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  • GoR signs U$20m Solar Energy Deal with Goldsol II

    GoR signs U$20m Solar Energy Deal with Goldsol II

    {{The Government of Rwanda (GoR) has today signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Goldsol II, an energy consortium, to construct a 10MW solar power plant worth US$20 million in Kayonza, Eastern Province. }}

    The consortium is composed of three companies-TMM Renewables a Company incorporated in South Africa, Gesto Energy Africa a company registered in Malta, and 3E Power Solar, a company registered in Rwanda.

    The Agreement will provide a framework to carry out a feasibility study that will assess the project’s power generation.

    This will then result into a long term agreement between the Government of Rwanda and a company to be established by Goldsol II in Rwanda to generate, manage and distribute power all over the country. The project is expected to be operational by 2016.

    Speaking at the signing, the Rwanda Development Board’s Chief Executive Officer Ambassador Valentine Rugwabiza said that: “The current installed generation capacity is close to 120MW.

    The 2017 energy target is 563MW to allow for affordable access to power to cover most of the country, which is currently at 19.4% to increase to 70% by 2017. ”

    She further added that; “Rwanda is keen on conservation of the environment and therefore is using an expansive approach that embraces a range of clean energy solutions; solar being one of them.

    Partnering with experienced investors, such as Goldsol II who are contributing 10 MW which is half of our solar energy target of 20MW by 2017, is fundamental to further boosting Rwanda’s GDP.

    The realization of this project will not only contribute to increased access to sustainable, reliable, and clean power generation of about 10% to the existing power generation, but will also serve an estimated 38,800 additional households vis a vis the 427,000 connections today.

    This project will also have socio – economic impacts, such as job creation and improved standards of living for communities.”

    The Development and Managing Director of TMM Renewables Nuno Nóbrega said; “The GoldSol consortium has a track record of investments in Africa that exceeds US$800M, has collective experience of more than 400MW of renewable energy projects in operation worldwide and business presence of more than 10 years on the continent.

    The greatest challenge of this project now is to commission as soon as possible, so we can focus on additional renewable energy projects in Rwanda.

    The excellent social and economic environment that we have been experiencing in this country has exceeded all our expectations and, at the same time, amplified our responsibilities.”

    The 10MW solar power plant project was awarded to the consortium, through a competitive tender run by EWSA.

    {{Managing Director of TMM Renewables Nuno Nóbrega and Hon. Eng. Emma Francoise Isumbingabo at the signing cerem.}}

  • NASA Hatches Plan to Grow Food on Mars

    NASA Hatches Plan to Grow Food on Mars

    {{Is there life on Mars? Nasa has spent decades trying to figure out the answer to David Bowie’s question but a new plan suggests that they are now taking matters into their own hands with the Mars Plant Experiment.}}

    The proposal, unveiled at the recent Humans 2 Mars conference in Washington, is to send seeds to the red planet and establish a tiny Martian greenhouse – no bigger than a football – by 2021.

    If successful, the greenhouse will pave way for naturally grown food for future humans on Mars, including Nasa’s own planned manned mission sometime in the 2030s.

    {{International effort}}

    At the moment, long-term survival in space is a costly affair, with astronauts aboard the International Space Station eating prepackaged food that costs nearly £14,000 ($23,000) per kilogram to send up to space.

    The idea of Nasa’s Ames Research team, led by scientist Chris McKay, the Mars Plant Experiment would cut Nasa’s costs dramatically; with the first astronauts on Mars requiring expertise in farming as well as space exploration.

    Speaking to the Human 2 Space conference, the experiment’s deputy principal investigator Heather Smith explained that “In order to do a long-term, sustainable base on Mars, you would want to be able to establish that plants can at least grow on Mars.

    This would be the first step in that…we just send the seeds there and watch them grow.”

    Growing interest

    If approved, the experiment will be carried out via Nasa’s $1.5 billion-costing 2020 Rover mission, which, along with the experiment, will also be looking for signs of past life and collecting samples of rocks for possible future return to Earth.

    The seeds will be carried in a CubeSat box – a case used for smaller and cheaper satellites — which would be attached to the outer body of a new design of Rover which is heavily based on the current Curiosity model: the rover which landed in on Mars in August 2012 and confirmed that it had once, billions of years ago in a site called Yellowknife Bay, been capable of supporting microbial life.

    The box would hold Earth air and about 200 seeds of Arabidopsis, a small flowering plant that is widely used as a model organism in plant biology due to changes in thale cress being easily observed.

    Once the Rover touches down, however, it will not be planting the seeds in Mars’ dirt, but rather keeping the experiment self-contained and adding water to the box. This is to eliminate the chances that Earth life, especially microbes, could prosper on Mars before humans do.

    There are two reasons for this. 1) If that did happen, the result would be disastrous for scientists trying to determine what life is from Earth and what is from Mars, and 2) project leader Chris McKay is known within the scientific community as holding a biocentric position towards the ethics of terraforming, arguing that indigenous Mars life – if it exists – should be given a chance to prosper before being overwhelmed by Earth’s microbes.

    {{Green shoots}}

    Some 15 days after being watered, the scientists expect to have a small greenhouse with signs of life. If so, then how the martian garden copes with Mars’ environment will be extremely useful for Earth’s future relationship with the planet.

    Compared to Earth, the environmental conditions on Mars are extreme with a non-breathable thin, low pressure carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere, extremely strong radiation from the sun, temperatures on average of -63 °C and just 38 per cent of the gravity that exists on Earth.

    It has been said before, though, that plants will find it difficult to survive due to Mars’ low air pressure.

    Molecular biologist Rob Ferl, director of Space Agriculture Biotechnology Research and Education at the University of Florida, has been experimenting for years on how plants will react on the moon or Mars, and has said that, “plants have no evolutionary preadaption to hypobaria.”

    According to Ferl, such extreme low pressure will make plants misinterpret biometric signals and act as if they’re drying out. Nasa claim, however, that after years of extensive testing, it doesn’t expect zero-gravity conditions to affect the growth of the plants.

    {{Going ahead?}}

    Either way, no one will know how successful the experiment will be if it isn’t approved. After all, there’s only so much space for so many instruments on the next Mars rover and, at present, Nasa are considering proposals for a total of 58 different instruments with only ten spare places available. It would be a shame not to try, though – especially given the overall objective.

    “We would go from this simple experiment to the greenhouses on Mars for a sustainable base,’ Heather Smith explained, “That would be the goal. It also would be the first multicellular organism to grow, live and die on another planet.”

  • Salutation About “ICT AND COMMUNICATIONS Award”

    Salutation About “ICT AND COMMUNICATIONS Award”

    {{Your Excellency, Paul KAGAME,

    The President of the Republic of Rwanda;}}

    My Company operates in more than twenty countries across Africa and Asia. We have been carefully analyzing the leadership of those countries and their support towards ICT development and communications. Your leadership is unique.

    When StarTimes Group launched its operations in Africa in 2008; we decided to start from Rwanda because of your visionary leadership and commitment to ICT as an enabler of good governance and economic development.

    From here in Rwanda, our company is operating in all East African countries and beyond.

    Also, StarTimes Group has been analyzing carefully the choices made by your country, after the genocide against Tutsi was perpetrated in Rwanda, twenty years ago, with media being used as one of key instruments of genocide. Those choices are; UNITY, ACCOUNTABILITY, and THINKING BIG.

    Your Excellency, Mr President of Rwanda;

    Recognizing both your visionary leadership and your commitment towards meeting the set objectives of Vision 2020 in promoting ICT and communications as well as the three choices made by your Country;

    StarTimes Group awards you with its first ever “Number One in ICT and Communications Award”.

    This Award is designed in a form of handicraft called “Ding” in Chinese and translated as “tripod”. In Chinese history and culture, possession of one or more ancient “Ding” or tripod is often associated with power and dominion over the land.

    Therefore, the “Ding” or tripod is often used as an implicit symbolism for power and eminence. As a ritual vessel in ancient China, “Ding” or tripod could be used to record great performance or imperial awards for King and ministers in grand ceremony.

    Nowadays, “Ding” symbolizes solidarity, unity and authority, representing peace, stability, development and prosperity which Rwanda has greatly achieved under the leadership of H.E. Paul KAGAME.

    The phrase of “NO.1 IN ICT & COMMUNICATIONS” on the Tripod aims to express the gratitude to your valuable contribution in the field of ICT and my highest respects to you and you are the first African Leader to receive this Award. You really deserve it.

    Your Excellency, as the deadline of digital migration set by ITU is approaching, which is June 17th, 2015, we don’t have so much time left.

    With the current foundation in the DTV industry of Rwanda, StarTimes hopes to make our contributions together with Rwanda government to realize the Digitalization of broadcasting & TV industry in Rwanda. We hope to have your support on it again.

    Chairman of StarTimes Group

    Pang Xinxing

  • Hope Academy Rwanda Honored with 2nd Place in Romania & 3rd Place in Kenya

    Hope Academy Rwanda Honored with 2nd Place in Romania & 3rd Place in Kenya

    {{The twelfth edition of the InfoMatrix competition just recently convened at Lumina University in Romania. Kigali’s own Hope Academy Rwanda were in attendance as part of their diligence to go beyond the classroom in their academic endeavors. }}

    InfoMatrix is an international competition which aims to bring together likeminded students who have a drive and passion in IT. The competition encompasses five categories: hardware control, short movie, robotics, computer art, and programming.

    The two delegates for Hope Academy Rwanda placed in 2nd for their short film regarding ‘prejudice’. (The movie can be seen on Hope Academy’s youtube channel*.)

    The competition took place during the past week of May 5th. Over 280 schools from 43 countries were represented, with a total number of 3719 participants with 1,515 projects on display and in competition for prizes and selection.

    The competition’s aims are to create dialogue and multicultural aspect amongst participating students and teachers.

    With so many people present and involved in the competition it is an auxiliary aim of its founders to have visitors build bridges and expand their reach socially, as well as academically.

    Being that the competition has expanded to each continent the reach and progress of the projects introduced at InfoMatrix have only become more advanced.

    Hope Academy Rwanda looks forward to future endeavors into IT competitions and hope to improve upon its second place finish in the coming years.

  • ’Made in Gatsibo’ Shoes Expected in Market Soon

    ’Made in Gatsibo’ Shoes Expected in Market Soon

    {{Made in Gatsibo Quality Shoes soon hitting the market}}

    {{Gatsibo district is reaping from the benefits of a newly established shoe factory. The new factory has recently provided jobs to several youths in the district.}}

    The factory belonging to Star Leather Products Company Limited was established in collaboration with Gatsibo district, BDF, Ministry of Trade and Commerce, Italian Trade Commission-ICE and the Government of Japan.

    Gatsibo District Mayor Ambroise Ruboneza says the shoe factory employs former small scale shoe makers, cobblers and also university graduates.

    The factory was established after the district authorities realised there were gifted shoe makers in the district.

    Mayor Ruboneza told IGIHE that very soon Shoes with an Inscription ‘Made in Gatsibo’ will be available on the local and regional market.

    “We have well Italian trained technicians and designers at the Gatsibo based shoe factory. We expect high quality shoes from this factory. There are modern machinery installed at the complex located at Kabarole.”

  • Eto’o Hits Back at ‘fool’ Mourinho

    Eto’o Hits Back at ‘fool’ Mourinho

    {{Samuel Eto’o has described Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho as a “fool” for questioning his age and vowed to play on at the highest level for some time to come.}}

    Mourinho, who was also Eto’o’s manager at Inter Milan, was caught on camera making unguarded comments suggesting the Cameroon striker was older than his official age earlier this season.

    The 33-year-old, in line to feature in his fourth World Cup this summer, responded by celebrating his next Chelsea goal as if he was a geriatric.

    Now Eto’o, who is out of contract this summer after scoring 12 Chelsea goals, plans to continue to ply his trade in one of Europe’s top leagues.

    Eto’o told africanfootball.com: “Thanks for informing me that it will be my last World Cup.

    “Today, I am 33-years-old. And it is not because a fool called me an old man that you must believe it.

    “And you may have noticed that the old man was better than the youngsters.

    “Some believe I am going to retire in the United States or in the Middle East, but I have regained the joy of the Champions League and I am going to carry on playing in the Champions League. Where? I am not going to tell you.

    “But I am going to carry on playing because physically and mentally I feel great.

    “So I am going to go to this World Cup and to the next one when I will be 37.

    “Some did it at 42, so I can still play in two more World Cups.”

    Following Chelsea’s final game of the season at Cardiff, Mourinho suggested Eto’o would depart this summer, at the end of his one-season deal.

    The Chelsea boss will wait until pre-season before determining the futures of his loan stars.

    Mourinho presented his end-of-season report to the Chelsea hierarchy on Monday, detailing his thoughts on all matters relating to the first-team squad.

    Definitive decisions on goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, striker Romelu Lukaku and the others who spent time away from Chelsea this season will wait until after training resumes on July 8.

    MSN

  • Newspaper Ordered to Apologise to Zuma’s Wife

    Newspaper Ordered to Apologise to Zuma’s Wife

    {{The Press Ombudsman has upheld a complaint by South Africa President Jacob Zuma’s wife Thobeka Madiba-Zuma that a story by the Isolezwe newspaper was false. }}

    Ombudsman Johan Retief, in a ruling released on Wednesday, directed the Zulu-language newspaper to publish the following: “Isolezwe unreservedly apologises to Ms Thobeka Madiba-Zuma – see page five” on its front page.

    This would be immediately under its masthead, in a size that matched its wording on 23 March, the day the original article was published.

    A summary of Retief’s finding and sanction, together with an appropriate apology was also to be added.

    The article, was carried by Isolezwe with the headline stating: “Zuma’s wife and suspicions of robbery – said to have sold a car that does not exist.”

    Madiba-Zuma complained the story contained false allegations, that the journalist did not give her enough time to respond and that the publication caused harm to her reputation and dignity with its unsubstantiated allegations.

    According to Retief, the story claimed that Mbali Khumalo from Mpendle, KwaZulu-Natal had opened a case against Madiba-Zuma for robbing her of R40 000 after Madiba-Zuma had agreed to sell her a Toyota Raider for R46 000.

    Khumalo was reportedly going to pay the outstanding R6 000 after she had collected the car – but the vehicle seemed to be unavailable and no refund was forthcoming.

    ‘Newspaper got it wrong’

    The journalist reportedly quoted Khumalo as saying that the car belonged to Madiba-Zuma’s mother and that she had deposited the money into an account held in the name of CA Dlamini which was believed to be Thobeka’s mother’s account.

    Madiba-Zuma complained that she knew nothing about the content of the story, or Khumalo.

    She also denied that her mother was CA Dlamini.

    Sandile Mdadane, weekend editor of the newspaper responded, saying a follow-up article in which Madiba-Zuma’s side of the story was reflected was published.

    “I am afraid that Mdadane mistakenly seems to think that it was enough for him to have included Madiba-Zuma’s “side” of the matter – without clearly and unequivocally enough stating as fact that the newspaper got it wrong in the first place. This is worrisome,” Retief said.

    He said admitting one was wrong was different from reporting the other “side” of a story.

    He found that the story had unnecessarily damaged Madiba-Zuma’s reputation and dignity.

    “Not only was it inaccurate; it was also fundamentally unfair to her.”

    – SAPA

  • Senators Briefed on Role of Community Policing Committees

    Senators Briefed on Role of Community Policing Committees

    {{The Inspector General of Police, Emmanuel K. Gasana said that the community policing strategy has played a crucial role in maintaining security in the country.}}

    The IGP made the remarks on May 14 while briefing a standing committee of the senate on foreign affairs, cooperation and security at the Rwanda National Police headquarters in Kacyiru.

    The meeting was also attended by the DIGP in charge of Operations, Dan Munyuza and other senior officers.

    The committee had visited the RNP to get first hand information on the role of Community Policing Committees (CPCs) in ensuring and maintaining safety and security in the country.

    The CPCs operates at the cell and village levels and were put in place under the Ministerial decree No.02/07 of October 2007.

    There are about 80, 000 members of CPCs across the country, who have been trained in various policing fields

    “Community policing is a tool that has successfully played a major role and support the Rwanda National Police operations to ensure safety and security the country in enjoying today,” the IGP said.

    This strategy brings the public in solving localized problems and to make specific improvements that enhance the overall quality of life in the communities.

    The force’s proactive approach was also introduced to give authority to the community to feel involved and to have a sense of belonging and responsibility in fighting and preventing crimes.

    The overall idea was to replace the old policing system where the public used to fear the police or security organs, and in this way, they could harbour criminals and hardly provided information on criminal acts.

    The Police Chief also briefed the Senators on the force’s priority areas to effectively deal with the modern policing challenges, which include capacity building especially through training, crime prevention, international cooperation to combat transnational crimes, community policing and fighting corruption.

    Other priorities include E-policing, media and policing, infrastructure development and intelligence-led policing.

    IGP Gasana noted that fighting crimes requires all stakeholders including the public, partnering with regional and international forces.

    He observed that criminals are taking advantage of the modern technology to execute their evil plans such as terrorism, human and drug trafficking and money laundering, which require local and international cooperation to prevent such criminal activities.

    The Senators thanked the RNP for being a “people’s force” and expressed “satisfaction” on the role of CPCs in the fighting and preventing crimes.

    “This consultative meeting has been fruitful and it will guide us as we continue to conduct our findings on the role of CPCs in maintaining security,” Jean Damascene Bizimana, chairperson of the committee, said.

    The Senators are planning to meet with CPCs across the country before producing their report on the findings.

    RNP

  • Nigeria Rejects Boko Haram Swap Deal

    Nigeria Rejects Boko Haram Swap Deal

    {{Nigeria’s president has rejected an offer from Islamist rebel group Boko Haram to exchange schoolgirls it abducted for imprisoned militants, but the government is open to broader talks with the rebels, a visiting British minister said.}}

    President Goodluck Jonathan is under pressure to crush the rebels who have killed thousands in their campaign for an Islamist state and to free the girls whose abduction a month ago has sparked global outrage.

    Government officials initially said they were exploring all options with respect to the swap proposal and later said they were willing to negotiate with Boko Haram without specifying whether any putative talks might include an exchange for the girls.

    Jonathan further refined that position on Wednesday during talks with Britain’s Minister for Africa Mark Simmonds.

    “He (Jonathan) made it very clear that there would be no negotiations with Boko Haram that involved a swap of abducted schoolgirls for prisoners,” Simmonds told reporters after meeting Jonathan.

    wirestory

  • President Mugabe Flies to Singapore For Check-Up

    President Mugabe Flies to Singapore For Check-Up

    {{Zimbabwe’s 90-year-old President Robert Mugabe is in Singapore for “another routine eye check-up”, his spokesman said on Thursday, playing down concerns about the health of the veteran African leader who has no obvious successor.}}

    Mugabe had a cataract operation in Singapore on the eve of his 90th birthday in February, officials said, and his visits to the southeastern Asian state have become more frequent over the last couple of years amid fears for his health.

    Spokesman George Charamba said Mugabe – who denies he has prostate cancer or any other serious illness – would be away for a week and would undergo a “routine eye check-up following a recent procedure on the same”.

    When he addressed an independence anniversary rally on April 18, a squinting Mugabe struggled to read his speech and his eyes appeared swollen when he removed his spectacles.

    His health is a concern for Zimbabweans who fear instability if Mugabe dies in office without resolving a succession battle raging in his ZANU-PF party, which has ruled the southern African country since independence from Britain in 1980.

    Vice-President Joice Mujuru and Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa are seen as the front-runners, but Mugabe, Africa’s oldest president, recently confirmed that the contest was open to other ZANU-PF leaders as well.