Author: Nicole Kamanzi Muteteri

The head of Rwanda Community Abroad (RCA) in UAE, Kassim Kaganda said that they are relieved that the plan to airlift them has materialized with the flight set to leave UAE to Kigali on May 16.

“Our embassy which is located in Abu Dhabi has been working tirelessly to ensure that we are tested and accorded all kinds of support we need since we are not working or doing business. Rwandans in all the seven emirates were tested,”

“It was not an easy task since hospitals here were not accepting to test people with no signs of COVID-19 but the Embassy engaged with a private Saudi-German hospital which agreed to test Rwandans who had registered themselves,”

Kaganda said Rwanda’s Ambassador to UAE Emmanuel Hategeka and the Minister Counsellor Edouard Bizumuremyi, who is based in the Consulate in Dubai did everything to facilitate Rwandans who were stranded in UAE after countries halted all international flights to avert the spread of COVID-19.

Due to the situation in UAE, Rwandans who have been working and living in Dubai have wished to return home and wait until the situation stabilises.

On Saturday, Ambassador Hategeka stated that he was aware that some of the people want to urgently return home and efforts are underway to have them airlifted back home as soon as possible.

“We are working closely with MINAFFET on a solution and soon there will be a flight to repatriate Rwandans wishing to return home,” Ambassador Hategeka said.

On Sunday, Kaganda said that they had been informed that a Fly Dubai flight has been scheduled. He said that the community was thankful for the Rwandan government for its efforts to rescue nationals and ensuring that they return home safely.

On safety measures to ensure that the repatriated Rwandans from Dubai don’t import new cases into the country at the risk of setting the efforts to reduce infections back, Ambassador Hategeka said that all precautionary measures will be taken to ensure that cases, if any, are contained.

“Well, you can’t say no to someone wishing to return home but all COVID -19 precautions have to be taken. There are some measures we have taken if that can be the reassurance. We tested 56 Rwandans as a result of contact tracing,”

“Of those 15 were found positive and have all recovered after 15 days of quarantine and some treatment. Before they fly, they will be tested for symptoms at the airport; while in Rwanda, they will undergo the mandatory 14 days quarantine,” Amb. Hategeka said

Business leaders on the continent have signed an Open Letter stressing that the AfCTFA can and must remain on course. Their view is emphasized in a new report, the AfCFTA Year Zero Report, published by The AfroChampions Initiative.

There are innovative ways to keep AfCFTA on track, they stressed, “and we should be willing to explore them.”

Speaking from Accra, Ghana, Edem Adzogenu, Co-Chair of the AfroChampions Initiative Executive Committee said that postponing the start of trading would be a mistake.

Adzogenu said: “It certainly will be a mistake to postpone because this may well be our new reality. My view is that the political decision has already been made for Start of Trade to commence on July 1. If COVID-19 hadn’t struck, we would be on course.

So, COVID-19 reality needs to be evaluated within the context of the technical, health, and economic realities that the pandemic presents.

“The reality is that we need essential products to be produced and health personnel moving across borders. It will be a mistake for African countries to keep treating each other as foreign markets in times like this.”

Before the African business community made its position known, last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, who is AU Chairperson, recommended that the date – July 1, 2020 – originally chosen for starting trading under the Agreement be postponed to January 1, 2021. Ramaphosa indicated that this was due to the impact of the pandemic on the work and operations of the Union.

Sources indicate that the AU Chairperson is now consulting member states to make a final decision, either on postponement or starting trading on July 1.

Adzogenu stressed: “We can’t anticipate 2021 just as we didn’t anticipate the COVID-19 pandemic. So we must approach this situation as if this is the new normal and find the measures, available technology, and resources to proceed with the negotiations.”

On the offensive, they note, the July Start of Trade can focus on restricted trade in essential goods such as pharmaceuticals and food products to the fight against COVID-19.

On the defensive, current border closure will continue as part of anti-COVID measures while at the same time permitting the entry of critical and life-saving goods.

They noted that the temptation to postpone is natural, given the health emergency and how it has disrupted preparedness and finalization of negotiations and operationalization.

They stress that it is quite easy to use videoconferencing and online work platforms to keep AfCFTA negotiations and operationalization on track.

In their report, they emphasized that instead of delays, COVID-19 is a reason why the start of trade under the Agreement should be accelerated.

Indeed, it is noted, they expect the level of readiness and commitment to be impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Nevertheless, AfroChampions strongly advocates that in the face of COVID-19, Africa should use the AfCFTA to simultaneously play offensive and defensive by adjusting to current and critical issues needed to fight the pandemic.

According to the Afrochampions, negotiators must adapt to the changing times.

“The new AfCFTA Secretariat must fully embrace and innovate for the crisis period into which it has been birthed. We urge African trade ministers and governments to make the tough, creative, bold choice to march on – despite COVID-19,”

But members of the private sector are holding their fingers crossed, hoping the AU decision is changed.

Robert Bafakulera, the chairperson of the Rwanda Private Sector Federation (PSF), said: “Postponing will not help us, but it will take us back a lot. Trade, just like life, should not stop or be postponed. Business can’t stop. And, starting trading (under the AfCFTA) on July 1 will enhance trade on the continent.”

Bafakulera also noted that it is important to note that the continent has not been affected as other continents and there is hope that once African countries coordinate better and work harder, jointly, the pandemic will end faster.

Prudence Sebahizi, Chief Technical Advisor on AfCFTA at the AU Commission, said: “I don’t want to preempt the ongoing consultations with Member States.

Implementation of AfCFTA depends on Member States readiness. We at the AUC can only facilitate the process where possible.”

Rwandan economist Teddy Kaberuka also stressed that there could be no better time to start trading under the Agreement than now.

Kaberuka said: “It is very wrong to postpone. This, actually, is the time for Africa to initiate its common market, following the shutdowns, globally, due to the pandemic. The AfCFTA would be a good opportunity for our businesses.”

Launched in January 2017, the Afrochampions is a special implementation vehicle for major, innovative, public-private partnerships to harness big opportunities in Africa for transforming the continent’s best companies and institutions into globally significant players.

The Ministry of Health revealed this on Friday as the Director General of Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana communicated to different stakeholders.

“We are introducing the use of robots in the management of our #COVID19 Treatment Centres to reduce transmission risks. Robots will screen temperature, monitor status, keep medical records of Patients,” Dr. Nsanzimana revealed on Friday, sharing a video of one of the robots.

Speaking on Rwanda Television on Friday, the Minister of Health Dr. Daniel Ngamije revealed that five robots have been named Urumuri, Icyizere, Kazuba, Ngabo, and Mwiza and they will be helping in the handling of COVID-19 tests.

“These robots will support us in different ways but most importantly they will be used to test patients’ temperature and status of breathing among other tasks, which will help us minimize human-to-human contact,” Dr. Ngamije said, adding that more robots will be arriving in the country soon.

“They will help us reduce the number of times a doctor or nurse gets in contact with the patient and also help our medical personnel to handle many cases at the same time and also have time to rest,,” the Minister said.

Dr. Ngamije said the robots will be deployed in places where many people convene such as bus terminals, to do random tests and identify people who could have signs of COVID-19.

Countries around the world have been using robots to fight New Coronavirus where the machines are used to assist humans to contain the spread of the virus. Several countries including China, Japan, US, and UK have been deploying robots to handle risky tasks.

“Robots have the potential to be deployed for disinfection, delivering medications and food, measuring vital signs, and assisting border controls. As epidemics escalate, the potential roles of robotics are becoming increasingly clear.”

“For disease prevention, robot-controlled non-contact ultraviolet (UV) surface disinfection is being used because COVID-19 spreads not only from person to person via close contact respiratory droplet transfer but also via contaminated surfaces,” a study published in the Science Robotics says.

China is using robots to disinfect places, which has helped to contain the spread of the virus which was first detected in Wuhan, Hubei Province of the Asian country.

The RBC data portal, now available for public access, offers a sneak peek into the country’s battle against the COVID-19 based on geographical spread, gender, and age.

Statistics show that all the provinces have recorded at least one COVID-19 case; whereby, Kirehe and Bugesera districts recorded the highest number of the coronavirus infections as of early Wednesday, May 6, with 101 and 47 cases.

RBC director-general, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana said that the reason why these two districts are particularly at high risk is that they serve as transit route for cross-border truck drivers and host COVID-19 isolation centres.

“In Bugesera, we have an isolation centre with many cases while Kirehe is a major transit route for truck drivers,” Dr. Nsanzimana said,

Dr. Nsanzimana added that cases at a quarantine facility are included in the respective district tally.

The Kigali city districts of Gasabo, Kicukiro, and Nyarugenge are in third, fourth, and fifth with 39, 38, and 25 cases respectively.

Most of the other districts (Muhanga, Kamonyi, Huye, Rulindo, Musanze, Gicumbi, Ngoma, and Karongi) have recorded a case each.

The 17 districts that are virus-free include Rusizi, Nyamasheke, Rubavu, Gakenke, Burera, Nyagatare, Gatsibo, Nyabihu, Ngororero and Rutsiro, Gisagara, Nyanza, Ruhango, Nyaruguru, Rwamagana, Kayonza, and Nyamagabe.

RBC data also shows that the majority of the positive cases (169) were imported, while 92 were contacts of infected patients.

In Kirehe, up to 89 out of 101 cases were imported, while only four of the 47 cases confirmed in Bugesera were also from abroad.

In the City of Kigali, imported cases in Gasabo District were eight with 31 contacts.
Kicukiro has so far recorded 16 imported cases while 22 contacts while Nyarugenge district has seven imported cases with 18 contacts.

78 percent (206) of the positive cases are men while 22 percent (55) are women.

Only nine people above 60 have so far been found to have contracted COVID-19 while 16 are aged 50-59. Fifty-one are in the range of 40-49. Those aged 30-39 are the majority with 103, 68 cases are people aged 20-29, and fourteen are under the age of 20.

“Studies have shown that older people are at a higher risk due to their weakened immune system and therefore we are lucky that for us they are the least affected thus far,” James Kamanzi, the RBC deputy director-general noted.

Rwanda adopted a cashless transport payment system commonly known as ‘Tap&Go’ in the City of Kigali in 2015, where a passenger uses a smartcard to pay for bus fares.
The RURA Director General, Patrick Nyirishema said that the service now covers 100% of all the public transport routes in the City of Kigali.

Nyirishema said that the plan is to have all Rwandans use the cashless payment system so as to eliminate the use of cash in public transport.

“Our plan is to totally move to the cashless system. After the success in Kigali, we plan on announcing a special cashless payment system for transport in the rural areas,” Nyirishema said.

So far there are 500 agent-operated devices across the Tap&Go network where citizens can load fares on their cards but also with options of using mobile money to top-up card balances.

However, with a digital literacy for citizens being 10% and differences in transport systems between Kigali and the upcountry, RURA said they are laying a tailor-made digital payment system that will fit the circumstances on ground.

“The rural digital public transport system has already been tried out in on the Rubavu-Musanze and Kigali-Huye routes but due to coronavirus, we were not able to complete the pilot process,” said Nyirishema.

He said that RURA and its stakeholders are currently discussing how to perfect the rural digital system and integrate it into the existing software, network, and servicing access points such as mobile payment.

“Very soon, we will speed up this process so that everyone moves from cash to cashless payments in public transport, which will also include an improved cashless system for moto-taxi transport,” Nyirishema added.

Before coronavirus, RURA and Rwanda Cooperative Agency (RCA) had trained thousands of moto-taxi transporters on using new moto-meter payment gadgets developed by local firms like Yego Moto and Pascal Technologies.