The event was organized by AfroGroov, a local Artistes and Events management organization and saw some 100 guests at the Kigali Cultural Village, which gave the session an intimacy that was enhanced by Berita’s soulful performance.
Berita Khumalo’s performance was preceded by a talk show led by Afrogroov’s Eric Soul where Berita gave her insights on being an African artiste in the world of Music, and Gender equality in music, and her career journey, among other subjects.
According to the songstress, artistes should not be evaluated on their genders but on their talents.
“I am getting to a point where I no longer see myself as a female artiste, but an artiste who’s able to compete with my peers, either male or Female.”
On late Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Berita recalled her as “a friend, a mother figure and a great counsellor.” To her, having Mama Winnie helped her a lot in shaping who she wanted to become in the world.
With her blissful toned voice, Berita conquered her audience with “Sophinda Sidibane”, an inspirational song that means ‘Till we meet again’. The tune lyrically uplifted spirits with each intoned harmony, as the Afro-soul singer dedicated the song to all Rwandans who lost friends and families in the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi.
Among others she performed ‘Phakama Afrika’, a song that speaks on the rise of Africa and ‘Sophinda Sidibane,’ ‘Thandolwethu,’ ‘Menziwa,’ and ‘Sukundixhesha’.
Also present was Inanga musician Deo Gratias Munyakazi who shared his artistic experience with the ‘Live and Unplugged’ show attendees as he performed his local popular songs including “Isoko Dusangiye” meaning ‘the flow we share’ and “Urakwiriye Mwami” meaning ‘You are worthy O’ Lord’.
Both vocally gifted and intelligent, Berita Khumalo grew up in a family of seven, including five younger siblings, in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
The keenly awaited 27-year-old award winning singer will be performing in the ‘Live and Unplugged’ event that will take place on Saturday, on 26th May 2018 in Kigali Cultural Village.
Now in its fourth year, The Live and Unplugged show, organized by AfroGroov, will be the ultimate place to be, while hosting the unique continental star.
IGIHE had a chat with the woman of the moment, where she acknowledged her excitement for the coming show and her performance in Rwanda.
Her performance in Kigali is part of her East African tour, which took her to Kampala in Uganda and Nairobi in Kenya earlier this month, and as she said “What better place to end my performance than Rwanda”.
The Afro-soul singer has been in the music industry for quite some time, having worked with legend artistes such as the late Hugh Masekela and Oliver Mtukudzi, building a great reputation not only in South Africa but all over the continent.
Upon working with late South African jazz trumpeter, Hugh Masekela, Berita says “I really enjoyed working with Hugh Masekela, and I still miss him. I remember he used to say to me and a lot of people that he never wants to get to a point where we say, ‘We used to be Africans’ and he said that if you don’t explore your culture and heritage, you’ll get to that position. By being on this tour, I’m carrying on what he taught me about my culture and myself.”
The Afro soul singer gave some insightful remarks on her opinion on Rwanda, saying the country was set to become the next anchor of Africa
“Rwanda, you’re in such a special position and I feel like something is brewing here. In the next few years, I’m sure you’re going to be the next anchor of Africa. They should call you Rwakanda.” She gushed
Berita Khumalo has won several accolades such as the 12th Metro Award for Best African album, 2013 Metro Awards-Best African Pop Album, while she was also nominated for Best Afro Soul Artist at the 8th annual Zimbabwe Achievers Awards in South Africa.
The three-star hotel opened doors in Kigali earlier last week, dotted with eye-catching designs adapted to the Rwandan arts and culture, welcomed with positive appraisals for its unique features and essence of character with quality.
As the Rwandan government places the promotion of Made-In-Rwanda at the center of the country’s development, Samantha Annandale, Regional Operational Director of South and East Africa at ONOMO says that the group found an opportunity that would serve all parties: boost local products while providing guests with an enriching experience of the country.
“We’d like to be part of the community, not just to be a hotel that just caters,” she says. “Our first priority is to satisfy our clients but also empower the local market. We are coming up with different ways of supporting local businesses, like the local potters we recently partnered with to produce pottery products for the hotel.”
Ms. Annandale said the hotel’s dedication to Made-in-Rwanda is also cultural.
“We want to integrate the best of the creativity and talent of Rwandan craftsmen within the very walls of our hotels. We’ve started out with Arts Explosion, a local artistic brand that furnished our Interior and we are assured to work with other brands,” she added.
Speaking to IGIHE last week, Arts Explosion representative, Gilbert Musoni, hailed the opportunity of working with ONOMO Hotel Kigali.
“We are grateful for the opportunity of working with ONOMO. We learnt a lot and we are assured that the partnership will lead to greater things,” he said.
About the interior design, Musoni remarked that the deployment of the artwork pieces within the hotel enriches the guest’s experience by providing resonance with the person a sense of individualism and personality.
Much of the interior design includes an abundance of prints and various textures that were keenly chosen to represent Rwanda’s authentic style.
The newest three-star hotel in Nyarugenge, features 109 modern and comfortable rooms, including 10 suites with separate lounge areas and kitchenettes.
With an impressive portfolio around Africa, ONOMO Hotel has built a reputation as a rapidly expanding African hotel brand through an obsessive approach to detail. It constantly reshapes its hotels identities with their latest redesign being ONOMO Hotel Kigali, the tenth property on the continent.
Nestled in Nyarugenge District, the newest three-star property is located within a walking distance from the Kigali City Centre and below 10km from the Kigali International Airport, Rwanda’s primary point of entry.
It is adorned with traditional baskets locally known as “ibiseke” and carvings known as “Imigongo,” plus embellishments in cow dung mixed with soils of different colors and painted in geometric shapes, all making the motif of the interior and exterior features.
Speaking at the launch on Thursday, Samantha Annandale, Regional Operational Director for South and East Africa assured locals and attendants of an essence of character with quality at ONOMO Hotel Kigali.
“With so many international companies exiting in Africa and investment leaving our shores, it is encouraging to see that our group has a fully focused African strategy. We have exceptional confidence in Rwanda and generally Africa, especially in the hospitality space and with our strong development pipeline, we aim to become one of the leading hotel chains in Africa, for Africa.” she added.
ONOMO Hotel Cape Town’s Director of Sales and Marketing and facilitator at ONOMO Hotel Kigali, Sherri-Lee Kriedemann told IGIHE that the hotel has come to bridge a gap in the Rwandan hospitality industry
“We’ve come as a three-star property with four-star facilities to close the gap in the market and become an affordable yet world-class travel end for those visiting Kigali with a budget that can’t afford five-star facilities,” she said.
She noted that regardless what market segment it is, the hotel stands out to attract visitors from all over the world, be it for leisure or corporate purposes.
ONOMO Hotel Kigali is the 10th hotel of the group in Africa.
Operating across the entire African continent, ONOMO Hotels Group is on track to create its planned pan-African network of over 20 hotels by 2023, situated in the African continent’s major cities. The group has already spread a footprint to Dakar, Abidjan, Libreville, Bamako, Lome, Conakry, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and its most recent opening in Kigali, establishing the Group’s expansion into the East Africa.
The shoreline, dormant and unresponsive, unruffled by the wind, nor bothered by the waves, as it layed there, still and restful. Not even by the soft buzzes of musical sounds of crickets and fluffing birds that seem to be inspecting the skies with endearing pageantry. It is a grand display of nature’s pomp.
Albeit very brief, my journey to Muhazi beach in Rwesero on the first Friday of the year 2018 was one of the most insightful trips I’ve ever had. An hour drive away from Kigali, the journey started on a cheerful note and a promising weather. The landscape changed with each mile forward and the surge of green was a change from the city’s view.
Arriving in Rwesero, I was taken aback by the stillness of the place. Well, I’ll admit I was expecting the less than predictable waters of Lake Kivu or its white sandy shores but meeting the calmness of Lake Muhazi’ s placid waters, I was quite disappointed by the contrast. Laying that aside, I noticed big pine trees surrounding the lake and how they adorned it with a curiously majestic look, the minty almost salty taste of the air mostly resulting from the trees.
Understandably, with all the excitement and candidness of a first-time visitor, I felt like I couldn’t get enough of the sight.
During our boat drive to King Fish, one of Lake Muhazi beach resorts, a thought was nagging me. Not the beauty of the landscape –extremely picturesque by the way –nor the juxtaposing shorelines of Lake Muhazi. No way. What was really hitting me was the sense of isolation in the surroundings. Far from being unpleasant, the isolation was perfectly made for night escapades, weekend en couples and honeymoons.
The air had a stingy cold bite amidst the sunlight there. I was told by one of King Fish men that the brisk weather was very natural as summer had long since passed.
Following his statement, the skies darkened and an unforeseen rain started pounding so abruptly that as we enjoyed selfies and pictures, I and my colleagues were shockingly forced into running for the shelters of the resort. Under the rain, I kept my glimpses on and off Lake Muhazi. It maintained the sense of a serene and wave-free welcome.
Contrary to the weather, the atmosphere at the King Fish Beach Hotel was warm and friendly. Not any longer were we seated than the refreshments followed suit. Under the woody decor, we had the fun over fun, interacted in creative games invented by my very authentic colleagues.
The afternoon came by, the heaven-leaking light added a golden tint to the face of the lake and turned into a bliss beauty. Only was I disappointed for not seeing the beautiful and renowned birds such as the Pied Crows, Red Eyed Doves and so many others that usually mark the lake’s gems.
Dusk arrived in no time and unwilling, my friends and I forged our way homewards.
I have now realised that we have little time to enjoy such priceless beauty in our lives. As I sit reminiscing, even the brisk weather did not take away the pleasure of my first Friday of the year. I can still see the rain-pearled grass lingering in my mind. I can still remember the sappy sweet smell of the grass…best memories…I do remember the water looked majestic in its stillness and a fairyland all around. Most of all, I remember how it felt to let off rife mind wavelets, feeling relaxed and much younger, having worked out and de-stressed on the day we ushered in the New Year 2018 with merrymaking.
Lake Muhazi is really crowned with quiet and peaceful beauty all of its own. Leaving the venue then, I resolved to return one day to the laid-back yet unexplored unearthly home of beauty and tranquillity.
Gatare who was giving a key note address during the presentation of findings of a three-year research project on “Women in Artisanal and Small Scale Mining in Central and East Africa: Empowerment Challenges and Possibilities,” noted that a number of barriers that hinder women participation in the mining sector are rooted in traditional subjugation of women rights, a practice that Rwanda has unwaveringly worked to eliminate.
“Although Rwanda is a country that puts emphasis on gender equality, where situation analysis is regularly conducted to identify gender gaps and propose affirmative action to fill them; We are conscious that we still have a long way to go to reach equal footing in all sectors. Nevertheless, we are confident that we shall make changes given time and hard work, ” he said.
The three-year research project led by IMPACT (formerly Partnership Africa Canada), Canada’s Carleton University, the Development Research and Social Policy Analysis Centre (DRASPAC) and Women in/and Mining Organisation (WIAMO), explored women’s livelihoods in the artisanal mining of 3Ts (tin, tantalum, tungsten) and gold within Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda.
During a conference held today, 6th December, researchers presented their research findings on the challenges women face in the artisanal and small scale mining sector and opportunities for their empowerment.
Policymakers from the Rwanda Mines, Petroleum and Gas Board, Ministries of Local Government, Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, women and men miners, private sector, and civil society were taken through how gender inequality limits women’s contribution in the artisanal and small scale mining sector and their potential as economic and social actors.
Gisèle Eva Côté, the Coordinator of the research, observed that challenges faced by women in the artisanal mining sector cannot be ignored as they have an important contribution to the sector.
“There are mindsets, patriarchal norms and cultural lag that hold back women’s full participation in Artisanal and Small Scale Mining (ASM); even though surveyed women describe the the job as “good and satisfying” and only seek improved work conditions.”
Among different barriers observed during the research, women’s voices are not represented in the country’s mining laws and policies. Women also face inequality at the mine sites—preventing them from taking on higher paying tasks or more senior positions. Women told researchers that their technical capacity and strength have been questioned due to their gender.
Researchers recommend supporting women’s access to credit, which would allow entrepreneurial activities at the mine sites.
IMPACT—formerly Partnership Africa Canada— an independent non-profit, collaborating with local partners for lasting change, transforms how natural resources are managed in areas where security and human rights are at risk, investigate and develop approaches for natural resources to improve security, development, and equality.
Among the key findings, on average, women make more than two times the income from artisanal mining per month than in other income generating activities and 72% of women surveyed in Southern Province contribute to at least half of the household’s income and 30% of these women are sole income earners, while 71% of women surveyed in Northern province contribute to at least half of the household ‘s income and 38% are the sole income earners.
Others are; despite a standardized pay structure for mining roles, women still tend to earn less than men; in both sites studied, women are largely limited/excluded from mining activities with higher earning potential, including digging and sluicing.
The report also indicates that women have difficulty accessing credit from banks because they require their husbands’ permission. “This permission, we were told, can be difficult for the women to secure, and high service fees further limit women’s access to banking services. Without access to credit, women are unable to invest in mining activities as subcontractors, a position which would allow them to move from subsistence to accumulation activities, “ reads part of the report.
Swedish ambassador Jenny Ohlsson has been in Rwanda in 2007 to 2009 as Swedish political diplomat. She returned in Rwanda in 2016 as an Ambassador with residence in Kigali. Her predecessors had their residences in Nairobi, Kenya.
As both countries celebrate 20 years of cooperation and partnership, IGIHE talked to the Ambassador on diplomatic ties between both countries.
{{Excerpts below;}}
{{ IGIHE: It’s been a year since you presented your credentials as first Resident Swedish ambassador to Kigali; how do you see the country so far and how do you feel with living here? }}
{{J.O:}} First of all, I feel at home because it is the second time to live in Rwanda and I really enjoyed living here due to the atmosphere of hope and possibility. Also, when I came here for the second time, I could see the progress that had taken place and it’s a nice feeling to live somewhere where things are going in the right direction.
Personally, I am happy that my family is here; I got pregnant with my first son in Rwanda. It is very special to bring him back in Rwanda.
{{As you noted, Rwanda has and is still developing; what is your point of view on what caused such a change in the last twenty years?}}
The Leadership has played an important part in Rwanda’s progress but also I’d like to give credit to the Rwandans for the development that has taken place. Both contributed to where Rwanda has reached now.
{{Tell us more about the evolution of your diplomacy in Rwanda since 1997
}}
In 1997, it was absolutely new for us to come to Rwanda. There had been some relations between Pentecostal churches from both countries but there were no diplomatic ties. Everything had to start from scratch. We didn’t know what was Rwanda? What was their culture? We started with a lot humanitarian support in the first years, we also started with budget support from 1999, and then step by step wi started cooperation with police, decentralization structure, university, institution building….
First there was one person, she rented a room in Novotel, she hired a driver and it grew from there, one woman, one backpack one driver and then we had something called embassy office which is not a really embassy and now finally we have an embassy with an ambassador which is a great thing.
And I must tell you that we don’t have embassies in all countries in Africa for us this is a big thing I think I am the fifteenth ambassador we have in Africa.
{{What are your cooperation and partnership plans in this second mandate of President Kagame?}}
I am quite sure we will continue with our development cooperation with Rwanda, but I think and I hope that it will shift a little to other kinds of cooperation like political, trade-related businesses, peacekeeping and so forth. I think Rwanda is moving very fast; there are a lot of global issues where we can cooperate and bring a great contribution to all. In short, I hope that our relations will be broader in the next coming years.
{{Economically speaking, where do you see Rwanda in 2024?}}
I’m not an economist but I am sure that in 2024, Rwanda will have developed more; probably, as it’ll be the last year of President Kagame’s mandate, I think there shall be a feeling of transition. And as I know Rwanda, the country will be well-prepared for that transition, so I’m not worried at all for that time, I’d even say that I’m optimistic and positive that Rwanda will be on a greater level.
{{What are your cooperation projects and plans with Rwanda? }}
We will continue in developing cooperation with Rwanda, but I think and I hope that it will be shifting a little bit to cooperation, political, trade, business and peace keeping. I think Rwanda is moving very fast, there is lot of global issues where we could cooperate like climate change, I hope for the next seven years, we will continue with the development cooperation but our relationship will be broader.
{{Rwanda and Sweden will soon celebrate 20 years of cooperation and partnership; what do you plan for such a great event? }}
We will have the event on the 5th December, and for this year we wanted to focus on the role of a father and gender equality in society; Hence, this is to why we decided to hold an exhibition dubbed Swedish Dads and we also started out an interesting Instagram Photo challenge dubbed “RwanDads” that will be honoring our anniversary and the winner shall be awarded officially on the 5th December.
Speaking at the Eazzy Banking launch in Kigali on Friday, Mr Hannington Namara, the managing director of Equity Bank Rwanda, said the innovative solutions are promising to offer customers easy and unmatched flexible banking experience to support their financial needs, cash and liquidity management, bill payments and cashless transaction settlements, all making the banking easy.
“The Eazzy Banking suite of products includes a banking app known as Eazzy Banking App, which allows one to transfer funds to other accounts and mobile wallets or pay utility bills such as Water, Airtime, etc..,” Mr Namara said.
He added on that the innovative solutions will lessen the wastage of time and money for customers and increase their freedom and control in handling money, all in a fast and convenient manner.
“The Eazzy Banking suite will assist welfare of institutions, investment clubs and groups to manage their joint finances and investments by automating electronic fund transfers, RTGS and mobile transfers.”
The Eazzy Banking suite mainly comprises of digital solutions all accessible through EazzyPay, the Equity Bank app that can be found on all IOS or Android App stores. It allows customers to pay for Goods & Services directly from their apps. There is also EazzyLoan, a service that allows a customer to access loans amounting from Rwf5,000 to Rwf500,000 without having to fillforms or need for Guarantors.
This service can only be accessible to Equity Bank’s clients.
EazzySave, another solution of the EazzyApp suite, helps to set aside money from one’s account regularly for future use. EazzyNet, is a retail Internet portal where customers can manage their bank accounts through upgraded online banking for websites or institutions that require usage of network. EazzyBiz is a secure and comprehensive Cash and Liquidity Management solution that incorporates Payments, Collections & Receivables, Liquidity Management and so forth.
As for EazzyAPI, it is a platform that converts all Equity Bank’s full range of expertise in payments, banking, insurance, brokerage, wealth management into simple-to-use secure APIs for ready integrations to mobile apps, e-commerce sites and other systems.
One of the best features is Diaspora Banking, a facility that will contribute to easy and fast monetary transfer In-between countries.
Equity Bank Limited – Rwanda is a member of the Equity Bank Group, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. It maintains financial services subsidiaries in Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Rwanda. It started its operations in October 2011 with branches in Kigali, Rubavu, Musanze and Muhanga and many more.
The appeal was raised yesterday, as the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Political and Gender Affairs together with the state minister for Constitutional and Legal affairs in the Ministry of Justice, Evode Uwizeyimana started scrutinizing the draft law that seeks to amend the Penal Code.
However, The state minister for Constitutional and Legal affairs in the Ministry of Justice, Hon. Evode Uwizeyimana refuted this, saying that making the ‘genocide crime’ a specific law, would be globalizing it, while there are still some countries that don’t agree on the matter.
“What we can do is to put in place different penalties for genocide-related crimes because making ‘genocide crime’ as a specific law can be considered as globalizing it. We should remember that there are some countries that don’t agree on this matter” he explained.
MP Evaritse Kalisa highlighted the fact that Rwandans understand the crucial importance of tough penalties on genocide crime as they witnessed consequences of the genocide as a crime against humanity.
Kalisa added that on both Political and law grounds, genocidal acts should not be taken on with an easy leverage.
“We lived and saw what happened during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi; we saw the Trauma and destruction it left behind in our society. It is on these grounds that I stand on requesting that the Penalty for Genocidal crime be reviewed as a specific law with specific penalties different from genocide negation, divisionism and trivialization,” he said.
The President of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Political and Gender Affairs; MP Alfred Rwasa Kayiranga stressed too on the fact that a relevant scrutiny from the government was needed on the issue of penalties on genocide crime.
Ensconced in his chair at home on Friday at 4.00pm local time, retired Pastor Naasson Hitimana plays gospel music on the radio on his left side, has a Bible on the cockpit by his right and awaits a visitor he was told about, none else but a journalist from IGIHE. Elder Hitimana has got another chance to break loneliness and engage in a lengthy talk, definitely as long as 25 minutes compared to 10 minutes of the previous talk when he got tired and the talk was postponed until another schedule.
His caregiver is away for a gospel mission, a housemaid is busy outside, Pr Hitimana sits alone in a big modern house located in Kicukiro District, Kicukiro Sector, Gasharu Cell. He shakes hands again with the visitor who had been there a week before but the elderly cannot recall the face until he is reminded. He picks Bible and explains how he usually loses mind on everything starting from Bible verses he had memorised and used for around 40 years. He talks of frailty that comes with elderhood.
He says he was born at the time birth days were not recorded but it was later guessed and recorded for him as born in 1932, meaning he is now 85 years old but he says he is older than that. He started teaching at primary school in 1947 and was later sent to Cameroon where he spent four years receiving pastoral training and came back to Rwanda in 1962 with a qualification as a Pastor for a Christian church. He served the church until 1998, the time he retired due to frailty of ageing.
Hitimana, whose wife and some children passed away while other children live overseas including a son working in England, has no close family member around him but a nephew, young Pastor Désiré Niyomugabo, who committed the last seven months to staying with his paternal uncle, Hitimana. Retired Pastor Hitimana lives on his pension and rent of his two houses but sympathises with older persons who do not have means to afford their needs.
“I had always heard of a local adage ‘Gusaza ni Ugusahurwa’ (loosely translated as ageing is losing all) but I could not understand its real meaning until this age. An older person loses all capabilities to do what they used to do for and find themselves in need of someone else to provide everything just as a little baby needs. I have means to pay my housemaid but I imagine how challenging is the life of older person without such means, it is worrisome!” He says.
Pastor Hitimana urges churches to work closely with governments to provide eldercare by establishing centres for older persons who do not have caregivers, provide them with space for expressing their views and contribute to decisions that affect their well-being.
“Imagine that we need someone to take water and do us a bath yet young people also have got responsibilities and need to work for their prosperity. Centres for older persons would help better because they can hire workers and pay them for the job. It is a huge but crucial project; its elaboration should start now,” he adds before concluding, “Thank you for coming to talk with me.” He stops talking, stands up, leans on walls and walks to bed for rest.
The concerns were shared by a number of other older persons that IGIHE visited including Tesla Bayijuka, 93, Louise Bamurange, 84, both living at Muhima Sector in Nyarugenge District and members of elderly support group ‘Nsindagiza’ based in Remera Sector of Gasabo District.
Fourth Rwanda Population and Housing Census, 2012 released in 2014 indicates that there were 511,738 elderly persons (aged 60 and above) living in Rwanda, representing 4.9% of 10,515,973 population. According to National Social Protection Strategy 2011, only 24,300 aged 65 years and above (7.4%) had access to a pension from the Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB). United Nations’ definition of older person considers aged 60 years and above.
{{Activists advocate for particular policies }}
Well over 10 years through Age Demand Action (ADA), rights activists have advocated for international convention on the rights of older persons, participation of older persons in governments’ decisions that affect them and having choice about their lives in their respective families.
Elie Mugabowishema, the president of Nsindagiza, a local non-governmental organisation that advocates for rights and social welfare of older persons, told IGIHE last week that there is still a lack of international convention and local policies about the rights and welfare of older persons.
He urged the Government of Rwanda to set up particular platforms through which older persons can channel their concerns as children, youth, women and people with disabilities have theirs.
Béatrice Mushimiyimana, the coordinator of Nsindagiza activities, said most of older persons suffer serious depression and stigma resulting from isolation and creating space for them to participate in the country and family’s life would be the best solution as well as developing effective social protection schemes for older persons.
Madeleine Nirere, the Chairperson of National Commission for Human Rights, said that after the recent outreach in which the commission learnt about lack of proper protection of older persons, the commission recommends government to develop a policy on eldercare and support existing charitable centres for older persons.
She added that considering the frailty of older persons, they deserve special care, saying that Rwanda should ratify and implement obligations in international and regional instruments on older persons’ rights and protection.
Ms Nirere stressed that older persons’ close and extended family members, neighbours, close government entities and Rwandan society at large should take responsibility of eldercare.
{{Government finds no gap}}
Minister of State in charge of Social Affairs and Social Protection at the Ministry of Local Government, Dr Alvera Mukabaramba, told IGIHE last Friday that government does its best to support all vulnerable people and older persons constitute the majority of beneficiaries of social protection schemes such as cash transfer under Vision 2020 Umurenge Programme (VUP) and Community-Based Health Insurance (Mutuelle de Santé).
“Not all elderly persons need support. Some are receiving their pension while others have children or other family members supporting them. We are working on a comprehensive social protection policy considering together all categories of the disadvantaged as the current policy will expire in 2018,” she said.
She said that only people with disabilities have their particular policy being developed because their case is not only about social aspect but fall in different ministries such as Ministry of Infrastructure for their mobility, Ministry of Education for their special needs in education and Ministry of Health for their special healthcare.
Dr Mukabaramba urged young people to save for their old age, saying that every working Rwandan, not only monthly salary earners but also informal sector actors including those on government support schemes, has to save for pension as a sustainable solution for ageing demands.
“Government seeks to strengthen pension scheme and poor people who will join the scheme will receive government’s incentives according to law which is now in Parliament. Meanwhile, children should not forsake their old parents and government will intervene where necessary,” she said.
{{
International Day of Older Persons
}}
Dr Mukabaramba said Rwanda will mark International Day of Older Persons, which is usually marked on 1st October, on 8th October in Nyamasheke District at a national level and in all districts under the theme “Stepping into the Future: Tapping the Talents, Contributions and Participation of Older Persons in Society.” Nyamasheke is the second district, after Gicumbi, with the highest number of older persons.
Global AgeWatch Index report 2015 ranked Rwanda as 89th out 96 countries studied including 11 on African continent, the position that Minister Mukabaramba refuted saying that there are obviously Rwanda’s commitments towards older persons which were not reported and ensured of reporting all to win a better ranking in the next report.
The study measured four key domains for older people: income security, health status, capability, and enabling environment –factors that older people say are necessary for them to be able to function independently.
Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Older Persons in Africa adopted by the 26th ordinary session of the Assembly convened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on January 31, 2016, stipulates that “States Parties shall ensure that the 1991 United Nations Principles of Independence, Dignity, Self-fulfillment, Participation and Care of Older Persons are included in their national laws and are legally binding as the basis for ensuring their rights.”
