Rusesabagina faces nine counts linked to terrorism, and he is co-accused with other 20 individuals who were allegedly involved in terror attacks that took place between 2018 and 2019 and claimed nine lives.
Vaccinated population range from the age bracket of 60 and above as well as inmates with chronic diseases.
These inmates expressed delight for receiving the vaccine noting that it is a gesture that the country takes care of them.
“I am overwhelmed with joy for the gesture as I heard that we are among people to be vaccinated. It reflects how President of the Republic loves us so much,” said Mucanda Vital Kivumbi, a 73-year old inmate.
As Kivumbi explained, he was always worried that he might catch Coronavirus due to congested population in prisons but was comforted when selected among first groups of people to be vaccinated.
Nirere Béatrice, 67, said he felt better after receiving the vaccine and thanked the Government for being far sighted to include inmates among first groups.
“Being vaccinated among first groups is something of great importance that induces smile. This gesture evidences how the Government plans for all people including inmates,” she noted.
RCS Commissioner General, CGP George Rwigamba has said that vaccinating inmates is among best ways to prevent the spread of Coronavirus in prisons.
“The vaccine is of great relevance because it is not easy to maintain social distancing in prisons. The vaccination will relive worries of catching new infections. We voice our appreciation to the Government that planned for inclusive distribution of vaccines,” he explained.
It is expected that over 12,000 inmates from different prisons will be vaccinated first while others will follow the suit later.
Rwanda kicked off countrywide vaccination program on 5th February 2021 after receiving 240,000 AstraZeneca and 102 960 Pfizer-BioNTech doses distributed through COVAX as well as 50,000 AstraZeneca doses donated by India last week.
So far, over 208,000 doses have been administered.
The statement released last night shows that two more people have succumbed to the pandemic bringing the death toll to 270. The deceased are two men aged 64 and 70 from Kigali city.
Among others, 11,371 people including motorcyclists, cyclists, District Administration Security Support Organ (DASSO) and inmates were vaccinated yesterday bringing the total number to 220,048 since the countrywide vaccination program kicked off on Friday last week.
Rwanda confirmed the first COVID-19 case on 14th March 2020. Since then, 19779 people have been tested positive out of 1,043,645 sample tests of whom 18033 have recovered, 1476 are active cases while 270 have succumbed to the virus.
One of WASAC staff expressed delight for the surprise: “I woke up early and received an email from the Chief Executive Officer wishing us Happy Women’s Day. I was so touched with the message. Thereafter, we got surprises again as we received wreaths of flowers around 10am. Every woman received a flower and told that it is a gift from the CEO.”
Another WASAC staff from Nyamirambo branch said: “The surprise is the first of its kind since WASAC was established in 2015. It is a small gesture symbolizing great things to us.”
The CEO of WASAC, Eng. Alfred Dusenge Byigero has been assuming the position for two months and half. He is currently in working visit abroad.
Some of WASAC staff have revealed that such gestures are part of great motivations that make employees feel at home and become productive given the provided conducive working environment.
Alfred Dusenge Byigero replaced Aimé Muzola as the CEO of WASAC. He has before served as the Deputy Director General of RURA between 2012 and 2017. He also headed Energy Company in Mauritius.
The Public Relations Officer at WASAC, Iraguha Dani Richard has told IGIHE that the gesture was warmly welcomed.
“Few leaders spend their money for such gestures aimed at promoting social cohesion among employees. The gesture has proven that the head of the institutions knows gaps to be bridged,” he said.
WASAC has 1500 employees working at its headquarters, 20 branches and 25 water treatment plants countrywide.
The pre-deployment briefing of the hybrid Formed Police Unit-One (FPU-1) contingent was held at the Rwanda National Police (RNP) General Headquarters in Kacyiru.
The contingent commanded by Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Faustin Kalimba, will replaced the same number in Malakal, Upper Nile State where they will be largely charged with protection of civilians in internally displaced camps, UN personnel, security of key installations and humanitarian assistance, among others.
IGP Munyuza urged the officers to use their experience and the high level of training acquired to execute their peacekeeping mandate effectively.
He further reminded them that they will work with other peacekeepers from different countries and they will have to exercise respect of diversity.
“Learning will be continuous throughout your tour-of-duty, use your experience to build on what your predecessors achieved, cooperative with other peacekeepers in the mission area and respect the people under your protection as well as their culture,” IGP Munyuza emphasized.
He urged them to keep up the good conduct and protect the image set by previous contingents adding that ” you are representing your country, be at the best of your performance.”
“Your country and Rwanda National Police in particular, have full trust in you, resilience and sacrifice are key. Remember, your conduct and professionalism will depict the image and values of Rwandans, ensure your performance is exceptionally good and maintain the same spirit to the end of your mission,” said IGP Munyuza.
The Police Chief reminded them that Rwandan peacekeepers are defined by their professionalism, discipline, teamwork, integrity, values and alertness, and urged them to keep the momentum to “maintain and protect the image and reputation.”
He emphasized that respecting each other and their superiors in particular, discipline, hard work, teamwork, dignity and respect for diversity are strong guiding values and principles which will help them towards mission excellence.
IGP Munyuza appealed to the officers to maintain the spirit of supporting others and to engage in human security activities with the local people they are mandated to serve.
“Participating in human security activities is our culture as Rwandans, you should not only conduct peacekeeping duties just to maintain peace and security. It goes beyond that as our tradition to work towards the overall wellbeing of the people,” IGP Munyuza said
As the World is still faced with the pandemic of COVID-19, the Police Chief reminded them to always observe all health guidelines including wearing face masks, avoiding shaking hands, washing hands and practicing social distancing, among others.
This will be the sixth rotation of FPU-1 hybrid since the first one was deployed in South Sudan in 2015.
It is also one of the three Rwandan FPU contingents currently deployed in South Sudan.
Currently, RNP maintains over 1000 police peacekeepers in various UN missions, including six contingents serving in UNMISS and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
Having graduated two cohorts already, with a third gearing up to join the Alumni community, Tourism Inc is excited to launch its recruitment of the next group of dynamic young entrepreneurs to join this innovative training program.
Inadequate skills, access to financing, and lack of role models are key challenges that prevent youth from starting and growing a business in Tourism and Hospitality in Rwanda and beyond. In response, Tourism Inc plans to select 25 young entrepreneurs in the fourth cohort to receive the right mix of skills-building, financing, and guidance to grow the next generation of leaders in this sector.
Commenting on the development, Sandra Gatete, Co-founder of City Buddiz and a graduate of the program said that Tourism Inc has been supportive in taking her business to the next level, allowing her team to launch, and manage products with thorough guidance.
“They have trained us to be innovative problem solvers, and with that we have been able to stay in business by launching new services that can still operate regardless of this pandemic. Being part of Tourism Inc has enabled me to collaborate and share ideas with other female entrepreneurs with strong business attitudes, and it has revived my hope that Rwanda’s Tourism industry will survive this pandemic and come back even stronger,” she noted.
Beyond capacity-building and access to finance, the high-performing entrepreneurs in this cohort will also receive seed funding grants to further build their ventures. The program will nurture Rwanda’s innovative Tourism and Hospitality businesses, and inspire them, to embrace entrepreneurship as a viable career path.
“ESP’s Tourism Inc program is uniquely designed to develop the next generation of business leaders in Rwanda’s Tourism and Hospitality sector; and we’re already seeing a positive impact in our Alumni community. We are very excited about the continued collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation to empower young people, especially women, through entrepreneurship,” said Charity Kabango, Co-founder and Director at Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners (ESP).
“To thrive in a post-pandemic world, the Tourism and Hospitality sector will need the creativity of young people. The Foundation is committed to this ongoing partnership with ESPartners to develop and hone the innovators that will expand the prosperity and opportunity available in this sector,” said Rica Rwigamba, Country Head at the Mastercard Foundation.
ESP is accepting applications now for the fourth cohort of this program. Applicants who meet the following criteria are encouraged to apply:
-* Must be a start-up (or have start-up idea) in the Tourism and Hospitality sector (or supplier to the sector).
-* Must be a young person (18-35 years old).
-* Must be based in Rwanda.
-* Must have a commitment to complete the 6-month program.
-* Women entrepreneurs are highly encouraged to apply.
ESP will be hosting online information sessions to provide interested Tourism and Hospitality entrepreneurs with further details on the program and on how to apply.
{{For more information: }}
Visit the ESPartners website: espartners.co or Contact ESPartners Rwanda by email: thincubation@espartners.co
{{About Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners}}
Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners (ESP) aims to enable innovative, scalable, and profitable enterprises to build prosperity. Our mission is “to foster entrepreneurial solutions for prosperity.” ESP enables people, firms, institutions, and nations to articulate and implement solutions to their economic challenges.
ESP’s approach is to provide Intelligent Capital™—the right combination of insights and capital—to address critical societal issues. We provide consulting and strategy advisory services to diverse clients, including governments, businesses, and development partners in Africa. We support innovative models and provide leadership training and entrepreneurial boot camps. With offices in Abidjan and Kigali, ESP has been in operation since 2011.
For more information, visit www.espartners.co and follow ESP at @es_partners on Twitter.
{{About the Mastercard Foundation }}
The Mastercard Foundation works with visionary organizations to enable young people in Africa and in Indigenous communities in Canada to access dignified and fulfilling work. It is one of the largest, private foundations in the world with a mission to advance learning and promote financial inclusion to create an inclusive and equitable world. The Foundation was created by Mastercard in 2006 as an independent organization with its own Board of Directors and management.
For more information on the Foundation, please visit: www.mastercardfdn.org
{{For media inquiries, please contact:}}
{{Isidore Iradukunda}}
ESP Program Manager
iiradukunda@espartners.co
+250 788 406 076
{{Nicolas Emane}}
Partner Program Communication, Mastercard Foundation
Mr. Irwin joined the Board as a Non-Executive Independent Director in September 2004 and was subsequently appointed as Board Chairman in October 2009.
Since his appointment as Board Chairman, Mr. Irwin helped establish I&M Bank (Rwanda) Plc as an innovative and digital-oriented Bank. Under his leadership, the Bank made great strides with the launch of the first electronic banking platform in Rwanda in 2007, overseeing the acquisition of the majority stake by I&M Holdings in 2012 and the listing of I&M Bank (Rwanda) Plc on the Rwanda Stock Exchange in 2017.
During his 16-year tenure, the Bank grew by 26-fold its loan portfolio from Rwf 8 billion in Dec-2004 to Rwf 208 billion by September 2020 and grew by 10-fold its deposit liabilities from Rwf 29 billion to Rwf287 billion in the same period.
The Bank is extraordinarily grateful to him for his leadership in fulfilling its vision to contribute to the economic and financial development of the country and transform the Bank in one of the key market players.
Mr. Bonaventure Niyibizi takes over the leadership, having prior experience with I&M Bank (Rwanda) Plc as an Independent Non-Executive Director from December 2015 to December 2017. He is the first Rwandan in the modern history of the Bank to serve in this capacity and brings onboard a vast experience and knowledge having spent a significant part of his career in senior roles in both public and private sectors including financial services industry in Rwanda.
His experience serving as Minister of Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives (MINICOM) and former Director General of the then Rwanda Investment and Export Promotion Agency (now Rwanda Development Board) is an added asset that will ensure the Bank plays its role in getting the private sector to contribute to Rwanda’s development. This will be done through ensuring attraction and development of Rwandan talents.
Over the next few years, I&M Bank (Rwanda) Plc places a synergetic focus on its plans to position the Bank to support customers against a backdrop of an economy recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Commenting on the appointment, Mr. Robin Bairstow, Chief Executive Officer of I&M Bank (Rwanda) Plc said, “We are truly excited with the appointment of our new Board Chairman who will lead the Bank into its next phase. Mr. Niyibizi has an enviable and proven track record in the pursuit of business excellence. He identifies with our commitment to corporate governance and the strategic direction in which the Bank is headed. We look forward to achieving the vision of the Bank through his leadership.”
The CEO added, “We are grateful for the selfless commitment and dedication of our former and pioneer Board Chair, Mr. William Irwin, under whose astute leadership the Bank has grown to be one of the largest and most respected Banks on the market.”
On his part, Mr. Niyibizi expressed delight for the appointment and committed to collaborate with colleagues to take the bank to greater heights. “This presents a great opportunity for me to partner with the other members of the Board, Management and Staff of the Bank to spearhead initiatives, policies and strategies that are guaranteed to move the Bank to its next phase and position it as a market leader in the banking industry. I&M Bank is poised for greatness,” he said.
{{About I&M Bank (Rwanda) Plc}}
Incorporated in 1963, I&M Bank (Rwanda) Plc is the oldest Bank in Rwanda. It is today a leading player in the industry with a strong footprint across the country. The Bank, which is listed on the Rwanda stock exchange, is a subsidiary of I&M Holdings Plc (“the Holding”), a leading regional financial services group in East Africa.
The Holding has other operations in Kenya, Tanzania and Mauritius and is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange. I&M group has a long history in banking and has established a wide network of correspondent Banks across the globe and enjoys a strong relationship with the leading international Development Financial Institutions.
The day was observed under the global theme “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a Covid-19 world,” while in Rwanda, the theme was “Women at the forefront in the Covid-19 World.”
The International Women’s Day is a global day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, while also making a call to action for strengthening gender equality and accelerating women’s empowerment.
The day has been celebrated during COVID-19 pandemic which has caused unprecedented effects in different aspects of life especially affecting women’s employment.
At least 3 million African women lost jobs while 1.3 million stopped applying for jobs in 2020 due to Coronavirus.
To ensure equal rights, public and private institutions need to harness gender balance policy by promoting equitable opportunities.
At Government level, Rwanda has been commended globally for efforts in establishing policies and laws aimed at promoting women empowerment in different aspects.
Today, Rwanda is now a global leader in women participation in legislative decision-making positions with 61.3% female members of Parliament and also ranked 9th globally in closing gender gaps according to the Global Gender Gap Report, 2020.
In addition, 53% of the Cabinet members are women, among the Judges and clerks, women stand at 49.7% while in the local government leadership, women occupy 45.2 % as Members of District Councils.
As one of institutions operating in Rwanda, SKOL Brewery Ltd (SBL), a beer and non-alcoholic beverages manufacturing company, recognizes that supporting diversity, equality and engagement is not only the right thing to do but pertinent for our business.
It is against this background that the beverage manufacturer has reiterated commitment to continue promoting inclusive internal policies facilitating women to enjoy equal rights and opportunities at workplace.
According to the company’s management, this commitment is intertwined into our values and beliefs that the company embraces regardless of gender, civil status, skin color and origin.
“That means both building a more diverse, more inclusive workplace, and promoting what we call courageous engagement in our company and the communities we serve. Though inequality is still present in some organizations, we chose to practice equity and equality at our workplace. This is ensured by the Management Team that takes ownership of internal policies to make sure people are offered equal opportunity and employees are treated equally all the time be it during the hiring process or the time an employee spends with the company,” asserts the company.
“In all aspects of employment, such as recruitment, contracting suppliers, compensation and benefits, training, promotion, and transfer, SBL ensures that candidates are selected on merit, their competences and experience. At no stage characteristics like gender, age, religious believes or any similar factors which the law and its values proscribe, are considered to select one candidate over another,” adds SBL management.
The International Women’s Day was honoured for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on March 9, 1911. More than one million women and men attended the rallies campaigning for women’s rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination.
SKOL Brewery Ltd has existed on Rwanda’s market since 2010 producing beer and soft drinks including SKOL Malt, SKOL Gatanu, SKOL Lager, SKOL Panache Virunga Mist and Gold as well as recently launched Mineral Water traded under the brand of ‘Virunga’.
The 13.8 km road is set to be completed at a cost of Rwf 49 billion.
Construction activities of the road expanded to dual carriage status started in March 2019.
It was expected to be completed in 24 months (18th March 2021) but the completion was delayed due to relocation of neighboring residents and infrastructures including water supply systems, electricity and Fiber Optic cables among others which saw the deadline extended towards the end of this year.
Rwanda Transport Development Authority (RTDA) has explained that the road to be extended to Bugesera International Airport is also expected to improve mobility to Eastern Province.
RTDA Deputy Director General, Patrick Emile Baganizi has told IGIHE that the road will, among other things, reduce traffic congestion on the side of Kigali city in Kicukiro district.
“It is a dual carriage road that will facilitate mobility to the airport and reduce to traffic jam on the side of Kigali city,” he said.
Baganizi explained that the first phase will cover the road from Kigali to Nyabarongo bridge before continuing with expansion activities in Bugesera.
From page 44 to 45, the book published in three languages (English, Kinyarwanda and French) shows how the regime of the then President Juvenal Habyarimana silenced and killed some foreigners attempting to denounce preparations of the Genocide.
Many of them were murdered; others were jailed, especially journalists who revealed the truth, for example Kameya André, the editor of the newspaper Rwanda Rushya. It was in this context that Antonia Locatelli was murdered.
Antonia Locatelli, of Italian nationality, was the Director of the Centre d’Enseignement Rural et Artisanal Intégré (CERAI) in Nyamata. Her assassination occurred on the night of March 9-10, 1992, shot dead by a gendarme Épimaque Ulimubenshi.
This Italian educator in Nyamata had welcomed Tutsi refugees fleeing the killers and had alerted several public and private institutions, including the Archdiocese of Kigali on which CERAI Nyamata depended.
Antonia Locatelli had also provided information on the massacres against the Tutsi to Radio France Internationale (RFI). She was killed immediately after the broadcast of her interview in the evening newspaper of RFI. Herkiller was never worried, a sign that it was a remote-controlled act and supported act by the Rwandan regime.
Besides Antonia Locatelli, another foreigner, Brother François Cardinal, a Canadian, who ran the Butamwa Rural Youth Training Center in which young people were acquiring various skills, was also murdered.
He lived in this center with three other brothers including the Canadian Paul Latraversse, Rwandan Karake Evariste and Rwibandira Pierre Servillien.
As stated in the letter dated 2nd December 1992 from Dr. Iyamuremye Augustin, Director General of the Intelligence Service, on the night of 29th to 30th November 1992, Brother Cardinal, aged 50, was murdered by a group of nearly 6 people wearing military uniforms.
He was shot in front of the room he lived in. His assassins then entered his room and stole between Rwf200, 000 and 400,000. The Director General of the Intelligence Service concludes this letter affirming that the population of the region complained of the poor functioning of the security services and the criminal investigation police and suspected that these services were accomplices of the criminals and other offenders.
The assassination of Brother Cardinal does not seem to have surprised those who knew him, in particular diplomats accredited to Rwanda. On November 30, 1992, one day after his assassination, the newspaper Kinyamateka met with diplomats who had visited Butamwa where he was killed.
Kinyamateka reveals that one of these diplomats affirmed that this assassination was foreseeable as long as the brother was repeatedly warned on the phone that he will be killed, and that his killing had been organized by Colonel Elie Sagatwa, the brother in law and personal advisor to President Habyarimana.
The genocide took place in 1994 before the assassins of Brother Cardinal were prosecuted, which proves that in its article, Kinyamateka was correct in claiming that top officials were behind his assassination.
“We have started vaccinating our staff against COVID-19,” the flight carrier revealed yesterday via Twitter handle.
Rwanda confirmed the first Coronavirus case on 14th March 2020. Like other countries where the pandemic emerged, Rwanda imposed lockdown and suspended flights to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Following months of suspension, RwandAir and other airlines resumed flights gradually considering the situation of the pandemic.
Before the rolling out of COVID-19 vaccine, RwandAir is among flight carries hailed for reinforcing anti-COVID-19 measures and consistently reporting Coronavirus updates to its destinations.
As of today, Rwanda has already vaccinated 208,677 in four days since the vaccination program was rolled out countrywide on Friday last week.
Apart from RwandAir, other airlines including Etihad Airways have already vaccinated their staff.
The vaccines administered in Rwanda include 240,000 AstraZeneca and 102 960 Pfizer-BioNTech doses distributed through COVAX as well as 50,000 AstraZeneca doses donated by India last week.
It is expected that passengers will be required to present COVID-19 vaccination certificate before boarding.
