Construction activities at the Kigali Arena have been completed and the multi-billion facility is awaiting official inauguration.
Located next to Amahoro National Stadium in Remera, the state-of-the-art arena is a multi-purpose building for indoor games and designed to host meetings, conferences, exhibitions, and concerts.
It will be home to major basketball and volleyball events in the country. The facility is the largest indoor stadium in East Africa and the 10th in Africa. The construction of the arena which started in January 2019 is part of what the Government is doing to uplift sports in the country.
Considering efforts put in to move fast the completion of the project, Masai Ujiri has via Giants of Africa Instagram account commended Kagame for walking the talk.
“Put your money where your mouth is. So proud of President Kagame building the Kigali Arena. Told us a year ago that he was going to do it. DONE. A shining example that – Africa is NOW!!” reads his post on Instagram.
Masai Ujiri,49, is an English born Nigerian professional basketball executive and former player who is the president of basketball operations of the Toronto Raptors in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The duo was arrested in Mataba Village of Mataba Cell in Shangi Sector with forged money amounting to Rwf43, 000.
Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Emmanuel Kayigi, the Police spokesperson for the Western region, identified the suspects as Claver Ndagijuwimye and Afrodis Dusengimana.
“Ndagijuwimye and Dusengimana were drinking at a bar located in Burimba trading center, they paid Rwf5, 000 for the first round of their drinks, but the bar attendant didn’t realize that the notes were fake,” CIP Kayigi said.
“When they paid for the second bill, the bar attendant noticed that the notes were forged, this prompted him to check the previous notes, which he also found to be fake. The bar owner called the Police and the suspects were arrested at the scene, search and recovered Rwf43, 000 from them, all fake,” he added.
The bar owner also said that Ndagijuwimye, in the recent past, also gave him a fake bill of Rwf2, 000.
CIP Kayigi observed that the vigilance of the business community continues to play a crucial role in identifying and arresting people circulating fake currencies.
Three people were arrested separately early this week as they also tried to buy goods using forged money.
The suspects, Jean Pierre Sendwi alias Musirikare and Vincent Mvuyekure had just received the illegal consignment from a Burundian trafficker when the Police arrested them on Wednesday, Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Hamdun Twizeyimana, the Police spokesperson for the Eastern region, said.
“They were arrested in a place called Akagera valley where they met their supplier, who escaped back to Burundi. The arrest followed the information provided by people, who were farming in the valley and saw the men with the suspicious luggage,” said CIP Twizeyimana.
He added that the duo was previously suspected to be drug dealers distributed by traffickers from Burundi through the porous border in Akagera Valley.
The suspects said they had bought the leafy narcotic drugs at Rwf180, 000, and were to transport it to Bugesera District, where they had a buyer.
CIP Twizeyimana commended the responsiveness of the farmers in Akagera valley and called for continued information sharing on anyone they suspect to be a drug dealer or carrying suspicious luggage.
Article 263 of Rwanda penal code stipulates that any person who, unlawfully, produces, transforms, transports, stores, gives to another or who sells narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances commits an offense, with a sentence upon conviction, ranging between 20 years and life in prison, and a fine of between Rwf20 million and Rwf30 million.
He joined other heads of state including Macky Sall of Senegal, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Felix Tshisekedi, and Uganda’s Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda and Nigeria Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo.
They also attended a dinner hosted by Tony Elumelu yesterday evening ahead of TEFForum2019.
Tony Onyemaechi Elumelu (born 22 March 1963) is a Nigerian economist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.
He is the chairman of Heirs Holdings, the United Bank for Africa, Transcorp and founder of The Tony Elumelu Foundation. Elumelu holds the Nigerian national honors, the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) and Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR). He was recognized as one of “Africa’s 20 Most Powerful People in 2012” by Forbes magazine
The event is an opportunity for young women and men, from African countries to meet, learn and network with the broader African and global entrepreneurship ecosystem.
It also provides an opportunity for political leaders and policymakers to interact with a new generation of African business leaders, who are transforming Africa’s economic trajectory.
Kagame along with his counterparts have today morning featured on a panel discussion with over 5,000 African entrepreneurs.
As he featured the panel discussion, President Kagame shared Rwanda’s transformational journey. He said that considering the past of the country, Rwanda had no alternative with the only way trying to go up and up.
He said that the first thing the country had to deal with was the mindset of its people ‘because there is a history where people were used to seating back and things being offered to them for free from abroad’.
“We had to find ways of making sure that Rwandans understand that they have to be there for themselves. That goes for other Africans I’m sure. We have to do our part. Even if we get the assistance we use it to make sure that we strengthen ourselves& then build on that,” he said.
Kagame explained that Rwandans had to create a vision of how to move forward to achieve prosperity.
“It starts with ourselves. We said: Rwandans, it starts with us. How much have we done, how much have we invested in ourselves for skills, for knowledge and how much time do we take to do things that we know we must do and not wait for anybody else to come and do it,” he noted
Kagame said what follows if you invested in skills and in infrastructure, is doing business, entrepreneurship, people’s creativity, and innovation that it would not happen unless and until you invest in a conducive good governance environment.
“That is how we tried to do it, and we were under pressure because of where we are coming from & we had to convince ourselves that we can do it and that there no other alternative. We started doing our best. That is how we have made good progress,” he shared.
The two-day forum marks the end of the annual Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme, which this year mentored, trained and seeded over 3,000 young Africans, selected from over 200,000 applicants.
UDP is an online educational platform to support the delivery and expansion of Peace and Values Education programmes in Rwanda and beyond.
The latter is also a resource to nurture Ubumuntu (greatness of heart) through practical education and creative stories and complements books.
The development of the Ubumuntu Digital Platform was funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium in Rwanda.
The partnership between MINEDUC and Aegis Trust seeks to integrate peace and values courses into the new Competence-Based-Curriculum.
Dr. Irénée Ndayambaje, the Director-General of Rwanda Education Board (REB) said that the institution shall continue to work hand in hand with Aegis Trust and partners to achieve even greater milestones to build a cohesive society.
“We believe that the digitization of the Teaching and Learning Materials through Ubumuntu Digital Platform will hugely contribute to the integration and support application of Peace and Values Education in our schools,” he said.
The Ambassador of The Kingdom of Belgium to Rwanda, H.E Benoît Ryelandt congratulated Aegis Trust and REB for this successful achievement launching Ubumuntu Digital Platform noting that it adds a valuable instrument and brings a new dimension to the remarkable and longstanding actions undertaken by Aegis Trust in the field of peace education.
“Most of the young adults were not born at the time of the Genocide against the Tutsi. Helping them learn from the past and understand how hatred and prejudice can lead to mass violence, is a significant step forward to build a stable and peaceful future young generation,” he said.
Freddy Mutanguha, the Executive Director of Aegis Trust said Peace Education is a learning process that leads to learners internalizing skills and positives values and can be included in almost everything that happens in human lives.
In June 2019, Aegis Trust gave 20,000 books and 20,000 curriculum programs to REB to enhance teachings of peace and values.
According to a statement from Kigali city, the announcement concerns all road users including vehicles and pedestrians crossing the bridge heading to and coming from Gatsata.
“Traffic officers and workers supervising construction works will be at the construction site to direct pedestrians while small vehicles heading to or coming from Nyabugogo may use Gisozi- Karuruma and Nyacyonga-Gasanze Batsinda roads,” reads the statement in part.
According to Kigali city, large vehicles will stop respectively in Gaseke, Nyacyonga, Karuruma, Shyorongi, Giticyinyoni, Ruyenzi, Bishenyi, Rugende and Nyabugogo as construction gets underway.
Road users from Ruyenzi and Shyorongi heading to Nyamirambo, Gikondo, Nyanza and Bugesera among others have been urged to use the new road Ruliba- Karama-Nyamirambo to avoid traffic jam in Nyabugogo.
The construction of Nyabugogo Bridge started in December 2018. Stout bars crossing the river have been installed to the bridge under completion works while the rest is next phase is building a tarmac road over it.
The bridge will be completed at a cost of US$ 7 million.
The remorse expressed yesterday as part of ongoing reconciliation and healing efforts in the Mwezi Parish, Karengera sector of Nyamasheke district, Western Province.
André Bavugamenshi, one of the perpetrators said his heart was relived expressing the apology.
“I was scared and had no right to Eucharist sacrament. My heart feels free after receiving forgiveness and will call upon others to take a step of apologizing,” he said.
Venansia Nyirambarubukeye who lost all children said she had no peace of mind before forgiving.
“I had no peace of mind before but I have healed and regained peace after forgiving,” she said.
Father Ubald Rugirangoga who lost relatives in the parish said a genocide perpetrator can’t have peace of mind unless he/she apologizes.
The Executive Secretary of the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC), Fidèle Ndayisaba said seeking forgiveness and forgiving do heal.
“The courage to forgive is a form of treatment bringing pacification. Forgiveness also heals wounds and is a vaccine against hatred and genocide ideology,” he observed.
The apologies followed a heart healing training undertaken by a group of 23 of whom 17 completed.
Findings in the RGB Citizen Report Card 2018 indicate that Rwandans’ unity and reconciliation efforts are paying off at a rate of 92.5%.
Kizito Mihigo was born on 25th July 1981 in Kibeho, Nyaruguru district of Southern Province.
Kizito has told IGIHE that he was pleased to celebrate his birthday with prayers.
“38 years have been full of great experiences witnessing God’s love,” he said.
Kizito highlighted that it was worth to mark the anniversary praising with friends and parents because God stood by his side either in cumbersome situations and good times.
He celebrates the anniversary after releasing a song dedicated to Pope Francis.
The song dubbed “Le Pape François” reflects on outstanding deeds of Pope Francis praising him as a role model for humility.
The initiative was organized in collaboration with Polytechnic Integrated Polytechnic Regional Colleges (IPRCs).
During the ceremony of handing over certificates yesterday, Diogène Nsabimana, the Director of Finance at IPRC South reminded graduates that acquired skills will foster their progress most importantly building the nation after completing their sentence
CP Jean Bosco Kabanda, RCS Commissioner in charge of correction told beneficiaries that the country endeavors to improve the welfare of all Rwandans without leaving behind inmates.
He said acquired skills will be beneficial when they are integrated into the community.
Vocational education is part of Rwanda’s programs implemented to foster creations of new jobs to reduce unemployment and scale up economic growth.
In a meeting at the Prime Minster’s Office Kimihurura, the duo discussed and commended the bilateral relations existing between the two countries in various sectors including health, commerce, air transport, agriculture, and security.
Ngirente hailed the cooperation existing between Rwanda and Egypt, saying that the two countries enjoy friendly and cordial relations and that they are all committed to further strengthen it towards the betterment of citizens of both countries.
“The bilateral relations between Rwanda and Egypt have existed since 1970 with agriculture and culture being the two main sectors of cooperation at the time. Today the cooperation has grown and extended to other important sectors that include health, agriculture, commerce, air transport, environment, and security,” said Prime Minister Ngirente.
Dr. Ali Abdel Aal, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Egypt commended President Kagame and the people of Rwanda for the resilience and courage that have translated into visible achievements after the country experiencing a tragic period of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
