Author: Nicole Kamanzi Muteteri

There are currently a number of technology companies in Rwanda supporting the country’s goal of becoming a technology hub in Africa. It is a vision that will be achieved through the participation of everyone, especially the private sector.

Among the private companies that have started to invest in this sector are the provision of information technology services, and the completion of data storage facilities in Rwanda, AOS.

AOS Ltd is a joint venture of the Government of Rwanda with Korea Telecom in a long-term partnership evolved into the strong agreement to collectively achieve bigger goals: developing the ICT sector into a vibrant industry, positioning Rwanda as the regional ICT hub, and fueling economic growth by enabling effective delivery of business services in Rwanda.

The company, on October 26, 2020, launched a campaign to show private companies the opportunities they have for storing their information inside the country.

The Chief Marketing Officer of AOS, Manzi Olivier Rwaka, told IGIHE that hosting locally contributes to the development of our economy by hiring Rwandan workforce and promoting made in Rwanda solutions.

“Institutions hosted locally will have a better experience with reduced network latency therefore enjoying faster browsing, more website uptime and better loading time while accessing their data especially if the data hosted is mostly accessed by users in Rwanda. Another advantage is that institutions hosted locally get 24/7 online support from the local hosting provider in the same time zone with the choice of using our home language. There’s also a security aspect to have your data hosted locally especially sensitive data for Rwandans” said Manzi Rwaka

Talking about the challenges COVID-19 has caused to this field particularly and how are AOS is planning to help clients revive their business by cutting down the cost of hosting, the Chief Executive Officer of AOS, Mr. Seong Woo Kim said that the pandemic has affected many of customers hosted with their company because some of them faced challenges in their businesses as well therefore making it difficult to pay for the hosting services.

“We are currently contributing to reviving businesses by offering utmost discounts of up to 77% on web and email hosting and up to 50% on our cloud hosting services” Said Mr. Seong Woo Kim

The reason why AOS is doing a campaign to attract private sectors is that they have a mandate to contribute to the growth of the IT sector in Rwanda by providing reliable ICT solutions and services at affordable prices.

“By targeting the private sector, we would like to encourage businesses (SMEs, Startups, etc…) to have an online presence, attract more companies to host locally and bring back local content in Rwanda for those hosted abroad.”

“We are also targeting companies in the region. We have been also working closely with Government institutions to improve service delivery since most of them are hosted locally and making the hosting services affordable to them as well.” Said Mr. Seong Woo Kim.

AOS ltd is giving a discount of up to 77% on web and mail hosting with Automated provisioning, various packages, Ease of online payments, wide range of Add on services from their online market portal with the lowest option being 12,150 RWF per year (1,013 RWF per month).

The company is also offering a discount of up to 50% on cloud hosting services with the lowest option being 26,275 RWF per month.

“Users can get 50% off with our cloud welcome package with Easy service upgrade, flexible packages, Security and Data Backup” said Mr. Manzi Rwaka

The Chief Executive Officer of AOS, Mr. Seong Woo Kim said that the main lessons learnt during this pandemic is that most businesses had to move from the traditional way of doing business to the digital way and have an online presence to continue providing services.

“We have seen an increase of businesses looking for online platforms to host their services to cope with the new trend of doing business online for effective and efficient service delivery and most importantly business continuity. Companies should adapt to this new way of doing business. “ He said

According to a statement from Rwanda National Police (RNP), provisional licenses and driving permits applicants who applied for the tests in March this year before the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown will be considered first.

“The applicants who were given timetable of driving tests before they were halted in March 2020 will be considered first. The list of these applicants, driving test venue, and dates will be announced before the test period,” reads a statement from the police.

The statement also said that “Driving school owners who would wish to start can start operations promptly, but schools that teach traffic rules will have to wait until 2nd November. The schools will reopen, but with respect to Covid-19 preventive measures including physical distancing, regular hand washing, and the wearing of masks,”

The three ambassadors of the Republic of Korea, Oman, and Vietnam held brief meetings with President Paul Kagame at the President’s office Urugwiro Village in Kacyiru on a rainy morning in Kigali and later briefed local media on their plans in Rwanda.

The ambassador of Korea, Jin-Weon Chae who was accompanied by his wife, and has a permanent residence in Kigali said that both countries will continue working on the bilateral cooperation which mainly has focused on economic development through technology.

“During my term of office, I will put emphasis on promoting the long standing relationship between Rwanda and Korea especially in the areas of economic development,” Chae said.

Rwanda and Korea have a cooperation that mainly focuses on the areas of education and capacity building, rural development, agriculture, as well as information and communications technology.

Development cooperation with Korea is implemented through the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) which has an office in Kigali. KOICA’s main projects in Rwanda in the next four years are in the sectors of Agriculture, TVET as well as in tax policy and administration.

RDB has registered nine (9) investments in Rwanda from Korean companies during the period of 2012 – 2020:

These investments, totaling an approximate amount of $268.5 million, include KT corporation (formerly Korea Telecom), Korea’s largest telecommunication company, which has invested in Rwanda’s 4G LTE broadband network. 2 o HeWorks LTD, another Korean firm, has invested in the sericulture business and has started to export silk thread to Korea this year.

The company is trying to revitalize the silk industry in Rwanda to build a full-scale silk factory in Bugesera by 2021 that could employ 3000 local people.

Ambassador Saleh Bin Suleiman Bin Ahmed AL-Harthi of the Sultanate of Oman, who has a residence in Nairobi, Kenya and was accompanied by his wife, said that his agenda will be to promote areas of trade, tourism and education, which have been the focus areas of the two countries.

Both Rwanda and Oman established diplomatic relations in March 1998 and the two countries have a long-established trade relationship with the Omani merchants who initiated the first commercial centers in Rwanda since the early 1900’s.

In terms of trade between the two countries, it is estimated to be valued at $920,000 to $2.3 million in 2017 and 2018 respectively of which 82% of the imports from Oman to Rwanda is largely petroleum products while Rwanda mainly exports to Oman include: vegetables, processed food and cereals.

Despite its history of being a war zone, Kagame pointed out that Vietnam’s success was a source of inspiration for Rwanda especially in trade and agriculture.

During this State visit, three cooperation agreements, were signed in the areas of agriculture, health, and education.

Ambassador Nguyen Nam Tien of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, said he will work on building that rekindled relationship.

“This is a big moment for me and I look forward to being central in growing this relationship” Tien said.

Rwanda and Vietnam have arguably one of the oldest established diplomatic relations which was started in 1975 and a general cooperation agreement signed later on in May 2008 when President Kagame paid a state visit to Vietnam upon invitation by his counterpart. The visit ended with a tripartite cooperation agreement in the sectors such as agriculture, health and education.

The ministry said the deceased on Tuesday was an 88-year-old woman from Kirehe.

On October 27, 2020, 11 new cases of COVID-19 were found out of 1594 sample tests taken, bringing the total number to 5084 while three have recovered, bringing the number of recoveries to 4851 and198 active cases.

Of the new cases, eight were found in Kigali, while in Kirehe, Musanze and Nyamagabe Districts each has recorded one case.

Coronavirus symptoms include coughing, flu, and difficulty in breathing. The virus is said to be transmitted through the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract.

Rwandans are required to continue to comply with government regulations, especially with frequent washing of hands and water and soap, wearing masks when leaving home or in public.

At the time, Mugisha, who was traveling in a passenger service vehicle, was allegedly trafficking the narcotics to Karongi from Rubavu District, Police said. He was intercepted halfway, in Rutsiro district, Kivumu sector in Kabujenje cell.

The police spokesperson for the western region, Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Bonaventure Twizere Karekezi said that the police officers, while in their routine operation, stopped the bus that Mugisha was traveling in, for a usual inspection.

“When they checked a sack that Mugisha had, they found it contained pellets of cannabis. Mugisha was with another lady, who managed to sneak out of the bus during the search, and fled,” CIP Karekezi said.

Mugisha admitted that he got the narcotics from Rubavu District and was on his way to supply other dealers in Karongi District.

The search for his accomplice, the lady, who fled from the scene, is still underway, the spokesperson said.

Mugisha was then handed over to Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) for the next legal steps to be taken.

CIP Karekezi said that it is not the first time for suspected drug traffickers to be intercepted along Rubavu-Karongi road, adding that most of them usually use taxi-motos.

He urged people involved in drug trafficking and consumption to quit to be safe from “severe legal consequences” but also to prevent health effects related to consumption of such harmful narcotics.

Cannabis is listed as a “very severe drug” in Rwanda, alongside cocaine, opium and heroin, under the Ministerial Order No. 001/MoH/2019 of 04/03/2019 establishing the list of narcotic drugs and their categorisation.

In article 263 of the law determining offences and penalties in general, it is stated that anyone convicted for “severe narcotic drugs” faces a life imprisonment and a fine of between Frw20 million and Frw30 million.

Nyagatare District Mayor Mushabe David Claudien told IGIHE that “Five cows struck by lightning are from Nyagatare Sector, and we are still compiling statistics to determine the damage.”

Musheri Sector Executive Secretary Kamu Stiven told IGIHE that residents have been accommodating their neighbors affected by the rains while community work is expected to help them restore the roofs properly.

He said that the government will help these residents by providing roofing iron sheets.
Citizens are also urged to take animal insurances to make it easier for them to recover from such losses.

Heavy rains also destroyed more than 200 houses in Kirehe District in recent weeks and damaged farmland.

The projections come after previous expectations and projections that the economy would grow by about 2 per cent.

After weeks of holding meetings with various government agencies, the IMF mission led by Haimanot Teferra revised downward informed by the extent of local and domestic shocks.

“Given the size of external shocks and the domestic shock caused by containment measures, real GDP growth is now projected to contract to -0.2 per cent in 2020 and rebound to 5.7 per cent in 2021,” the mission noted.

The IMF however noted that economic activity has started to show signs of recovery following a sharp contraction in the second quarter of 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the stringent containment measures.

The continued monetary and financial measures and large fiscal packages deployed in response to the crisis were also found to have played an important role supporting the economy.

With the global economy quite uncertain, it is not possible to predict its effect on the Rwandan economy with regard to economic disruptions in Rwanda and in trading partners, the mission further noted.

The financial and banking system was found to be stable, liquid and well capitalized to foster economic recovery.

“Inflation remained high, partly reflecting supply disruptions, but it is expected to stay closer to the upper bound of the National Bank of Rwanda inflation benchmark band in 2020. The banking system has remained stable, liquid and well capitalized,” the mission’s statement noted.

Tax revenues have been stronger than expected at the time of the second IMF emergency financing under the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF), but expenditures are also expected to be higher as the fiscal measures to support vulnerable families and hard-hit firms are being extended.

An economic contraction means a decline in national output measured by the value added and created through the production of goods and services in the country during a certain period. It signifies a drop in real personal income, industrial production, and retail sales among others as was evidenced during the lockdown and consequent months.

Olivier Nshimiyimana, 22, alias ‘Major’ and Abdoul Sadam, 27, were arrested on Saturday, October 24, with four sachets of the severe drug. They were also caught with a syringe, which they were using to inject customers with heroin.

The suspects were handed over to RIB at Ngoma station.

Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Michel Majyambere, the acting District Police Commander (DPC) for Huye, said that the arrest of the duo followed information provided by one of the addicted users, who had check in at Huye rehabilitation centre for medical assistance.

“An addicted youth, who had gone to seek medical help at Huye rehabilitation centre disclosed that he was buying the heroin from Nshimiyimana. Police traced and arrested Nshimiyimana, who was at the time found in possession of four sachets of heroin. Sadam, who was caught with Nshimiyimana, is also the latter’s client, who had come to be injected with heroin,” CIP Majyambere said.

“Heroin is among the very dangerous narcotic drugs with immediate effects to users, and with severe punishment especially to dealers in Rwanda,” the DPC warned.
It is said that Nshimiyimana was using the same syringe to inject several of his clients, which increased risks of spreading infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS.

{{Effects of heroin}}

Health experts say that after the initial effects of heroin, users usually will be drowsy for several hours; mental function is clouded; heart function slows; and breathing is also severely slowed, sometimes enough to be life-threatening.

Slowed breathing can also lead to coma and permanent brain damage.

According to the UN Office in Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), heroin is “very addictive” and development of tolerance and physical and psychological dependence occurs rapidly.

UNODC warns that heroin causes severe weight loss and malnutrition that can lead to damaged veins and liver disease. It can also lead to menstrual irregularity, sedation and chronic apathy.

Taking heroin also clouds the user’s judgment and increases the chance of him or her making bad choices, such as having unprotected sex and sharing needles. Thus, the user risks contracting HIV/AIDS, hepatitis and other infectious diseases.

{{What the law in Rwanda says}}

Heroin is listed as a “very severe drug” in Rwanda, alongside cocaine, opium and cannabis under the Ministerial Order No. 001/MoH/2019 of 04/03/2019 establishing the list of narcotic drugs and their categorisation.

In article 263 of the law relating to offences and offences in general, it specifies that anyone convicted for “severe narcotic drugs” faces a life imprisonment and a fine of between Frw20 million and Frw30 million.