Kagame was speaking yesterday while attending the opening ceremony of a three day Ibrahim Governance Weekend meeting which is taking place in Kigali.
At the event that took place in Kigali Convention Centre, Mo Ibrahim Foundation awarded Former Liberia’s President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for her outstanding leadership during her two terms in office.
Kagame congratulated Sirleaf for being selected as the 2017 Ibrahim Prize Laurette.
The Head of State said that all leaders share the conviction that accountable governance and service delivery are the core responsibilities of government.
“Tonight is about underscoring that shared commitment,” he said.
“I would like to congratulate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for her selection as the 2017 Ibrahim Prize Laureate. The committee’s choice recognises her achievements in leading Liberia through a particularly consequential period of its history,” he added.
Kagame saluted former President Sirleaf and said they wish the people of Liberia all the best in the years ahead as they build on the good foundation laid during Sirleaf’s tenure in office.
Kagame said that Leadership is both a privilege and a duty, adding that it is best measured in terms of concrete results that citizens can feel in their everyday lives as well as in the level of trust that they have in public institutions.
“During our time in office, we must work as hard as we can to do the right things for our people’s future no matter how difficult,” he urged.
He said that the focus of the Ibrahim Forum taking place this Saturday on public service in Africa and the civic contract, is entirely on target.
“This is where our energies should be directed and I am very much looking forward to participating in the discussions, together with many of you,” Kagame said.
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation was started by African billionaire Mo Ibrahim in 2006 with a focus on the critical importance of leadership and governance in Africa.
The launch of RwandAir flights to Abuja was attended by the High Commissioner of Rwanda to Nigeria His Excellency Stanislas Kamanzi, the Country Director of RwandAir Ibiyemi Odusi, A representative of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) as well as stakeholders and friends of Rwanda.
Ibiyemi Odunsi, the airline’s Country Manager, Nigeria, said that the commencement of Abuja-Kigali route was part of the airline’s determination to expand its business to the nation’s capital.
“As an airline, we know that this is the political capital of the country and as Nigeria is expanding we have to be part of what it is doing”, she said
She expressed optimism that the airline would be able to achieve 80 to 85 per cent load factor on the Abuja route through efficient service delivery.
The Rwandan High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Stanislas Kamanzi, commended the Federal Government, aviation agencies and management of Rwand Air in Nigeria for making it possible for the opening of Abuja route.
Kamanzi said the new route was a product of the long standing friendship between Nigeria and Rwanda, adding that the Abuja-Kigali route would deepen trade relationship between the two countries.
According to him, this is coming at the right time when Africa is moving toward integration and the fastest mode of transportation is through air.
“We look forward to growing trade and diplomatic relations between Nigeria and Rwanda as well between East and West Africa.
“That is what we need for our people to tap the wealth of our continent,’’ he said.
RwandAir will now operate flights from Kigali to Abuja, four times in a week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
The move is part of a five year coffee business agreement partnership signed earlier this year, between Rwanda Farmers Coffee Company (RFCC) and the Global Food of USA, facilitated by National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB).
The partnership was developed to support the “Beyond Fair Trade” business model of RFCC whereby farmers share in the value of each sales of Roasted coffee.
The Sales and Marketing Manager at RFCC, Eric Rukwaya, said that other significant trade volumes of roasted coffee by the RFCC were recorded in 2015 whereby seven tonnes (7Tonnes) were shipped to United Kingdom.
Last year, four and half tonnes (4.5 Tonnes) worth US$36,000 were sold to different international markets including German and South Korea.
“This year, we plan to Export a total of 40 tonnes expected to generate a total of US$ 320,000 (RWF 273,600,000).” Mr Rukwaya revealed.
Rukwaya added that with the acquired support of the Export Growth Facility (EGF) of the Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD) enabling export, Rwanda Farmers Coffee Company will continue to grow its Export market of roasted coffee.
The business partnership between Global Food and RFCC was negotiated since 2016 where the agreements include establishment of Global Food operational offices in Kigali and supply of over 36 tonnes of roasted coffee to USA. The deal of supplying roasted coffee in 2018 is estimated at U$ 306,000 (RWF 246,240,000) and is expected to grow in following years.
The partnership will not only increase foreign earnings for Rwanda but it will also to large extent support 5,452 coffee farmers (36% of which are women) and their families from 6 cooperatives in the country in the quest to improve their economic and social welfare.
The three-day event convenes prominent African political and business leaders, representatives from civil society, multilateral and regional institutions as well as Africa’s major international partners to debate issues of critical importance to Africa.
During their meeting, President Kagame and his counterpart Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast, took note of the friendship and mutually beneficial co-operation between Rwanda and the Ivory Coast and reiterated their commitment to further strengthen their relations. They also gave an overview of African and international issues.
Ouattara arrived in Kigali, Wednesday night, on a three-day working visit. He was received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and East African Community, Louise Mushikiwabo among other officials.
Over the past decade, GHC has worked under the leadership of President Kagame to recruit and train over 170 young advocates to bring change in Rwanda’s health sector.
“In Rwanda, we have made amazing strides in achieving health equity, and we look with anticipation to the future. Our large and growing youth population reflects a great opportunity. GHC’s work recruiting and training young leaders with diverse backgrounds and skillsets has been critical to driving the health equity movement forward, so the Skoll Award is a win for all of us. The GHC team in Rwanda is excited to continue to work with our NGO partners and the Rwandan government to create a bright future where health as a human right is realized for all Rwandans,” said Jean Rene Shema, Global Health Corps’ Rwanda Country Director.
GHC’s official partners include Partners In Health, the Ministry of Health, MASS Design Group, Gardens for Health International, and many others.
“I am so grateful and proud of our team and all of our partners in Rwanda. This milestone is a testament to their hard work and vision. As we pause to celebrate our progress to date, we recognize that the Skoll Award for GHC is a validation of the power of young, African leadership. We’re so excited to leverage this Award to achieve greater impact as our fellows and alumni lead the charge to expand access to quality, affordable healthcare in the years to come,” said Barbara Bush, GHC’s co-founder and Board Chair.
The Skoll Foundation awards the prestigious Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship annually to a few transformative leaders whose organizations disrupt the status quo and drive sustainable large-scale change. Awardees are selected from among hundreds of candidates, and they undergo a rigorous, months-long due diligence process to assess their model and their achieved and potential impact.
Since 2009, GHC has recruited and developed a network of 170 innovative young leaders in Rwanda who are united by the belief that health is a human right.
A Kigali lawyer, Donat Mutunzi went missing on April 13th 2018 and later put into police custody on 19th where he was found dead Monday morning in Ndera Police Station of Gasabo District.
According to the Rwanda Investigation Bureau Spokesperson Modeste Mbabazi, Mutunzi was arrested last week allegedly for indecent assault with violence but committed suicide while in police custody.
Conveying their condolences, Rwanda Bar Association pledged support and assistance to the family and friends of late Mutunzi in these difficult times.
“After getting the devastating news of the death of our peer, the Rwandan Bar Association would like to condole and comfort family and friends in these difficult times”, reads a statement signed by the head of the association, Me Julien Kavaruganda.
The Rwanda National Police Spokesperson, CP Theos Badege, told IGIHE that Me Mutunzi was visited by his wife while in custody.
However, Valentine Ugirimpuhwe said she didn’t know of his late husband’s whereabouts from his disappearance to the time police informed her of his death in a phone call.
Badege said that around 4am on Monday, the time custody warders usually let detainees out for their personal hygiene, Me Mutunzi was found hanging in his cell.
CP Badege added that two bottles of Skol beer were also found in late Me Mutunzi’s cell, leading to the fact that he had spent the night drinking. He had smashed one of the bottles to shred the bedsheet into a rope he used for suicide.
Meanwhile, Rwanda National Police says will establish how the two alcohol bottles, which are prohibited were sneaked into his cell.
Mutunzi’s family says that he went missing on April 13th and had last been seen taking his children to school.
He served as an advocate for Dr Léon Mugesera who was extradited from Canada over genocide crimes. Mugesera was convicted and is serving life in Prison.
{{Related: [Lawyer commits suicide in Ndera Police->http://en.igihe.com/news/lawyer-commits-suicide-in-ndera-police.html]
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A statement from RURA indicates that the radio station has been ordered to complete the process of closing in two days from today.
The Revocation follows failure by Amazing Grace Christian Radio to comply with RURA’s instructions given after a sermon was aired by the Radio on 29th January 2018, in which a radio presenter Nicolas Niyibikora, repeatedly insulted women referring to them as evil. This broadcast followed a pattern of radio shows insulting other religious beliefs.
“The conduct of the Amazing Grace Radio violated article 21(4A and 4B) of Regulation No 004/R/MR-MCA/RURA/2017 of 30 June 2017 governing Broadcasting services in Rwanda, in regard to upholding public morality and Rwandan culture and values in general,” reads the statement from RURA.
Following the breach of the above regulations, RURA imposed sanctions against Amazing Grace Radio, which included making an apology to the public, by correcting the aired program, a one-month suspension of the radio and a fine of two million francs (Rwf2.000.000)
A letter was sent requesting an explanation for non-compliance after Amazing Grace Radio ignored RURA’s instructions. The reasons given in their response were found to be unsatisfactory.
Consequently, RURA has decided to revoke the license for providing broadcasting services and the radio communicating license issued to Amazing Grace Christian Radio.
As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to unleash – you guessed it – Infinity War.
The Epic and highly anticipated Marvel Cinematic Universe’s latest entry, “Avengers: Infinity War,” that had its world premiere in Los Angeles last night, will be premiered in Kigali like the rest of the world, on April 27th, in Century Cinemas.
Here’s what you should keep in mind for this Jaw-dropping and Epic blockbuster;
{{It’s all about Infinity Stones, and the villainous guy who wants them.
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Since his introduction at the end of The Avengers, the bad guy A.K.A Thanos, has been the major lurking threat to almost every character in the MCU. The through line to his recurring appearances has been his quest to find six legendary Infinity Stones, which he plans to put into a shiny Infinity Gauntlet. The result is unlimited power and the opportunity to unleash – you guessed it – Infinity War. We’ve already seen five of the stones in previous films; it’s safe to assume that the final one will be revealed in this new film.
{{Spider-Man isn’t technically an Avenger … yet.
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In the final moments of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter Parker was offered a chance to join the Avengers by his mentor Tony Stark, who even built him a nifty new Iron Spider suit. He turned it down. Of course, that kind of refusal won’t keep him from web-slinging in Infinity War, but it might be worth remembering that he’s still something of an outsider. (For that matter, Ant-Man is also something of a free agent, in terms of his official Avengers status … which could factor into the film as well.)
{{Bruce Banner runs the risk of being the Hulk forever.
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One of the subplots in Thor: Ragnarok was the disturbance of the balance between the peaceful human Bruce Banner and his rage-filled alter ego, the Hulk. It appears that Banner’s time spent as the big green guy is getting longer all the time – and could even become permanent.
{{Iron Man and Captain America still aren’t getting along.
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The two alpha males of the MCU have had a playfully adversarial relationship from their first scene together, but they really don’t like each other now. The drama started in Captain America: Civil War when the red, white and blue hero refused to be overseen by the UN and chose to protect his brainwashed pal Bucky instead of siding with Iron Man. When the smoke cleared, Cap and his allies – Ant-Man, Hawkeye, Falcon and Scarlet Witch – became fugitives and presumably went underground with the assistance of Black Panther. Black Widow was caught in the middle, but eventually sided with Cap (detailed in a tie-in comic book that’s apparently canon). Most importantly, Mr. Rogers also left a phone with Iron Man to use if his old friend ever needs him again. Spoiler: It will probably ring in Infinity War.
{{Thor’s hammer went boom.
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One of the most iconic weapons of the MCU, Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, was destroyed by Hela in Thor: Ragnarok. Ye olde God of Thunder learned he was still powerful without the superweapon, of course, but Infinity War will apparently see the big guy looking for a replacement somewhere other than a hardware store.
{{Shuri brought Bucky back just in time.
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Civil War ended with Captain America’s best bud Bucky being placed into a cryogenic state in the hope that his Manchurian Candidate-esque brainwashing could be reversed by the super-scientists of Wakanda one day. Then the post-credits tag for Black Panther revealed that Shuri had completed that process – so Cap’s sidekick is now back to normal and ready for action. Bucky will likely join the Black Panther crew, now an international force after T’Challa revealed the existence of Wakanda to the world at the end of his blockbuster movie. Which is great: The Avengers are going to need all the help they can get.
Avengers: Infinity War will be screened in Century Cinemas Kigali, which recently premiered superhero film Black Panther in 3D. Tickets will be booked under Rwf7000 only.
For more information, you may visit Century Cinemas Kigali’s HeadQuarters or their website [www.centurycinemas.rw->www.centurycinemas.rw].
The exercise, which is focused on aligning the company’s structure with its operating model, also entailed a right-sizing of the current workforce to avoid duplication of roles. One of the key objectives is to create an agile organization, which satisfies the needs of all of the stakeholders, especially our customers, as we step into the next growth phase of the operation. As a result, 49 positions have been declared redundant.
Airtel is sensitive towards the affected staff and is committed to minimizing the impact of this exercise on the employees. All impacted employees will be compensated in line with prevailing laws and company policy. Each impacted employee will in addition to their legal dues receive 2 months’ gross salary, 3 months extended medical cover, and 3 months free air-time entitlement.
The company has contracted a reputable organization to offer job search services and provide the training that they would need to find new opportunities. The Company will meet the full cost of this support.
The merger between Airtel and Tigo will create an operator that can provide business sustainability and profitability by fully utilizing both operators’ assets, thereby securing future investments in Rwanda.
We will be able to serve our customers better, improve the competitive dynamics of the telecom sector and accelerate the development of digital infrastructure and services in the country.
The documentary was presented by Peter Greenberg, an Emmy Award-Winning Investigative Reporter and one of America’s most recognized travel news journalists often referred to as “The Travel Detective”
The one hour documentary on a Royal Tour in Rwanda was presented yesterday with the presence of different guests.
Also present was the Rwanda Development Board, Chief Executive Officer, Clare Akamanzi.
A multiple Emmy-winning investigative reporter and producer, Peter Greenberg is one of America’s most recognized, honored and respected travel experts.
President Kagame became the ultimate guide, showcasing the visual gems that Rwanda has to offer. Together, they went gorilla trekking through Volcanoes National Park, jet-skied in Lake Kivu, explored Nyungwe Forest National Park on an elevated canopy walkway and saw a variety of wildlife during on a safari through Akagera National Park.
The one hour documentary is the latest edition of the Royal Tour series, in which Peter journeys to a select country to offer audiences access to extraordinary locations, historic landmarks and cultural experiences, and gets guided by some of the most dynamic and powerful Heads of State around the World.
