The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) said on Tuesday 29th March 2022 that the fighting with M23 broke out early Monday in North Kivu Province after the rebels attacked military positions in Tchanzu and Runyonyi in Rutshuru territory.
General Sylvain Ekenge, the Spokesman of the North Kivu governor, claimed that two soldiers of the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) identified as Warrant Officer Jean Pierre Habyarimana and John Uwajeneza Muhindi alias Zaje were arrested during the attacks, and accused Rwanda of conspiring with the M23 rebels.
However, Rwanda dismissed the allegations in a statement released on Tuesday.
“We would like to categorically refute the baseless accusations and state that the RDF is not by any means involved in the belligerent activities across in DRC,” a statement signed by François Habitegeko, the governor of Western Province.
The statement also denied that two Rwandan soldiers were arrested in the attacks, saying the RDF does not have any member with the alleged names of the arrested presented to the press.
Speaking to RFI, the Congolese Minister of Communication and Government Spokesperson, Patrick Muyaya has said that it is not the first time M23 conducts an incursion noting that the previous attack was in November 2021.
He explained that people linking the attack to Rwanda might have reasons but insisted that DRC is much inclined to live in peace.
“Our priority today is that time has come to build good relations rooted on peace in the Great Lakes Region. Since President of the Republic was installed, there has been willingness to work with neighbouring countries,” said Muyaya.
“This means, there are established mechanisms to assess cross border issues and diplomatic means through which the situation will be brought to light. There is willingness to achieve peace and development in this Great Lakes Region,” he added.
Muyaya also highlighted that the recent meeting held in Jordan that was attended by President Félix Tshisekedi and his counterpart of Rwanda, Paul Kagame reflects willingness to improve both countries’ relations.
When asked if they still doubt about the arrested soldiers whose names and ranks were announced publicly, Muyaya said: “I don’t want to go deeper into this issue. What we consider most is peace.”
Sources reveal that the paraded soldiers were arrested on 1st February 2022 not 28th March as announced by Gen Sylvain Ekenge.
On women’s day, the President Paul Kagame said via Twitter: “Equality is a right, not a favour. We must challenge ourselves to do even more and better to ensure that the next generations of our daughters and granddaughters inherit a nation where their aspirations have no limits.”
The Women of Zipline are working, have been breaking biases about gender roles and have made it clear that whatever a girl dreams of, she can make it come true, and they are building a legacy for the next generation of women in Rwanda. They have shared some valuable nuggets of wisdom to inspire fellow women.
When one closes eyes to imagine a flight operator, chances are they would see a man. But when you meet the tenacious Pascaline Ingabire, one of the flight operators at Zipline breaking the bias and continuously proving the point women can do it; you will finally realize that including them is not a favour. She is the girl that would do what people consider impossible for girls. She studied mechanical engineering when all said it would be difficult and would not make it because she was a woman but Ingabire defied odds that she is operating drones and saving lives. Her day-to-day duties include launching and recovering drones in a strict and timely manner, making sure products get to their destination in a safe and timely manner.
{{Women need a seat at the table}}
Women can do whatever they want; hence they do not need a favour because they already have what it takes. Society has to acknowledge it and give them a fair seat. Melissa Rusanganwa, once a little girl in Kigali, recalls her childhood surrounded by superwomen that worked on the clock to make sure all facets of life were balanced and that both work and family were flat. Every time a new opportunity presents itself to her, that recollection has always been a constant reminder. It has helped her climb the corporate ladder, and she is now listed among females in leadership.
Melissa is now the Head of the Africa Regulatory Team for Zipline. As a young lady in her position, it is not common to find women, and it is predominantly men older than her. She says initially awkward to be standing in front of way more senior men.
The drone industry is still relatively new, and it aided her confidence that in as much as the male counterparts have been in the aviation space for a while, the drones space is new, and they can learn and grow together.
{{See what you want, go for it, and do not stop until you get it}}
Ingabire was visiting a hospital and saw a drone delivering in Gicumbi and was blown away. She felt like she had to be part of the company. She had an aha moment – such a company would need a mechanical engineer. She started doing her research about the company and prepped herself enough. When there was a job opening, she went for it and applied. Now she is a Flight Operator and excelling at it, something she was told back in university that she would regret taking the programme because it was difficult for women.
{{You do not lose anything from trying}}
Instead of folding hands and saying I cannot do it, TRY and know for sure if you can or cannot. Life is more challenging when you live with regret. “I could have done it if only I tried.” In her career in HR, Diane says she has learnt that men apply for jobs even when they qualify 60%, and women tend to shy away even they are a match 80%. She encourages women to try and go for whatever their want to venture into and not let fear of fear cripple them. Instead, take failure as a lesson and let help them prepare for the next opportunity.
Diane Kalinda works for Zipline as People Partner. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources and a Masters in International Studies in the United States. When Kalinda finished her grad school, she decided to come back and put all she learned to benefit her country. Kalinda joined the organisation as Recruitment Partner and has now moved levels to People Partner. She says her secret was that she was humble enough to ask for help from those in the industry before her.
{{Change is doable, and it is happening. Keep pushing!}}
Growing up, when Melissa looked at women’s leadership, she only had Condoleeza Rice in mind and felt like there were not much in terms of women’s representation in leadership roles. Now she feels like there are many women to look up to. Even better, Africa has a sizeable picture, like Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the World Trade Organization Director-General, and other women taking leadership roles. Ingabire alludes to this and encourages women to stand and face their fears. It is doable, and we all can do it if other women have done it. Block the noise that tells you, you can’t and focus on the positive because, honestly, you can do it. A little girl looks up to you, bringing hope into her life and adding your name to the female changemakers list.
The electronics including a flat television set and DVD player were recovered on Monday, March 28, from the suspected thief identified as Gerard Dusenge, 18, who was arrested in Buhoro Village, Biryogo Cell of Gashora Sector.
Dusenge was the prime suspect in the Sunday night burglary in the house of one Priscilla Mukamana located in Gashora Sector, Biryogo Cell, Buhoro Village, where the TV set and DVD player were stolen as she was away.
“The victim reported the alleged house break-in later that night, when she returned home. On Monday, at about 8pm, Police received information about Dusenge, who was selling a TV set and DVD player in Biryogo trading center, where he was subsequently arrested and the stolen items recovered,” Superintendent of Police (SP) Hamduni Twizeyimana, the Police spokesperson for the Eastern region, said.
SP Twizeyimana thanked a resident who shared information leading to the arrest of the suspected thief and recovery of the stolen valuables.
The suspect was handed over to RIB at Gashora station for further investigation.
Article 166 of law determining offences and penalties in general states that; any person convicted of theft is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than one (1) year and not more than two (2) years and a fine of not less than Rwf1 million and not more than Rwf2 million, community service in a period of six (6) months or only one of these penalties.
In article 167, the penalty for theft doubles if the offender committed the crime through burglary, climbing or possession of keys other than the owner; the theft is carried out during the night or the theft is carried out by more than one (1) person.
The medical exercise by Rwanda Formed Police Unit-One (RWAFPU-1) and Rwanda battalion in partnership with the humanitarian group, was launched on Monday, March 28, to provide awareness on prevention and control of Non Communicable Diseases.
“This is a four-day humanitarian exercise, which is part of our human security activities and protection of civilians, who were displaced by violent conflicts,” said Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Faustin Kalimba, the contingent commander for RWAFPU-1, said.
On the first day of the medical outreach, Rwandan peacekeepers provided healthcare to 177 people, with focus mainly on diabetes and high blood pressure.
“Some of the patients were transferred to the hospital and the UN Level II clinic for further medical attention. Others were given medical advice including regular checkup,” CSP Kalimba said.
Kagame toured the facility based in Germany on Tuesday 29th March 2022.
Following the visit, Kagame revealed via Twitter handle that he had an opportunity to tour the facility, alongside Şahin and his wife Ozlem Tureci, the firm’s founding couple.
“I had the great opportunity to visit with Uğur Şahin at BioNTech Group facility in Mainz, Germany. Impressive innovations in biotech HighLevelStuff. A very good person and couple he and Dr. Özlem Türeci are!” he tweeted.
Şahin who received Kagame founded BioNTech Group along with her wife, Özlem Türeci who is also part of board members and his former lecturer, Prof. Christoph Huber.
BioNTech in collaboration with Pfizer, manufactured Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine which offers 95% protection.
In February 2022, President Kagame attended high-level BioNTech Vaccine Equity for Africa meeting during which BioNTech Group’s modular container prototype known as BioNTainers was unveiled.
The prototype will be used to manufacture vaccines in African countries including Rwanda later this year.
The Head of State attended the meeting in Germany along with Macky Sall, the President of Senegal, which has been also selected among first countries to host BioNTech’s vaccine manufacturing plants on African continent.
At the time, Kagame said that the modular production system is a breakthrough which puts vaccine manufacturing within the reach of countries.
“Vaccine equity is not about what happened in the past. It is about the future. There could be another pandemic. But we will be faster and better prepared next time, because of this strong partnership between BioNTech and Africa,” he noted.
The President underscored that the choice to deploy the solution first in Africa ‘is a strong signal that a system designed to succeed on our continent can help speed up the pace of innovation for all of us’.
“A commitment of this scale from a major pharmaceutical company is something we have never seen in Africa, and we recognize its significance. Rwanda is firmly committed to this partnership and we will do our part to ensure its success and sustainability,” he said.
Africa uses 25% of vaccines manufactured every year. Of these, the continent only produces 1% and imports the remaining percentage. The figures evidence how the African continent lags behind in vaccine manufacturing.
The issue exacerbated during COVID-19 pandemic where Africa was the last continent to receive vaccines as countries with manufacturing plants hoarded them.
The situation awakened the continent to bridge the gap through strengthening its capacity to manufacture enough vaccines locally without heavily relying on imports.
However, the continent needs partners to be able to access advanced technology deployed to manufacture vaccines.
There has been a positive progress with the mRNA technology which can be deployed to produce multiple types of vaccines within a short timespan unlike the past when it would take up to five years.
So far, BioNTech has taken bold strides to introduce the technology in Africa where it signed agreements with countries including Rwanda and Senegal to set up vaccine manufacturing plants.
Founded in 2015 in Burera District, Sanit Wing is a local small business that produces soaps and detergents from avocado.
Their products range from Avocado oil, Skincare products like Sanatavo skincare and many more.
Sanit wing is also developing the entire avocado value chain to great heights to solve some challenges facing communities.
James vainqueur Bimenyimana, the Marketing Manager at Sanit said the company supplies to different districts where products can be found in different shops amidst financial constraints to expand products range.
“We are still struggling because we do not have adequate equipment to achieve our goals,” he noted.
Alexis Nshimiyimana, the Founder and Managing Director of Sanit Wing has said that he started this company with Rwf65,000 capital, which he had saved from his previous job.
Nshimiyimana has disclosed that they have a high demand for avocado oil on the international market but cannot meet production capacity.
“We have had orders of Avocado oil beyond our capacity. We have clients in Nigeria, Namibia, Egypt, and the USA who are ready to buy 20,000 liters of avocado oil every month. But the challenge is that we shall be able to produce meet that capacity in 2023,” he said
Nshimiyimana explained that there are more products with high demand like cosmetics.
To tackle this challenge, the company seeks to engage impact investors, mostly the ones from the agriculture sector and others committed to reduce poverty.
The company plans to invest in modern equipment in 2023 to meet global demand and leverage on advantages of the African Continental Free Trade Area to create multiprocessing branches in Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Cameroon.
“We are planning to uplift the avocado value chain in Rwanda and create a stable market for the avocados involving smart contacts (Blockchain technologies) to make avocado farming smarter. We also plan to create over 6000 decent jobs across the value chain by 2025,” said Nshimiyimana.
He further stated that their goal is to tackle the problem of relying on imports.
“We wish to contribute to Rwanda’s economy but before that, we need help from the Government, the private sector, impact investors and Rwandans at large,” he said.
In a bid to help small businesses to thrive, the Government of Rwanda has put in place different initiatives to help young entrepreneurs and women along their journey.
For example, Business Development Fund (BDF) works with beneficiaries from different sectors like agriculture and others by offering grant to women and young entrepreneurs who have applied for loans from financial institutions not exceeding Rwf10 million.
BDF provides up to 15% while the beneficiary repays the loan up to 85%.
He presented credentials during a ceremony held on 28th March 2022 at UN Headquarters in New York.
After credentials, Amb. Gatete expressed commitment to strengthen existing partnership.
“ I look forward to continuing to deepen our partnership to advance UN work. Once again I thank HE President Paul Kagame for the opportunity to represent Rwanda as Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN,” he tweeted.
Amb. Gatete who previously served as the Minister of Infrastructure was appointed Rwanda’s ambassador to UN on 31st January 2022 replacing Valentine Rugwabiza.
Amb. Gatete held different positions where he served as the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning from 2013 to 2018.
He had previously served as the Governor of the National Bank of Rwanda (2011 to 2013), having previously served as its Deputy Governor. Amb. Gatete also served as Rwanda’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Iceland from November 2005 to December 2009. He is also currently a member of the Presidential Advisory Council.
Prior to that, Amb. Gatete had served successively as the Secretary General and Secretary to the Treasury in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Personal Representative of the President on NEPAD Steering Committee in the Office of the President, Coordinator of the National African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), member of the APR National Commission ; and Member of the NEPAD’s African Partnership Forum (APF) and the Director General for Social and Economic Affairs. He also worked with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – Kigali-Rwanda, as a National Economist.
Amb. Gatete has held various positions on Key Boards of Directors including: Chairman of Rwanda Revenue Authority and School of Finance and Banking as Chairman ; member of the Board of the National Bank of Rwanda ; Chairman of National Privatization Technical Committee ; and Vice-Chairman of Community Development Fund.
He also held positions in other key taskforce committees serving as Chairman of the National Treasury Management Committee and Co-Chair of Development Partners Coordination Group.
Amb. Gatete holds a Master’s in Agricultural Economics from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada (1993) and an undergraduate degree from the same University (1991). Upon completion of his undergraduate and postgraduate studies, Amb. Gatete worked in Canada as an Economist ; Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, Statistics Canada, University of British Columbia and Algonquin College.
The conference is a reciprocal meeting following the Kigali conference which took place in September 2021. It brought together senior government officials and over 40 private companies from Rwanda to explore areas of collaboration and partnerships between the two countries.
During the opening of the conference officiated by Dr. Emmerson D. Mnangagwa, President of Zimbabwe, who also witnessed the signings, Rwandan Government officials and the Private Sector Federation signed agreements with their Zimbabwean counterparts in the areas of commercial and economic relations, trade and investment, as well as energy.
Speaking while officiating the opening of the conference, President Mnangagwa said: “This timely visit demonstrates the focus, commitment and determination to the prime objectives we set for ourselves in broadening the trade and investment partnerships between our two countries. We have a collective responsibility to shift the historical trend which was characterized by low trade volumes between our two friendly countries despite the existence of huge potential between our two economies.”
On building on the partnerships between Rwanda Development Board and ZimTrade, Mnangagwa challenged both strategic bodies of each jurisdiction to deploy their capabilities and all-encompassing institutional capacities towards driving the sustainable socio-economic development of both countries.
Speaking on behalf of the Rwandan delegation at the conference, Rwanda’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Beata Habyarimana said the conference is taking place at an opportune moment in the bilateral relationship being forged between both nations.
“Our cooperation has indeed grown exponentially in the last 5 years with several agreements signed in education, energy, agriculture, mineral resources, ICT, and tourism. The trade and investment conference we are opening today, Rwanda and Zimbabwe are leading by example,” she noted.
Commenting on the important lessons from COVID-19, Minister Beata said: “COVID-19 showed the importance of close collaborations among nations in facing global challenges. The urgency of Africa’s self-reliance in reinforcing trade and investment ties in Africa is essential in achieving a common objective of achieving social and economic transformation”
During first trade and investment conference between Rwanda and Zimbabwe in Kigali, 5 memorandums of understanding were signed in the areas of agriculture and livestock, environment and climate change, tourism and business events, ICT and e-Government.
The second conference, taking place over the next two days will see participants engage and network in various business to business sessions, panel discussions on topics such as strategies for business growth, and procedures for doing business in both countries.
This contribution from the Japanese Government will boost the efforts of UNHCR in various health related services accessed by refugees and the host community in and around the Mahama Refugee Camp.
The generous support from the people of Japan announced recently on 24th March 2022, will contribute to the strengthening of the basic health cares systems; improving water and sanitation conditions, especially in areas where there are high risks of Covid-19 spread; addressing Covid-19 infection and prevention through knowledge and development of effective prevention habits and behaviours for children and adolescents.
In addition, this contribution will also enhance the provision of protection and psychosocial support to the most vulnerable displaced persons and the host community, such as Gender-Based Violence (GBV) survivors.
At the end of February 2022, the Mahama Refugee camp, located in Kirehe District, Eastern Province, hosted 55,907 refugees – mainly Burundian and Congolese.
The project will be implemented for a duration of 11 months, from February to December 2022, thanks to the generosity of the Japanese government and the people of Japan.
Mr. Ahmed Baba Fall, the UNHCR Representative to Rwanda, commended the government of Japan for its continued support in providing humanitarian assistance to persons of concern in Rwanda; noting that the support will not only allow UNHCR to cover life savings needs in the sectors of protection health and WASH, but also to strengthen the Covid-19 response in Mahama camp and the host communities.
“We’re happy to get this lifesaving support as we continue to mitigate and prevent the impacts of Covid-19 on refugees and the host community. Ensuring adequate healthcare is accessible to the people we serve is a key part of ensuring their protection, while durable solutions are being sought. We are thankful for the Japanese government for standing with refugees during this global pandemic,” said Mr. Baba Fall.
Masahiro Imai, the Ambassador of Japan to Rwanda said: “It is our pleasure that this project through our support will improve the health of refugees in Mahama Camp and their living environment, including water and sanitation, and contribute to infection prevention through Covid-19 risk awareness education. Japan appreciates the efforts which have been made by the Rwandan Government and UNHCR in this regard, and we wish to continue working with them”
The Government of Japan has an excellent track record of supporting UNHCR’s humanitarian work globally. In Rwanda, Japan has supported UNHCR operations with funding amounting to over 10 million US$ over the past 10 years.
Following the admission, the Democratic Republic of Congo becomes the regional bloc’s seventh member.
As he addressed the EAC Heads of State Summit, President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is the chairperson of the Summit, said the admission of the DRC to the EAC will enable the community to achieve much needed development.
“Today, 29th, is a historic day in the history of the EAC as we admit the DRC into the EAC. We have already considered and agreed in our closed session and the Summit has taken the decision to admit the DRC into the EAC,” said President Kenyatta.
“The admission of the DRC into DRC is historic not only for our countries but our continent at large.”
“For people who are looking for prosperity, this is a very important issue. We welcome the DRC into the EAC,” said President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda.
“We now need to work on peace in the Eastern Congo, because that part of the region has been having problems for some time.”
President Paul Kagame also congratulated DRC for the admission.
“I congratulate our brothers and sisters from the DRC and welcome them into the EAC. I urge all the institutions of the EAC to accelerate the admission of the DRC processes in accordance with the Treaty and our rules of admission,” he said.
“It is our expectation that the DRC will ratify the admission on time to allow the community to benefit from the integration,” said Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
The Vice President of Burundi, Bagombanza has also highlighted that ‘coming together will benefit the community to achieve its integration agenda’.
The summit to admit the DRC was attended by President Samia Suluhu Hasan (Tanzania), President Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), President Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Vice President Prosper Bagombanza (Burundi), Minister in the Office of the President Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin (South Sudan), and the DRC President Felix Tshisekedi.
Its admission will double the EAC’s land size to 4.7 million square kilometres from the current 2.4 million square kilometres.
Its population will rise to 275 million from 183 million, which is the current total population of the existing six partner states.
Among others, the development will make EAC one of the largest trading blocs in Africa, opening a corridor from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic coast.
