IGIHE

Category: News

  • World Bank to redouble efforts to fight poverty

    {The World Bank Group Development Committee has wrapped up its annual plenary meetings in Tokyo with a resolve to transform the bank into a ‘solutions bank’ that helps eradicate poverty and boost prosperity.}

    World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim called on members to redouble efforts to end absolute poverty.

    “We still live in a world that has more than one billion people living in absolute poverty,” Dr. Kim said at the closing press conference. “We must all work to make sure that the impressive gains in Latin America, Africa, and Asia over the past generation are not lost now.”

    “It is time to bend the arc of history. With global solidarity underpinned by a relentless drive for results, we can, we must, and we will build shared prosperity and end poverty,” Dr. Kim said.

    Addressing the full membership of the World Bank for the first time as president, Dr. Kim said the Bank will establish a “clear and measurable bottom line” including “ambitious targets” for ending poverty and building shared prosperity, streamlined procedures and processes, and incentives for people working for or on behalf of the Bank who can bring results on the ground.

    The plan includes strengthening evidence-based approaches to development by ensuring “virtually all developing countries have timely and accurate data,” said Dr. Kim.
    In its communique, the committee called on the Bank to work with other organizations to accelerate efforts to help the African Sahel, where “hunger threatens the lives of 19 million people and the stability of the region.” The response should bring solutions that enable the region to “permanently escape the cycle of emergency aid, and reach a more resilient and sustainable future in the medium term.”

    Donors meeting on the sidelines of the annual meetings made pledges to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, launched by the World Bank in 2008 at the request of the G20. The United States pledged to contribute an additional USD1 to the fund for every USD2 contributed by other donors (up to a total US contribution of USD475 million), attracting USD30 million contributions each from Japan and the Republic of Korea, with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation also indicating it would double its commitment.

    The committee noted that World Bank Group must also continue to help countries strengthen conditions for job growth, and asked the World Bank to “contribute actively” to the process of setting global development targets that would take effect after the Millennium Development Goals sunset in 2015. “

  • Marking International Day for Disaster Reduction

    {{The International Day for Disaster Reduction is organized each year on 13 October (GA resolution 64/200 of 21 December 2009). This year, it was observed October 12.}}

    It is the most widely observed day for raising awareness about disaster risk reduction, creating social demand, and mobilizing the wider public to get involved and take ownership of the processes to create disaster resilience.

    This year’s theme is “Women and Girls-The invisible force of resilience”. The aim of International Day for Disaster Reduction 2012 (2012 IDDR) is to acknowledge and appreciate the millions of women and girls who make their communities more resilient to disasters and climate risks and thus to reap the benefits of and protect their development investments.

    Too much of the work and achievements of women is of low-visibility–taken for granted. The 2012 IDDR theme draws attention to the fact that women’s contributions to protect and rebuild their communities before and after disasters are often unrecognized.

    The Secretary General of the East African Community, Amb. Dr. Richard Sezibera says “as we join the rest of the World in celebrating this day, we remain focused on the key drivers of vulnerabilities in the region, which includes climate change impacts, urban disasters, environmental degradation and dependency on rain-fed agriculture among others with a view to create mechanism to address them”.

    “The EAC Secretariat will endeavor to empower women and girls to fully contribute to sustainable development through disaster risk reduction, particularly in the areas of environmental and natural resource management; governance; and urban and land use planning and social and economic planning”.

    The EAC Secretariat has instituted several mechanisms to address the disasters and vulnerabilities in the region. Indeed this International disaster reduction day coincides with the ongoing validation workshop on the EAC Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Strategy (EAC DRRMS) at the Palace hotel in Arusha, Tanzania which ends today 12 October 2012.

    The objective of the EAC DRRM Strategy is to eradicate poverty and promote sustainable development through raising livelihoods of communities and reducing development risks in the region arising from natural hazards and manmade disasters.

    In development of the strategy, it is understood that disaster risks result from the interaction between natural, technological or conflict induced hazards and vulnerability conditions.

    The strategy therefore will be linked to other sectoral strategies to strengthen and harmonize implementation and usability.

    The EAC secretariat also recognizes the role of gender, women and children in social economic development of the region.

    Women and girls are invaluable in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation processes if real community resilience and significant reduction of disaster impacts are to be achieved.

    Women must always be part of policy, planning and implementation processes. That is why the EAC Secretariat has full Department on Gender issues to articulate the role of women and youth in sustainable development.

    The EAC is collaborating with the United Nations Office for Disaster Reduction (UNODR) for technical support on Disaster Risk Reduction activities in the region; to fully integrate disaster management into EAC plans and strategies.

  • RTUC To Licensed to Offer Degree Courses

    {{Students at the Rwanda Tourism University College (RTUC) will legally be awarded Business Information Technology (BIT) degrees following a cabinet approval of Prime Minister’s order.}}

    RTUC was 2011 accredited as a fully-fledged university following an evaluation of its degree programmes.

    In 2008, RTUC received partial accreditation as a vocational institute to award diplomas and certificates.

    The institution has over 4,000 students and has two campuses located in Gisenyi and Kigali.

    Currently RTUC offers certificates, diplomas and degree programmes in hotel and restaurant management; tourism and travel management; as well as the Air Transport Association (IAT or Universal Federation of Travel Agents Association (UFTAA) registered course in travel and airports operations.

  • Police Impounds More Smuggled African Gin

    {{Police in Nyarugenge District on October 12 impounded a vehicle carrying about 78 (640 bottles) smuggled boxes of African Gin.}}

    The vehicle registration number RAA 908K and the goods valued at over Rwf1.5 million were seized at about 12:30am in Muhima Sector, Rugenge Cell as they were being off-loaded.

    Police also arrested three people suspected to be behind the act. The trio – Anthere Sinatumwe 45, the driver and Alexis Murengerantwari 48, are currently held at Muhima Police.

    The goods are suspected to have been smuggled into the country from Uganda through illegal entries.

    According to Police in Nyarugenge, the goods were brought in two separate cars.

    “We were informed by some people who were in a nearby bar having a drink. They saw people offloading things taking them behind the nearby toilet and they got suspicious,” one of the police officers who conducted the operation, said.

    “We are going to handover the goods to the Revenue Protection Unit (RPU) so that these people pay taxes they were trying to evade,” he added.

    RPU is a police unit attached to Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) to fight fraud and other related crimes.

  • Kirehe Youth Mark RPF Anniversary

    {{Youths in Kirehe district are preparing for the 25th anniversary celebrations of Rwanda’s ruling party Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi).}}

    The youth from various sectors in the district participated in various sporting activities in areas of football, marathon and cycling, and singing completion among others.

    The competitions were organized by the RPF Inkotanyi committee in Kirehe district, as part of the preps for the party jubilee that is slated for October 15, 2012.

    Kirehe district RPF Inkotanyi Chairman, Protais Murayire hailed the youths for their level of discipline and sporting spirit.

    He urged the youths to form a district team that will compete with other districts at the provincial level in the Eastern province of Rwanda.

  • Burera Residents Want Ugandan Gin Banned

    {{Residents in Burera District have urged district authorities to suspend and stop activities of selling African Gin imported from Uganda saying it causes drunkenness among residents.}}

    African Gin is illegal in Rwandan. Zaraduhaye Joseph, the vice Mayor in charge of Economic development in Burera district revealed that some containers imported are reportedly said to be full of Kanyanga gin which is illegal in Rwanda.

    Residents say when you take more than two bottles of African Gin you get a headache.

    Local Authorities told residents that their wishes are being examined.

  • Kivu Belt Financing Mobilization Sealed

    {{Rwanda has signed a Financing Agreement with the Saudi Fund For Development to co-finance Lot 6, Rubengera-Gasiza of Kivu Belt Multinational Road.}}

    The MOU was signed October 12, in Tokyo-Japan as a sideline event to the World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings.

    The Government of Rwanda, represented by Honorable John Rwangombwa, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning and the Saudi Fund For Development, represented by HE Eng. Yousef Ibn Ibrahim Al-Bassam, the Fund’s Vice Chairman and Managing Director.

    The aforesaid signing ceremony is about the US$ 13,000,000 pledge that Saudi Fund For Development did during the fundraising round table to co-finance Lot 6, Rubengera-Gasiza of Kivu Belt Multinational Road as sidelines of the 9th Government of Rwanda Development Partners Meeting (DPM) November 2010 in Kigali.

    During its meeting in the 2nd quarter of 2012, the Fund’s board of Directors approved the Loan to Rwanda of US$ 13 Million under more good (concessional) terms.

    During the signing ceremony Rwangombwa, on behalf of the Government of Rwanda, and HE Eng. Ibrahim Al-Bassam, expressed their satisfaction on the development partnership between Rwanda and and the Saudi Fund.

    The road will be 23.6 Km long and 7 meters wide at a total cost of US$ 52.7 Million. The other contributors to the funding of the road section are: the Government of Rwanda (USD 4.35 Million), Kuwait Fund For Arab Economic Development (US$ 13 Million), The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID, US$ 10 Million), Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA, US$11 Million).

    We have signed with all other 3 Arab co-financiers;

    Design studies were completed in 2008 by Saudi International and Construction Works started in 2010 by Lot 3, Rusizi-Mwityazo, 50 Km, under the funding from the African Development Bank, of US$ 63 Million.

    The African Development Bank and Government of Rwanda have also financed Lot 7, Gasiza-Rubavu (US$ 68 Million) of 47,8 Km.

    The Government of Rwanda contracted a US$ 113 Million China Export Import Bank to construct Lot 4 and Lot 5, 66 Km from Mwityazo (Nyamasheke) to Rubengera (Karongi).

    The total length of the multinational (Burundi-Rwanda) Road is 265.7km, with 185 Km on Rwandan side (Kivu Belt Road) to cost Rwanda on designs, construction and supervision of works US$ 350 Million.

    With the Saudi Fund financing, the mobilization of the funding is concluded.

    When completed, the multinational road will have among other benefits such as promoting regional integration, contribute to trade and provide easy access to these land locked countries to the sea ports.

    It additionally will increase the potential for tourism and fisheries on Lake Tanganyika and Lake Kivu.

    As internal benefits, the road will increase trade, reduce transportation time and costs in the western province, as well as the rest of the country. The Western province produces 70% of the nation’s coffee and 40% of the nation’s tea.

    Ongoing projects of the Fund include “Increased Electricity Access in Some Areas in Rwanda” project: US$ 11 .7 Million, the “Rehabilitation of Kitabi-Congo nil Road” Project : US$ 10 Million and the Rehabilitation and the “Extension of King Faisal Hospital” Project: US$ 12 Million.

  • Zimbabwe Lion Eats Woman

    {{In Zimbabwe, game scouts on patrol in the Bumi Hills area of Kariba District last week stumbled upon the lower torso of a woman suspected to have been killed by lions.}}

    Members of the Bumi Hills anti-poaching unit were on patrol near the Katete Bridge along the Siakobvu-Chalala Road when they saw a brown handbag and blood near a bus stop.

    They also discovered a spoor which they followed leading to Nyanguhwe Mountains where they found the lower half of a woman.

    Acting Mashonaland West police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Ian Kohwera confirmed the incident.

    “Investigations are under way to establish the identity of the woman,” he said.

    He said the game scouts found a passport — registration number AN605793 — bearing the name Simbisai Machakwa (37) of Gokwe in the handbag.

    However, the bearer of the passport, Machakwa, advised the police that she was alive.

    “In a puzzling development the woman we thought had been killed by the lions has called the police indicating that she was robbed of her purse with the passport in Gokwe,” he said.

    Asst Insp Kohwera said three men attacked and robbed her of her purse.

    “We have not yet established how that handbag and passport ended up in Chalala and on the scene of a lion attack.

    “We are still to unpack the mystery of the identity of the woman attacked by the lions,” he said.

    The remainder of the body was taken to Bumi Hills Police Post and a Karoi magistrate waived post-mortem.

  • Animal Attack Victims Compensated

    {{Rwanda Development Board, October 11, compensated animal attack victims in Gatsibo district.}}

    Over Frw18,657,651 million was used to compensate 110 families, whose crops were destroyed by wild animals from April to June, 2011.

    The compensation was given to families living in Rwimbogo sector near Akagera National Park.

    One of the compensated Mukantabana Venancient commended the activity saying that Government has shown the willingness to pay those crops were destroyed. She received Frw2,531,000 Million.

    Nsanganira Tony, the deputy director general at Rwanda Development Board (RDB) said over Frw2 billion was reserved to compensate those who lost their properties due to damages caused by wild animals.

    Over Frw 450 Million are meant for those nearing Akagera National Park in Eastern Province.

    RDB revealed that since 2005, about 306 claims from damages caused by animals’ country wide were recorded and most of the problems were caused by those of Akagera National Park.

    The government has adopted a policy that aiming to settle wrangles between residents and wild animals in Akagera National Park.

    An electric wall between the park and residential areas is currently under construction to prevent wild animals from crossing over and destroy people’s crops and sometimes taking lives of unfortunate ones.

    The sectors bordering with the Akagera National Park are Nasho, Mpanga, Nyamugari and Mahama.

  • Fertiliser Thieves Arrested

    {{Police in Ngoma District arrested four people in connection with the theft of over 8 tones of Chemical fertilizers-DAP, which were meant for local agricultural Cooperative “Imbaraga.”}}

    Four suspects are leaders of Imbaraga cooperative and they were arrested after inspection results which found that over 8 tones were not clear how they were used.

    Recently a man called Ntakirutimana was arrested with 9 sacks of fertilizers which residents said he got through an illegal process.

    However, after investigations, Ntakirutimana was released.

    Fertilizers are meant to help local farmers to increase their farm production and thus improve their standards of living but not to be used for private interests.

    However, Murisi Japhet, the Executive Secretary of Mutendeli sector says the fertilizers are illegally sold in neighboring Burundi.

    Imbaraga Cooperative were meant to receive 25 tones of DAP and 10 Kilos of Maize seedlings and their leaders failed to acknowledge how 8 tones of them have been used.