Author: Théophile Niyitegeka

Moderate drinking linked to lower risk of some — but not all — heart conditions

{A more nuanced approach to role of alcohol in heart health is needed, researchers say}

Moderate drinking is associated with a lower risk of several, but not all, cardiovascular diseases, finds a large study of UK adults published by The BMJ (March 22).

The finding that moderate drinking is not universally associated with a lower risk of all cardiovascular conditions suggests a more nuanced approach to the role of alcohol in prevention of cardiovascular disease is necessary, say the researchers.

Moderate drinking is thought to be associated with a lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared with abstinence or heavy drinking.

In the UK, moderate drinking is defined as no more than 14 units (112 grams) of alcohol a week.

To put this into context, one unit of alcohol is about equal to half a pint of ordinary strength beer, lager or cider (3.6% alcohol by volume) or a small pub measure (25 ml) of spirits. There are one and a half units of alcohol in small glass (125 ml) of ordinary strength wine (12% alcohol by volume). [Source: NHS Choices]

There is, however, a growing scepticism around this observation, with some experts pointing out several shortcomings in the evidence. For example, grouping non-drinkers with former drinkers, who may have stopped drinking due to poor health.

So researchers at the University of Cambridge and University College London set out to investigate the association between alcohol consumption and 12 cardiovascular diseases by analysing electronic health records for 1.93 million healthy UK adults as part of the CALIBER (ClinicAl research using LInked Bespoke studies and Electronic health Records) data resource.

All participants were free from cardiovascular disease at the start of the study, and non-drinkers were separated from former and occasional drinkers to provide additional clarity in this debate.

After several influential factors were accounted for, moderate drinking was associated with a lower risk of first presenting to a doctor with several, but not all, cardiovascular conditions, including angina, heart failure and ischaemic stroke, compared with abstaining from alcohol.

However, the authors argue that it would be unwise to encourage individuals to take up drinking as a means of lowering their cardiovascular risk over safer and more effective ways, such as increasing physical activity and stopping smoking.

Heavy drinking (exceeding recommended limits) conferred an increased risk of first presenting with a range of such diseases, including heart failure, cardiac arrest and ischaemic stroke compared with moderate drinking, but carried a lower risk of heart attack and angina.

Again, the authors explain that this does not mean that heavy drinkers will not go on to experience a heart attack in the future, just that they were less likely to present with this as their first diagnosis compared with moderate drinkers.

This is an observational study, so no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect. Added to which, the authors point to some study limitations that could have introduced bias.

Nevertheless, they say it is the first time this association has been investigated on such a large scale and their findings have implications for patient counselling, public health communication, and disease prediction tools.

In a linked editorial, researchers at Harvard Medical School and Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in the US say this study “does not offer a materially new view of the associations between alcohol consumed within recommended limits and risk of cardiovascular disease.

“This work, however, sets the stage for ever larger and more sophisticated studies that will attempt to harness the flood of big data into a stream of useful, reliable, and unbiased findings that can inform public health, clinical care, and the direction of future research,” they conclude.

Source:Science Daily

March 25, 2017
Media practitioners, artistes hold campaign against illicit drugs

{Media practitioners and artistes under their forum, ‘Arts and Media for Change’ have stepped in to raise the voice against illicit drugs, one of the high impact crimes that continue to ravage the young generation in the country.}

On Friday, all roads led to Kigali Stadium where over 5000 students from various schools in Nyarugenge District joined the call against the vice under the theme: ‘Together in raising awareness against trafficking, sale and consumption of illicit drugs.”

Arts and Media for Change was established in November last year, with the aim of transforming and guiding the youth to the right direction with emphasis on fighting drug abuse and supporting vulnerable families.

It comes at the time when Rwanda National Police has raised the bar high in breaking the chain of supply through which about 440 drug-related cases involving close to 400 people who were arrested, majority traffickers, were arrested in the month of January alone.

Speaking to the youth, the vice mayor for the City of Kigali in charge of Social Affairs, Patricia Muhongerwa reminded them that they hold the light of better future Rwanda, noting that engaging in abusing drugs can shatter that dream the country desires.

“The dignity of Rwandans streams in partnership at all levels against psychotropic substances, ensuring that every child goes to school and protected from any harm including drugs,” she said.

The vice mayor further appealed to them to desist from peer influence, instead report anyone that tries to lure them into such hazardous and criminal activities.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Celestin Twahirwa, commissioner for community Policing in RNP, who commended journalists and artistes for the initiative, told the students that illicit drugs influence crimes, school drop-out and health complications.

“Such campaigns are meant to protect you from these dangers, minimize the government costs on arrested and convicted drug dealers and abusers and transform you into future leaders.”

He also echoed the message of “individual ownership” to fight the vice by reporting and one they suspect to be selling or consuming drugs, adding that “a good citizen is the one who respects the law, fights crime and an agent of change.”

It was also attended by the Regional Police Commander, ACP Rogers Rutikanga, the mayor of Nyarugenge and grassroots leaders among others.

Celestin Ntawuyirushamaboko, the coordinator of Arts and Media for Change, said that “before being a journalist or an artiste, you are a Rwandan, which binds you to ensure the best of your country.”

“In the process of our different professions, we are also custodians of the law and justice. Fighting drug abuse is our priority because of its high impact. It’s about me, it’s about you and every Rwandan to work together against the vice, which has shattered to dreams of some young people,” Ntawuyirushamaboko said.

The campaign, which started with a walk against drug abuse, also included testimonies of former drug addicts, who have since formed a cooperative and received about Rwf11 million government funds for their carpentry and welding businesses, and currently significant in getting children off the streets.

Source:Police

March 25, 2017
Computer program developed to diagnose and locate cancer from a blood sample

{Researchers in the United States have developed a computer program that can simultaneously detect cancer and identify where in the body the cancer is located, from a patient’s blood sample. The program is described in research published this week in the open access journal Genome Biology.}

Professor Jasmine Zhou, co-lead author from the University of California at Los Angeles, said: “Non-invasive diagnosis of cancer is important, as it allows the early diagnosis of cancer, and the earlier the cancer is caught, the higher chance a patient has of beating the disease. We have developed a computer-driven test that can detect cancer, and also identify the type of cancer, from a single blood sample. The technology is in its infancy and requires further validation, but the potential benefits to patients are huge.”

The program works by looking for specific molecular patterns in cancer DNA that is free flowing in the patients’ blood and comparing the patterns against a database of tumour epigenetics, from different cancer types, collated by the authors. DNA from tumour cells is known to end up in the bloodstream in the earliest stages of cancer so offers a unique target for early detection of the disease.

Professor Zhou explained: “We built a database of epigenetic markers, specifically methylation patterns, which are common across many types of cancer and also specific to cancers originating from specific tissue, such as the lung or liver. We also compiled the same ‘molecular footprint’ for non-cancerous samples so we had a baseline footprint to compare the cancer samples against. These markers can be used to deconvolute the DNA found freely in the blood into tumor DNA and non-tumor DNA.”

In this study, the new computer program and two other methods (called Random Forest and Support Vector Machine) were tested with blood samples from 29 liver cancer patients, 12 lung cancer patients and 5 breast cancer patients. Tests were run 10 times on each sample to validate the results. The Random Forest and Support Vector Machine methods had an overall error rate (the chance that the test produces a false positive) of 0.646 and 0.604 respectively, while the new program obtained a lower error rate of 0.265.

Twenty-five out of the 29 liver cancer patients and 5 out of 12 lung cancer patients tested in this study had early stage cancers, which the program was able to detect in 80% of cases. Although the level of tumour DNA present in the blood is much lower during the early stages of these cancers, the program was still able to make a diagnosis demonstrating the potential of this method for the early detection of cancer, according to the researchers.

Professor Zhou added: “Owing to the limited number of blood samples, the results of this study are evaluated only on three cancer types (breast, liver and lung). In general, the higher the fraction of tumor DNAs in blood, the more accurate the program was at producing a diagnostic result. Therefore, tumors in well-circulated organs, such as the liver or lungs are easier to diagnose early using this approach, than in less-circulated organs such as the breast.”

Source:Science Daily

March 25, 2017
9 reasons you shouldn’t base your relationship on what people post on social media

{You might have the best partner and relationship in the world, but you wouldn’t know this because all you do is base your relationship on what you see on social media. You compare your relationship with the fakery on social media and fail to see the good things happening in your own relationship.}

I have nine genuine reasons why you should stop comparing your relationship to what you see on social media

{{1. People post their best moments on social media }}

One thing about social media is that you get to see the best of people’s worlds; they post their happy moments with their partners, vacations, wonderful outings and other fun moments. You could see this and create a bad image of yourself based on the best things happening in another person’s life.

{{2. You don’t get to see their pains }}

Take a look at social media and you’ll only get to see one side of the story — the glory. You don’t get to see the pains, the arguments and the misunderstanding. So when you compare your relationship with what you see on social media; you’ll only end up comparing your worst life with the best life of another couple, and that’s an unfair thing to do to yourself.

{{3. You fall to appreciate the good things going on in your relationship }}

When you start to see the good things happening in another person’s relationship via what they post on social media, you’ll tend to lose sight of the things happening in your relationship, and you will in turn fail to appreciate all the great things you have working for you.

{{4. You compare the wrong things }}

The worst thing about comparing your relationship with what you see on social media is that you will tend to focus more on the wrong things happening in your relationship and compare with the right things in the other person’s relationship, which isn’t right; your focus will only be on the highlighted wrong things happening in your own relationship. That’s what people get to compare whenever they compare their relationships.

{{5. You start to focus on what doesn’t matter }}

Communication, understanding, commitment — these are very important things that should be present in every relationship, but these are the things you won’t get to see on social media. At the end of the day, you will end up focusing on what doesn’t really matter in your relationship.

{{6. You start to choose fantasy over reality }}

The life you see on social media is the fantasy most people choose to share, and when you base your relationship on that; you will end up choosing fantasy over reality.

{{7. You slowly turn yourself into a terrible partner }}

The danger of focusing on people’s post on social media is that you’ll turn yourself into a terrible partner with each passing day. You complain and nag more, become complacent, unappreciative, ignorant, nonchalant and even disrespectful to your partner — these are some of the things social media will do to you.

{{8. You become distracted }}

Distractions start to set in when you focus your life on social media. Like every other thing in life, the moment you take your eyes off the prize, you start to lose focus, and you get distracted by what shouldn’t matter in the first place.

{{9. You start reading meaning into everything }}

Basing your relationship life on social media will make you see more of what doesn’t matter and less of what truly matters, and then you’d start to read meaning into what shouldn’t matter in your relationship.

Base your relationship on what you share with your partner and never for a second compare it to the false pictures you see on social media. Social media is like a wedding; everyone wears their best clothes and put on their best smiles, but it doesn’t truly mean everyone is rich and happy.

Source:Elcrema

March 25, 2017
New stem cell method produces millions of human brain and muscle cells in days

{Results open the door to producing a diversity of new cell types that could not be made before.}

Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute scientists and their collaborators at the University of Cambridge have created a new technique that simplifies the production of human brain and muscle cells — allowing millions of functional cells to be generated in just a few days. The results published in Stem Cell Reports open the door to producing a diversity of new cell types that could not be made before in order to study disease.

Human pluripotent stem cells offer the ability to create any tissue, including those which are typically hard to access, such as brain cells. They hold huge potential for studying human development and the impact of diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis, and heart disease.

In a human, it takes nine to twelve months for a single brain cell to develop fully. To create human brain cells, including grey matter (neurons) and white matter (oligodendrocytes) from an induced pluripotent stem cell, it can take between three and twenty weeks using current methods. However, these methods are complex and time-consuming, often producing a mixed population of cells.

The new platform technology, OPTi-OX, optimises the way of switching on genes in human stem cells. Scientists applied OPTi-OX to the production of millions of nearly identical cells in a matter of days. In addition to the neurons, oligodendrocytes, and muscle cells the scientists created in the study, OPTi-OX holds the possibility of generating any cell type at unprecedented purities, in this short timeframe.

To produce the neurons, oligodendrocytes, and muscle cells, scientists altered the DNA in the stem cells. By switching on carefully selected genes, the team “reprogrammed” the stem cells and created a large and nearly pure population of identical cells. The ability to produce as many cells as desired combined with the speed of the development gives an advantage over other methods. The new method opens the door to drug discovery, and potentially therapeutic applications in which large amounts of cells are needed.

An author of the study, Dr Ludovic Vallier from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute said: “What is really exciting is we only needed to change a few ingredients — transcription factors — to produce the exact cells we wanted in less than a week. We over-expressed factors that make stem cells directly convert into the desired cells, thereby bypassing development and shortening the process to just a few days.”

OPTi-OX has applications in various projects, including the possibility to generate new cell types which may be uncovered by the Human Cell Atlas. The ability to produce human cells so quickly means the new method will facilitate more research.

Joint first author, Daniel Ortmann from the University of Cambridge, said: “When we receive a wealth of new information on the discovery of new cells from large scale projects, like the Human Cell Atlas, it means we’ll be able to apply this method to produce any cell type in the body, but in a dish.”

Mark Kotter, lead author and Clinician from the University of Cambridge, said: “Neurons produced in this study are already being used to understand brain development and function. This method opens the doors to producing all sorts of hard-to-access cells and tissues so we can better our understanding of diseases and the response of these tissues to newly developed therapeutics.”

Source:Science Daily

March 25, 2017
Rwanda launches electronic cargo tracking system

{Rwanda has launched the East African joint electronic cargo tracking system.

The Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking System (RECTS) which went up on March 24, is expected to save on the cost and time of transporting cargo on the Northern Corridor.}

Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA) projects that container transit time on the Northern Corridor to Kigali will go down by 35 per cent from eight to three days, and costs by 15 per cent.

In Uganda for example, the cost of transporting a 20ft container from the Mombasa Port to Kampala is down by 30 per cent, from $2.9 per kilo meter in 2010 to $2 per kilo meter in 2016. Kampala began using the cargo tracking system last year on a pilot basis but officially launched it last month.

Kenya switched to the new system in the first week of March this year.

The three countries can now jointly track cargo from the port to destination on a 24-hour basis.

The integrated system will help to seal loopholes that lead to revenue losses through tax evasion. It will also eliminate the need for physical escort and monitoring of sensitive cargo such as batteries, fuel and cigarettes.

The system also comprises smart gates which recognise number plates at the port gates and borders. This means that tax agents do not have to capture data manually, thereby reducing the waiting times at borders and port gates.

The Rwanda Revenue Authority Commissioner General Richard Tusabe said that the system will boost revenue collection.

“It eliminates the manual processes that we’ve been applying to ensure that the revenue is not leaked within the supply chain,” said Mr Tusabe.

TMEA Rwanda country director Patience Mutesi said that the system will deliver gains on the ease of doing business across borders.

“It encourages better co-ordination and monitoring as well as voluntary compliance with transit laws and regulations, and ensures that minimal costs are used in enforcing them, thereby boosting revenue collection,” said Ms Mutesi.

Source:The East African

March 25, 2017
146 complete ‘international computer training’

{The Minister of Youth and ICT, Jean Philbert Nsengimana, yesterday, presided over the closure of a nine-month internationally recognized computer training of 146 security personnel, at Rwanda National Police (RNP) Headquarters.}

The course offered by International Computer Driving License (ICDL) included 69 police officers, 55 from Rwanda Defense Forces (RDF), nine from Rwanda Correctional Services (RCS), eight from Rwanda Management Institute (RMI) and six from the Ministry of Youth and ICT.

Minister Nsengimana said: “We live in a world where no innovation can be initiated without the use of technology. Starting this course with security organs is proof that our liberation struggle has shifted to development. In our quest to develop, we believe security organs should always be a step ahead.”

“In developed countries, you can’t work for government without an ICDL certificate; in future we might consider adopting the same policy. With this certificate, you are competent enough to work in any place across the world,” he added, urging the trainees to put the acquired skills to good use.

ICDL is the world’s leading computer skills certification operating in 150 countries. Currently, there are 20 ICDL Accredited Test Centres (ATCs) in Rwanda.

Recently, it entered a formal understanding with the Ministry of Youth and ICT to train 85,000 government employees in Rwanda.

The ICDL programme defines the skills and competencies necessary to use a computer and common computer applications.

It offers a wide range of modules including Computer Essentials, Word Processing and IT Security.

Candidates create their ICDL profile by taking tests in the modules which are most relevant to their educational and professional requirements.

Speaking at the event, the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) in charge of Operations, Dan Munyuza said; “This training is very crucial especially to security agencies. We are currently living in a world where we must use technology in law enforcement and this is why we are glad to have our officers benefiting from this course.”

The DIGP said that more police officers will be undergoing similar course and pledged support to ensure that such trainings become a success.

The Director General of RMI, Wellars Gasamagera said that the training was the first of its kind and that RMI will ensure more people acquire it.

Brig Gen John Gacinya, who spoke on behalf of trainees, said that the training has reshaped their skills to contribute to the professionalism of their respective institutions.

Source:Police

March 25, 2017
Rivalry drives down EA cement makers’ earnings

{Cement manufacturers who were hoping to capitalise on massive infrastructure projects in East Africa now face a bleak future as competition takes its toll on earnings.}

The industry has witnessed a downturn in recent times owing to significant investments by manufacturers to increase their capacity and the entry of new players in the region. This has ignited price wars for control of the market.

According to AIB Capital, cement prices in East Africa dropped from an average of $140 per tonne in 2011 to $100 per tonne in 2015, and have now plummeted to an average of $80 per tonne, driven by Dongote Cement’s entry into the region.

Over the past two weeks, Kenya’s Bamburi Cement and East African Portland Cement Company (EAPCC) have released financial results that show a drop in revenue.

Bamburi, the biggest cement maker in the region, posted a slight decline in revenues for the financial year that ended December 2016, to $363 million from $374.6 million the previous year. The company’s profitability remained largely flat, declining marginally to $78.3 million from $80.2 million.

EAPCC remained in the red, with revenues for the half-year period to December 2016 declining to $43.9 million from $53.3 million in 2015. The company posted a loss of $5.2 million, an improvement from the $7.1 million loss it reported a year ago.

“Bamburi Group is cognisant of the increased competitive environment and the upward trend in global commodity prices across the region,” said the company in a statement.

EAPCC admitted that the outlook in the medium term remains bleak with cement supply continuing to outstrip demand, as market prices are expected to remain subdued.

Athi River Cement, which has been on a loss-making streak over the past few years, is yet to release its full-year results for the period ending December 2016.

According to analysts, the entry of Nigeria’s Dangote Cement into the East African region with a strategy of low prices has forced existing manufacturers to adjust their prices in order to compete.

The cutthroat competition has been worsened by that fact that all manufacturers in the region have been investing in increasing their capacity even as cheap imports continue to flood the region following the lowering of duty on cement imports from non-EAC countries from 35 per cent to 25 per cent.

East Africa’s installed cement capacity is currently estimated at 15.6 million tonnes against an annual demand of 12 million tonnes.
“Long existing cement makers in East Africa are losing market share to Dangote Cement, whose strategy to capture the market is based on low prices. This trend will continue in the medium term,” said Stella Wambugu, Research Analyst at Standard Investment Bank.

Dangote Cement, which has invested in plants in Tanzania and Ethiopia with a total production capacity of 5.5 million tonnes per annum, has ignited price wars by lowering prices by as much as 40 per cent. The company plans to invest in two plants in Kenya with a total capacity of three million in the next five years.

Existing manufacturers are also revamping their operations with companies like EAPCC, Athi River Mining, National Cement, Mbeya Cement and Savanna Cement increasing their capacity.

Due to the increasing competition, profit margins in the sector remain under pressure. In the Kenyan cement industry, for example, the net profit margin has been declining, averaging 10 per cent in 2015 from an average of 15 per cent in 2011. Projections are that prices will continue to decline by one to three per cent as competition intensifies.

Source:The East African

March 25, 2017
Hosni Mubarak: Egypt’s former dictator freed after six years in custody

{Egypt’s former dictator Hosni Mubarak has left the Cairo military hospital where he had been held in custody for much of the past six years, his lawyer said on Friday, and returned to his home in the Cairo suburb of Heliopolis.}

Mubarak, 88, was acquitted by Egypt’s highest appeals court on 2 March of conspiring to kill protesters in the final verdict in a long-running case that originally resulted in him being sentenced to life in prison in 2012 over the deaths of 239 people in Arab Spring protests against his rule. A separate corruption charge was overturned in January 2015.

He left the Maadi military hospital on Friday morning and returned to his home, where he had breakfast with his family and a number of friends, according to a report in the privately-owned newspaper al-Masy al-Youm. His lawyer, Farid al-Deeb, told the paper that Mubarak thanked those who had supported him throughout his trial.

The strongman, who ruled Egypt for nearly three decades, often appeared in a frail state through his court appearances, dodging repeated rumours of his death and attending on a stretcher, wearing dark sunglasses.

His health, however, did not fail him when it came to appearing at the window of his room at the Maadi military hospital to wave to crowds of supporters gathered outside on occasions including his birthday and the anniversary of Egypt’s 1973 military victory over Israel.

For those who worked to topple the former dictator, Mubarak’s freedom marks a grim moment in Egypt’s modern history. Yet some reacted with little more than resignation as his release became imminent, numbed by the years of political turmoil after his fall.

Mubarak’s democratically elected successor, Mohamed Morsi, was overthrown in a popularly backed military coup in 2013. Many see echoes of Mubarak’s style of leadership in Egypt’s current leader, the former general Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.

“I’m neither sad nor disappointed,” said Tarek el Khatib, whose brother, Mustafa, was killed in the struggle to topple Mubarak. “I’d have been surprised had things happened otherwise. Politically, everything flew in this direction and paved the way for the normality of this moment.”

Over the past six years there have also been repeated efforts to punish family members and business associates who profited from Mubarak’s regime, largely without lasting consequence. Mubarak’s sons, Alaa and Gamal, were freed in October 2015, with a judge stating that they had served adequate jail time on charges of corruption and embezzlement of public funds.

The notorious steel tycoon Ahmed Ezz, formerly the secretary general of Mubarak’s now defunct National Democratic party, was named as an honorary leader of a political party in 2016, although he previously served three years on corruption charges.

Despite calling the revolution that ended Mubarak’s rule “a turning point in Egypt’s history,” Sisi and his military backed government are regarded as the autocrat’s political heirs.

“I think that Mubarak’s release was something expected as his students are ruling the country. The same regime, the same corruption, the same brutality,” said Mahienour El Massry, an activist and lawyer who served 15 months in prison under Sisi’s rule.

“Mubarak might be released, but in the eyes of those who believe in the revolution he will always be a criminal killer and the godfather of corruption,” she said. “This might be another round that we have lost, but we will keep on fighting to change the inhuman regime that releases criminals and imprisons innocent people.”

Others were less hopeful. Mubarak’s freedom means that the families of those killed “are now praying for divine justice,” said Mohsen Bahnasy, a human rights lawyer who served as a member of the Commission of Inquiry into military abuses committed during the 2011 revolution.

Egypt’s highest appeals court previously rejected demands by the families of those killed during the 2011 uprising to bring civil suits against Mubarak for his role in the deaths of protesters. An official inquiry later concluded that 846 people died and a further 6,467 were injured during the revolution, as Egyptian security forces violently suppressed the protests which packed Cairo’s central Tahrir Square.

“The Mubarak acquittal is of significant symbolic value in that it reflects an absolute failure of Egyptian judicial and legal institutions to hold a single official accountable for the killing of almost 900 protesters during the January 25 Revolution. It is indicative of a deeper, compounded crisis of transitional justice,” said Mai el Sedany, a legal expert with the Washington thinktank the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy.

“This is a clear message to all Egyptians that no one will be held accountable for any corruption or oppression in this country – the state is loyal to its men and will continue to be,” said El Khatib. “Don’t dream of any revolution again.”

Source:The Guardian

March 24, 2017
Kagame meets Rwanda Cycling coach

{President Paul Kagame has received the coach of Rwanda Cycling Team and the head of the School of Cycling in Musanze, Jock Boyer who promised to advocate for Rwanda cycling sports development in America.
}

Jock Boyer met Kagame yesterday accompanied by the president of Rwanda Cycling Federation, Bayingana Aimable and the Minister of Sports and Culture, Uwacu Julienne where they took the president through the vision of Cycling in Rwanda.

Minister Uwacu told the media that it is essential to promote cycling in Rwanda because achievements are there for all to see and there’s a big potential yet to be exploited.

He denied that the contract of Jock Boyer who is set to return home in America has expired, noting that only the job structure will change.

“He worked as permanent employee in Rwanda training the cycling team, and getting sponsors of the cycling competition; so what is set to be changed is that he will most of the time execute his tasks being abroad other than being inside the country,” he said.

“Jock will return to America and use his experience and network to campaign for Rwanda Cycling Team and seeking partners who may provide sponsorship,” she added.

Uwacu explained that Jock will accompany Rwanda cycling team in competitions in some possible cases.

Jock Boyer said that Rwanda Cycling has progressed to a commendable status pledging continued support.

“ I will think about various projects, collect enough funds. Though I will not be present at the Rwanda cycling school on a daily basis, I will strive for the development of cycling in Rwanda because it is apparent that we can take it far,” he said.

He expressed delight for the achievements in cycling competition as players participated in Olympic Games while Tour du Rwanda organization gained in prominence and status. He stressed the need for professional coaches, technicians, new talents and more support . The president of Ferwacy, Bayingana Aimable, said that emphasis will be put on raising Rwandans’ knowledge in coaching cycling, repairing and promote the cycling sport through tourism.

He unveiled that Musanze cycling school will be led by Richard Mutabazi who was the secretary of Basketball Federation.

Tour du Rwanda competition has been held annually for ten years ago.

March 24, 2017