudan and other East African countries.

    Unmiss in a statement announcing the arrival of the first batch of the regional protection force, said: “The force headquarters has already been established in Juba under the leadership of Brigadier General Jean Mupenzi from Rwanda.

    In addition, an advance party of a construction engineering Company from Bangladesh arrived on April 20, bringing essential equipment to begin the preparation of accommodation and working areas for the RPF in Juba. Regional troops from Rwanda will follow in June and July.”

    The government has welcomed the advanced team, with presidential adviser on security affairs Tut Kew Gatluak attributing the delay to the UN, which was not cleared with the government on what type of arms the force was to bring along with them.

    {{Kenya army redeployment}}

    In March, Chiefs of General Staff from the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (Igad) countries, visited the area to work on the modalities of deployment.

    Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) soldiers set off for Juba on 19th March 2017 for a UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.

    Source:The East African