On the second day of his visit, February 7, 2024, President Duda explored various sections of the LuNa Smelter factory, gaining insights into the processing of precious stones sourced from Rwanda and other parts of Africa.
During the Poland-Rwanda business forum held in Kigali on Wednesday, President Duda expressed that Poland’s support to Rwanda in technology and research is built on a partnership model.
He stated, “It assumes the implementation of projects in cooperation with local communities and using local resources. This is the case of the tin smelter in Kigali – the largest Polish and EU investment in Rwanda. Thanks to this project, Rwanda has become the largest tin processor in the entire Central and East African region.”
LuNa Smelter Ltd, operational in Jabana in the Gasabo District since 2018, has the capacity to melt 360 tons of cassiterite per month. The facility employs 50 permanent staff and additional casual workers.
The processed tin metals derived from these precious stones serve various purposes, including metal welding, battery manufacturing for certain vehicles, glassmaking, and the production of telephones and computers, among other applications.
Munyeshuli highlighted that Poland and Rwanda possess distinct capabilities and resources that can be leveraged for mutual gain.
In recent years, Rwanda has emerged as a promising destination for foreign investments, particularly in sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, technology, and renewable energy.
Conversely, Poland stands out with its diversified economy and expertise in various industries.
Rwanda Development Board (RDB) data reveals the registration of at least four Polish projects in Rwanda, valued at 72.3 million dollars. These initiatives have generated over 330 jobs in crucial sectors like health, energy, ICT services, and construction.
Discussing the Rwandan government’s efforts in diverse sectors such as agriculture, technology, and eco-friendly economic activities, Munyeshuli sees an opportunity for Polish investors to engage in mutually beneficial collaboration.
In addressing potential areas of investment, she suggested that Polish investors could explore opportunities in agriculture, food processing, and modern livestock farming.
Emphasizing that investment in Rwanda extends beyond financial figures, Munyeshuli stressed the importance of finding solutions to citizens’ problems, particularly through job creation and valuable experiences.
In his address, President Kagame acknowledged the shared potential between Rwanda and Poland, highlighting Rwanda’s conducive investment environment.
He underscored the country’s commitment to innovation, having overcome challenges by prioritizing the needs of its citizens—a strategy he deemed the best investment made.
The Head of State outlined Rwanda’s focus on developing key sectors like health, tourism, and sports, aspiring to become the preferred destination for investors, both regionally and internationally.
Meanwhile, Polish President Andrzej Duda remarked on the consideration of Rwandan investments by Polish companies, citing the appeal of the local market’s security and stability.
He pointed out that Rwanda offers sought-after stability, high-level management, excellent investment conditions, abundant natural resources, and a population known for its ambition and hard work.
On February 7, 2024, the governments of Rwanda and Poland formalized their collaboration through a signed agreement covering various sectors, including agriculture, security, mining, and technology.
The MINUSCA Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Amb.Valentine Rugwabiza handed over the award to RWAPSU1-8 contingent commander, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gilbert Safari, on Wednesday, February 7.
The event to award the MINUSCA outstanding performers was also attended by the Head of Police Component, Commissioner of Police (CP) Christophe Bizimungu.
The RWAPSU1-8 was recognized for its “professionalism and outstanding contribution in human security activities.”
“This certificate is issued to Rwanda PSU for its commitment and contribution to community activities, blood donation, medicine donation, sanitation, water distribution and other charitable activities for the benefit of the Central African Republic civilian population, which is in line with the mandate of MINUSCA,” the MINUSCA message reads.
It adds: “Due to its dynamism, its professionalism, its self-sacrifice, and its sense of responsibility, the Rwanda PSU has achieved commendable results, which have allowed it to be at the forefront in supporting communities.”
“The MINUSCA shows all its consideration to RWAPSU and expresses its respect for the protection of civilians and more specifically the vulnerable people.”
The SRSG encouraged the contingent to maintain its professionalism to fulfill the MINUSCA mandate especially on protection of civilians.
The Rwanda Protection Support Unit of 140 officers, is one of the four Rwanda Police contingents deployed in Central African Republic, largely to protect civilians.
The PSU is particularly tasked to ensure close protection of high profile officials, including the Prime Minister of CAR, President of the National Assembly, the Minister of Justice, SRSG and the two deputies, and Head of MINUSCA Police Component, among others.
“European agriculture is losing its competitiveness. Polish farmers have suffered the most significant losses due to the influx of agricultural products from Ukraine,” Siekierski was quoted by local media as saying.
The minister said that he and his colleagues would hold talks at the Ministry of Finance on Thursday to discuss how to support the agriculture sector. “In addition to low-interest loans, there should be subsidies for cereals and possibly fertilizers,” he said.
According to Wiktor Szmulewicz, the president of the National Council of Agricultural Chambers, farmers oppose the implementation of the European Green Deal and the import of agricultural products from Ukraine, demanding support for animal husbandry.
Farmers announced a country-wide thirty-day protest scheduled to start on Friday. One of their reasons is the European Union (EU)’s extension of duty-free trade in agricultural goods with Ukraine until 2025. Additionally, they also want a departure from the requirements of the so-called Green Deal, saying that it hampers agricultural production in the bloc by imposing additional environmental regulations.
UNMISS said 16 undeclared boxes of ammunition were detected among cargo on a charter flight that landed Tuesday in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
“I would like to underscore that UNMISS itself took immediate action to alert the South Sudanese authorities to this regrettable incident as soon as we became aware. It is important to be open and honest in these situations, and the mission is now working closely with the government to address this issue,” said Nicholas Haysom, the special representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMISS, in a statement issued here.
It noted that the rotating contingent did not advise UNMISS that it intended to transport ammunition, adding that the incoming contingent had been informed by the mission in advance of the flight that ammunition should not be included in the cargo as there was no clearance for these items.
UNMISS said that the ammunition was not declared on the manifest that had been provided to and cleared by the government of South Sudan.
“When the ammunition was discovered by UNMISS while the cargo was being unloaded in Juba, the mission immediately informed all relevant authorities within the government of South Sudan,” it said.
The peacekeeping mission also said that it would raise this matter with the troop-contributing country for further action.
The peacekeeping mission in South Sudan is composed of 17,954 personnel, including 13,221 troops, 200 experts on mission, 1,468 police personnel, 2,268 civilians and 389 staff officers, and 408 UN Volunteers.
The highly anticipated five-day challenge, held in Dubai from February 3, witnessed the participation of two RNP SWAT teams: RNP SWAT Team-1 and RNP SWAT Team-2.
This marked the third consecutive year that RNP actively engaged in the annual event, renowned for emphasizing mental acuity and physical endurance.
The challenge serves as a platform for the exchange of tactical techniques and skills among international SWAT teams, fostering global cooperation and the sharing of best practices.
SWAT teams from Europe, Asia, North America, South America, and Africa converge at the Dubai SWAT training facility each year to compete in five categories: tactical event, assault event, officer rescue event, tower event, and obstacle course.
In the overall standings, RNP SWAT Team-1 secured an impressive 12th position, while RNP SWAT Team-2 claimed the 19th spot out of the 73 participating SWAT teams from across continents.
Notably, RNP SWAT Team-1 demonstrated exceptional prowess by clinching the title of the ‘Overall Best Team in Obstacle Course,’ underscoring their proficiency in navigating challenging terrains.
Meanwhile, RNP SWAT Team-2 displayed commendable performance, securing the 6th position in the same category.
The UAE SWAT Challenge continues to play a pivotal role in enhancing collaboration and mutual learning among SWAT teams globally, and Rwanda National Police’s commendable performance further solidifies its standing on the international stage.
At the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Gisozi, President Duda paid his respects to the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi which took lives of more than 1 million victims. In the memorial’s guest book, he expressed profound sorrow for the events that unfolded in Rwanda in 1994.
In his written statement, President Duda conveyed that the people of Poland stand in remembrance of the millions of innocent lives lost during the Genocide against the Tutsi.
The visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial offered a poignant lesson on the dangers of divisive ideologies fueled by external influences that saw neighbors turning against each other, and the social fabric torn apart.
President Duda emphasized the historical significance of the Genocide, pointing out that it serves as a universal lesson, illustrating that allowing hatred to fester can lead to the complete destruction of a nation.
However, he commended Rwanda for its resilience, highlighting the remarkable role that justice and forgiveness played in the country’s reconstruction.
In the past year, countries worldwide have been actively engaged in AI development tailored for local languages, reflecting their profound considerations in the domain of digital sovereignty.
{{Emergence of diverse AI models}}
In late 2022, the release of the English generative AI ChatGPT by the U.S.-based company OpenAI sparked a global trend in developing generative AI models for local languages.
Notably, in China, models like Baidu’s ERNIE Bot and iFlytek’s Xinghuo have undergone rapid iterations, showcasing impressive Chinese language-processing capabilities and serving as productivity tools for many businesses.
“China has made rapid progress in relevant research, with some cross-domain large models achieving breakthroughs, and the development trend of large models for vertical domains is also very promising,” Chen Xiaoping, chairman of the AI Ethics Committee of the Chinese Artificial Intelligence Association, told Xinhua.
The generative AI landscape is also thriving in Europe. In France, by September of the previous year, 79 startups were already specializing in the field. Notably, Mistral, an AI company valued at almost 2 billion euros (around 2.15 billion U.S. dollars), stands out for introducing the versatile “Mixtral8x7B” model proficient in French, Spanish, Italian, English, and German.
In Russia, YandexGPT said it outperformed ChatGPT 3.5 in Russian language responses and has passed the Russian Unified State Exam.
Simultaneously, countries like Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and Singapore are actively participating in the development of generative AI models tailored to their respective languages.
{{Building sovereign AI capabilities}}
This global trend not only underscores the dynamic evolution of generative AI across diverse linguistic landscapes, but also highlights the growing significance of “sovereign AI” worldwide.
“Sovereign AI” is a frequently mentioned concept in the wake of the popularity of generative AI. It generally refers to a country’s support for AI infrastructure development, training large models with data that align with the country’s culture and thinking, and fostering a local ecosystem for AI products.
People and countries now recognize that they have to utilize their own data, keep their own data, process that data, and develop their own AI, said Nvidia Corp chief executive Jensen Huang.
Last year, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire publicly stated that France and Europe at large must develop their own generative AI. He pledged to increase the funds raised to invest in tech innovation.
Similar concerns have been voiced by various countries, including India.
“We are determined that we must have our own sovereign AI,” Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Indian minister of state for electronics and information technology, said recently.
“People realize that they can’t afford to export their country’s knowledge, their country’s culture for somebody else to then resell AI back to them,” Huang said.
Such words underscore a significant challenge in developing sovereign AI globally.
Currently, American enterprises dominate the field of AI, and for other countries to keep pace, they must adopt American products, and such dependence could potentially constrain their subsequent development.
Against this backdrop, data analysis experts caution that the predominant use of English in building AI language models, coupled with most suppliers originating from the United States, may result in a heavy reliance on American providers, leading to a lack of full independence in many AI technologies.
{{Tackling potential digital divide}}
The global development of generative AI is uneven, potentially leading to new inequalities.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting earlier this year: “We need a systematic effort to increase access to AI so that developing economies can benefit from its enormous potential. We need to bridge the digital divide instead of deepening it.”
Chen pointed out that for the new problems arising in the era of AI, it is necessary to pursue a unity of economic and social benefits while maintaining high-quality development, to effectively ensure and improve the well-being of society and mankind as a whole.
In this process, China has shown good momentum in the field of AI.
Ronnie Lins, director of the China-Brazil Center for Research and Business, told reporters in April last year that Brazil’s AI development is not yet sufficient, while China and the United States have invested heavily in AI.
AI could have an impact on jobs globally, Lins noted, expecting China to leverage its strengths and contribute to creating new opportunities for young people through the application of new technologies.
The Global Forum on the Ethics of AI 2024 addressed the aforementioned issues. In the current landscape of diverse language AI developments, Gabriela Ramos, assistant director-general for the Social and Human Sciences of UNESCO, emphasized the need for global cooperation.
“We need true global coordination and knowledge-sharing to build a responsible AI ecosystem that benefits everyone,” said Ramos.
Nicholas Nkongho Manchang, the sub-prefect of Bamenda II, a subdivision of the region, was kidnapped at gunpoint with five other individuals in Ntumbaw village, a local security official said.
“The sub-prefect and the other officials were traveling by road to attend an official ceremony in another town when they were stopped and taken to an unknown destination. We are actively searching for them. There was no military convoy with the sub-prefect at the time of the abduction,” the official who asked not to be named told Xinhua Tuesday night.
No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction.
Separatist fighters have been active in the region since 2017 after they began clashing with government forces in a bid to create an independent region in Cameroon’s two Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest.
The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) said Wednesday that the delegation led by AUCF coordinator Adebayo Kareem on Tuesday held talks with AMIS Force Commander Sam Okiding, the military component leadership, and sector commanders focusing on the recently revised AU rules of engagement.
“Discussions focused on implementing and adhering to the recently revised African Union Rules of Engagement, now aligned with ATMIS mandates to bolster civilian protection efforts,” ATMIS said in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.
As part of their week-long visit to Somalia, the delegation will engage with various stakeholders, including government officials, ATMIS, UN, and civil society groups to further enhance civilian protection during the transition process, the AU mission said.
The AUCF team aims to enhance AU’s capacity to ensure that the pan-African body’s peace support operations are continuously planned and conducted in compliance with international human rights law, including regional human rights instruments, and international humanitarian law, as well as applicable standards of conduct.
