Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) is a global platform for accelerating the world’s sustainable development.
The week brings together a unique fusion of policymakers, industry specialists, technology pioneers and the next generation of sustainability leaders. Through its initiatives and events, ADSW is a catalyst for sharing knowledge, implementing strategies and delivering solutions to drive human progress.
The goal of the ADSW is to accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable and inclusive world through action while strengthening the UAE’s position as the global leader in sustainable development.
In the past 12 years, the participants have increased considerably where in 2008 countries that participated were 84 with about 11, 000 thousand individuals, a number that last year increased to 175 countries and about 38, 000 people.
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2020 started yesterday on 11 and will end on 18 January. Throughout the week, participants will explore ways of how governments and businesses can unlock the potential for accelerating sustainable development through the adoption of innovative technologies and the development of new skills.
The Minister who was addressing members of the press yesterday said that some refugees that were hosted by Rwanda have been received by different countries and some have expressed their desire to receive some more.
“Norway said that it is willing to receive about 500 of them, while Sweden has already received seven Refugees, the rest are still waiting,” he said.
The Government of Rwanda, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the African Union signed a Memorandum of Understanding, on 10th, September 2019, to set up a transit mechanism for evacuating refugees out of Libya. After their arrival, UNHCR continued to pursue solutions for the evacuees.
Rwanda committed to receiving 500 refugees of which she received 66 in the first batch, 123 in October, and 117 in November.
Jordan Foundation was founded by Vanessa Bahati, a Rwandan in November 2015, after receiving the devastating news that their fourth child, Jordan, was born blind and he would never be able to see.
Every year, Jordan Foundation receives 20 children suffering from impaired vision, are treated and those that recover are sent back to their homes.
Jordan Foundation’s CEO, Bahati Vannessa told IGIHE that in 2019 among the children they received, six are now ready to be sent to their families for they have recovered completely.
“The treatment was successful, six are healed and now we will be following up on them after they have returned to their families,” she said.
The treatment administration was concluded on 23rd, December 2019.
Children that have benefited from this program are now about 40 where in the first group two were sent to their homes and now the second group is releasing six.
The Jordan Foundation takes care of visually impaired children between the ages of 3-9, who come from poor families in Rwanda; offering them an opportunity to lead a normal life like other children.
In 2016, Vanessa Bahati, the founder of Jordan Foundation was among the youth that received awards from the First Lady, Mrs. Jeannette Kagame, the CEO of Imbuto Foundation in the awarding event known as YouthConnekt Champions and Celebrating Young Rwanda Achievers Awards (CYRWA) that are scheduled every once in two years.
Radiant Insurance Company was launched in 2013 under the stewardship of Mr. Marc Rugenera, with the aim of assisting those in need of insurance cover at an affordable cost. Since then, Radiant offers house insurance, car insurance, health insurance among others.
The managing director at Radiant, Marc Rugenera said that as they started in 2013, they were able to generate about Rwf3.6 billion in revenue, while last year they reached up to Rwf13 billion, all attributed to the trust the people have placed in them.
“Radiant has grown in an extraordinary way because of the trust we have received from Rwandan people, and as we like to say it ‘a promise is a promise’. The innovation we brought to the table is our constant support to our clients; when they need us we do everything possible to assist them, for that, I ask our clients to keep trusting us and coming to us for insurance,” he assured.
Meanwhile, Radiant Insurance Company has also launched an insurance product; ‘Radiant Yacu’, to assist Rwandans that do not earn beyond Rwf 1000 per month, to be able to have insurance.
“We have also launched products in agriculture insurance for the farmers; for example, if you own a cow worth Rwf 500,000 that is insured [at a premium of Rwf 25,000 per year] and it suddenly dies, the farmer is compensated to buy a new one,” says Rugenera.
Rugenera says that currently, Radiant Insurance has about 150,000 clients, targeting 2 million subscribers.
The managing director of the Radiant Yacu Micro-Insurance, Ambassador Joseph Habineza says that the company’s aim is to reach all people making sure that all Rwandans access insurance.
“We are unique in the sense that we try to facilitate all citizens to have an insurance; we even work with mobile money. If you chose a health insurance and say that you will be paying Rwf 1000 per month if you encounter a medical problem that requires financing, we compensate you up to one million, and in case of a sudden death we multiply up to 200 the amount,” he says.
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Ambassador Habineza says that the ‘Turi Kumwe’ card was brought as a solution to support those who forget to renew their insurance.
“There are places that people go to every day in a routine like a place they go to eat, to buy groceries, or fuel; we have started with some of these like Merez stations. When you fuel from Merez using the Radiant card which can be used on the POS machine and pay for your fuel, you access health insurance without necessarily subscribing directly for the medical insurance,” he explains.
“ If you buy let say 20 liters of fuel, you receive your insurance immediately; all you have to do is to go to a Radiant office and tell them you consume Rwf100,000 worth of fuel per month, and they will be retrieving that amount from your card, and in doing so paying your insurance. Our desire is that all Rwandans should have insurance with Radiant Yacu.”
Ovia Tuhirwe Kamanzi, the Sales Director for Radiant Insurance Company said that currently they have 70 branches countrywide, making it easy for potential and current customers to access their services.
Mutoni Diogene, who has been driving a motorbike for 11 years says Radiant insurance company always compensates him on time when the need so arises.
The inconsistencies are said to have been found in the NEJMA cooking oil production and expiration dates inscribed on the bottles that differ from that written on bottle labels.
Besides, the Batch/Lot numbers are only written on the boxes but is not on the bottles.
The Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority, in a statement issued Wednesday, warns consumers to avoid using the cooking for it is likely to be a health risk and encouraged anyone in possession of the product to return it to their vendors.
All vendors and distributors of NEJMA cooking oil have been advised to report to Ministry of Health in not more than than five days for further assistance.
The graduation took place Friday 6th, December 2019 at the Intare Conference Arena, Rusororo.
The graduates were all filled with joy and so were their parents and family members that were in attendance of the ceremony.
Uwase Divine, a graduate with Bachelors in Business and Information Technology spoke on behalf of the graduands. She said that she had a hard time choosing what to study as she was ending her secondary program but she is pleased to end the journey she started in 2016.
The University Of Kigali Chairman Board Of Directors, Mr. Afrika Philbert congratulated the graduates for their dedication to studying and the courage they had during the process.
“As teachers in this University, we are very proud of the knowledge these graduates are carrying; what you have learned, your dedication is a joy to us and for your parents. Thank you for choosing UoK to educate your children, dear parents, you made a good choice.”
Students that demonstrated excellent performance were given prizes, among which were laptops, by the Cogebanque.
The Acting Head of Corporate Banking at Cogebanque, Seif Hamoud B. said that awarding the students is one of the bank’s ways to promote education.
”Awarding best performers speaks to the importance Cogebanque attaches to education. The country is embracing a knowledge-based economy and we want to contribute to this vision. As part of our corporate social responsibility initiatives, we have demonstrably been providing support to the education sector in a bid to make a meaningful and impactful contribution to promoting the social agenda,” he said.
He added that supporting education also boosts the development of vital skills among youth and therefore enhances the quality of the labor force.
The University of Kigali is a private university that has been operating in Rwanda since 2013. The current enrollment is 970 students. It was founded by a group of Rwandan citizens composed of Prof. Nshuti Manasseh, Afrika Philibert, and Dr. Kamiya Jean Marie Vianney Hakizimana.
In addition to different bachelors and masters programs that UoK offers, students are also trained in professional courses such as Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Certified Accounting Technician (CAT), Certified Investment Financial analyst (CIFA), Certified Public Accountant (CPA), International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS), Accounting Technician Diploma (ATD), Foundation in Accounting (FIA), and Certified Internal Auditor (CIA).
REG’s management discovered electric cables Tuesday in the stores of a retailing company, Black Metals Ltd, operating from Nzobe village, Kanyinya sector in the city of Kigali where they were hidden in sacks.
The Kinyinya REG branch manager, Nkubito Stanley, said that it investigations have been going on to establish how company property disappeared from their premises.
“We have been suspecting this company and our investigations have confirmed our suspicions. It is sad that as some are busy building the country, others are destroying the infrastructure and that will not be tolerated,” he said.
Frodouard Musabemungu, one of the employees of Black Metals Ltd said that the company bought the cables legally with all transactions backed by documents.
“We bought them from different places as receipts prove; those who sold them to us had proper documents, therefore, we have nothing to be blamed for,” he said.
The Managing Director of Black Metals Ltd, Jimmy Twahirwa, was not at the premises the time of the REG-police assisted operation but, IGIHE has learned, he has been summoned to make a statement with regard to illegal possession of the public property.
Nkubito has appealed to all citizens to stand against and report individuals that destroy public infrastructures, for they are enemies of development. Two transformers were also found at the premises.
During the occasion, President Paul Kagame told the awardees that they collectively represent the very best of the fearless spirit and determination required to sustain zero tolerance against corruption.
Four categories of the ACE Award were presented in recognition of the diverse efforts and areas of excellence in the global fight against corruption.
Kenneth Kaunda, the founding President of Zambia, received the Lifetime and Outstanding award. His youngest daughter received the award on his behalf.
In 1964, Kaunda became the first President of the newly independent Zambia and fought his entire public career to ensure good governance, and to uphold the rights of people regardless of their nationality or background.
Maria Krambia-Kapardis was given the Academic Research and Education award for her work that includes two decades of anti-corruption work; including serving as the Corruption Local Research Correspondent for the European Commission.
She has widely published reports, books and papers on the subject, and she is the founder and first Chair of Transparency International-Cyprus.
Her research includes fraud detection, anti-corruption, corporate responsibility, corporate governance, and gender issues in business and ethics.
Alban Koçi, a law professor at the University of Tirana, in Albania also received the award in the category of Academic Research and Education. He is responsible for anti-corruption programs.
These programmes include mock trials and awareness programmes focusing on combating corruption.
The Youth Creativity and Engagement went to Jean Jacques Lumumba for his anti-corruption work in the Democratic Republic of Congo, starting with his work as a whistleblower whilst serving as an executive at a major bank embroiled in a misappropriations scandal.
Jeunesses Musicales International (JMI) from Belgium, the world’s largest youth musical non-profit, also received the same award. The organisation is renowned for ‘Fair Play’, a global competition bringing artistes with music that condemn corruption.
Elnura Alkanova, an independent investigative journalist, received the Innovation Award. She has authored a number of stories that expose corruption in Kyrgyzstan.
SEMA Innovation an organization from Tanzania, received a similar award. The organization gathers citizen voices to improve public services.
Previous awards took place in Vienna (2016), Geneva (2017) and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2018).
The launch of the monument was part of the annual Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani International ‘Anti-Corruption Excellence (ACE Award)’ which was held in Africa for the first time.
The leaders symbolically used hammers to knock down a makeshift wall with the word ‘corruption’ inscribed in different languages.
The wall portrayed the barrier that is corruption and the action to break it was ostensibly a demonstration of the determination of leaders to knock down that barrier.
Kagame thanked Ahmed Al-Bahrani, a renowned sculptor behind the statue, and said it symbolized both the openness and the firm resolve needed to prevail in the fight against corruption.
“We thank you for this iconic work of art, which will have pride of place here in our capital city, and which will also go a long way to keep reminding us and encouraging us to always be present in this fight against corruption,” he noted.
Seven people who demonstrated willingness to fight systemic corruption and champion the message of anti-corruption were awarded.
Hage Geingob, Namibian President said corruption is a case that “all of us need to lift hands and fight against.”
“But to do that, transparency plus accountability spell trust. We, leaders, need to be transparent and accountable so that people can regain trust in us,” he noted, adding that corruption is not an African disease.
“For those who think corruption is African, then who comes to corrupt Africa?” he asked.
Faki, on the other hand, said that corruption is a scourge that can be addressed with good governance.
“Governance is closely linked to corruption. Poor governance is a breeding ground for corruption,” he noted, adding that an African convention on prevention and the fight against corruption was adopted by African countries to respond to that.
The sculpture is a steel figure in the form of a hand with an open palm, which symbolizes transparency, openness and the values that underpin the struggle against corruption.
The 12-meter statue is made up of pivots and connections which are said to underscore the importance of partnerships and collaborations globally to combat graft.
The monument is made of 186 triangular connections representing the signatories to the United Nations Convention against Corruption. It is aimed at encouraging people to have unwavering spirit and resolve in their battle against corruption.
“This iconic work of art, will also go a long way to keep reminding us and encouraging us to always be present in this fight against corruption.” President Kagame remarks during the 4th International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award | Kigali, 09 December 2019 pic.twitter.com/6j98dUOnuI
The Festival, organised by Nation Media Group (NMG), brings together various stakeholders and leaders led by Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi, and African Union Infrastructure Envoy Raila Odinga, among other dignitaries.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Nation Media Group Board Chairman Dr. Wilfred Kiboro said the festival is being held in Rwanda because the country represents the possibilities that societies everywhere in Africa, particularly those with less painful history, can achieve.
“We are celebrating 60 years as Nation Media Group and with this in mind; we thought it would be good for the continent to have a conversation about its future. That’s why we are here today,” Dr. Kiboro said.
For the next 60 years in Africa, it is noted, these will be the people shaping the continent.
The festival allows connections to this valuable cast of players and gives institutions and businesses a great opportunity to hitch their wagon to the coming African Century.
After the launch in Kigali, the Kusi Ideas Festival will be held in different African cities annually in the years to come.
The name Kusi is coined from one of a regular pattern of the monsoon winds in the Indian Ocean which allowed for traders to plan their trade routes south and north along the East African coast.
The Kusi (southerly) wind, a mainly southerly wind blowing for approximately six months from April to mid-September, allowed traders to head up north along the coast.
It is noted that beyond trade, over the centuries, Kusi and other trade winds made possible cultural, intellectual, and technological exchanges, and considerably shaped the history of the nations on the east side of Africa, its hinterland, and the wider Indian Ocean rim.
The organizers of the festival observe that the world’s future, in that sense is very African, and it is a future that’s both exciting and frightening providing a precious platform to create and sell solutions and build immense wealth, “but also very punishing if we fail.”
