Author: Wycliffe Nyamasege

Plans to accommodate migrants in Kigali taking shape ahead of first flights from the UK

Rwandan government deputy spokesperson Alain Mukuralinda told The Guardian that the authorities are ready to receive the asylum seekers ahead of the first flights scheduled to depart for Rwanda in about 12 weeks, as announced by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last week.

“We are ready, and even if asylum seekers arrive here tomorrow, we shall receive them and accommodate them,” Mukuralinda said.

The two governments have made arrangements to host the migrants at city facilities, including Hope Hostel, which is located about 20 kilometres from the airport.

The hostel manager, Ismael Bakina, told the UK publication that plans are underway to accommodate the individuals and ensure their comfort throughout their stay. This includes giving them an orientation that will help them familiarize themselves with the country and its people.

At the well-maintained and elegant hostel, the migrants will be allowed to engage in extracurricular activities, including football and basketball games.

“We have designated even smoking places,” Bakina revealed, adding, “We shall offer them internet services.”

The migrants will enjoy three meals a day and have the freedom to walk to the city at will.

“This is not a prison or detention center. The migrants will go everywhere they want to go, including visiting the city center,” Bakina said.

The government will use the first three months to process the migrants’ documents before taking them to live in permanent houses alongside Rwandans.

The authorities will also cover their expenses for at least five years, during which they are expected to start looking after themselves. During this period, those who are educated will be encouraged to apply for jobs to earn a living and contribute to nation-building.

Mukuralinda further noted that the migrants’ safety is guaranteed. He insisted that those who were claiming that Rwanda was not safe had been proved wrong after the UK government finally approved the scheme last week.

Meanwhile, the UK government is expected to start detaining migrants arriving in the UK through irregular routes in the coming weeks ahead of their removal to Rwanda.

The Guardian reports that officials plan to hold up asylum seekers who turn up for routine meetings at immigration service offices. They will also pick people up nationwide in a major two-week exercise.

The migrants would then be transferred to detention centers awaiting their removal to Kigali.

The Rwanda migration plan is part of the UK government’s strategy to deter people from arriving in the UK via small boats across the English Channel.

The UK signed the deal with the Rwandan government in 2022, but the plans were delayed due to protracted legal tussles and parliamentary ping-pong.

The UK plans to offer failed asylum seekers up to £3,000 (RWF 4,866,727) to move to Rwanda under the new voluntary scheme.

April 29, 2024
Kagame condemns ‘hypocrisy’ in efforts to address global North-South divide

Speaking on Sunday, April 28, during the World Economic Forum Special Meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the Rwandan Head of State called out what he described as hypocrisy in efforts by some players to solve problems facing developing countries in the Global South.

“The divide is there. Let us not be vague about it. For example, if you look at it from the perspective of global shocks that we talk about, all countries in the world are affected. Of course, some are affected more than others. But that is a reminder that we need to look at the inclusiveness and collaborations that bring different entities of the world together.

“For that, we must be able to call out hypocrisy whenever we see it. We keep talking about the North and South divide, but we don’t find quick solutions to that, yet we can,” President Kagame stated.

At the same time, President Kagame challenged African leaders to overcome the victim mentality, stating that the continent has what it takes to thrive and narrow the divide between the global North and South.

“In this case, I am going to argue for our continent, Africa. Africa has the fastest-growing middle class. In the not-too-distant future, it will be the only place with a growing middle class. How can you forget that this is a very important place in our world?”

“To narrow the divide, the rest of the world has to see that this is an important place to invest in and to invest with. Secondly, it’s for Africa itself to avoid any victim mentality and start raising ourselves to the levels where we should be, and in fact, where we are — a very important geographical part of our world with a lot of resources. It’s not just natural resources but also the people,” he stated.

He maintained that developed countries must recognise Africa as an important player in global affairs including politics and economy

“As much as you may find problems here and there, Africa is coming together. Africa is moving forward. Different countries have decent or impressive growth of the economy. This can’t be coming from nothing but the good efforts that Africans are putting in place.

“Therefore, it’s important that the rest of the world looks at Africa as an important entity in global affairs be it politics or economy,” President Kagame stated.

On her part, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva called for increased collaborations to increase the distribution of resources to underdeveloped countries and marginalised groups.

“Over the last 100 years, despite a huge second world war and despite the cold war that followed, we as humanity have achieved so much. Life expectancy almost doubled, income per capita has increased eight times, with the population almost tripling. The question is: how did we do it? We did it with technology and we did it with capital accumulation, and then deployment of capital to generate that wealth.

“Where did we fail? And we have to be honest and admit it. In a world of plenty, we still have almost 800 million people who are hungry. We failed to more inclusively share the benefits of this growth. I look forward, I am optimistic, and I think in 100 years we can achieve the same degree of wealth but with much better distribution of the benefits of growth. May we have the will to work together to achieve that,” the IMF boss stated.

April 29, 2024
The world should look at Africa as an important entity in global affairs – Kagame

Speaking on Sunday, April 28, during the World Economic Forum Special Meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the Rwandan Head of State said there is a need to recognize efforts Africans have put in place in the huge economic strides the continent continues to make.

“As much as you may find problems here and there, Africa is coming together. Africa is moving forward. Different countries have decent or impressive growth of the economy. This can’t be coming from nothing but the good efforts that Africans are putting in place.

“Therefore, it’s important that the rest of the world looks at Africa as an important entity in global affairs be it politics or economy,” President Kagame stated.

President Kagame further lauded gains made by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), saying that its full implementation will significantly boost intra-Africa trade.

“We have developed the African Continental Free Trade Area – in fact, the biggest in the world. What we are trying to do now is to make sure that it becomes real. The obstacles that are there for the African continent to come together are being removed, but it takes time and effort. However, there is progress,” he added.

Reflecting on Rwanda’s economic growth over the last 30 years, after the country was derailed by the Genocide against the Tutsi, President Kagame said the country’s gains should provide optimism to the rest of the world.

“So, growth that we continue to realize is driven by what we are trying to do within the country itself, with all those constraints, but also what we can do with sub-regions we find ourselves in or cooperating with. But everything adds to the optimism we are talking about. Looking at where Rwanda has come from and where it is now should actually add to the optimism that people should have, looking at even wider where the world is coming from and where it is going,” President Kagame said.

He noted that Rwanda had managed to rise from the ashes of the 1994 Genocide against The Tutsi through sound investments in the people, technology and collaborations with various stakeholders in Africa and beyond.

“We have invested in education, health, and, above all, technology, which has been a focus for us and integrating it into education and health services. For the health service, for example, we have made use of technology like drones which are delivering health services to rural hospitals,” he added.

“Rwanda has also not been left behind in adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI). We have invested in it as well as agriculture. The question for us has been, how do we achieve food self-sufficiency and take it to the integrated continent?”

He noted that accountability and good governance had also contributed to Rwanda’s growth.

“Rwanda has come from the dead 30 years ago and we are now alive and thriving. It’s the investment in our people. Accountability and governance that we bring into play that we share with the rest of the continent,” President Kagame added.

The discussions also featured President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, and Lazard Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Peter Orszag.

Georgieva called for increased collaborations to increase the distribution of resources to underdeveloped countries and marginalised groups.

“Over the last 100 years, despite a huge second world war and despite the cold war that followed, we as humanity have achieved so much. Life expectancy almost doubled, income per capita has increased eight times, with the population almost tripling. The question is: how did we do it? We did it with technology and we did it with capital accumulation, and then deployment of capital to generate that wealth.

“Where did we fail? And we have to be honest and admit it. In a world of plenty, we still have almost 800 million people who are hungry. We failed to more inclusively share the benefits of this growth. I look forward, I am optimistic, and I think in 100 years we can achieve the same degree of wealth but with much better distribution of the benefits of growth. May we have the will to work together to achieve that,” the IMF boss stated.

April 28, 2024
President Kagame, IMF boss hold talks on ongoing collaborations

The leaders met on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum special meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

President Kagame arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday evening and is scheduled to participate in a panel discussion themed “A New Vision for Global Development”, alongside President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia.

Georgieva will also participate in the discussions alongside Lazard Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Peter Orszag.

Rwanda became the first African country to benefit from $319 million in funding from the IMF in December 2022 under the Resilience and Sustainability Trust to fund key climate change initiatives.

RSF was created in 2022 to help low-income and vulnerable middle-income IMF members address longer-term structural challenges such as climate change with longer-term, low-cost financing.

At the time, the RMF Executive Board also approved a new 36-month Policy Coordination Instrument (PCI) to support Rwanda’s economic policy and reform agenda designed to maintain macroeconomic stability and foster more inclusive growth.

“The new PCI will continue to support Rwanda’s macroeconomic policies and reforms, with a greater emphasis on policies to ensure macroeconomic stability and reforms to mitigate pandemic scars and to build socioeconomic resilience to shocks and insure against downside risks,” the Board said in a statement after the approval of Rwanda’s financing request.

Georgieva visited the East African country a month after the Board’s decision, where she had discussions with green entrepreneurs as well as young environmentalists on their efforts to address climate change-related challenges.

“I came away impressed by the dynamism and creativity of Rwandan youth advocating for climate action and environmental conservation, and entrepreneurs using their ingenuity to bring climate-friendly solutions for a greener tomorrow,” Georgieva said after her three-day visit to Rwanda.

Georgieva also participated in a round table discussion with Rwanda’s senior government officials on climate financing and ongoing climate mitigation and green projects.

“I was glad to have the opportunity to exchange views with policymakers from the region on the multi-faceted challenges they face on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic fallout from the war in Ukraine, the cost-of-living crisis and climate change. We also discussed how the IMF could help them better address these challenges,” she added.

April 28, 2024
Kenya Airways protests arrest of its employees by military in Kinshasa

In a statement on Friday, KQ Managing Director and CEO Allan Kilavuka disclosed that the two employees were arrested by the Military Intelligence Unit at the airline’s airport office in Kinshasa a week ago.

According to the Kenyan national carrier, the military cited missing customs documentation on valuable cargo that was to be transported on a KQ flight on April 12, 2024, as the reason for the arrest.

“Kenya Airways [KQ] confirms that on Friday, April 19th, 2024, two of our employees at our Airport office in Kinshasa were arrested and continue to be detained by the Military Intelligence Unit known as Detection Militaire des Activities Anti Patrie [DEMIAP].

During their arrest, their phones were seized, and all access to them has been denied. On April 23rd, 2024, Kenyan embassy officials and a few KQ staff were allowed to visit them but only for a few minutes,” KQ said.

Kilavuka lamented that attempts to secure the release of the staffers have proved futile as the authorities continue to ignore court orders regarding the matter.

“On April 24th, 2024, KQ filed an application in the Military Court for the two to be released unconditionally. The court heard the matter on April 25th, 2024, and granted KQ’s request that the two staff members be released to allow due process. Despite the court orders, the military intelligence unit is still holding them incommunicado, yet these are civilians being held in a military intelligence facility,” the CEO said.

The CEO has denied any wrongdoing on the part of the Kenya Airways employees whom he insists had not cleared the cargo to be airlifted.

“The cargo was not on the airside for transportation and, therefore, not in the possession of KQ as the logistic handler was still completing documentation before handing it over to KQ. This cargo was still in the baggage section undergoing clearance when the security team arrived and alleged that KQ was transporting cargo without customs clearance.

“All efforts to explain to the military officers that KQ had not accepted the cargo because of incomplete documentation proved futile,” Kilavuka lamented.

He maintained that Kenya Airways adheres to international best practices in handling and transporting cargo.

“We have stringent processes and compliance checks known as ‘Ready for carriage’ to ensure any cargo ferried on our flights meets all the statutory requirements across our destinations. All our logistics partners MUST comply with these measures before KQ accepts any cargo,” he added.

“We are perturbed by this action targeting innocent staff and consider it harassment targeting Kenya Airways’ business. KQ continues to cooperate with the investigating agencies and is working with the relevant Government entities in both DRC and Kenya to ensure this matter is resolved.”

April 26, 2024
History as Lithuania marks its first commemoration of 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi

The event held at the Memorial Complex of Tuskulėnai Peace Park in Vilnius marked the first commemoration in Lithuania and the whole Baltic States of the genocide which claimed the lives of more than one million people in Rwanda.

In attendance were representatives of the Lithuanian government, the diplomatic community and Rwandan nationals living in Lithuania.

The commemoration event dubbed ‘Kwibuka30’, began with the lighting of candles, which the organisers of the anniversary said represented the ever-shining lights of the more than one million victims of the genocide.

The candle lighting ceremony was led by Arūnas Bubnys, General Director of the Lithuanian Genocide and Resistance Research Center, Vytautas Pinkus, Head of the Global Affairs Group of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Olivier J.P. Nduhungirehe, Ambassador of Rwanda to Lithuania (with residence in The Hague) and Professor Justinas Žilinskas of the University of Vilnius.

During the commemoration, Ambassador Nduhungirehe recounted that the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi was planned and committed by Rwandans against Rwandans, by an extremist regime against a part of the population.

He, however, pointed that the atrocities were enabled by the failures and silence of the international community, mainly the United Nations Secretariat, the UN Security Council and individual western powers that were historically and economically linked to Rwanda.

The ambassador also acknowledged the apologies made by Western powers for their inaction in stopping the intended extermination of members of the Tutsi community in Rwanda in 1994 by the Hutu-led regime.

“In the aftermath of the genocide, individual powers, through parliamentary commissions, as well as political and academic debates, tried to understand their own failure in Rwanda in 1994. A number of Heads of State and Government of those countries came to Rwanda after the genocide to admit responsibility and present their apologies, in a form or another.

“The UN, on its part, did the same, and on 15th December 1999, its ‘Report of the independent inquiry into the actions of the United Nations during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda’ concluded that ‘the international community did not prevent the genocide, nor did it stop the killing once the genocide had begun’”, the ambassador stated.

He said memorial sites erected by some of the countries continue to raise awareness of the Genocide against the Tutsi.

“I take this opportunity to thank European and North American countries that erected, on their soil, memorials to honour the victims of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, namely France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands and Germany. We hope, in order to raise more awareness, to erect more genocide memorials in Europe, especially in the Baltic States”, he stated.

He also called for deliberate efforts to include lessons on the Genocide against the Tutsi in school curriculums, similar to the way the genocide of European Jews during World War II is taught in schools.

“Beyond memorials, and as requested by the UN General Assembly resolution, we believe that it would be important for Lithuania and for your respective countries, to consider including lessons on the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda in your schools’ curricula,” he added.

“Indeed, we have noticed that in many countries in the world and in Europe in particular, young generations don’t know much about this tragedy. We therefore find it important that as the Holocaust is taught in schools, so should be all genocides established by international jurisdictions or recognized by the international community, in particular the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.”

The commemoration event was organised by the Embassy of Rwanda to Lithuania, which has its residence in The Hague, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania and the Genocide and Resistance Research Centre of Lithuania.

Rwanda marks ‘Kwibuka’ every April 7 and the event lasts for 100 days of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

April 26, 2024
Rwanda to host international correction and prisons conference

The event, organized by the International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA), will be held between October 26th and 31st, 2025.

Evariste Murenzi, the Commissioner General of Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to host the conference during an event presided over by ICPA President Peter Severin in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday, April 25.

The prisons boss is attending a five-day ICPA conference on technology in corrections and innovation in prison infrastructure, which kicked off on Monday, April 22.

“The signed Memorandum of Understanding between RCS Commissioner General Evariste Murenzi and ICPA President Peter Severin is an indication of the trust that the global corrections association has in Rwanda to host the mentioned conference from October 26th to 31st, 2025,” the department said in a statement.

ICPA is a non-profit association for prison professionals founded in 1998 with a mission to promote and share ethical and effective correctional practices to enhance public safety and healthier communities worldwide.

It is a non-governmental organization in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC).

Rwanda will be the second African country to host the ICPA AGM and conference after Namibia, which hosted the event in 2014.

The conference brings together more than 900 participants drawn from different parts of the world and aims to recognize outstanding progress and excellence with respect to its mission, particularly in prisons/corrections achievements which advance humanitarian, environmental, and professional corrections and prisons approaches.

April 26, 2024
Is Rwanda safe? Foreigners in Rwanda share their experiences

Safety of Rwanda Bill, which sought to declare Rwanda a safe destination for asylum seekers after the Supreme Court declared the scheme unlawful, faced strong opposition from the Labour Party and human rights groups.

The groups argued that the safety of the migrants could not be guaranteed in Rwanda with the Lords pushing for amendments to ensure the legislation had “due regard” for international and key domestic laws, including human rights and modern slavery legislation.

The Supreme Court judges had earlier ruled that there were substantial grounds for believing “asylum seekers would face a real risk of ill-treatment by reason of refoulement [return] to their country of origin if they were removed to Rwanda”.

Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s refugee and migrant rights director, shared similar sentiments, arguing that the refugees were not safe in Rwanda.

“The Supreme Court looked at it all very carefully and concluded Rwanda did not have a system in place to protect refugees,” Valdez-Symonds said.

After a sustained parliamentary ping-pong the bill sailed through on Monday after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stuck to his guns on plans to deter vulnerable migrants from making dangerous crossings to the UK using small boats.

Sunak, while defending the bill, argued that the scheme would help break the business model of criminal gangs who exploit the migrants.

The Lords allowed the legislation to pass without further amendments. It received the royal assent today paving the way for the first flight of migrants to depart to Rwanda in July.

In light of the debate about the safety of Rwanda we sought to know the experiences of the foreigners living in Rwanda as the country continues to rebuild itself after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, which claimed the lives of more than a million people.

Most of the foreigners we spoke to including students and entrepreneurs all agreed that Rwanda is a safe country governed by the rule of law.

“I have been in Rwanda for about a year now. If you’ve been to other parts of the world and other parts of Africa, you haven’t experienced this. It’s a very unique and beautiful part of Africa. It’s an extremely safe part of Africa. Coming from the South and being in other African countries, you cannot compare what we have in Rwanda,” South African business executive Firhaan Brood said.

Leila Drameh, a Gambian studying at Kigali Independent University, said, “Rwanda is a safe country. There are rules and regulations that govern the country…Hearsay doesn’t really work. People should be factual.”

Watch the video below to discover more about Rwanda:

April 25, 2024
Inside multi-billion international events Rwanda hosted in 2023

Statistics from the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) show that the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) recorded a significant growth of 52 percent in 2023 generating revenue of $95 million (RWF 122 billion).

The country hosted 65,000 delegates compared to 35,161 in 2022.

The 73rd FIFA Congress held on March 16, 2023, was one of the notable events held in the capital Kigali. The event brought together more than 1,500 delegates representing 211 FIFA members, head of Confederations and other global players in football.

During the 4th and the first-ever elective FIFA Congress held in Africa, Gianni Infantino was re-elected FIFA President to serve for four more years.

The Women Deliver 2023 Conference (WD2023) was held in Kigali from 17-20 July 2023, where more than 5,000 delegates gathered to advance gender equality.

Additionally, the Giants of Africa Festival took place in Kigali from 13– 19 August 2023. The event brought together more than 300 African youth from 16 countries, who participated in an intensive series of basketball clinics and leadership workshops designed to help them pursue their dreams.

The countries that were represented included Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Somalia, Uganda, Botswana, Ghana, South Sudan, Morocco, Cameroon and Mali.

Rwanda also hosted two other major entertainment events in 2023: the Trace Africa Music Awards and Festival, which brought together music, fashion, and arts, giving young and creative talents a global stage to showcase their skills; and The Move Afrika by Global Citizen, which was headlined by the globally renowned artist Kendrick Lamar.

Other notable events were World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), Basketball Africa League, Ironman, Cybertech Africa 2023, International Conference on Learning Representation, Africa Health Agenda International Conference, International Congress on Conservation Biology, Mobile World Congress, Global Anglican – GAFCON, nclusive Fintech Forum, Segal Family Foundation and the 19th Kwita Izina Ceremony.

Norrsken African Week Meeting, TIME 100 Summit + Awards, Unleash Rwanda and the Kigali International Peace Marathon were also among notable events hosted in Rwanda in 2023.

RDB, in an annual report unveiled on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, affirmed that the events are a testament to the Rwanda Convention Bureau commitment to position Rwanda as a premier and preferred destination.

“Events such as the 73rd FIFA Congress Meeting and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit, which were hosted on the African continent for the first time, underscore Rwanda’s competitive advantage and brand recognition,” RDB stated.

April 25, 2024
India and UAE topped Rwanda’s foreign investments in 2023

Most of the foreign investments registered in Rwanda in 2023, totaling $2.4 billion (RWF 3.08 trillion), originated from India and the United Arab Emirates, a new report shows.

The report unveiled by the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, shows that India leads with 7.2% of foreign investments in Rwanda, followed by the UAE at 5.6% and Germany in third place with 5.3%.

Mozambique and Nigeria made it to the list of the top five countries with significant investments in Rwanda, with market shares of 4.8% and 4.7% respectively. They are followed by the United Kingdom (3.8%), China (3.7%), United States (3.6%) and Eritrea (2.8%).

A majority of the investments registered by RDB, including joint ventures, were of Rwandan origin, representing 39.6% of the total investments.

Top sectors that attracted significant investments in Rwanda in 2023 are real estate, manufacturing, and arts, entertainment, and recreation.

According to RDB, 83.4% of all investments, totaling $2.1 billion (RWF 2.69 trillion), were directed to Kigali City, with the Eastern Province, which came in second, attracting 10.6% of the investments $262.9 million (RWF 337 billion).

Northern Province attracted 2.5% of the investments totaling ($60.8 million to finish third, while Southern Province and Western Province attracted 1.9% ($46.9 million) and 1.6% ($40.6 million) of the investments respectively.

Notably, Northern and Southern provinces recorded significant investments in agro processing and agriculture.

Creating employment

RDB noted that the new investments, which grew by 50 compared to 2022, are projected to create more than 40,000 jobs in the next five years.

On the actual jobs created by the investments, the Board said TekExperts created more than 500 jobs for software engineers. Additionally, 408 jobs were created by Kivest Ltd through agricultural projects, and 500 jobs were created by C&D Leather Shoes Production Plant.

An additional 134 jobs were created by RwandMoz Ltd for the Aquaculture project.
Auto Group also contributed to job creation with 613 new positions.

April 25, 2024