IGIHE

Category: Opinion

  • Communication facilitates team work especially in hotel business

    Ones commitment to their work doesn’t really provide better customer care but rather team work has proved to be the most essential due to joint effort, three women who are currently pursuing their diploma in leadership skills and hotel management at Akilah Institute for Women are quick to explain how perfect communication facilitates unity.

    Anita Umutoni who now has a permanent job as a receptionist at the Manor hotel, explains that her occupation involves a lot of communication to ensure that clients get answers to their questions and demands.

    The Manor’s receptionist noted that many are times she receives calls from clients who need various services in the hotel which means she has to collaborate well with the hotel’s departments to know for instance available meals or events.

    Her friend Noella Abijuru who once worked as a waitress in the same hotel, noted that her post helped her realize that a meal or a drink would never reach the customer in time if there was lack of joint effort. “I mean those who serve the client should communicate well to the bar man or chef on what is needed if not so the client will either complain or leave, which is a shame and loss to the hotel,” the former waitress warns.

    “Indeed we learn communication as a special lesson at the institution,” responds Florence Mukundwa who works as a chef at an Indian restaurant situated in the same hotel, her argument is that some servers give wrong orders to her especially meals which are not on the menu but lucky enough she can distinguish some of the special orders since she’s used to international cuisine.

    She further added that even accountants should be aware of what’s going on in the hotel.”I remember there was a time we ran out of chicken and the accountant didn’t have money to buy more, so what happened a colleague sacrificed her money to buy what was required in order to keep the clients around, you see this was so unprofessional because the chefs didn’t communicate earlier that they’d ran out of chicken meat in their stock,” Mukundwa.

    Professionalism is also important especially for waiters and waitress. Health and nutrition for instance is a very important knowledge for servers since it helps them communicate to the chef on the kind of food their clients want since there people who are allergic to some food spice like vinegar or cheese. “Of course a chef who has a detailed demand would prepare a meal which is friendly to their client’s health,” the chef remarked.

  • RSE market highlights as of 14 June

    The Rwanda Stock Exchange was very active and the BRALIRWA shares are now trading ex-dividend. A total turnover Rwf 295,783,000 was recorded from 1,260,100 BRALIRWA shares traded between Rwf 220 and Rwf 235 in 15 deals.

    BRALIRWA share price closed the day unchanged from yesterday’s closing price of Rwf 235.

    The KCB and NMG counters did not record any transaction today and their share prices remained unchanged from yesterday’s closing prices of Rwf 175 and Rwf 1200 respectively.

    At the end of business, there was an outstanding bid of 100,000 BRALIRWA shares at Rwf 220 each and an outstanding offer of 7,300 BRALIRWA shares at Rwf 260 each. There was also an outstanding offer of 100 KCB shares at Rwf 180 each.

  • Tripartite integration on progress


    In a bid to bolster intra regional trade through creation of a wider market,
    member states under the Common Market for East and Southern Africa
    (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern Africa
    Development Community (SADC) have signed a declaration to strengthen
    one market within the bloc.

    The high level summit held over the weekend in Johannesburg South Africa
    adopted a developmental approach aimed to enhance tripartite integration process through market integration, infrastructure and industrial development.

    In addition, the declaration done by heads of state and government officials under the bloc which also makes half of the AU membership, will oversee the harmonization of Tripartite Free Trade Area (FTA) negotiations aimed at forming the integrated market.

    This is expected to favor the bloc’s population which is estimated at 600 million people and a total Gross domestic product of about USD 1 Trillion.

    Under the theme deepening COMESA-EAC-SADC integration with a common vision towards a single market, the forum targets to increase investment in the region by enhancing competitiveness as well as developing cross-regional infrastructure.

    Moreover, the tripartite initiative is a crucial step to achieve the African
    vision of an economic community envisioned in the Lagos Plan of Action of 1980, the Abuja treaty of 1991 which is in line with the resolution of the African Union summit held in Banjul Gambia in 2006.

    The Rwanda delegation was led by the Right Honorable Prime Minister
    Bernard Makuza who represented the President.

  • Microfinance institutions cautioned on issuing alike financial products

    The Association of Microfinance Institutions in Rwanda (AMIR), an 84-member organization that was established in 2007 to build the capacity of the microfinance industry in Rwanda, has cautioned microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Rwanda regarding the risks of offering the same financial products to all clients.

    AMIR Executive Secretary Rita Ngarambe noted that.“MFIs must know that products that work here in town cannot work well in rural areas, they need to craft new products that will help these poor people access financial services….Because of this problem of MFIs using the same products, it is affecting them greatly especially with increasing Non Performing Loans, poor governance and operational risks”

    Despite the challenges, the Rwanda cooperative alliance is optimistic that the tremendous performance of Umurenge SACCOs need stable MFIs that are able to serve the demand already created by the SACCOs.

    “We have achieved a lot in cooperatives and what we need now is strong financial institutions that are able to provide banking services,” Audace Bimenyimana, of Rwanda Cooperative Agency said.

    Reacting on the matter, Ngarambe assured that AMIR has embarked on training MFIs on financial reporting, accountability and customer service in an effort to assist them in tackling the challenges they are facing, especially those in rural markets.

  • Kenya disagrees with EAC axle road limits

    Kenya has broken ranks with its East Africa Community counterparts over plans to adopt harmonised gross vehicle weight limits by August.
    Officials at the EAC Secretariat said Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Burundi have agreed on 56 tonnes axle load (weight per tyre).

    In October 2008, President Mwai Kibaki issued a directive reducing the number of axles allowed on Kenyan roads from four to three, lowering the limit of the gross weight of a truck to 48 tonnes. Now Kenya says it can only go up to 52.

    Burundi and Rwanda both have an axle load limits of 53 tonnes while Uganda and Tanzania have theirs at 56 tonnes. The variance could frustrate efforts towards integration.

    Article 90 of the EAC Treaty provides for the adoption of common axle-load to facilitate transit transport in the region, which is a key pillar of integration.

    Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi have harmonised their axle-load limits in line with those of Comesa, while Tanzania has harmonised its axle-load limits in line with the Southern Africa Development Community countries.

    According to PADECO, an international development consulting company that recently conducted a study on transport infrastructure in the region, the EAC will save about $7 million per year if axle load is controlled. Also, that transit time for vehicles carrying goods from one partner state to the other will reduce by an hour.

    EAC’s director of productive Services and Infrastructure Alfred Kisoro, said consultations on the implementation of a harmonised weight and axle limit are in top gear. “The lack of a harmonised axle load is among major factors impeding efficient transport in the region as vehicles on transit are delayed for several hours at weighbridges,” said Mr Kisoro.

    In most East and Southern Africa countries, enforcement is hampered by the lack of harmonised rules on axle load limits and vehicle specifications. Also to blame for poor enforcement of the rules and regulations is the fact that most implementing authorities are ill-equipped for their work. On the other hand, corruption among public officials manning weighbridges has led to a lack of faith in the systems used in different countries.

    Reports indicate that cross-border transport is three to five times more expensive in Africa than it is in Asia and Latin America. For example, truck transport from Mombasa to Kampala over a distance of about 1,100 km takes five days, of which 19 hours are spent crossing borders and at weighbridges.

    EAC Secretary General Richard Sezibera described the efforts to harmonise vehicle weight limits as critical if EAC partner states are to improve transport infrastructure in the region. This, he said would spur efficiency and lower the cost of doing business.

    “If we can ensure efficiency in the transport sector, we shall be able to reduce the cost of doing business by over 50 per cent which will boost the competitiveness of the East African Common Market,” said Dr Sezibera.

  • RSE market highlights as of 9 June 2011

    Today, the RSE continued to go up both in volume and price. The BRALIRWA share traded at Rwf 240 and Rwf 253 and closed the day at Rwf 253; an increase of 8% from yesterday’s closing price.

    Moreover, a total turnover of Rwf 513,853,000 was recorded from 2,141,000 BRALIRWA shares transacted in 3 deals. The BRALIRWA shares are trading cum dividend up to Monday 13th June 2011.

    The KCB and NMG counters did not record transaction and their share prices remained unchanged from yesterday’s closing prices of Rwf 175 and Rwf 1200 respectively.

    At the end of normal business hours, there were offers of 2,500,000 BRALIRWA shares at Rwf 241 and 1,999,000 BRALIRWA shares at Rwf 253 each and no supply. There was also a supply of 2,000 KCB shares at Rwf 180 each and no
    offer.

  • Healing after genocide, Rwandan filmmakers use movies to show the progress

    A group of young Rwandan movie directors are making their mark on the world stage, and helping to heal the wounds of the country’s troubled past.

    Last month, four young Rwandan film makers traveled to New York’s Tribeca Film Festival to showcase their stories, inspired by the resilience and beauty of their country. Making its world premiere at the renowned film festival, “Grey Matter,” by filmmaker Kivu Ruhorahoza, is one of the first feature-length films to be directed by a Rwandan who still resides in his homeland.

    The film moves between fantasy and reality to illustrate the psychological aftermath of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 800,000 people.

    The movie was given a Special Jury Mention at the New York festival “for its audacious and experimental approach.” Ruhorahoza says the idea for “Grey Matter” originated just after the genocide, when he was about 13 years old. He says he wanted to help people understand the effects of the violence.

    “After ’94 I just saw so much and it was overwhelming,” he says. “There are so many people who have lost everything, everything — parents, siblings, their houses — and don’t even have a place to live. And who talks about them?”

    To complete his film, Ruhorahoza says he had to overcome many obstacles that stand in the way of most emerging Rwandan directors. “I didn’t get any money from any institution,” he says. “Rwanda, we don’t have a film industry, we’re still trying to build up one — I couldn’t even get a tripod under my camera, we couldn’t get a sound recorder.”

    Although still in its infancy, Rwanda’s film industry has the potential to educate and move the once war-torn country forward. The Tribeca festival also featured “Perspective: Rwanda” — a series of powerful short films by three young Rwandan directors sharing their stories and examining the theme of “reconciliation.”

    “Saa-Ipo” narrates the story of a talented street musician who wants to make a life out of his passion for music. Director Jean Luc Fils Habyarimana chooses not to address the genocide issue head-on but instead focuses on life after the war.

    “There are a lot of films about genocide and I think many people already know what happened to Rwanda,” he says. “It was terrible, it was very bad, but we need to show people other things.
    “Of course we need to talk about genocide, but we need also to show people that after genocide we have other things to do, to show people we have other things to share.”

    In “Lyiza,” director Marie-Clementine Dusabejambo tells the tale of a young student who discovers that the parents of one of her classmates were responsible for the killing of her family.
    She says that with her film she aims to show the world how Rwandans managed to reconcile and solve their problems themselves without needing any help.

    “All Rwandans want to be reunited and reconciled, they want to see the children playing on the hills without thought of the past,” she says. “That is why they try to forgive. It is forgiveness that transforms the moment but does not erase the past.”

    In his film “Shema,” Kayambi Musafiri decided to cast his own brother for the role of a young man who was left crippled during the genocide — a fitting choice since the director’s brother himself lost a leg during the violence.

    “It was very hard for us both, (my) brother and me, but also we just wanted to show the whole world that things like that can happen but you can just move forward and look for the better future, education and having good times in your list of life,” he says.

    The very fact that Rwanda’s filmmakers are being recognized globally is a sign that, perhaps, the country is doing just that — moving forward to a better future. This story was published by CNN

  • Budget, deficit will be narrowed to 2.3% of GDP after grants

    Rwanda plans to narrow its budget gap to 2.3 percent of gross domestic product in the year through June 2012 on increased donor grants and tax revenue said Fred Quarshie, an adviser to the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning.

    The shortfall will shrink from 4.2 percent in the current fiscal year, Quarshie said by phone yesterday.

    The deficit before grants will narrow to 13.7 percent of GDP from 15 percent, Quarshie said. Grants to the government will increase 19 percent to 444.7 billion Rwandan francs ($743 million), while tax revenue is expected to rise by 57.7 billion francs to 501.4 billion.

    Spending will increase to 1.12 trillion francs from 984 billion, according to a statement from the Ministry of Finance.

    However, Inflation rate fell from 5.9 percent in December 2009 to 0.2 percent in December 2010, the lowest in the region.
    The Finance Minister said the government was monitoring the inflation rate that started to rise in 2011 before taking appropriate measures as it is expected to be highly affected by oil and food prices on global markets.

    The level of imports was lower than projected in 2010 due to delays in implementation of strategic investment projects.

    Certainly, the surplus of Balance of Payments helped the country to increase external reserves to US$814.2 million, enough to cover 5.4 months of imported goods and services. The full budget 2011/2012 will be presented to parliament later today. Some parts of the story were borrowed from Bloomberg news agency

  • Villages yet to raise their own revenues, Japan’s way

    Rwanda is yet to replicate Japan’s way of raising revenues in respective districts, a team of experts from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will assist in the implementation of the program known as One Village One Product (OVOP).

    The program will enhance entrepreneurship by supporting business activities within a community then later the revenues would be used to support developmental activities in the same area.

    Implementation of Rwanda OVOP program will begin with 4 target districts which are Huye, Musanze, Nyagatare and Rubavu. It will expand countrywide and around 5000 business groups are to be nurtured through the program by 2014, impacting on poverty reduction through increased volume of export products and development of small and medium scale industries.

    “This is not a new concept it was first implemented in Japan over two decades ago and became and its success was mostly seen in economy growth,” said Kunio Hantanaka, Japan ambassador in Rwanda.

    Moreover, the program is expected to contribute the private sector-led economy set as one of the pillars in Vision 2020, through boosting local based business, creating employment and generating exports. It is designed as a practical, operational, sustainable and self assessing scheme providing capitalization and accumulation of economic advantages and business development services to empower communities through systematic nurturing of business initiatives and activities.

    As a result, there will be a reduction of the country’s deficit which is staggering at Rwf 1 billion; this will be achieved through formation of Small and Medium Enterprises. OVOP Program in Rwanda has three key pillars which justify its suitability to the Rwandan context: Focus on value addition for products and services; streamlining of business extension services and branding of certified and unique quality.

    “These SME’s are a vital engine to our socio economic progress,” said PSF, Chief Executive Officer Roger Munyampenda adding that, “we’re trying to promote a strong SME sector in order to increase employment at the same time widen our tax base.”

    He however remarked that among the challenges of sustaining the SME’S was due to lack of credit access. In this respect the PSF established a Business Development Fund (BDF) which totals to Rwf 8.4 Billion,” he remarked.

    OVOP is a regional development program originated in Oita prefecture, Japan in the early 1980s. A village produces value-added products made from local materials for both domestic and global markets. JICA assists many developing countries to adopt the program to boost local business.

  • RSE market highlights as of 6 June 2011

    Today, the market continued to go up as the BRALIRWA share price closed at Rwf 233, an increase of Rwf 3 from last

    week’s closing price of Rwf 230. A total turnover of Rwf 18,701,300 was recorded from 80,300 BRALIRWA shares traded
    at Rwf 231 and Rwf 233 in 3 transactions.

    At the end of business, there were outstanding bids of 1,678,000 BRALIRWA shares at various prices ranging between
    Rwf 233 and Rwf 225 and no outstanding offers.

    The BRALIRWA shares are trading cum dividend up to 13 June 2011.
    The KCB and NMG counters did not record any activity today and their share prices remained unchanged from last week’s closing prices of Rwf 175 and Rwf 1200 respectively.