IGIHE English

Author: IGIHE

  • Royal TV closes

    In the morning of Tuesday, the management and proprietors held a general meeting where all employees were informed about the closure of shop.

    According to sources, the Radio station will continue to operate.

  • Entrepreneurs’ Lifestyle: Freedom comes with responsibility

    Entrepreneurs are, by nature, risk takers and know it may culminate into serious or negative results, but they always see the positive and remain forever optimistic. If the decision was the right one, the benefits and results offer a great deal of personal satisfaction and a wonderful sense of achievement.

    If entrepreneurs only realised the extent of the risks that they take on a daily basis, they would probably not take these decisions, or be much more cautious and research the matter to a larger extent before making the call. But, a call needs to be made. Unlike in the corporate environment where a team, commission and task groups of specialist in disciplines debate a solution, running your own business means making decisions by yourself. It may be tough, but it is also great, exciting and satisfying. You make the decisions; the buck stops with you. No reporting. No writing of motivations. Complete freedom to do what your gut tells you.

    However, the freedom also comes with responsibility. The decisions taken will influence the position or situation not only for yourself but also others around you. You have to understand how your decisions will affect you, your business, your staff, your clients and your community at large.

    Entrepreneurs are free to make decisions but are they really free? Not really. You may not have to report to a line manager, but you have other bosses. The most important boss in the life of an entrepreneur is his or her customer. They dictate. If you do not satisfy their needs, you have no business. So they are your bosses. They call the shots. They have options. They have the money in their pockets and as they say, “a customer is the king”. Other bosses are the Government (think of SARS as an example or the laws you need to abide by), your family responsibilities and those who work for you. Your suppliers are also bosses.

    Yes, entrepreneurs are the master of their own destiny. They make the decisions. They have the freedom to do what they want and when. But it comes with a great level of responsibility and like all things in life, freedom comes at a price.

    {Jean Claude Mutajogire is the Country Manager of Business Partners Limited.}

    {{
    About Business Partners Limited: }}

    Business Partners Limited is a specialist risk finance company for formal small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Rwanda, and selected African countries. The company actively supports entrepreneurial growth by providing financing, specialist sectoral knowledge and added-value services for viable small and medium businesses. Visit [www.businesspartners.co.za->https://www.businesspartners.co.za/en-za] for more information.

  • Rwandan school bridges language gulf for Burundian students

    Two years ago, Lydiella Hakizimana knew no more than a few words of English. Today it is her favourite subject.

    As the bell rings for the start of the day at Paysannat L School, just outside Mahama refugee camp, she is at her desk ready to begin.

    After civil unrest erupted in Burundi in 2015 over disputed elections, Lydiella, her mother and her three sisters joined refugees streaming into neighbouring Rwanda. Today there are more than 50,000 in Mahama, a camp close to the Burundian border.
    Keen to regain some stability in her life, Lydiella, 13, looked forward to resuming her education. However, in Rwanda classes are taught in English, not French as in Burundi.

    UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the Rwandan Government devised a solution. Together, they set up a system that enables refugee children to plug into Rwanda’s national curriculum.

    This was in the form of a comprehensive, six-month bridging course, known as the orientation project, which includes English lessons. It is one of many such initiatives supported by UNHCR around the world to boost refugees’ education and help them move into a formal learning environment.

    Refugees who largely missed out on an education at home follow the entire course. Others are enrolled in state schools at a suitable level as soon as they are ready. At the 2016 UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants, Rwanda pledged to help include Burundian refugees in its national education system. It is striving to meet that promise.

    The bridging course introduced Lydiella to more than another language. It is designed to educate students in other subjects, too. “It was the first time I had heard about the sciences and social studies,” she says. “Orientation is a way of getting used to what other students study here, especially if you are a newcomer.”

    Charles Munyaneza, UNHCR’s associate education officer based in Kigali, says: “We realized we needed to integrate refugee students into the national system as they faced serious barriers to coping and adapting.”

    The bridging project started at Mahama in June 2015 with 2,500 students. Since then, more than 19,000 children have passed through. “It is a really crucial step towards including refugees in the national education system,” says Munyaneza.

    Paysannat L is one of several schools in the area with the Paysannat name – with a total student population of almost 20,000 – but it is the only one where refugees and local students learn side-by-side. Jean-Claude Muhyemama, the deputy head, says having a common language has played an important role in integrating the two communities and promoting good relations.

    “This project has really helped the Burundian students get to the same level as Rwandan students,” he says. “At the beginning, they knew very little or no English but now they can express themselves well.”

    Having adapted to the Rwandan curriculum and reached the last year of primary school, Lydiella enjoys her studies hugely. She hopes one day to spread her love of English to her fellow Burundians. “If one day I return to Burundi, I will teach others English because it is important,” she says. “It is spoken around the whole world and so I think if people learn it, it will help them in their life.”

    Jean Harindwa, Lydiella’s English teacher, has been working at the school since it opened in 2015. Himself a Burundian, he says teaching English has helped him with his own mastery of the language. “It was a good thing to start this project,” he says.

    {Source: UNHCR}

  • Kagame meets France’s Macron

    According to the office of the president, Village Urugwiro, discussions between the two heads of state revolved around partnership for common interestsin peace and security in Africa.

    Rwanda has for a long time been requesting France to take responsibility of their role in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

    France is accused of having played direct role in supporting the Habyarimana genocide government in preparation and execution of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

    Also French troops who were deployed in the country for peacekeeping mission did contrary by training Interahamwe militias to execute the genocide.
    President Kagame has also met Israel Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and Belgium Prime Minster Charles Michel with whom he discussed bilateral relations issues.

  • Minister Busingye calls for strategic partnership against contemporary threats

    The Minister was giving his key note address during the 17th Meeting of Council of Ministers responsible for Police affairs in the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (EAPCCO) region that ended in Kampala-Uganda recently.

    The official closing of the 17th EAPCCO meeting, which preceded the second retreat of Police Chiefs from the 13-member bloc and the 19th EAPCCO AGM, respectively, was presided over by Uganda’s Prime Minister, Right Hon. Ruhakana Rugunda.

    It was also attended by EAPCCO development partners including Interpol, Afripol, East African Community (EAC), UN organs, Regional Centre on Small Arms and Light Weapons (RECSA), among others.

    Minister Busingye, who is also the outgoing chair of the Council of Ministers, said:

    “The effectiveness in confronting the evolving sophisticated transnational security threats rests in the level of cooperation between police chiefs and institutions to come up with joint strategic responses.”

    While speaking during the retreat of Chief of Police, the outgoing chair of EAPPCO, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Emmanuel K. Gasana said that the regional forum has eased collaborative engagements and cooperation, developed capacities and capabilities and jointly conducted operations as well as connecting the region with other law enforcement organizations globally.

    During the three-day EAPCCO Annual General Assembly, a number of key areas were discussed. These include the security challenges of the 21st century – African perspective; ICT and its implications on policing in Africa; global terrorism and its impact on Africa; realigning the EAPCCO strategic plans and programmes with the newly created continental police body – Afripol; and partnership with development partners.

    The council of Ministers adopted twelve resolutions submitted by the 19th Council of Police Chiefs, including the admission of the Democratic Republic of Congo as the 14th member of EAPCCO.

    Other member countries of the regional police organization founded in 1998, include Uganda, Comoros, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Kenya, Sudan, Burundi, South Sudan, Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania and Rwanda.

    Other resolutions revolves around cooperation and innovation in the fight against transnational crimes such as terrorism, human trafficking and other emerging organized security threats; and active participation in Field Training Exercises and in the Eastern Africa Association of Police Training Institutions (EAAPTI) to develop terms of reference and protocols for conducting exercises.

    The meeting also appreciated Rwanda for hosting the newly established Regional Centre of Excellence of cybercrime. As a rotational basis, Sudan will host the 20th AGM next year.

  • Rwandans in Netherlands organise post-election thanksgiving prayer

    Bishop John Manywa told IGIHE that it was a time to thank God for peaceful elections, devoid of any subsequent catastrophes. “Today we thank our Lord. We believe that Rwandan leadership came from God. In God’s presence we find peace, development and security,” he said.

    He said that Rwanda’s achievements are self-explanatory, and requested the government led by President Paul Kagame to continue with the vision of transforming Rwanda.

    The ambassador of Rwanda in The Netherlands, Jean Pierre Karabaranga said that thanksgiving is a great event for Rwandans and friends in Netherlands.

    “Like our culture, we Christians living in this country should thank our Lord who answered our prayers and gave us what we wanted from him” he said

  • Akagera National Park earned $200,000 in July

    Currently, Akagera has 18 rhinos and 19 lions.

    Speaking to IGIHE Sarah Hall, the tourism and marketing manager at Akagera National Park said that in July the park earned much money than ever before.

    “July 2017 had a big number of tourists compared to other months. It is the month where we earned much money above $200,000 a big amount above what was earned in the entire 2010,” she said.

    Sarah said that in July 2017, the park was visited by 4,978 tourists and 3,879 in August,” she said.

    Under the ongoing campaign to sensitise Rwandans to embrace local tourism through ‘Tembera u Rwanda’ Sarah said that a half of tourists in the park during July and August were Rwandans.

    In the year 2017, Rwanda is targeting to earn $440 million from tourism.

    Rhinoceros; One of the recently added breeds

  • One held over teenage pregnancy

    The 23-year old man was detained when a student identified him as the one responsible for the pregnancy. Five other girls (names withheld) from the same school tested positive during the pregnancy tests. The culprit, names withheld, is being held at Gashari Police station. Police are also hunting for other suspects still at large, that are responsible for other under-age pregnancies.

    Evariste Murwanashyaka, an officer in the umbrella of Human Rights Organisations in Rwanda (CLADHO) told IGIHE that last week they got informed about these pregnancies and went to follow up with police.

    He said that two children are below eighteen years old.
    Murwanashyaka said that four students have already given birth whereas one is due.

    “We had discussions with students on how they should behave and then requested the police to hold the suspected culprits as investigations continue.”

    He said that police should help in identifying men who impregnated girls above eighteen so they can financially support their children and enable them enjoy their rights.

  • Parents urged to let girls practice football

    However, every sport is important for health and can be a source of income if turned into a profession, according to Vedaste Kayiranga, the Vice President of Rwanda’s Football Federation (Ferwafa).

    Launching the 2017 edition of the FIFA “Live Your Goals” (LYG) festival in Ruhango District of the Southern Province last week, Kayiranga urged parents to let their girls join football.

    “This campaign will open an avenue for more girls to play football in Rwanda. These festivals aim at building on the success of the Live Your Goals campaign so far and it is meant to offer a host of exciting activities to the public,” he said.

    “Just like we have seen in Ruhango District, we hope to see more girls and women at the week-long festival session which will end on September 22. Let us support girls and encourage them to play football regularly so as to raise the profile of women’s football in Rwanda.”

    In Ruhango District, 200 girls aged between 6-12 years drawn from four schools namely EP Amizero, EP Munini, GS Catholique Ruhango and EP ADEPR participated in the day-long event which was held at Indangaburen zi College of Education playground. The girls participated in a range of sports activities which varied from 4v4 games, to fun coaching stations working on dribbling, passing and control that were ran by regional technical advisors and other volunteers.

    Félicité Rwemalika, the head of women football committee at Ferwafa, reminded parents that football is not for boys only but girls can make it too to play for best teams in the country, abroad and national team.

    “It has always been believed and supported by ancient Rwandan culture that girls stay at home doing household chores but I want to tell you that you are able to make football a profession. We have coaches and equipments for your training. You only need to love football,” she advised.

    Kayiranga told parents to change mindset of thinking that if a girl plays football loses cultural respect but that sports can keep them away from bad actions.

    The Live Your Goals campaign targets to inspire girls and women to play football. It was launched at the 2011 Women’s World Cup and is part of FIFA’s long-term commitment to support women’s football worldwide.

    In Rwanda, the campaign seeks to increase the number of females playing football, create new opportunities by increasing the number of festivals year on year and increase the numbers of girls who join clubs from the festivals.

    The campaign has already covered districts of Huye, Rusizi, Bugesera, Rubavu, Nyagatare, Ruhango and Muhanga. The next sessions will be held in districts of Kayonza on September 19, Gicumbi on September 21 before concluding in Musanze on September 22, 2017.

    Ferwafa is running the campaign with FIFA’s support of $120,000 (around Rwf100 million) and will end by 2018.

  • Rwanda is an exemplary vantage point—Outgoing EU envoy

    In an interview with {{IGIHE}}, Ryan said that he and his family will miss Rwanda where they met wonderful people. Excerpts;{The Cabinet has approved the new EU resident ambassador to Rwanda. Are you going for a new mission?}

    Yes, the EU has nominated Ambassador designate Nicola Bellomo as my successor, and this has now been approved by the Rwandan Cabinet. My four year assignment as ambassador to Rwanda has come to an end, and I will be returning to my headquarters in Brussels.
    {
    What is the image of EU-Rwanda cooperation that you are leaving behind?}

    EU cooperation with Rwanda is strong, and growing. Most of it is budget support, and the task of the EU Delegation in Kigali is to engage more deeply in policy dialogue with government, to share views, and to ensure that EU financial support, benefits the lives of each citizen in this country.

    {Are you happy with your four-year service in Rwanda?}

    It has been immensely stimulating working in Rwanda, linking closely with my other EU member state ambassador colleagues, to represent EU policies and values, and above all to build an understanding, however modest and incomplete, of the nature of society, ambition and governance among Rwanda’s 12 million citizens. The European Union is reaching out to Africa, and Rwanda is an exemplary vantage point from which to explore how the EU-African relationship can be improved economically and politically.

    What do you think your successor should focus on during his time in Rwanda?
    I will leave it to my dear friend Nicola Bellomo to make his own judgement on future areas of focus. He has a wide experience of Africa. One of the beauties of changing ambassadors every four years is that it injects new thinking and perspectives into the partnership.

    {Which challenges have you faced during your time of service?}

    There are so many positives to anyone privileged to live and work in Rwanda that it seems grudging to mention challenges. There have been astounding changes over my brief stay. The Kigali skyline has transformed dramatically in response to modernisation, the economy exudes a reassuring sense of confidence. The challenge is to strike the right balance in sharing economic wealth so that all feel they have a stake in the success.

    My challenge is to see how our EU programmes can help in this, in working with government and civil society to tackle the fundamental issues of poverty, hunger and youth unemployment. I am optimistic, since government attaches priority to these problems. Rwandans impress me with their deep sense of wisdom, natural justice and appreciation of the state of the nation – whether farmer, trader or wealthy entrepreneur, woman or man. My humble hope is that these qualities are harnessed so that civil society gradually can play a more distinct role in this country’s progress. It is happening, but the potential remains substantial.

    {What do you speak about your meet with Diana Rwigara?}

    It is quite normal for diplomats to meet presidential aspirants. I met others. On Top Tower, my family’s safety was the concern..

    {What will be your memory of Rwanda? }

    My memories and impressions of Rwanda are shaped by the charming people I have met. As ambassador, many citizens from all walks of life wish to come and discuss, to offer ideas, to give guidance, and to know what the EU thinks! I owe each of them a huge debt of gratitude. We are here to learn, to assess, to recommend to our authorities.

    My particular pleasure has been bouncing down country roads to visit communities and projects, however remote, to meet villagers and leaders, talk to students, and to let them know that the European Union is not some remote notion but an ever-present partner. I am helped enormously in this by a great team of colleagues in the Delegation. They are a pleasure to work with. I am indebted to each of them.

    {Can you share with us how you feel as you bid farewell to Rwandans?
    }

    It has been a privilege to call Rwanda home for the last four years. That it is one of the most beautiful countries in Africa is beyond question. I and my family will very much miss Rwanda and its wonderful people.