The programme aims at supporting youth entrepreneurs into building competitive bankable ideas and businesses that impact development.
The founder of the organization, Justin Zoradi said they target to promote young entrepreneurs into businessmen of vitality, contributing to the meeting of national development goals. “We need entrepreneurs who are ready to acquire new skills.
The beneficiaries will get trained in four entrepreneurship components in four months. On graduation, we shall invite different investors from across the World and encourage them to invest in these projects,” he said.
He said that Rwanda is prioritizing attraction of new investments and her youths’ thirst for entrepreneurship should be quenched through innovativeness to foster job creation.
The 150 projects were selected under the programme dubbed ‘Accelerate Academy’, where 350 projects of youth aged between 18 and 32 competed.
Copin Fabrice Bien Aimé, an online-based businessman said that during first days, he has been able to understand and explain clearly his business idea to the group.
“First of all, it is important to understand your business, how you operate it, budgeting, planning and be able to explain your business to a client or investor,” he said.
The Musanze District based basket (agaseke) weaver, Souzane Murekatete said that she has been able to understand the value chain, setting prices and good resources management.
“Take an example; I didn’t know how much it costs me to put one basket on the market, but after considering invested time and raw materials I use, I realized that it costs me Rwf10,000. So, I need to know the price I should set to be able to earn a profit and pay taxes,” she explained.
The last session of this programme ended in June this year by selecting eleven projects engaged in shoe making, food processing and tourism related businesses. All business in total gained a boost of $26,000.
Indeed, migration has since our earliest days been essential to the human story — the source of multiple economic and cultural benefits. But when migration is out of extreme need, distress and despair, it becomes another story. Forced migration is rooted in conflicts, political instability, extreme poverty, hunger, environmental degradation and the impacts of climate change.
In these situations, people have no choice other than to move.
This year’s slogan for World Food Day (16 October), “Change the future of migration. Invest in food security and rural development”, addresses the structural drivers of large movements of people in order to make migration safe, orderly and regular.
This is all the more pertinent today because the numbers of hungry people are on the rise again after decades of progress.
According to the 2017 State of Food Security and Nutrition report (SOFI), 815 million people suffered from hunger in 2016, an increase of 38 million people compared to 2015 (777 million). This was largely due to conflicts, droughts and floods around the world.
In fact, conflicts have driven northeast Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen to the brink of famine and triggered acute food insecurity also in Burundi, Iraq and elsewhere. Globally there are now around 64 million people forcibly displaced by conflict and persecution, the highest number since the Second World War. Furthermore, drought, due to an unusually powerful El Niño, has sharply reduced access to food in much of Africa.
Rural households often bear the brunt of these drivers. Most of the world’s poor live in rural areas, and many rural youth, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, migrate in the absence of productive opportunities.
But let’s set the story straight: Despite widely held perceptions, most of those who migrate remain in their countries of origin. There are around 763 million internal migrants worldwide, one in every eight people on the planet with the majority moving from the
countryside to cities. Of the 244 million international migrants recorded in 2015, one-third came from G20 countries and consisted of people who moved to pursue more productive opportunities. South-South migratory flows are now larger than those from developing to the developed nations.
{{Make migration a choice }}
Conflict, rural poverty, and climate change, all demand increasing attention as they drive up distress migration as a last resort, which generates a tangle of moral, political and economic problems for migrants, their eventual hosts and the transit points in between. We all have roots and few of us wish to sever them. In fact, even in the most extreme situations, people would rather remain at home.
Inclusive rural development can help on all fronts, curbing conflict, boosting sustainability and making migration a matter of choice rather than desperation.
Decent employment opportunities – which can be generated by productive agriculture and supporting activities ranging from seed research and credit provision to storage infrastructure and food processing businesses – are urgently needed to convince a fastgrowing number of young people in rural areas that there are better fates than hazardous journeys to unknown destinations.
Migration itself is part of rural development, seasonal migration is closely linked to the agricultural calendars, and remittances are a huge force for improving both rural welfare and farm productivity. Migrants’ contribution to development needs to be recognized and cherished, as they are the bridges between countries of origin, transit and destination.
FAO is working to address the root causes of migration. This means promoting policy options that favour vulnerable people. It includes youth job training and inclusive access to credit, crafting social protection programmes that offer cash or in-kind transfers, specific measures to support those returning to rural areas of origin, and offering assistance for the provision of seeds, fertilizers and animal-health services, fine-tuning early warning systems for weather risks and by working for sustainable natural resource and land use.
As co-chair in 2018 of the Global Migration Group, comprising 22 UN agencies and the World Bank, FAO will advocate for solutions that make migration an act of choice and not a desperate last resort. Agriculture and rural development have a key role to play in this.
Speaking to IGIHE yesterday, Muhanga District Mayor, Beatrice Uwamariya, confirmed the incident saying that all the eleven affected people were practicing illegal mining.
“Eight died instantly, but three were taken to Kabgayi Hospital for medical care. We found eleven in total, but were are not sure whether more people were inside,” she said.
Uwamariya said that more search is being carried out to confirm whether there are no more victims.
The statement was made on Friday during a meeting between Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and players in the tourism industry from the private sector and other government institutions working closely with the sector.
Tourism sector investors claimed that they are charged high interest rates on loans as well as inaccessibility to long-term loans, charged undocumented fees on loans and become worse when they fail to repay in the due period, getting their properties auctioned.
In reacting to investors’ concern, the vice-governor of BNR, Dr. Monique Nsanzabaganwa said it is improper for auctions of mortgaged properties to be carried out in a process that is not transparent which breeds impropriety.
“There are times when there are injustices and corruption in the auctioning process; sometimes when you pay much attention on how it all went you get confused. This is a big issue that needs to be addressed by all concerned institutions,” she said.
She said that it is wrong for bank employees to decide on how the auction should be conducted where they get some kick-backs; she cautioned that it is a problem that should be taken care of if they want to rebuild the image of the sector.
The Chief Executive Officer at RDB, Clare Akamanzi said that they are going to form a joint committee by RDB, Ministry of Finance, BNR and Private Sector Federation (PSF) that will monitor banks’ loan recovery process.
“Our government promotes investment, tourism and private sector; I think that when we propose tangible ideas, the government will embrace them,” she said.
Media reported the disputes after the hotel opened in September last year as Ubumwe Grande Hotel while it was developed as Zinc Hotel, a brand introduced by CG Corp Global which holds the majority shares and was contracted to manage the 153-rooms hotel for 15 years.
Despite the reports on the disputes, Patrick Fitzgibbon, Hilton’s Vice President for Europe, Middle East and Africa, told the media on Wednesday that he has no information about the disputes in the facility he confirmed last week to be rebranded under the upscale DoubleTree by Hilton starting next year.
During a press briefing on the sidelines of African Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF) in Kigali on Wednesday, IGIHE’s reporter asked Fitzgibbon if he is aware of the ongoing disputes in the facility he is preparing to acquire and he answered, “I have no information about that. Go to ask those who told you that.” “I am sorry,” he added when the reporter tried to inquire more.
Was he deliberately lying to media? Pretending to have never heard of the disputes? Or is Hilton ignoring the case which has been under court of law since last year?
Being referred to shareholders, IGIHE looked for Rahul Chaudhary, Director of CG Hospitality Holdings Global who is overseeing the businesses of his father, Binod Chaudhary, a Nepalese billionaire who owns CG Corp Global. Rahul revealed that he has always informed Hilton management starting November last year when he talked face to face with Fitzgibbon and alerted Fitzgibbon of the news reports highlighting the ongoing disputes and his family’s part ownership of Ubumwe Grande. Rahul was also attending the AHIF which ended on Thursday at the Kigali Convention Centre.
Shortly after the interview, CG released a brief statement on Hilton and Ubumwe Grande news expressing their disappointment in the developments.
“It has recently come to the attention of the CG Hospitality Holdings Global (CG) that Hilton may have entered into a franchise or management agreement for the Ubumwe Grand Hotel. This information came as a surprise and disappointment to CG,” reads part of the statement which went on stating,
“At no time has CG been made aware of any negotiations for such a deal despite (1) CG’s status as a representative of the majority shareholder in the company that owns the Ubumwe Grand Hotel and (2) ongoing disputes relating to the management of this hotel, which have previously been reported on in the press. CG is seeking legal advice in relation to these developments.”
{{Essence of the disputes}}
The $40 million Ubumwe Grande Hotel is owned by three partners namely CG Corp Global and the Mukwano Group who own a combined 80% stake; and Robert Bapfakurera who owns a 20% stake, The East African reported last October.
The hotel, which was part of a global chain, Zinc, owned by Nepalese billionaire Binod Chaudhary, changed its name to Ubumwe Grande before it opened the doors. Mukwano Group changed the hotel’s name when it neared completion despite a court order barring it from doing so and cancelled the management contract of the hotel without the consent of Zinc, the company contracted to run the hotel for 15 years.
CG Corp Global/Zinc went to Nyarugenge Commercial Court to nullify the cancellation of the management contract but Mukwano appealed the decision at the Commercial High Court. According to Apollo Nkunda, the lawyer representing Zinc, the Commercial High Court ruled that the case be reviewed.
Despite the disappointment in his first investment in Rwanda, Rahul said CG Corp Global is still seeking to grow businesses in Rwanda and the region.
The company just released its most recent index, with the places on track to be 2017’s most visited cities.
{{
Istanbul, Turkey}}
{
Number of projected overnight visitors: 9.24 million}
Despite terrorist attacks on several of the city’s tourist centers in 2016 and political instability, people aren’t hiding from Istanbul. The city continues to attract visitors with its historic architecture, gorgeous boutiques, and inventive restaurants. In fact, of all the cities studied in this survey, dining consumes the greatest percentage of visitor spend in Istanbul (33.6 percent).
{{Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia}}
{Number of projected overnight visitors: 12.08 million}
One of the world’s best cities for street food has also proven to be an all-around holiday hot spot. While the majority of the travel across the study’s cities are conducted for leisure (as opposed to business), Kuala Lumpur still has the largest percentage of visitors there on vacation (a whopping 92.2 percent).
{{New York City}}
{Number of projected overnight visitors: 12.36 million}
From the global cuisine of Queens to the sky-high hotels of Midtown, there’s no city on earth quite as energetic (or caffeinated) as New York. We can’t blame overnight visitors for spending $17.02 billion here in 2016 alone (which is nothing compared to Dubai, but we’ll get to that later).
{{Seoul, South Korea}}
{Number of projected overnight visitors: 12.44 million
}Seoul has emerged as one of the world’s leading fashion and beauty capitals, with a travel-worthy spa scene and nocturnal vendors in trendy neighborhoods. No surprise, then, that tourists spend more on shopping while in Seoul (56.5 percent) than in any other city surveyed.
{{Tokyo, Japan}}
{Number of projected overnight visitors: 12.51 million}
With new air routes, museum openings, and preparations in place to host the 2020 Summer Olympics, there’s never been a better time to visit the best city in the world.
{{Singapore}}
{Number of projected overnight visitors: 13.45 million}
Singapore has the world’s best airport (hedge mazes included) and most Instagram-able hotel, both of which only add to the already appealing city. And with Norwegian launching new low-cost flights between London and Singapore this fall, reaching the Lion City is only getting easier.
{{
Dubai, U.A.E.}}
{Number of projected overnight visitors: 16.01 million}
It seems like Dubai will never stop trying to outdo itself. Within the past year, the city announced plans for a miniature replica of Venice, flying drone taxis, and two new artificial islands. But all that pomp seems to be paying off—quite literally. Tourists spent an incredible $28.50 billion there in 2016.
{{Paris, France}}
{Number of projected overnight visitors: 16.13 million}
It’s nearly impossible to resist the charms of France’s capital—and more than 16 million travelers obviously agree. The city is known for its chic shopping and inimitable restaurants, but lodging actually proved to be the most expensive part of trips to Paris, accounting for 44.8 percent of tourists’ spending.
{{
London, U.K}}.
{Number of projected overnight visitors: 20.01 million}
There’s so much to do in London, it bears repeat visits; perhaps that explains why its number of visitors jumped past the 20 million mark this year. Luckily, an efficient transportation system means that less of the budget is spent on transit here (only 4.3 percent) than in any other city on the list, which frees you up to spend your dollars at trendy new restaurants like Gymkhana or newly renovated Blue Bar in The Berkeley hotel.
{{
Bangkok, Thailand}}
{Number of projected overnight visitors: 20.19 million}
For the second year running, Bangkok is set to be the most popular city for international travelers, thanks in large part to its appealing mix of historical sites and modern hot spots: the gilded Grand Palace complex, the towering Peninsula Bangkok, the canals and alleys filled with street food vendors—and that’s just the start. Even with all that humidity, this city is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. View our complete list of the best places to visit in the U.S.
“Mr. President, we’re going to be your most loyal friends,” Jeffress said then.
That prediction was accurate. At some of Trump’s lowest moments over the past few months, conservative religious leaders have materialized at the White House to literally lay hands on him in prayer.
The photos of these moments have a powerful resonance for many American Christians who are steeped in a fundamentalist form of the faith that is individualistic, populist and places a high value on outward forms of religiosity. Their faith practice is characterized by a fascination with emotional experience and with big, dramatic gestures and story lines. The extraordinary is often valued over the ordinary, novelty over tradition, speaking in tongues over creeds, prophecy over liturgy.
And Trump, who spoke Friday at a gathering of religious conservatives in Washington, D.C., called the Values Voters Summit, has been eager to harness that emotional energy on his own behalf, especially at low points in his presidency.
When the damaging news broke in July that Donald Trump Jr. had met during the campaign with a Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer and had been eager to receive information about Hillary Clinton from the Russian government, a group of evangelicals prayed over Trump that very evening in the Oval Office.
“Such an honor to pray within the Oval Office for @POTUS & @VP,” tweeted Johnnie Moore, a former aide to Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr.
Moore now runs a public relations and advocacy business and is a major player at the intersection of conservative evangelical Christianity, politics and entertainment. But when it comes to convening these groups of leaders, it is Jeffress; Paula White, a Florida prosperity mega-church pastor who’s been called “a heretic” by other Christian leaders; and Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council, who take the lead, according to people who are familiar with the inner workings of the group.
Moore attached to his tweet a photo shot from behind Trump that showed six or seven hands on the president’s back, a common gesture among evangelicals during prayer for another person. Many believe the laying on of hands channels spiritual power to the person being prayed for.
“The laying on of hands in the Old Testament signified transfer (of sins to the scapegoat, for instance) and of the Holy Spirit from one person to another (anointing),” Michael Horton, a prominent evangelical author and a professor of theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in California, wrote in an email. “Jesus sometimes healed in analogous ways, placing his hands on people, but not necessarily. The apostles laid hands on some people for healing as well. So the idea is biblical.”
But, Horton cautioned, “what people are doing with it today is closer to magic, it seems to me.”
Harry Jackson, a Pentecostal pastor from the Maryland suburbs outside D.C. who was one of the ministers who prayed for Trump in the Oval Office, said that “if people don’t understand the faith dimension involved, they would say that it’s superstitious.”
“We believe there is a transfer — a potential transfer — of spiritual power and the Holy Spirit’s influence to a willing and believing recipient,” Jackson said in an interview. “The recipient has got to be in a place where his faith and his character can allow God to impart grace to him. … If there was true humility on the part of the president, God can give him these bursts and downloads of wisdom.”
“And the question is, if you don’t stay in that humble place, you can have bursts of wisdom but not wisdom in another moment,” Jackson added. “We understand the president is really by nature a fighter and protector, but the role America needs now is more of a father and a healer as well.”
The ministers who visited with Trump that day didn’t just pray for him. Some also took up his cause of criticizing the media and encouraged their followers to disregard press reports, which that day would have been about Trump Jr.’s meetings with Russians during the campaign.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Local Government, Francis Kaboneka thanked the province’s commitment to the country’s development and promised continued partnership.
“There are more than 2000 small and big projects they have implemented. Their programmes contributed to health, education and supporting persons with disabilities among others,” he said.
RhenaniePalatinat also contributes in capacity building for people in different sectors including training teachers and health workers.
The province also provides Euro2.5 million every years to Rwanda.
Governance, Sports and Infrastructure Minister in Rhenanie Palatinat Province, Roger Lewentz promised extended partnership to 35 more years ahead.
“We need to advance cooperation by equipping youth as we prepare our future. We observed that Rwanda is developing, we shall continue this partnership in 35 years ahead and achieve more” he said.
RhenaniePalatinat started supporting Rwanda’s development programmes in 1982.
Before entering the grounds of the court, every person was obliged to present his/her identification (ID or passport) as well as getting registered by security agents.
Also in attendance was the new defense lawyer, Gatera Gashabana defending Adeline Mukangemanyi as she requested in the previous hearing and Pierre Celestin Buhuru defending Diane Rwigara and Anne Rwigara.
Gashabana said that he received confirmation to defend Mukangemanyi yesterday (Thursday) 4:00pm. He said that he met his client but the only document she had was arrest warrants.
Gashabana requested to be given some time to read the dossier.
He said that he discussed nothing with the client.
Prosecution said that it is unusual to adjourn pre-trial hearing four times, so far taking 10 days contrary to the laws determining 72 hours to have decided on pre-trial hearing since the prosecution submitted the case to court.
Prosecution requested the court not to adjourn hearing over defense reasons as all defendants were read their allegations with the presence of the lawyer, Buhuru.
“Isn’t this postponement contradicting ‘justice delayed is justice denied’ principle?,” prosecution questioned.
Prosecution called to separate hearing of Anne Rwigara and Diane Rwigara represented by Buhuru as lawyer Gashabana goes ahead with reading Adeline’s case file.
Defense lawyers however rejected the call for separate hearing describing it, as contradictions in the trial
Anne Rwigara requested court to give them access to their case file, allow them visitors, be given 30 minutes out of the cells and give them back their Bibles.
The presiding judge adjourned the hearing to Monday 16th October, 2017
Kagame was speaking yesterday in the Human Capital Summit hosted by the World Bank Group in Washington DC, USA.
The event aims at highlighting the importance of a healthy, educated and skilled citizenry for the building of a stable and productive economy
Kagame said that human capital is without doubt the driver of high-income growth and the foundation of prosperity.
He said that people are all born equal in rights and dignity, but the trajectory and velocity of progress are determined by how well they use the capabilities acquired in the earliest stages of their lives.
The head of state said that investing in health, education, and creativity, leaders turn people into individuals who have the ability to think and act, not just for themselves but also for the benefit of their communities.
“Unleashing human freedom and ability is a force multiplier that creates limitless potential. For that reason, I would like to challenge us all not to limit our ambitions to “eliminating extreme poverty”. That just doesn’t sound good enough” Kagame said.
“Our aim is prosperity and well-being for everyone. That is the essence of what keeps bringing us together here, time after time” he added.
{{Rwanda’s experience}}
Speaking about Rwanda’s experience, Kagame said that twenty-three years ago, the country was utterly devastated.
“As we worked to rebuild the nation, we had no choice but to put our people at the centre of our strategy. It was simply a question of security and survival” Kagame said.
Using the example of decades before 1994, Kagame said that access to secondary and higher education was a political favour subject to ethnic quotas. He said that the country produced only about 2,000 university graduates in that period, contrary to today, around 90,000 Rwandans complete tertiary education every year.
He said that Rwanda’s national health insurance programme covers nearly 90 per cent of Rwandans, and tens of thousands of volunteer Community Health Workers are deployed across the country.
“This contributed to an 80% reduction in maternal mortality and a 70% reduction in infant and child mortality since the year 2000” he said
He reiterated that by requiring equality of access and opportunity for girls and women in schools, in the workplace, and in terms of legal rights, the country have made the economy demonstrably stronger and more resilient.
Kagame continued to say that broadband internet is available throughout the country and increasingly affordable.
“We are expanding technical and vocational education with direct relevance for the job market” he added.
Kagame said that Rwanda has decided to bring all key agencies together into a coordinated Early Childhood Development programme focused on nutrition, sanitation, and pre-school education.
“Eliminating malnutrition is a particular priority. The rate of stunting fell from over half of children in 2010 to closer to one-third today. But this is still unacceptably high. Our target is to further reduce stunting to 15% by 2020, with annual 6% reductions thereafter” he said.
Kagame said that Rwanda is pleased to have the partnership and strong support of the World Bank for these efforts with three new projects focused on social protection, nutrition, and agriculture.
However, Kagame said that Rwanda still has a long way to go to reach high-income status.
“Given our starting point, we are accustomed to difficult journeys, so there is no doubt that eventually we will get there. But we cannot derive full benefit from our natural resources or seize the opportunities of globalisation without first making the inherent potential of our people a reality” he told participants.
He said that the government does not provide funds, but also creates public goods through an environment of security, stability, policy predictability, and the rule of law.
He emphasized that optimism about the future that is shared by Rwandans, as well as partners, is based on continuing to deliver tangible improvements in the well-being of citizens.
He said that human capital generates prosperity by enabling mindsets of responsibility, productivity, innovation and self-reliance.
