Author: Nicole Kamanzi Muteteri

The head of state gave the advice as he responded to one of the participant’s concern over what is required for other African countries to reach where Rwanda is now, during the inaugural ‘Kusi Ideas Festival’ taking place at Kigali Convention Center.

He was speaking at a Presidential Panel alongside, the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo Félix Tshisekedi, Moussa Faki Mahamat, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission Raila, Raila Odinga, the Africa Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development and Vera Songwe, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.

Kagame pointed out the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement (ACFTA) as one of the ambitious strategies through which the continent can work to fast-track the development countries want to achieve in the future.

“Nothing will happen unless Africans decide, which they have done. This is what was done here in Kigali when we met in 2016, seeing through the signing of the ACFTA,” Kagame said.

“We now have to keep challenging ourselves to make sure we do all the things we have committed ourselves to do”

While there is a lot of work to be done, Kagame said, the AfCFTA is a good foundation.

“My reassurance about the progress and success of the ACFTA and other things Africans have committed themselves to, lie in what pronouncements African leaders have made themselves and what we are seeing happening,” he added.
“”
The President had earlier met with members of the AU Reform Team, which he chairs, to review the progress. Among the key progress is the significant reduction of the African Union budget by 12 percent.

By trimming the budget, the AU is aiming at being fit for purpose and drive towards financial self-reliance through the 0.2 per cent levy on eligible imports model. The budget serves to finance the cost of running the Union, its organs, specialized technical agencies, representational offices and agencies across the world.

“I think we’re starting from a good place. What remains is to build on that to achieve many things. The purpose of reforms is mainly to have an effective African Union, one that is accountable to the people of Africa,” he reminded the participants.

The President highlighted that there is no question that if other countries have been able to work together to achieve the immense benefits they have achieved, nothing prevents Africa from being able to achieve the same results.

“Much as we are not where we need to be or want to be and we fully understand there is much work to do, I think we are up to the task. It’s a question of working together,” he noted.

The panelists highlighted that education and investing in building infrastructure, are some of the prerequisites that will propel the continent to achieve the results it set out to achieve in the future.

Tshisekedi said he was embarking on rolling out free education in his country.

“Since I took that decision, we are overwhelmed by the high number of young people who are now able to go to school. This is how we shall change a nation that is in the midst of problems it wants to overcome,” he noted.

Leaders are looking at DRC as one of the countries with great potential to drive the future of the continent. Projects like the proposed Grand Inga Dam were highlighted as one of the most transformative projects.

Grand Inga is the world’s largest hydropower scheme on the River Congo.

In 2016, African heads of state and governments met in Kigali to sign the AFCTA. More than 40 leaders at the time signed the agreement for the establishment of a free trade agreement that will create the world’s largest market.

The African Continental Free Trade Area brings together all the 55-member countries of the African union to trade tariff-free.

Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) has arrested the duo following complaints from people who had cases pending before the courts of law who claimed that judges solicited for bribes to fast track the cases or to make favorable rulings.

Arrested with them is a court registrar Victoire Banashenge, working at Muhanga Intermediate Court.

“All suspects are held at Kimihurura, Kicukiro and Kimironko RIB stations as their case files are being processed for prosecution,” RIB announced.

The arrest was announced a few hours after President Paul Kagame called on the heads of institutions in the Judiciary to address concerns of corruption that have been highlighted in the sector.

President Kagame said that corruption in the Justice sector has been mentioned several times among institutions where corruption still exists.

“We must fight it. We should not let it be culture because once it becomes a norm in the Justice sector, it is normalized in the entire country,” he said.

He pointed out that corruption aligned with the country’s development ambitions or what it aspires for, adding that those implicated should be dealt with decisively and convincingly.

The development came a day after the High Council of the Judiciary chaired by the outgoing Chief Justice Prof. Sam Rugege fired several judges and court staff suspected to be involved in corruption including those who were arrested.

Others fired include Abraham Shumbusho who was a Judge in Nyamagabe Intermediate Court, Clémentine Mukahirwa who was a registrar in the court of appeal and Pacifique Kiyonga Rukenura who was a law researcher.

Residents say they have lost sleep and are afraid to go for work as most of them use a path through a forest where the said leopard has been seen several times.

“We were horrified to see how this beast left the cow’s Carcass; our children are on holidays, any of them could be the next victim as they collect firewood. We can’t sleep, can’t go to work, we live in constant fear,” said one of the villagers in the area.

“We call upon our leaders to do something to contain the leopard before it hurts anyone else.”

Residents say they have seen the beast in nights roaming the village. This has been going on for a while now as in March this year it killed a goat; on 21 November, it attacked night watchers as they were doing their round but escaped by diving in Lake Kivu.

On the night of 26th November, the leopard attacked a cow in a kraal at the home of Aphrodis Ndekezi, 65, in Rwamatamu village.

Jean Paul Harindintwali, the Gihombo sector executive secretary has called for immediate government intervention.

“We are calling upon the security authorities to capture the leopard before something worse happens. We are concerned that it can attack residents any time.”

The first lady said this during a conference, Tuesday, that brought together the Ministry of Health, UNITAID and Clinton Health Access Initiative that aimed at identifying solutions to prevent and eradicate cervical cancer.

The meeting brought together First Ladies of Rwanda, Niger, Tchad, Botswana and Niger and was part of the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) that started on December 2nd in Kigali.

Mrs. Kagame praised a new programme set to commence in January next year that will provide cervical cancer prevention options to women that have not had a chance to get vaccinated against the Human Papilloma Virus when they were younger.

The new programme will complement the existing efforts that have been focusing on getting young girls (mainly 12-year-old) vaccinated against cervical cancer and screening services and treatment for older women.

The new project will give mass preventive treatment to women, in a targeted age group of 30-49, mainly in the form of treatment of precancerous lesions (early cancer signs) to prevent them from developing into invasive cancer.

“This highly preventable disease, which touches on a sensitive aspect of women’s health, is one that deserves more attention, as it has been the subject of misguided views that turned out to be detrimental to the early detection, and prevention,” she said.

According to Dr. François Uwinkindi, the Director of Cancer Programme at Rwanda Biomedical Centre, this kind of treatment is one of the two ways used in cervical cancer prevention.

“In cervical cancer prevention there are two ways: there is primary prevention which is avoiding contact with the Human Papilloma Virus. Vaccination is one of the practices done in primary prevention, as well as avoiding sexual activity especially for young girls who are under 18 years,” he said.

The other preventive way, he said, is treating precancerous lesions.

“This is when you are screened for cervical cancer and you are found with precancerous lesions, and you are given treatment so that it will not develop into invasive cancer,” he explained.

The new project is a two and a half year partnership between the Ministry of Health, the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and the International Drug Purchase Facility (UNITAID).

It will use new technologies to improve access to the screening of cervical cancer.
It will be rolled out in five districts of the country for the beginning – as a pilot project.
Under the project, medical facilities will receive mobile testing and treatment equipment as well as training for local care providers.

Up to 72,000 women are expected to be screened for cervical cancer across the five districts of; Gatsibo, Nyamasheke, Musanze, Huye and Nyarugenge, with plans to scale it up to other parts of the country.

Cervical cancer is the top fourth disease affecting women globally, contributing to 6.6 percent of all cancers in women. As it is the case with many other diseases, cervical cancer disproportionately affects the poorest populations.

Rwanda is among high burden cervical cancer countries with an incident rate of 31.9 per 100,000 women and a mortality rate of 24.1 for every 100,000 as per last year.

Last year, there were an estimated 18.1 million new cancer cases and 9.5 million cancer deaths were estimated worldwide.

The prime minister sounded the warning Monday, as he presented the government’s ICT activities in line with facilitating a knowledge-based economy before a joint session composed of members of both chambers of parliament.

Among the achievements he identified are; easy internet access throughout the country, ICT in the education system, e-government, among others.

Dr. Ngirente said that internet access in secondary schools is at 52% and100 % in universities.

Members of both chambers of parliament had earlier raised a concern about the low access to in secondary schools compared to universities.

One Member of Parliament, Gloriose Uwanyirigira asked about the state of studies in schools where the internet has not reached yet; concerned that if the issue is not addressed, it would hinder the quality of education.

Another MP John Ruku Rwabyoma said that to optimise returns on investmnet in the internet, every student should be allowed to have a telephone handset at school.

“We should give them that liberty, avoiding those cases of student dismissal because they were found with a phone device, it is a tool to help them not a problem to be fixed,” he urged
.
In response, Dr. Ngirente emphasized that denying students the right to possess phone devices and access them whenever they want during school time was decided for their own good, to allow them to concentrate on their studies.

“We know cases of children who get home with homework and fail to do it because they have been watching TV. Their parents have to first turn off those devices so the child is able to do their homework. As a country too, it is our duty to look for these children benefits, just like their parents,” added the premier.

In June last year, the Ministry of Education banned phones for students in nursery, primary and secondary schools.

The president delivered this message yesterday at Kigali Convention Centre at the official opening of the International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA); a conference bringing together participants from about 20 countries.

He was joined by the President of Mozambique Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, Director General of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; First ladies, Mrs. Jeannette Kagame, Mrs. Antoinette Sassou Nguesso from Congo Brazzaville, Mrs. Hinda Déby Itno from Chad, Mrs. Aïssata Issoufo Mahamadou from Niger, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo from Ghana and Mrs. Neo Jane Masisi from Botswana.
Kagame said that stigma and silence are the real killers when it comes to sexually transmitted infections.

“ICASA exists in order to break down the taboos that impede prevention and early treatment. You are the ones to speak loudly and clearly. We have come too far in this struggle to do otherwise,” Kagame noted.

The President also indicated that AIDS is an epidemic without borders and that much of the success in the campaign to halt the spread of the virus can be credited to global cooperation; calling for support to the organizations that have been championing that agenda and calling for governments to mobilize the necessary financial resources.

President Kagame stated that leaders have a role to play in building a health system that includes all their citizens, young and old.

Rwanda was applauded for its exemplary interventions towards fighting HIV/AIDS epidemic.

“Today, over 90 percent of all people living with HIV in Rwanda know their status and almost all of them are on life-saving treatment. Of those, 90 percent have achieved viral suppression,” Ghebreyesus said.

That, he added, makes Rwanda one of the few countries to achieve the 90-90-90 targets prior to 2020.

Under its fast-track target known as 90-90-90, by 2020 UNAIDS aims to have 90 percent of people with HIV knowing they are HIV-positive, 90 percent of diagnosed people on treatment, and 90 percent of those on treatment able to use the medication to suppress the amount of virus in their bodies to a low level.

According to Diane Gashumba, Rwanda’s Health Minister, Rwanda’s fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic is grounded in the principle that those affected should be at the centre of the response.

“The integration of HIV treatment into maternal and child services has led to more equitable access to prevention and treatment. In collaboration with our dear partners, we have managed to put our people at the centre of each intervention that is being made in the health sector,” she remarked.

Mozambican President commended Rwanda’s progress towards the fight against HIV/AIDS, highlighting his presence was to draw lessons from other countries and learn from the kind of good practices deployed elsewhere to fight the HIV epidemic.

“In addition to drawing experience, we have come to Kigali to reaffirm the determination of our government to combat HIV/AIDS epidemic and proliferation of infectious diseases,” he noted.

Under the command of SSP Fabien Musinguzi, the contingent has a mission of ensuring security of the citizens, UN staff and other NGOs personnel operating in South Sudan. The team is composed of 72 women, making 30 %.

CP Bruce Munyambo, representing the Rwanda National Police management said that the has been prepared well and is ready to fulfill their assigned mission in South Sudan.

CP Munyambo said that this is the fifth contingent deployed and the UN Mission is very pleased with Rwanda’s contribution in peacekeeping missions.

The contingent will stay in the Upper Nile region, the city of Malakal.

Rwanda has more than 1000 police peacekeepers deployed in UN missions in Sudan, Haiti, South Sudan, and the Central Africa Republic which makes Rwanda the second largest police peacekeeping contributing country.

INADES -Formation is a network of pan-African associations, recognized for providing public utilities, which work for equitable and sustainable development in Africa. It advocates for a more egalitarian and supportive society, through the promotion of the common good.

The purpose of this year’s general assembly is to discuss major themes on which the organization will be working in the next three years and examine the activities to be implemented by each member state.

The general assembly is held every after three years, bringing together members from 10 different countries.

Alexis Rukundo, the president of the Rwandan INADES executive committee, said that this year’s general assembly is an opportune moment in Rwanda to learn more best practices.

“INADES Rwanda has demonstrated good performance especially in the management system, creating new partnerships and strengthening collaboration with the government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources,” he said.

Rukundo, however, noted that the number of interventions that call for their supports are increasing yet the financial means are still insufficient, “hindering us from offering adequate services to those that come to us.”

INADES Formation in Rwanda has 8,984 members among who 4174 have joined legal associations and cooperatives with about 6608 saving groups.

Headquartered in Ivory Coast, the member countries are Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroun, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Tanzania Chad, Togo, and Rwanda.

Dr. Octave Semwaga, the Director-General of Planning in the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, who was also the guest of honor in this meeting, applauded the development that INADES in bringing to the agriculture and animal resources sector in Rwanda.

“INADES Formation has played a great role in the renovation of the agriculture and animal resources sector; they will keep doing it up to the year 2024. They offer training, and support farmers to join cooperatives, to know the appropriate seeds that are more productive, train farmers on savings and management of their incomes, among other interventions,” he said.

Rwanda INADES Formation, operates in districts of; Nyaruguru, Nyamagabe, Huye, Bugesera, Rwamagana, Ngoma and Kirehe.

INADES -Formation Rwanda also supports partners in building reservoirs from which irrigation water is drawn. Other interventions include; biogas system, small domestic livestock breeding, modern produce and livestock markets modernized market places for the trade of their cattle, and agriculture products.

INADES has also participated in the ‘Girinka’ program, giving out cows to poor citizens in Bugesera and Nyaruguru districts.

Richard Erpicum, who founded the organization in Rwanda in 1976, said that they have reached an amazing level and have achieved their purpose.

“Our first objecting in to make a better world, where everyone has food and lives in peace; we cannot say we have achieved that yet, but we have made huge steps. Our purpose was to bring people together and encourage them in their development,” he said.

It is the first time the biennial Global Gender Summit is hosted by an African country. It attracted different leaders from across the continent including the President of Ethiopia, Sahle-Work Zewde, former Malawian President Joyce Banda, African Development Bank President (AfDB) Dr. Akinwumi Adesina and other high ranking dignitaries.

Rwanda’s First Lady Mrs. Jeannette Kagame, Kenya’s First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, and African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat attended the opening ceremony.

“Women are our mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters…..whenever women gain, everybody gains, and nobody loses,” said President Kagame

President Kagame said that being a man in a position of leadership, at any level, means never having to think about your gender, but being a woman leader means always having to think about how gender impacts your work.

“I think it is past time for men to become much more conscious of gender, so that women can afford to enjoy the same freedom, to just get on with a business that men take for granted,” he said.

President Kagame announced the start of the annual Sixteen Days of Activism campaign, which he urged the audience to make use of.

On his part, the AfDB President Dr. Adesina commended President Kagame and the First Lady Mrs. Kagame for being at the forefront of the fight for gender equality and empowerment of women, adding that the reason President Kagame is often regarded as a very successful leader is that he has a great partner.

“The challenges are not about gender, the challenges are about under-representation and lack of empowerment for women, period,” Dr. Adesina said, urging the summit to focus on issues that affect women directly, not just looking at the numbers of gender parity.

“Let us focus on women, let us focus on solutions for the gender disparities we see, that affect women,” he said, adding that women are winners and life-givers.

Dr. Adesina said that research has shown that when women are given the incentives, they deliver better than women, wondering why women, who are bearers of life, are denied access to basic services such as inheriting a land.

He said that for many centuries, women have been subjected to discrimination when it comes to accessing basic services such as financial services yet records show that women are better managers of resources when given the opportunity.

Dr. Adesina said that Africa must end all forms of child marriage and sexual violence which affects women.

“To the men, hear me clearly: leave our girls alone. Marry your own age mates. We cannot sacrifice the future of our girls…let our girls stay in school. Let our girls thrive. Let our girls excel,” he said.

On her part, President Sahle-Work Zewde of Ethiopia highlighted the milestones her country has registered over the years, pointing out that the country has come from a very low base and today 50 percent of the cabinet is made up of women. She added that women occupy high ranking positions in government as well, including hers.

She pointed out that for the first time in Ethiopia’s history, women in the cabinet have been trusted with posts such as defence and security.

“The work has just started, not finished….there is a gap we have to fill. We have to have women filling middle-level leadership positions as well,”

“There is so much collective wisdom on this continent. Women working together are a formidable force to be reckoned with,” President Zewde said, adding that women have proved that they can deliver and that there is no template to follow.

The117 refugees from Libya landed at Kigali International Airport Sunday midnight, a majority of who are women and children from Sudan, Eritrea, and Ethiopia.

Ahmed Baba Fall, UNHCR’s Country Representative, thanked Rwanda government for the willingness to receive the refugees.

“These are 117 people that have been restrained to Libya for a long time, leading a miserable life; now that they are in Rwanda their life will change for the best, and for that, we thank Rwanda government,” he said.

“They will be taken to Gashora camp where they will be assisted just as the previous group,” he added

Ahmed explained that the UNHCR had been receiving donations from different countries to support this project, where last week the European Union donated Euros 10 million and Norway donated $ 5.5 million.

Ahmed added that he hopes other countries will follow the example of Rwanda in finding solutions for the refugee problem.

Rwanda signed agreements to host refugees stranded in Libya on 10th September 2019 with the African Union (AU) and UNHCR, all 500, following revelations that thousands of people from across Africa were stranded in the country and subjected to slavery after their failure to reach Europe.

As he was officially opening the YouthConneck summit in Kigali where about 10,000 were participating, President Paul Kagame spoke about what motivated Rwanda to host the refugees.

Kagame explained that these refugees have three options whereby Europe can come and choose who they want to take, those chasing to go back home can be facilitated in an orderly manner while the third option is allowing them to stay in Rwanda if they don’t prefer any of the two options mentioned above.

“They will live like our citizens, we don’t give too much because we don’t have too much but whatever we have, we share and we live decent lives. That is the arrangement under which this thing has been done and anybody can do it, any other country can do it. We just felt we needed to exercise the possibility we had to do things decently and provide a decent life to these people,” he said.