The official celebration will take place on Monday, 24 October 2022 in Kigali to mark the anniversary, and fruit trees will be planted during Umuganda in Huye and Musanze Districts, and in Kigali, on Saturday, 29 October 2022.
These events serve as an opportunity to reflect on the success stories and lessons learned from the partnership between Rwanda and the UN.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr. Vincent Biruta said: “We commend the UN for its support to our country and for spearheading multilateralism efforts and global cooperation. Rwanda remains committed to our partnership in addressing common challenges in diverse areas including socio-economic development, gender equality, peacekeeping, refugees’ rights protection, climate change, and much more. The world needs consistent and effective collaboration among countries, and Rwanda will always play its role.”
The UN Resident Coordinator Ozonnia Matthew Ojiel also said: “The UN extends its sincere appreciation to the Government and the people of Rwanda for the support and continued commitment to work closely for the benefit of the people of this country – leaving no one behind. We reaffirm the UN’s collective commitment and pledge cooperation and support in all forms to address shared objectives grounded on the UN Charter.”
Rwanda is one of the biggest contributors to the UN peacekeeping missions with over 5,000 military and police personnel deployed in different countries. Rwanda is also among the African countries that achieved Millennium Development Goals and is on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Rwanda became member of the United Nations on 18th September 1962.
The agreement was signed on Thursday 20th October 2022 between Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr. Vincent Biruta and Mozambican Minister of Interior, Arsénia Massingue.
As the Minister of Foreign Affairs has revealed, the agreement will encourage free movement and enhance collaboration between the two countries.
Rwanda’s Presidency has revealed that their discussions held on Thursday 20th October 2022, focused on furthering collaboration towards socio-economic transformation.
GiveDirectly works in 17 Districts in Rwanda and has provided unconditional cash transfers to over 170,000 households.
The non-profit organization initiated its interventions in Ngoma and Gisagara districts and later expanded its activities to other parts of the country.
In Gicumbi District, GiveDirectly implemented two projects including one aimed at helping residents to move out of poverty in the sector of Nyankenke, Miyove and Rukomo. Under this project, 5298 families received Rwf4.3 billion funding.
The organization also run another project in the areas that saw over Rwf119 million distributed among residents to mitigate effects of COVID-19.
Born in January 1973, Rory Stewart is a British academic, diplomat, author, broadcaster, former soldier and former politician who served as the Secretary of State for International Development of the United Kingdom.
His organization operates in East African countries including Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya where it helps families living in extreme poverty by making unconditional cash transfers to them via mobile phone.
The commitment was unveiled on Wednesday October 19, 2022 during an event held in Lagos, Nigeria, with over 70 journalists in attendance. It was headlined by the twin singing and dancing sensations, P-Square, and was streamed live with the media and Airtel employees joining from across the 13 other OPCOs.
Speaking at the event, the Group Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Segun Ogunsanya, stated that the “decision to sponsor the show was informed by our firm belief in and commitment to empowering the youths to achieve their dreams.”
According to him, “sponsoring The Voice Africa was an easy decision to make because it not only aligns with the philosophy of our brand, but also consolidates on the current dominance of the music world by Africans.”
Dr. Ogunsanya praised the dominance of the global music scene by African musicians, saying The Voice Africa was therefore intended to broaden the opportunities for more of the continent’s talented youths to realize their dreams.
The GCEO recalled the company’s previous sponsorships like the MTV Music Awards and Airtel Rising Stars, which contributed immensely to the emergence of many notable stars in music and football respectively, adding that “at the end of the day, Airtel Africa would have facilitated the emergence of successful musicians who can compete with their peers from anywhere in the world”.
“These investments”, he explained, “were intentional and deliberate to empower our youths and enable them to channel their talents and energies positively for their individual good and the good of their families, communities and indeed Africa.”
Ogunsanya, who was represented by the VP Corporate Communications and CSR, Emeka Oparah, restated Airtel Africa’s commitment to the empowerment of not only the youths but also all Africans to achieve their dreams and succeed in their lawful undertakings.
He commended the media for their unflinching support for the brand. “Your influence in leveraging this sort of opportunity cannot be overemphasized and I trust you will do what you know how to best in Nigeria, East Africa, or Francophone Africa”, he concluded.
Also speaking at the event, Airtel Africa’s Head of Brands, Nandkishor Buty, explained that The Voice Africa aims to showcase the brightest of African musical talents from across our markets, alongside a panel of coaches and TV hosts, and act as a launchpad for global recognition. Seven strongest vocalists from each of the 14 countries will be selected to participate in the programme, with one of them eventually crowned The Voice of Africa.
He announced that The Voice will formally kick off on Friday, October 21, with a call for entries followed by virtual auditions from where the seven contestants will emerge.
The successful contestants will then proceed to a camp where they will be groomed by coaches and participate in competitions for the emergence of the last 10. The overall winner will receive a US$100,000 star prize which will include cash and a recording contract.
Customers will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite contestants, when the show airs on television stations across Africa in March 2023, with the grand finale taking place later in the year.
Holtzman made the assurance recently on 15th October 2022 during a ceremony in which he received the award presented to Bank of Kigali as the ‘Best Bank in Rwanda’.
Earlier this year in March, Bank of Kigali was awarded “Best Bank in Rwanda’’ by Global Finance Awards, an international magazine with an experience of 35 years in financial reporting.
The winners of this year’s awards are banks that attended carefully to their customers’ needs in difficult markets and accomplished strong results while laying the foundations for future success.
Selection of the nominees is made by the editors of Global Finance after extensive consultations with corporate financial executives, bankers and banking consultants, and analysts throughout the world.
During the financial contest, banks were invited to submit entries supporting their selection and Global Finance considered factors that ranged from the quantitative objective to the informed subjective.
The Best Bank Awards ceremony was hosted on the 15th October 2022 in Washington DC, during the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – World Bank Meetings.
The ceremony attracted a large gathering of senior banking executives and central bank governors from all over the world and presented an opportunity for award winners to collect their awards physically.
Bank of Kigali was represented by Chairman Marc Holtzman who proudly accepted the award on behalf of the bank.
Speaking after the ceremony, Holtzman reflected on BK’s position as a leading bank that aspires to financially transform lives.
“It’s an honor for us to be recognized for our amazing team and the pride they take in serving our customers. At Bank of Kigali, we are continuously developing strategies to innovate and digitize our products to allow our clients to transact seamlessly. Our customers are at the heart of our mission. It is gratifying and rewarding to receive this recognition,’’ he said.
Bank of Kigali has won the Global Finance “Best Bank in Rwanda’’ for two consecutive years.
The Global Finance accolades have become a trusted standard of excellence for the global financial community.
The three-day event was inaugurated by Ahlam Al-Baji Al-Sayeb, chief-of-staff of the Tunisia’s Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy, in the presence of experts in the fields of energy and renewable energies.
During her speech, Al-Baji Al-Sayeb stressed that the SITE aims to introduce Tunisia’s energy infrastructure potential to the world.
“It is an opportunity to attract investment in the field of renewable energies in light of the development of the Russia-Ukraine crisis and the global trend toward a green economy and clean energies,” she noted.
At least 30 exhibitors from Tunisia, Germany and China are taking part in the fair which is expected to receive over 5,000 visitors.
Despite regular exercises and eating a balanced diet and green vegetables, the mother of three never thought it could happen to her.
“It was not something I imagined, not even in my dreams that I could be a victim,” said the resident in Nyarugenge district, on the outskirts of Rwanda’s capital, Kigali.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016, but luckily, she has recovered and encourages women to take prevention seriously.
Awareness campaigns on breast cancer are running throughout October in Rwanda, featuring awareness walks and screening women and girls for breast cancer using breast clinical examination.
In 2020, at least 2.3 million women worldwide were diagnosed with breast cancer and 685,000 died from the disease, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Four women are diagnosed with breast cancer every minute, and it is projected that the number of breast cancer cases will double over the next 20 years in less developed countries, the WHO says.
In Rwanda, at least 650 patients were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, the majority of whom succumbed to the disease due to late diagnosis, according to the Ministry of Health.
Breast cancer remains the most common among cases recorded in the east African country, followed by cervical, prostate, stomach and liver cancers.
Talking about her experience, Uwumukiza recalled that it was during a self-check routine when she felt a lump. She underwent a breast clinical examination which confirmed it was cancer.
“I couldn’t believe, and wondered why it had happened to me,” she said.
Uwumukiza started her chemotherapy at a hospital in neighboring Kenya’s capital Nairobi as her family had the financial means.
The therapy succeeded and she had surgery to remove the area where the lump was found. She later underwent radiotherapy.
“I think this was one of the most difficult moments in my life because of the excruciating pain,” she said. “As a survivor, I feel proud because I had a second chance to be still alive today.”
Early detection through periodic breast self-examination gives patients the best chance of survival, Daniel Ngamije, Rwanda’s Health Minister said during a recent awareness campaign in Kigali.
“Common symptoms can easily be detected such as a lump in the breast or armpit, swelling of part of the breast, irritation or dimpling of breast skin, pulling in of the nipple,” he said.
Other symptoms include nipple discharge, including blood, pain in the breast, or redness around the nipple.
Now Uwumukiza’s goal is to spread awareness among young women in Rwanda, in particular about the importance of check-ups.
She said other than targeting older women for awareness most times, young women need awareness too. “We need to teach younger women how to care about their bodies and open up to their parents or doctor when they feel anything strange,” she said.
Uwumukiza believes while high cost and lack of developed treatment infrastructure in developing countries is a challenge, ignorance and lack of awareness are the real killers of people. Delays in screening, diagnosis, and treatment due to a lack of awareness are a challenge, she said.
Health officials say 80 percent of breast lumps are not cancerous but there is still a 20 percent chance. Women are encouraged to have mammograms before the age of 40.
Other Rwandan breast cancer survivors Jackline Musoni and Charlotte Uwimana said the earlier one finds out, the higher the chances of getting cured. “Not checking and ignoring symptoms is deadly.”
“With early detection, breast cancer heals with strict adherence to health advice,” said Musoni.
Noting that men can also suffer from breast cancer, Minister Ngamije said Rwanda now has a full capacity of treating breast cancer patients once detected early.
A statement released by the Norwegian criminal police (Kripos) on Wednesday, shows that the man aged in his forties was detained pending the outcome of an extradition request filed by Rwanda.
According to AFP, the Kripos confirmed that it had carried out a preliminary investigation before making the arrest, and the decision on whether to extradite the individual would be a matter for a judge.
Former President of FDLR, Ignace Murwanashyaka and Vice President Straton Musoni were respectively handed 13 and 8-year sentence by Stuttgart Court in Germany in 2015 accused of having issued orders to plot attacks in Northern Kivu Province between 2008 and 2009.
Murwanashyaka was found guilty of war crimes in relation to five FDLR attacks in eastern Congo and of leading a terrorist organization. Musoni was found guilty of leading a terrorist organization but acquitted of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Germany’s Federal Court of Justice rejected an appeal by Musoni, who was given an eight-year sentence, but overturned Murwanashyaka’s conviction and sent his case back for a retrial.
At the time, the court cited legal errors in the reasoning of the original verdict that could have counted both for and against Murwanashyaka, including doubts about the war crimes conviction and whether he encouraged or facilitated attacks on villages.
The court said that section of the Stuttgart court’s verdict was contradictory in parts.
Murwanashyaka and Musoni lived in Germany where they had been granted asylum and coordinated FDLR.
They were charged with 26 crimes against humanity and 39 war crimes.
The duo was arrested in 2009 in Germany while their trial began in 2011.
Musoni was born in 1961 and settled in Germany in 1986 where he worked as a computer specialist.
Musoni is set to return to Rwanda while his boss Murwanashyaka died in prison in 2019 before completing his sentence.
