IGIHE

Author: Wycliffe Nyamasege

  • Rwandan troops urged to maintain discipline, commitment ahead of Mozambique mission

    The soldiers received a briefing on the new mission during a meeting with senior officials, including the Rwanda Defence Forces Army Chief of Staff, Maj Gen Vincent Nyakarundi and Commissioner Vincent B. Sano, the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Operations.

    The RDF Army Chief of Staff conveyed a message from President Paul Kagame, who also doubles up as the Commander-in-Chief of RDF, reminding the troops to maintain discipline and commitment to the crucial mission.

    Nyakarundi emphasized that the forces currently deployed in the region were performing admirably and urged the troops to uphold the standards.

    “This deployment underscores the strong bilateral relations between the Republic of Rwanda and Mozambique,” RDF said in a statement.

    The troops have been urged to maintain utmost discipline and commitment to the mission.

    The Rwandan forces are helping Mozambique’s army fight militants who launched an armed uprising in 2017.

    The insurgency began with the group expressing discontent over the lack of economic benefits from natural gas in the region, allegations of government corruption and marginalization of local communities.

    However, over the years that followed the rebellion escalated with the militia employing violent tactics, including attacks on civilians and security forces and destruction of property, forcing the government to seek military support from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in 2021. SADC forces started withdrawing last month as its mandate ends in July.

    New attacks were reported in the northern town of Macomia on Friday morning. Confirming the attack, Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi said the country is battling ISIL-linked groups.

    “Macomia is under attack since this morning. Fire exchange still continues,” Nyusi said, adding that the armed group fighters initially withdrew after about 45 minutes of fighting, but then regrouped and came back.

    Early this month, RDF announced that joint Rwanda and Mozambique forces had made gains in neutralizing the militia insurgency in the country.

    RDF revealed on May 5, 2024, that the joint security team had managed to smoke out and kill a majority of the Al-Shabaab terrorists hiding in Odinepa, Nasua, Mitaka, and Manika forests during a one-week operation that started on April 26.

    Only a few insurgents are reported to have escaped the military onslaught during the one-week operation.

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  • Israel Independence Day: From Mourning to Hope

    This year, as Israel marks 76 years of independence, what would normally be a festive occasion in every other year is a somber occasion, clouded by great pain.

    This year, alongside our great appreciation of our renewed independence in our homeland, we contemplate the profound devastation we experienced as a nation and mourn the loss of over 1200 new victims of terror that were added overnight on October 7th. How can we celebrate our nation’s freedom when 132 of our brothers and sisters are still held in captivity? How do we rejoice in our independence when friends and family have yet to return from the battlefield?

    The proximity of Memorial Day and Independence Day, two significant days in the Israeli calendar intentionally placed back-to-back, has always sparked debate – how can we transition so quickly from such sadness to celebration? These two days, with their vastly differing characters, are fused together by the blood of our soldiers and of the terror victims who have sacrificed their lives for our nation.

    Unfortunately, this year, as the country-wide commemoration siren brings the entire state to a standstill in silent homage, we will focus on the ongoing events. The attacks from Iran and its proxies Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis united our nation once again, one people bound by our resilience in the face of a horrific terror attack.

    This year, our reverence for Memorial Day is cloaked in fresh sorrow and our appreciation of our freedom in our own country is deeper than ever.

    But amidst the pain, we have a lot to be proud of. As a nation we have displayed great solidarity, courage, and comradery spanning all of Israel’s citizens regardless of religion, political opinion, or social differences.

    As the horrific Hamas attack was unfolding in southern Israel, simultaneously accompanied by hundreds of rocket barrages launched indiscriminately at targets throughout the country, civilians unflinchingly drove into the flames, not away from them, to save as many lives as possible. Many of these heroes lost their lives in their attempt to save others. In the early hours of October 7th, when it became clear that this was not just another attack, young Israelis abroad lined up at airports to return to Israel to participate in the defense of their
    country.

    For 2,000 years Jews commemorated Jerusalem and the Land of Israel in all their prayers, at times of celebration and mourning alike – until we were able to re-establish a Jewish state in our homeland. Currently, as the ugly head of antisemitism is raised to all-time highs globally, we experience an increasingly intense sensation of unity us as a people and shared destiny in the sole Jewish State. Our young country has had a full and colorful history.

    In mere decades since establishment we have provided a safe haven for the Jewish people in their ancestral land, have created a dynamic and diverse society of citizens of multiple faiths and backgrounds, have turned an ancient land into the land of innovation and creativity, have turned neighbors from enemies into allies, and have proved that we are here to stay. There have been challenges and conflict, alongside much success. Through it all, we have persevered and maintained our faith both in our nation and our people, secure in the knowledge that our future lies in our own hands, and we are building it together.

    This year, as Memorial Day transforms into Independence Day, our brothers and sisters are still languishing in captivity. Although this year our celebrations are far from joyous, and our hearts are not yet whole, we look at strong Israelis like Rachel Goldberg-Polin, Time magazine as one of the most influential people in the world, mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin who is still held captive in Gaza, who continues to spread her mantra that “hope is mandatory” around the world.

    This great country was built on many values and principles, but the single value that shines through no matter the hardship is our collective hope as a nation that one day we will be able to live in peace with our neighbours.

    Until then, and especially now, “hope is mandatory”, and we will never relinquish it.

  • US embassy in Tanzania suspends services due to internet outage

    The United States Embassy in Tanzania has suspended key consular services following a widespread internet outage linked to a major fault on the subsea fibre connecting the East Africa region to the rest of the world through South Africa.

    As a result of the network interruptions, the US embassy said its offices in Tanzania will remain closed to the public on May 14 and 15.

    “All consular appointments on May 14 & 15 will be cancelled and rescheduled to a later date,” the embassy said in a statement.

    During the period, the embassy noted that only the consular section would be open as scheduled for visa pick-up and handling of emergency cases for American citizens.

    Tanzania was the worst-hit country in the internet outage that hit EAC members including Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda on Saturday.

    Cloudflare Radar, which monitors internet connectivity, reported that Tanzania’s traffic had fallen to 30 per cent of expected levels since the network interruption was reported at 10 am on Saturday.

    Nape Nnauye, Tanzania’s minister of information, communication and information technology confirmed the service disruption on Sunday, saying the cuts affected the SEACOM and EASSy subsea cable systems between Mozambique and South Africa.

    The minister said the country would continue to experience low internet speeds until the technical problem is resolved.

    “There are ongoing efforts to solve the problem,” he said. “As they continue to solve the problem, we will have very low access to internet and international voice calls.”

    Internet service providers (ISPs) in Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda said they were aware of the intermittent internet connections and urged their customers to be patient while the issue is being addressed.

    “To our customers, we would like to inform you that the technical problem with the Internet in East Africa has not yet been resolved. We are still monitoring it to provide you with normal internet services. We apologize for the inconvenience caused,” MTN Rwanda said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

    Most ISPs, including Kenya’s leading telecommunications company Safaricom, said they had been forced to activate redundancy measures to keep their customers connected.

    “We have since activated redundancy measures to minimise service interruption and keep you connected as we await the full restoration of the cable,” Safaricom said, adding, “You may, however, experience reduced internet speeds.”

    Meanwhile, the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) assured members of the public on Monday that efforts by relevant players are ongoing to restore full connectivity.

    “This is to inform all internet users of the undersea cable damage leading to internet disruptions. Users are encountering slow internet speeds due to congestion on remaining links.

    “Please be patient as all is being done to restore full connectivity,” RURA said in a statement on Monday.

  • Five presidents, 2,000 business leaders to converge in Kigali for CEO forum

    Rwanda Development Board (RDB) will host the event alongside the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group focused exclusively on the private sector in developing countries.

    More than 1,000 CEOs including the top executives of Africa’s largest corporations and 1200 companies with operations in Africa are expected at the event which will draw participants from 75 countries.

    Themed “At the table or on the menu?” the forum, to be held at the iconic Kigali Convention Centre (KCC), is expected to challenge attendees to take decisive action for Africa’s future amidst global economic uncertainties.

    “We call on our community of leaders shaping the future of Africa to recognise the structural and enduring consequences of the actions they take at this critical time,” President of the Africa CEO Forum, Amir Ben Yahmed, said in March.

    “The forum will be a crucible for innovative strategies and partnerships, propelling the continent into the opportunities of tomorrow.”

    Yahmed, while commenting about the ongoing preparations for the forum last month, indicated that five Heads of State and several senior government officials from across the continent had confirmed attendance.

    “President Paul Kagame (Rwanda), William Ruto (Kenya), and the presidents of Botswana (Mokgweetsi Masisi), Mozambique (Filipe Jacinto Nyusi), and Djibouti (Ismail Omar Guelleh) have confirmed attendance,” Yahmed said. “Also, the Prime Ministers of Sao Tome, Cameroon, and Cote D’Voire, among others, have confirmed.”

    Founded in 2012, the Africa CEO Forum has enabled dialogue between the public and private sector actors on the continent’s most pressing priorities and set its business agenda.

    “The Africa CEO Forum offers the opportunity to network with other key companies and catalyse the challenges that we face ourselves as businesses,” Joshua Oigara, the CEO of Stanbic Bank Kenya opines.

    The two-day forum will feature more than 60 discussion sessions ranging from presidential keynotes to national investment promotion pitches, and from CEO Talks to closed-door strategic industry roundtables.

    Some of the notable business captains expected at the event include Makhtar Diop, Managing Director of IFC, Mesfin Tassew, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, James Mworia, Group CEO & MD of Centum Investment, Sudhir Ruparelia, Chairman of Ruparelia Group, Clare Akamanzi, CEO of NBA Africa, Rostam Aziz, CEO of Taifa Gas, Hardy Pemhiwa, President & CEO of Cassava Technologies or Patricia Poku Diaby, CEO Plot Enterprise Ghana, Karl Olutokun Toriola, MTN Nigeria’s CEO, Faith Mukutu, CEO of Zambeef, Diane Karusisi, CEO Bank of Kigali and Patty Karuaihe-Martin, CEO of NamibRe.

  • Details of President Kagame’s meeting with Guinea’s Mamadi Doumbouya

    President Kagame was received in Guinea by President Mamadi Doumbouya and senior government officials before retreating for a private meeting.

    In a statement, the Office of the President of Rwanda announced that the two leaders discussed a wide range of issues aimed at strengthening existing productive bilateral cooperation between Rwanda and Guinea in various sectors, including digitization, trade, and investments.

    President Kagame’s visit to Guinea Conakry was confirmed by the Office of the Guinea President on Sunday evening, in a communication inviting senior government officials, including National Security Council member Dansa Kourouma and Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah, to attend the welcoming ceremony at the Ahmed Sékou Touré International Airport.

    The visit comes nearly four months after Guinea’s Interim President, Mamadi Doumbouya, concluded a three-day visit to Rwanda, aimed at strengthening friendship and cooperation ties between the two countries.

    President Kagame made a similar trip to Guinea from April 17-18, 2023, which resulted in the signing of an agreement on the creation of a joint cooperation committee between Rwanda and Guinea. The committee covers areas such as agriculture, ICT, education, mining, and security.

    President Kagame and Doumbouya also witnessed the inauguration of a highway interchange connecting Kagbélen to Conakry that was named after President Kagame. The project was initiated to ease movement between major industrial cities and Conakry, as well as with neighbouring countries.

    President Kagame was received in Conakry by President Mamadi Doumbouya.

  • Admaius Capital Partners makes investment in a Rwandan telecom towers operator

    Admaius Capital Partners “Admaius”, an Africa-focused private equity investor operating across several growth markets, has announced its majority equity investment into TRES Infrastructure Limited “TRES”, the only local licensed tower owner, operator, and developer of shared telecommunications infrastructure in Rwanda.

    TRES’ tower infrastructure is used by the two local Mobile Network Operators, MTN and AIRTEL (MNOs), while also benefitting other local network service providers such as KT Rwanda Networks Ltd.

    Admaius’ investment and support will enable the Company to expand its tower portfolio locally in line with the country’s target to achieve more than 95% geographical coverage over the next few years, coupled with the roll-out of 4G and 5G networks across the country. This is expected to improve network affordability and connectivity in both rural and urban areas.

    The telecom towers infrastructure market in Rwanda is characterised by strong and resilient demand, meanwhile, growth is underpinned by the country’s growing population, the increasing number of mobile subscribers complemented by a steady SIM-card penetration rate, and the general adoption of services by new subscribers through the increase in multi-SIM adoption.

    Facilitating TRES’ continued growth aligns with Admaius’ investment strategy for Africa of finding opportunities in high-impact sectors that are the drivers of economic and social progress, including TMT (Technology, Media, and Telecommunication), digital infrastructure, financial services, FMCG, healthcare, and education.

    Admaius Capital Partners were co-advised by Asafo & Co. and ENS Africa. Gahigiro Capital and BK Capital acted as the co-financial advisors to TRES Infrastructure Ltd and the Founder. Attorneys House acted as the legal advisor to TRES Infrastructure Ltd and the Founder.

    Commenting on the investment, Marlon Chigwende, the Managing Partner of Admaius, said: “We are excited to be investing in Rwanda, one of the fastest growing markets in Africa. GDP growth has been strong, sustainable, and relatively broad-based. Our investment in Tres will help to expand network coverage to rural parts of Rwanda, as well as aid the rollout of 4G, and ultimately 5G over time. In addition to capital, we are bringing experienced Towers experts to support in strengthening the Tres business.”

    Venuste Twagiramungu, Chief Executive Officer of TRES commented: “Admaius Capital Partners’ investment has come at the right moment. With their expertise in fund management, they are bringing not only the financial backing that we need but also their organizational capabilities that will transform TRES into a true corporate. From this exciting journey we are expecting no less than a fast expansion and a true contribution to the Rwandan objective of more than 95% geographical coverage.”

    About Admaius Capital Partners

    Admaius Capital Partners is an experienced African investment manager currently managing in excess of $280m through its Virunga Africa Fund 1. All of the Admaius’ team are African and have significant experience in Africa.

    Admaius Capital Partners is headquartered in Kigali, Rwanda and has offices in Nairobi, Johannesburg, Tunis, Cairo, and London. Admaius is a commercial investor with a strong impact and social development focus.

    The business has former leaders of some of Africa’s largest and most experienced investment managers including Carlyle, Actis and Standard Chartered. Key focus areas include financial services, healthcare, education, FMCG, and TMT (Technology, Media, and Telecommunication). Admaius’ objective is to partner with the best-in-class local operators in Africa to grow the business and create a positive change.

    About TRES Infrastructure Ltd.

    TRES Infrastructure Ltd is a Rwandan licensed tower owner, operator, and developer of shared telecommunications infrastructure.

    TRES has constructed and currently owns tower sites, which are rented to MNOs including MTN, Airtel and KTRN. Furthermore, the Company is ISO 9001:2015 & ISO 54001:2018 certified and is an approved service provider to Ericsson and Huawei, the biggest telecom equipment vendors on the continent.

    The CEO and Founder, Venuste Twagiramungu has over 25 years of industry experience, and had worked for MTN, the largest MNO in Rwanda before he started TRES Infrastructure in 2009.

  • Internet disruptions enter day two following major sub-sea fibre cut

    Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania confirmed on Monday that the technical problem had not been resolved even as internet users continued to complain of frustrating low speeds.

    More than 80 million internet users are reported to have been affected by the internet service outage that started at around 10:00 am on Saturday.

    Rwanda’s leading telecommunication company, MTN Rwanda, said it was monitoring the situation to provide its customers with normal internet services.

    “To our customers, we would like to inform you that the technical problem with the Internet in East Africa has not yet been resolved. We are still monitoring it to provide you with normal internet services. We apologize for the inconvenience caused,” MTN Rwanda said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

    Airtel Rwanda users have also reported slow internet speeds on social media.

    In Kenya, leading telco Safaricom confirmed that its internet services had also been affected following an outage on one of the undersea cables that deliver internet traffic in and out of the country.

    “We have since activated redundancy measures to minimise service interruption and keep you connected as we await the full restoration of the cable,” Safaricom said, adding, “You may, however, experience reduced internet speeds.”

    Responding to customer complaints on Monday the company said the problem was yet to be resolved.

    “We are aware of the challenge, and request patience as resolution is ongoing.”

    Airtel Uganda also said it was aware of the “intermittent internet service” linked to failures affecting the SEACOM and EASSy subsea cable systems.

    Earlier, Cloudflare Radar, which monitors internet connectivity, reported that Tanzania was among the worst-affected countries with traffic falling to 30 per cent of expected levels.

    Nape Nnauye, Tanzania’s minister of information, communication and information technology confirmed the service disruption on Sunday, saying the outage was caused by a fault on the cables between Mozambique and South Africa.

    “There are ongoing efforts to solve the problem,” he said. “As they continue to solve the problem, we will have very low access to internet and international voice calls.”

    Other countries that have reported internet service outages include Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar.

  • Insights into leading causes of death in Rwanda

    The annual report indicates that in 2023, 32,853 deaths were documented in the civil registration system across the country, with non-communicable illnesses accounting for 46 per cent of the deaths, up from 45 per cent in 2022. The chronic diseases include cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and schizophrenia.

    The second-largest causes of death in the country were infectious and parasitic diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria, and measles; maternal and perinatal causes, including maternal haemorrhage and birth trauma; and malnutrition, which represented 43 per cent of the deaths registered in 2023, down from 46 per cent in 2022.

    Injuries from accidents accounted for 11 per cent of the deaths registered in 2023, representing an increase of 3 per cent from the 2022 statistics.

    The report further shows that of the 32,853 deaths documented in 2023, 53.8 per cent occurred outside health facilities

    Mortality statistics show a high number of registered deaths among males compared to females, with a sex ratio at death equivalent to 121.1 male deaths per 100 female deaths in 2023, almost the same as the result in 2022 (122.2).

    In 2023, the Northern Province led with the highest number of registered deaths at 8,271, followed by Kigali (7,818), the Southern Province (6,819), the Eastern Province (6,135), and the Western Province (3,509). A total of 301 deaths were not attributed to any province.

    In terms of districts, Gasabo District recorded the highest number of deaths due to its high population density, with 1,682, followed by Nyagatare with 1,552 and Rubavu with 1,465. Gicumbi District had 1,415, Musanze District had 1376 deaths, Bugesera District had 1305, followed by Gakenke District with 1242.

    Other districts that recorded more than 1,000 deaths were Gatsibo (1,212), Kamonyi (1,203), Muhanga (1,194), Rwamagana (1,119), Nyamasheke (1,099), Rulindo (1,062) and Nyaruguru (1,049).

    In terms of the age of the deceased persons, most deaths were recorded within the age bracket of five years and below, followed by persons aged 80 years and above. NISR attributed this trend to the high risk of death at early ages, particularly at birth.

  • President Kagame to visit Guinea-Conakry

    An official communication from the Office of the Guinea President on Sunday indicated that President Kagame is expected to land at the Ahmed Sékou Touré International Airport at 9:00 am.

    Senior government officials have been invited to attend the welcoming ceremony at the airport. The officials include the President of the National Security Council, Dansa Kourouma, the Prime Minister, Amadou Oury Bah, heads of various government agencies, members of different ministries, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, the Chief of the Gendarmerie, heads of land, air, and naval forces, diplomats representing their respective countries, international organization representatives, police chiefs, customs officials, conservationists, and the Mayor of Conakry.

    The agenda items of the meeting were not immediately disclosed.

    The visit, however, comes nearly four months after Guinea’s Interim President, Mamadi Doumbouya, concluded a three-day visit to Rwanda, aimed at strengthening friendship and cooperation ties between the two countries.

    Doumbouya was accompanied by the First Lady of Guinea, Lauriane Doumbouya.

    President Kagame made a similar trip to Guinea from April 17-18, 2023, which resulted in the signing of an agreement on the creation of a joint cooperation committee between Rwanda and Guinea. This committee covers areas such as agriculture, ICT, education, mining, and security.

    President Kagame and Doumbouya also witnessed the inauguration of a highway interchange connecting Kagbélen to Conakry that was named after President Kagame. The project was initiated to ease movement between major industrial cities and Conakry as well as with neighbouring countries.

    Kagame’s visit to Guinea follows a similar visit to Senegal, where he and President Bassirou Diomaye Faye agreed to strengthen ties between the two nations on Sunday.
    President Paul Kagame and his Guinea counterpart Mamadi Doumbouya during the inauguration of a highway interchange connecting Kagbélen to Conakry in April 2023.

  • Legal marriage registrations up by 62% in Rwanda

    According to the latest report from the National Institute of Statistics Rwanda (NISR), data sourced from the National Centralized and Integrated Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (NCI-CRVS) System shows that the number of registered legal marriages rose from 35,529 to 57,880 in 2023.

    NICR said the sharp increase was likely a result of increased sensitization of couples to formalize their unions.

    “These abnormal changes in marriages registered can likely be attributed to the sensitization of couples living in consensual unions to officialize their marriages,” the new report reads in part.

    For a marriage to be considered official in Rwanda, it must be officiated by a civil registrar at a sector office, district office, or Rwandan embassy.

    It’s estimated that for every population of 1,000 people in Rwanda, 43 marriages were officiated in 2023.

    “The comparison of registered marriages with the resident population size gives a crude marriage rate equivalent to 4.3%,” the report adds.

    Since 2019, the number of registered marriages has been fluctuating, dropping from 48,526 in 2019 to 30,859 in 2020 against a population of 12,663,116 people.

    In 2021, 33,809 marriages were officiated, and in 2022, 35,529 people formalized their unions.

    In 2023, a high number of marriages were officiated in Gasabo (5,177) and Rulindo (3,223) districts, while low numbers were observed in Nyabihu district (881) and Embassy (52).

    In terms of age trends, there was a general observation that the number of marriages is high among females compared to men under 30 years old, while above 30 years old, the number of marriages becomes high among males compared to females.

    On the matrimonial regime, 97.6 per cent of the unions signed a contract detailing joint ownership of their property, dubbed “The Community of Property.

    Two per cent of the couples opted for the Limited Community of Property regime, in which spouses agree to pool their respective properties owned on the day of the marriage celebration, to constitute the basis of the acquests as well as the property acquired during marriage by common or separate activity, donation, legacy, or succession.

    Some 0.4 per cent of the couples chose the Separation of Property regime, in which spouses agree to contribute to the expenses of the household in proportion to their respective abilities while retaining the right of enjoyment, administration, and free disposal of their personal property.

    The report further reveals that the number of marriages is generally high between females and males with the same levels of education.

    “Females who attended university are more likely to get married with males having the same level of education (2,743 cases) or those with upper secondary (760) while they are less likely to get married with those who never attended or only attended the preschool (5 and 2 cases, respectively),” the report reads.