IGIHE

Author: Publisher

  • President Kagame Receives NFC Group CEO

    President Kagame Receives NFC Group CEO

    {{President Paul Kagame today received Julian Ozanne, the group CEO of New Forests Company which produces electric poles and high productivity charcoal. }}

    The company has been in Rwanda since the signing of an agreement with the Government of Rwanda in July 2011.

    Julian Ozanne told members of the press after meeting President Kagame that the company uses the best technology available today to produce electricity poles and charcoal.

    “President Kagame has been very supportive from the beginning and we discussed on how to work efficiently and get more value from the forests.”

    The Minister in charge of natural resources, Stanislaus Kamanzi said the production of electric poles locally would boost the rural electrification program and will save the country a lot of foreign exchange since they will no longer be exported.

    The Company has commissioned an electric poles processing plant which is ready for production and plan to set up a modern saw mill by the end of the year.

  • Dr. Mugesera Surprised by Absence of His Lawyer

    Dr. Mugesera Surprised by Absence of His Lawyer

    {{The trial of Dr Leon Mugesera suspected of Genocide crimes has been adjourned, Wednesday 26 March 2014, in absentia of his Lawyer Rudakemwa Jean Felix for unidentified reasons.}}

    Mugesera is accused of making speech in 1992 that allegedly played a major role in triggering the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi’s, which claimed a million lives.

    The controversial academic was in January 2013 deported from Canada after losing a legal battle that lasted close to two decades.

    During his appearance before the judges in Supreme Court, Dr. Mugesera was surprised by the absence of his lawyer Rudakemwa.

    After two hours of waiting, court decided to call Rudakemwa however, his phone was off.

    The Supreme Court requests comment from both side whether the trial should continue or be postponed and the defendant himself said that the trial should not continue with reference to the article 18 of the constitution which grants him the right to not be tried without lawyer.

    rubibi@igihe.rw

  • 6 Nyabihu District Officers Arrested

    6 Nyabihu District Officers Arrested

    {{Six officials of Nyabihu district are currently behind bars following their arrested by Police in connection with taking a bribe in a deal to construct a Guest House in the district, IGIHE has reliably learnt.}}

    Among the suspects included the executive secretary of Kabatwa Sector in Nyabihu district, district finance officer,officer incharge of lands, agriculture officer at Mukamira sector,District Forests officer and the Nyabihu District Labour officer .

    When contacted Twahirwa Abdulatif, Nyabihu district mayor acknowledged the arrest of the six suspects saying all are staff at the district. The mayor didn’t divulge more information saying he was currently on leave.

    The Mayor Twahirwa said, its not common to have such a big number of district officials arrested at the same time.

    He added that during the arrest, a total of nine suspects were seized but three were later released after interrogation.

    The arrest of the six suspects follows the arrest of the district Executive secretary who faulted in declaring his wealth.

    Much of his assets were allegedly registered in the names of his in-law. The Executive secretary has been remanded for 30days as investigations into the case continue.

  • GT Bank Boss Pays Tribute to Genocide Victims

    GT Bank Boss Pays Tribute to Genocide Victims

    {{The head of GT bank has paid tribute to the victims of the 1994 genocide against ethnic Tutsi’s in Rwanda that claimed over a million lives.

    Guaranty Trust Bank popularly known as GT bank (Rwanda) has also pledged Frw2million to the Kigali Genocide Memorial site.

    On his first arrival to Rwanda on March 25, Olusegun Agbaje the head of GT bank and his delegation immediately visited the Kigali Genocide memorial site at Gisozi where victims of the horrendous genocide are buried.

    “It’s very difficult to imagine what happened here. How could normal people do such a thing. May the almighty receive the souls of victims?,” Olusegun Agbaje the global head of GT-bank said.}}

  • House Keeper Chops Neck of Teenage Girl

    House Keeper Chops Neck of Teenage Girl

    {{Police is looking for a house keeper who allegedly slaughtered to death a teenage girl on March 26 at about 7:30 PM at Kivugiza cell in Nyamirambo sector in Kigali.}}

    The house keeper only identified as Sylvain is currently on the run after brutally severing the neck of the teenager identified as Uwase Bella.

    The deceased was in form six at Kivugiza School.

    The murder occurred when the brother of the deceased was watching Television inside the house while the housekeeper and the teenage girl were in the kitchen.

    The brother of the deceased said he heard noise and quickly rushed to the kitchen only to find the sisters neck chopped off and the maid had already escaped.

    The brother of the deceased struggled to rush his sister to hospital where she unfortunately died.

    Neighbours say the house maid had been working at the same home for over 10 years.

  • RDF Peacekeepers Open Bangui-Beloko Road Blocked by Anti-Baraka

    RDF Peacekeepers Open Bangui-Beloko Road Blocked by Anti-Baraka

    {{The key infrastructure road linking Bangui to Cameroun and Tchad was in the last 3 days not operational due to Anti-Baraka Militia that cut it off at PK 9 and Gobongo localities. }}

    They have blockaded the road using old vehicles, metal materials and stones then took defensive positions near the localities to stop any movement.

    Rwanda Mechanized Infantry Battalion (RwaMechBatt1) serving in the African-led International Support Mission to the Central African Republic (MISCA) intervened on 25 March 2014 and cleared the road after hours fighting the Anti-Baraka.

    Six Anti-Balaka militia died on spots and 1 weapon and a grenade were seized. Two Rwanda peacekeepers received minor injuries, received first aid and proceeded with their duties.

    The road had been blocked when a Humanitarian Convoy escorted by Burundian peacekeepers was about to reach Bangui from Beloko- Cameroun border.

    After clearing the road, the Humanitarian Convoy managed to proceed and reached Bangui on 25 March with 70 vehicles carrying humanitarian aids and commercial goods for Central Africa Republic citizens.

    RwaMechBatt1 peacekeepers first opened the 700 km humanitarian Corridor on 27 January 2014. Bangui and CAR had been cut off from supplies by armed groups controlling the Bangui-Cameroon main supply route that connects it to the sea port of Douala in Cameroon.

  • Juba to Join East Africa’s Railway Project

    Juba to Join East Africa’s Railway Project

    {{South Sudan is set to join East African countries in the development of a standard gauge railway (SGR) to cut transport costs and boost regional trade.}}

    Kenya reached a deal with Uganda and Rwanda to construct a railway that would link Mombasa port to Malaba on the border with Uganda. It will also be extended to Uganda and by 2018 to Rwanda.

    South Sudan has agreed to join the three nations to extend the rail from Kampala to Juba.

    “We do not want to be left out of this key infrastructural development and that is why we would like to be part of it,” said Leonard Nhial Bol of the Ministry of Transport, South Sudan, in a press statement released in Nairobi.

    The Press statement followed a three-day meeting held last week in Nairobi which hosted Uganda and Rwanda officials.

    A narrow-gauge track operated by the Rift Valley Railways runs to northern Uganda, near the border with South Sudan, where goods heading to Juba are offloaded and transported by road.

    {businessdaily}

  • 5 Countries in Efforts to Eradicate Cassava Viruses

    5 Countries in Efforts to Eradicate Cassava Viruses

    {{Five countries; Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya, which are severely affected by two deadly cassava viral diseases, have joined efforts to tackle the problem by sharing their top five varieties with tolerance to the two diseases.}}

    The 25 varieties in total will then be evaluated in each country to identify those that are well adapted and acceptable to the local farming communities.

    {{Mass multiplication}}

    Together, cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) and cassava mosaic disease (CMD), are responsible for production losses amounting to more than $1b (Shs2.5t) every year and are a threat to food and income security for over 30 million farmers in the region.

    The first consignment of 19 varieties to each of the countries, as tissue culture virus-tested plantlets, was handed to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) that received them on behalf of the other national agricultural research systems.

    The handing over was held at the Genetics Technologies International Ltd, a tissue culture-based laboratory based in Nairobi, Kenya, that was tasked with mass multiplication of the varieties.

    The remaining varieties are still undergoing mass multiplication and will be sent out later.

    {{Efficient distribution}}

    At the event, Dr Joseph Ochieng, assistant director, KARI, said it marked an important step in the effort to control the two diseases in the collaborating countries.

    He thanked all the partner organisations for their effort in collecting, cleaning up, and multiplying the varieties.

    “The next task will be to ensure that, once these varieties are evaluated and the best varieties are identified, they reach the small-holder farmers by having an efficient seed distribution system in place,” Ochieng added.

    {{Evaluate and choose}}

    Also during the ceremony, Dr Leena Tripathi, IITA Kenya Country Representative, explained, “We are also looking to it to help our farmers cope with climate change as it is able to withstand harsh conditions such as drought and poor soils.

    However, for this to happen we need to control the spread of these two diseases. And one of the most sustainable ways to do so is to develop varieties that have dual resistance.”

    The five countries came together to freely share the best materials that are tolerant to the disease. Each country will have 20 new varieties to evaluate and choose for official release and multiplication to farmers.

    Dr Edward Kanju, the project coordinator, noted, “We have also taken steps to ensure that we are not spreading the diseases from one country to another and that the materials that we are distributing are virus free.”

    {{To increase yields}}

    Each country will receive 300 plantlets of the 25 varieties, which they will multiply in bulk and test across different cassava-growing areas to fast-track efforts to provide farmers with these varieties.

    Currently, the cassava yield in the five countries is very low averaging eight to nine tonnes per hectare but with these new varieties, yield could go up to 20 tonnes per hectare.

    To date, despite all the breeding efforts, no country has developed varieties with resistance to the two diseases and they therefore continue to spread in the region.

    However, varieties that are tolerant—showing mild symptoms but still giving acceptable yields—have been officially released and many more are in the final stages of official release in project target countries.

    {{About the Project}}

    This exchange of material is one of the key activities of the project, New Cassava Varieties and Clean Seed to Combat CMD and CBSD, led by IITA and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

    {NMG}

  • RDB Launches New Private Sector Campaign with Focus on Business Leaders

    RDB Launches New Private Sector Campaign with Focus on Business Leaders

    {{In its on-going campaign dubbed Na Yombi, the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) has embarked on a new strategy with a special focus on Chief Executive Officers and business owners in different industries to further improve service delivery. }}

    During a consultative session with the private sector today, the business leaders were urged them to take the lead in improving customer care in their respective institutions explaining that it is too costly for the economy to ignore.

    In his welcoming remarks, the CEO of the Private Sector Federation Hannington Namara said; “As you may be aware, our development objectives in EDPRS II and Vision 2020, are to become a middle-income country in the next 5 years.

    This goal cannot be realized if we do not drastically improve service delivery across all sectors.”

    Customer care is considered to be one of the key pillars and drivers of economic
    development and wealth creation.

    The drive is meant to encourage CEOs to be actively engaged with their business and employees so as to motivate them to provide better customer service. This will allow all sectors to become more globally competitive.

    In her closing remarks, the CEO of the Rwanda Development Board Amb. Valentine
    Rugwabiza said; “Looking at some global indicators, in the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Index (2013/14), we are ranked 103rd out of 140 countries when it comes to the degree of customer orientation.

    Another report, WEF Travel & Tourism Competiveness Report ranks Rwanda 84th out of 140 countries on the same indicator. I urge you CEOs and business leaders to be key drivers in fostering customer-focused standards and services to improve Rwanda’s competitiveness globally.”

    In the new strategy, Rwanda’s bid to foster excellent customer care will be addressed
    through four pillars namely; communication, training, compliance and monitoring. If
    implemented, improved customer care is expected to increase the Nation’s GDP by at least US$40 million annually, among other benefits, according to a study carried out by the Institute of Policy Analysis and Research (IPAR) His Excellency President Paul Kagame has always re-affirmed Rwanda’s commitment towards attaining a higher level of competitiveness in the service sector so as to attract more investment and tourism.

    During the 3rd Presidential business round table on 4th December 2009, President Kagame said, “The issue of customer service is a serious one for the
    government and the private sector and unless we overcome it, we are wasting a lot of time and therefore we will not achieve the kind of development we want to achieve.”

    As such, it is greatly the responsibility of CEOs to attain and sustain excellent customer care by paying more attention to their institutions’ performance.

    The consultative meeting is a forum to strengthen the partnership between government and the private sector in resolving the issue of poor service delivery and enforcing positive change in order to attain our national economic goals.

  • Minister Mushikiwabo’s Remarks at Kwibuka20 Global Conversation in London

    Minister Mushikiwabo’s Remarks at Kwibuka20 Global Conversation in London

    {March 26, 2014
    Remarks by Hon. Louise Mushikiwabo
    Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation
    Kwibuka20 Global Conversation, London:
    ‘The UK Remembers’

    26 March 2014
    Committee Room 10, House of Commons,
    Westminster, London
    5.30pm – 7.00pm}

    Dear friends good evening,

    {{In just under two weeks’ time, on April 7th, Rwanda will mark twenty years since the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. During this somber yet solemn time, we invite all people of goodwill, the world over, to join us in remembrance.}}

    – We remember, to honor the memory of those who perished.
    – We remember, to offer comfort to those who survived.
    – And we remember, to recommit ourselves to a peaceful and prosperous Rwanda, and a world free from genocide.

    We, as Rwandans, are deeply touched that members of the United Kingdom Parliament, led by our dear friends, Lord McConnell, Andrew Mitchell and Stephen Twiggs, stand in solidarity, with us as manifested in their convening of today’s important Global Conversation on the 1994 genocide in my country. We are equally honored by the presence of all of you, distinguished guests and friends.

    {{Lord McConnell and Colleagues,}}

    Your leadership in organising this Global Conversation reflects the fact that, you are not inactive. Rwanda and the United Kingdom have forged a deep bond of friendship based on mutual respect and shared values. Your government has been — and continues to be — a vital partner in our country’s transformation.

    As it happens, Rwanda currently sits alongside the United Kingdom on the United Nations Security Council and, typically, more often than not, we find ourselves in agreement on the important security matters that come before us. Rwanda is also the youngest but active member of the Commonwealth and there also we find common ground.

    {{Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen,}}

    In the life of a country, twenty years is nothing. Certainly for survivors, the events of 1994 often feel like yesterday. And yet, in today’s hectic, media-saturated environment, there is a danger that we might not take the full measure of the Genocide against the Tutsi, and that with time the picture in the world’s collective memory could become blurry.

    Together, we must not let it happen.

    There are also those who might find it easier to forget.

    There are some who want us to turn away – or accept some altered version of history, it tends to happen a lot with genocide, that attempts to establish false moral equivalency by indicting victims and finding excuses for perpetrators and this is not unique to Rwanda.

    These calls, once on the fringe, especially today with social media, amplify their voice and distort public debate. So as we remember for the 20th time, let us re-center the debate.

    Together, we must work tirelessly against these forces.

    We owe it to victims and survivors to reckon truthfully with the past, and we owe it to ourselves as well. We should not lose the perspective that the Genocide against the Tutsi was a crime against all humanity — and, while it may have taken place within Rwandan borders, its implications and meaning present a vexing challenge to all persons of good conscience, raising questions like:

    – How could this have happened?
    – Why did the international community fail to act?
    – How can we stop such atrocities from happening again?

    All these questions have been the subject of books, films, classroom debates, and workshops for years now but this conversation must go on.

    Today’s gathering, one of many Kwibuka Global Conversations taking place in the lead up to and during the commemoration period, is about addressing such essential questions in the perspective of 20 years. There is nothing simple about genocide, but the historical clarity on what truly happened and how we rectify it for the future is crucial.

    On April 7th 1994, decades of official discrimination, vilification and violence against Rwanda’s Tutsi population culminated in the most brutally efficient killing sprees in human history. There had been massacres before – beginning in 1959 and regularly thereafter – killing thousands, and forcing hundreds of thousands into exile.

    The genocide was, therefore, neither entirely unexpected nor spontaneous. It was the outcome of a deliberate, state-orchestrated campaign over decades to dehumanize portion of the Rwandan population.

    The ethnic ideology that promoted hatred and enabled genocide was a toxin that found its way into Rwanda’s bloodstream. It brought us to our knees. It threatened our viability as a nation. But it did not prevail. That is why as we remember for the 20th time, we are happy that we have the Rwanda we have today.

    In the aftermath of genocide, the incoming government found that institutions had collapsed; the justice system was in disarray, the national economy was in tatters, civil society was non-existent, the population was traumatized, and the Rwandan territory was under perpetual assault from genocidal gangs seeking to as they said, “finish the job”.

    It is impossible to overstate the scale of the challenges Rwanda confronted in 1994. The world expected total state failure characterized completely by aid dependency and unrelenting ethnic violence.

    The practical tasks of reviving a dead economy and rebuilding institutions were daunting, but they would have been impossible if we had not begun to remove the toxic ethnic ideology that tore our country apart. This was – and continues to be our great national project. We have been guarding against bankrupt politics that feed on ethnic prejudice.

    Genocide is too big a word and too scary a concept; therefore we might find it easier to start with warning signs of: discrimination, bigotry, definition of the enemy, and hateful words. Central African Republic, Syria, South Sudan; what is our joint contribution to bringing peace and unity to the people of these faraway places?

    {{Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen}}

    Today as we look back, we are heartened by the fact that Rwanda, by any standard, and against so many odds, has done well, and past gains inspire optimism for the future.

    Yet, we still have a very long way to go, not just as Rwanda, but also as a global community. That is a common challenge I place before all of you this evening.

    As we remember, we rededicate ourselves to unite more and to renew ourselves – and our faith in our quest to preserve our common humanity. We count on your solidarity and wise counsel, today and tomorrow, as we continue on what has been a most extra-ordinary journey for all Rwandans.

    Thank you.

    {kwibuka}