Ngirente and the outgoing Dutch Ambassador commended the bilateral relationship between the two countries and agreed that Rwanda and The Netherlands will continue strengthening the ties.
Their discussions also focused on Future Drivers of Growth report that was launched last year.
They talked about the importance of this report and what the Rwandan Government is doing in implementing the recommendations.
Ambassador De Man appreciated the real clear-cut vision of the Government of Rwanda and revealed that The Netherlands applauds the progress that Rwanda has made and is ready to continue partnering with the country in its development ambitions especially in programs highlighted in the Future Drivers of Growth report.
Ambassador Frédérique de Man has been in Rwanda for four years, since August 2015. She will leave by the end of July 2019 while her successor will come in September 2019.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed yesterday by. Rwanyindo Kayirangwa Fanfan, the Minister of Public Service and Labour on behalf of the Government of Rwanda and Nasser Bin Thani Juma Al Hamli, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratization representing the Government of the United Arab Emirates.
The signing ceremony was also attended by the Minister of Youth, Rosemary Mbabazi and the CEO of Rwanda Development Board among other officials.
Other Members of the Delegation from the United Arab Emirates who were present at the signing ceremony include: Amb. Hazza Mohammed Kharsan Al Qahtany, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates in Rwanda, Dr. Omar Abdulrahman Saleh Abdullah Alnuaimi, Assistant Undersecretary for Communication and International Relations, Abdullah Ali Rashid Abdullah Alnuaimi among others.
The signed MoU is expected to facilitate labour mobility between Rwanda and the United Arab Emirates, allowing Rwandans to access jobs opportunities in the United Arab Emirates through exchange of workforce as well as transfer of skills and knowledge.
Through this agreement, the Government of Rwanda seeks to promote job creation for competent and skilled Rwandan Youth in line with the National Strategy for Transformation (NST1).
This initiative coupled with interventions of the National Employment Policy and Labour Mobility Policy will secure more opportunities for Rwandans both in country and at regional and global labour markets.
Minister Rwanyindo explained that Rwanda expects ample benefits from signed agreements. “There a lot of job opportunities in UAE. We assure them that this country is open for guests in public and private sectors. Under the signed agreements, Rwandans will be facilitated to get jobs in UAE,” she said.
UAE accommodates foreigners from over 200 countries of whom approximately 200 are Rwandans in different businesses.
UAE Minister of Human Resource, Juma assured Rwandans of protecting their rights at work.
“Foreigners working in UAE contribute to national economic development, improve their wellbeing, and support their families as well as mother countries through earned salaries. We have laws granting protecting employees’ rights and the employer. We enacted a policy pushing for timely payment of salary. We are a country with well-established systems protecting citizens and their rights. We are pleased to welcome Rwandans coming for different jobs in our country,” he said.
Both ministers also discussed cooperation to promote implementation of labor laws.
Rwanda, UAE enjoy outstanding relationships. UAE opened embassy in Kigali on 8th March 2018. At the time, UAE offered scholarship for 20 Rwandans to study at universities of the aforementioned country.
Both countries enjoy existing cooperation in investment and tourism.
Minister Juma Al Hamli visited the memorial with his accompanying delegation from UAE and Rwandan officials led by Gaspard Musonera, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Public Service and Labour (MIFOTRA).
Al Hamli and his delegation were taken through the history of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and how bad leadership culminated into the preparation and execution of genocide. They also toured different facilities of the memorial and laid wreaths to mass graves where 259,000 victims are laid to rest.
Minister Juma Al Hamli said he was moved by tragic history Rwanda experienced and hailed the country’s resilience under the leadership of President Paul Kagame.
“I have been moved by what happened in Rwanda. I would like to commend Rwandans and the Government of Rwanda for creating the room for the world to learn from bitterness of fruits from hatred and violence,” he said.
“I thank President Kagame who built the memorial helping people to remember victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. It is a place for remembrance not only for Rwandans but also for the rest of humanity,” added Juma.
Located in Gisozi sector of Gasabo district, Kigali Genocide Memorial was built in 1999.
The pledge was made yesterday as President Paul Kagame accompanied by First Lady Jeannette Kagame started a two-day state visit to Gaborone, Botswana at the invitation of President Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi.
During the visit, President Mokgweetsi Masisi and President Kagame held a bilateral meeting with members of their delegations before the signing of bilateral agreements in the areas of trade, investment, health, tourism, mining, peace and security among others.
President Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame also attended a State Banquet hosted in their honor by President Mokgweetsi Masisi and First Lady Neo Masisi.
Speaking to participants of the banquet, President Kagame expressed delight for his first visit to Botswana and conveyed to all people of Botswana, warm greetings from the people of Rwanda.
He said that ‘Rwanda and Botswana share the aspiration for the wellbeing and prosperity of our peoples, and we are pleased to be here, to strengthen our friendship and bilateral cooperation’.
Kagame explained that both countries’ officials have been working together to strengthen partnerships in priority areas that will contribute to transforming the lives of the people of the two nations.
“I have no doubt that we shall succeed in this important task. This is because we are both committed to delivery, transparency, accountability and involvement of our people in their own development. Rwanda and Botswana are both committed members of the African Union, and we continue to work together, as well as with other member states, to integrate and advance our continent,” he said.
Both Heads of State last met in January 2019 in the margins of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Kagame visits Botswana after completing a working visit in Madagascar where he attended the 59th anniversary of Madagascar Independence Day.
The premier who was officially opening the Fourth Malabo Montpellier Forum at Kigali Marriott Hotel highlighted that one way of developing the continent would require increasing investment in agriculture as it considerably contributes to Africa’s economies, food security, agro-processing industries and exports among others.
Agriculture sector accounts for about 32% of the GDP in Africa.
He shared with participants, a number of initiatives implemented by Rwanda within the framework of digitizing its agriculture.
Among them he cited: National Information Communications Infrastructure (NICI) policy was elaborated and the Ministry of ICT and Innovation has been established to address national priorities related to digitalization to foster national economic growth and fast-track poverty reduction.
Currently, the Management Information System (MIS) allows the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources to get timely data from Districts.
Furthermore, an Agricultural market pricing information system e-Soko has been initiated. This digital platform provides market prices on agriculture products.
In collaboration with development partners, we a digital project with various mobile services was designed. This project aims at providing rural farmers agricultural information and knowledge to increase their income.
Premier Ngirente also mentioned some of the challenges that are still hampering the agriculture sector. including insufficient agriculture financing, low level of agricultural mechanization, limited agriculture professionalization, climate change and low capacities to meet standards and manage price volatility on international markets.
He called upon policy makers to de-risk the sector so as to attract more investments, and continue empowering youth to embrace agriculture as an attractive and competitive business, strengthen research and extension use of modern technologies and improve agricultural literacy for all involved in the sector.
According to a statement from Botswana’s Ministry of International Affairs and Cooperation, President Kagame’s visit marks an exciting moment in the relations between Botswana and Rwanda, as this is the first at the head of state and government level.
President Mokgweetsi has been leading Botswana since April 2018.
The visit is an opportunity to exchange views on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.
The visit is also expected to provide Botswana with a golden opportunity to learn from Rwanda’s ‘wealthy technological advancement’ into the fourth industrial revolution.
Rwanda is one of the best performing nations on the African continent and is touted as an emerging economy to watch.
Kagame visits Botswana after completing a working visit in Madagascar where he attended the 59th anniversary of Madagascar Independence Day.
During their stay in Botswana, the President and First Lady will tour the FeedMaster Botswana Facility, a cattle feedlot in the outskirts of Gaborone where they will be shown best practices in upgrading the condition of cattle before it is processed into beef exports.
The President’s visit will leave, a General Cooperation Agreement (GCA) signed for the establishment of a Joint Permanent Commission for Cooperation covering the following areas: Inter-Governmental Cooperation, Trade, and Investment, Agriculture, Health, Tourism, Peace and Security, Infrastructure, Energy, Telecommunication, Culture and Education, Scientific Research, Media and Communications.
The two Heads of State will also hold a tête-à-tête as well a joint Press Briefing.
Both Heads of State last met in January 2019 in the margins of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The two countries enjoy cordial relations in different areas of cooperation including agri-business, trade, and investment, education, environment and mining among others.
Their mother, Dorcas Uwimana told district officials that her children fell sick on Monday night as they slept in the same room.
The Executive secretary of Jabana sector, Patrice Ndanga has told IGIHE that the cause of death remains unknown.
“We have learnt that the mother who was also in critical condition went to alert neighbors of her children’s sickness on Tuesday early morning. She found them dead with foam out of their months as she returned home,” he said.
Ndanga explained that the mother who was too in critical condition was taken to Kabuye Health Center while her husband also fell sick later and admitted at the same health center.
The bodies were taken to Police Hospital for postmortem.
Aboard the inaugural non-stop flight on the 737-800 Next Generation Aircraft were 102 people, including officials, the CEO of the Rwanda National Carrier Mme Yvonne Manzi Makolo, the Israel Ambassador to Rwanda Ron Adam and others.
The route, the 29th RwandAir is flying, will be operated three times a week: on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays using the Boeing 737-800NG. The Aircraft has 16 seats in business class and 138 seats in economy class.
The Airline is looking to cash in on many religious tourists from West and Central Africa via Kigali. Tel Aviv is also considered the economic and technology centre of Israel, with many trading opportunities.
Speaking at the launch, the CEO of RwandAir, Ms Yvonne Manzi Makolo noted that Tel Aviv route is a strategic one and will boost tourism as well as trade. The new route will boost tourism, both religious and historical, while more Israelis are expected to visit Rwanda.
She said “The route is going to solidify our cooperation with Israel and it will boost tourism and trade between our two countries. We are going to see more people from Israel coming to visit Rwanda and more Rwandans going to Israel and this will be great for two Nations”.
Annually, hundreds of devout Christians from Rwanda go to Israel to visit Holy Places. Tel Aviv is one of the world’s leading tech hubs and the airline is targeting flying business travelers as well as Pilgrims visiting the Holy Land.
Israel provides strong links in 3 Sectors of crucial importance to Rwanda’s economy. These are modern agriculture where Israel has pioneered global innovations, ICT and entrepreneurship for a country referred to a start-up nation.
In April, Tel Aviv formally opened its Embassy in Kigali, making it easy for Rwandans to acquire visas to Israel. Previously visas to Israel were obtained in Nairobi or Addis Ababa.
Ambassador to Rwanda, H.E Ron Adam, who was also on board the maiden flight stressed the significance of the development to the ties between the peoples of the two Countries.
“It signifies that the relationships are tightening and we need to look for more passengers coming from both sides, incoming and outbound tourism and also imports, exports and people are going to get more connected”, he said.
He also noted that right now, Rwandans are going to start getting Israel visas as his Embassy had already started issuing visas to Israel, adding that more Israel would be coming to Rwanda because of the accessibility that has been afforded by the direct flight.
Recently, RwandAir launched its 28th route to Guangzhou, China.
Kagame expressed the hope yesterday as he ended a working visit to Madagascar where he also held a tête-à-tête with his host President Andry Rajoelina at Iavoloha Presidential Palace.
The President and First Lady Jeannette Kagame were in Madagascar yesterday where they attended the 59th Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Madagascar held at Mahamasina Municipal Stadium in the capital city, Antananarivo.
As he addressed members of the press, Kagame said it was a high honor to pay his first visit to the magnificent country on the 59th anniversary of the restoration of Independence.
He appreciated the invitation from Madagascar counterpart to join him and the people of Madagascar on the historic occasion saying the visit is also an opportunity to deepen the bilateral relationship between the two nations.
“This was the substance of the very productive discussions which the President and I have just held. Building on the MoU signed by our respective development boards earlier this year, we intend to enhance the trade and investment ties between Rwanda and Madagascar, particularly in the context of COMESA and the African Continental Free Trade Area,” he said.
Kagame also highlighted other priority areas for collaboration including technology, agriculture, and security.
“I was also pleased to invite His Excellency to pay a visit to Rwanda in the near future. We hope that we will continue to strengthen the ties between our two countries and our two peoples, and help propel our people to greater development,” he stressed.
President Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame also attended a State Banquet hosted in their honor by President Andry Rajoelina and First Lady Mialy Rajoelina of Madagascar.
This is my first visit to Africa’s largest island. The natural beauty of Madagascar is legendary and truly breath-taking. However, we have found the warm, generous spirit of the Malagasy people even more striking.
He thanked his counterpart and the people of Madagascar ‘for according us the privilege of marking this historic day together as your guests. I also congratulate you.’ Kagame said the unity and strength of the nation were clearly on display that national unity is the highest political virtue as well as the foundation of sovereignty, security, and development.
“In Rwanda, by coming together to find solutions to our unique challenges, we found that we actually had the power and resilience to transform our lives for the better,” he noted.
“The demonstration of possibility, in the face of adversity, is the most important lesson of our experience. If Rwanda has been able to make progress, it means that others can do the same, or better,” added Kagame.
The Police Chief made the remarks yesterday at a special send-off function of 217 Police officers, who retired recently, held at the Rwanda National Police (RNP) General Headquarters in Kacyiru.
Seven of the retirees are senior officers.
He said the function was held to recognize their contribution to national building.
IGP Munyuza urged the retired officers to remain committed to the cause of national building, particularly promoting national security.
“The country and Rwanda National Police in particular is proud of your contribution to national security in your role as law enforcers, some of your colleagues did not have this opportunity to have such an honour,” said IGP Munyuza.
He thanked them for the selfless service in security and liberation of the country.
“You are going with dignity,” he said.
IGP Munyuza expressed confidence that the retired officers will continue to give their contribution in the new capacities as members of the ‘Police Reserve’ before adding that RNP will continue to rely on their participation to maintaining security in their communities.
“We know you sacrificed a lot to building this country, and believe you cannot tolerate whoever can try to undo what you fought for,” said IGP Munyuza.
Retired Chief Supt. Dan Ndayambaje, speaking on behalf of the retired officers, thanked the Government for Rwanda for the opportunity to serve their nation.
The experience and skills acquired during their time as serving officers, Ndayambaje said, will also facilitate them in their new status as members of Police reserves and out of active duty.
