The MoU was signed in Dubai in the morning of Wednesday 2nd February 2022 as Rwanda participated in Dubai Expo 2020.
During the ceremony, Rwanda was represented by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for EAC Affairs, Prof. Manasseh Nshuti while UAE was represented by Minister of State in UAE Foreign Affairs Ministry, Sheikh Shakhbout Nahyan Al Nahyan.
Rwanda’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Béata Habyarimana also attended the ceremony.
Rwanda and UAE enjoy existing cooperation in different areas including education.
Since 2002, the UAE through the Al Maktoum Foundation has supported Rwanda’s education by funding two secondary schools, the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Girls Secondary School for Sciences in Muhanga and the Hamdan Bin Rashid Kimisange Secondary School.
For the last at least 10 years, the UAE through the Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation has also been 100% supporting the Islamic Secondary School for Sciences whose students have been performing well in national examinations.
Within the framework of joint action in order to support the education sector in Rwanda, the UAE Government provided scholarships to outstanding students in different UAE universities, through the UAE Technical Assistance Program.
Since 2018, 20 male and female students from Rwanda received UAE Government scholarships at the UAE University in the disciplines of Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Biology, Biochemistry, and Computer Science.
Among others, 10 Rwandan students were given full scholarships to pursue bachelor’s degree programs at Sorbonne Abu Dhabi University in 2019.
Both countries also enjoy cooperation in the areas of investment, trade, tourism and air transport.
Rwanda is among 192 countries that participated in the Dubai Expo 2020 running from 1st October 2021 to 31st March 2022.
The bakery located in Kigali Special Economic Zone in Masoro was officially inaugurated on 31st January 2022.
Participants of the event toured the bakery’s facilities guided by Vincent Malaize, the Executive Director of Chef- Bourbon coffee who took them through the technology to be deployed and modern equipment that will help to produce more than 35,000 bread and confections every day.
Dubbed Bourbon Bakery, the bakery will produce an assortment of more than 60 bread and confection types that were previously imported from Western countries particularly from France.
David Boudrot, an Executive Director from France with 25-year experience will be working with the bakery to produce products with great taste.
Speaking at the event, the Managing Director of Bourbon Coffee Rwanda, Vincent Nzigira said that the idea to set up the bakery surfaced after realizing that quite a number of bread are imported yet it is possible to produce them locally.
“We sought how to make these imported breads, injected funds and hired an experienced chef. He is currently coaching Rwandans working at the bakery,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Zéphanie Niyonkuru commended Bourbon Coffee for increased investment highlighting that it will contribute to the tourism sector and jobs creation.
He revealed that more 200 jobs are to be created, an addition to 175 jobs created by Bourbon Coffee. Niyonkuru emphasized that the investment will bring high returns to the country.
He explained that tourists need enjoyable foods with great taste noting that the bakery will help to efficiently serve guests with high quality products.
Niyonkuru encouraged members of the Private Sector to play their part to mitigate effects of COVID-19 to the economy.
After tasting breads produced by Bourbon Coffee, the Representative of French Ambassador to Rwanda, Quentin Dussart, commended the great idea noting that the breads produced locally have the same taste as the ones produced in Paris, the capital of France.
The Director of the Board of Bourbon Coffee, Mireille Karera thanked participants of the event and expressed optimism that the bakery will continue to grow gradually.
“Thank you all for joining us at the official launch of Bourbon Bakery. It is our absolute pleasure to host you, as we announce the transformation of Bourbon Coffee Ltd, dubbed Bourbon Coffee 2.0,”she said.
“We will be renovating all Bourbon Coffee outlets in the next few months. We want to create the feel of a “5-star” coffee shop that’s not just a coffee shop but a business club and a conference area, all at your disposition,” Karera added.
The Chairman of GPA Holdings Chairman said that the investment was meant to fill a gap.
“We thank all who were present in the launch of Bourbon Bakery. We saw a gap that needed to be filled, and it propelled us to invest in this new Bourbon. We will be glad for your continues support to Bourbon as you have always done before,” he noted.
Bourbon Coffee began operations in Rwanda in 2007 with a view to give Rwanda’s coffee a global visibility.
The company has expanded doors to many African countries and the United Stated of America (USA).
Bourbon Bakery plans to satisfy Rwanda’s market and export to regional countries.
The campus was built by an American television personality and comedian, Ellen DeGeneres renowned for his talk show dubbed ’The Ellen DeGeneres Show’.
DeGeneres was gifted with the campus by her long-time partner Portia de Rossi considering her love for Diana Fossey, a celebrated gorilla conservationists who died in 1985.
The campus opened on 1st February 2022 is expected to foster research and education on gorillas.
In a statement announcing the campus’s opening, DeGeneres who is in USA expressed delight to have achieved her dreams.
““Dian Fossey has always been a hero of mine, and so it’s been the honor of a lifetime to support this project,” says Ellen DeGeneres. “To see my name alongside hers on the walls of this beautiful campus, and to know I’m doing my part to protect endangered gorillas and continue Dian’s legacy, is simply amazing.”
When DeGeneres and her partner, Portia de Rossi, announced the creation of The Ellen Fund, a nonprofit that works to protect endangered animals, they also named the first recipient—the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.
The opened campus will be home to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund which has been operating in Rwanda for more than 50 years through its Karisoke Research Centre, based in Musanze District, Northern Province.
The Fossey Fund is the world’s longest-running and largest organisation dedicated entirely to the conservation of gorillas.
It particularly works in areas of conservation of mountain gorillas and their habitat, scientific research on the gorillas and greater biodiversity of the region, educating the next generation of African scientists through working with Rwandan universities, and engaging local communities to increase their support for conservation.
Ellen and Portia’s lead gift enabled the Fossey Fund to move forward on an ambitious, 20-year dream project to build a permanent home in Rwanda aimed at accelerating their science and conservation work. The Ellen Campus, which is now open to the public, is the vision of the award-winning MASS Design Group and has been named one of Africa’s 10 most anticipated architectural projects.
Founded by the legendary Dian Fossey, whose life and ultimately death were portrayed in the movie “Gorillas in the Mist,” the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund is the world’s largest and longest-running organization dedicated entirely to gorilla conservation.
Their work combines daily, boots-on-the ground protection and study of individual gorillas with people-centered programs aimed at training the next generation of African conservationists and addressing the basic needs of the people who share the gorillas’ forest home through food and water security, livelihood and education programs.
Feared by Dian Fossey to be extinct by the year 2000, mountain gorillas represent a rare conservation success story, with the population in the region growing from a low of 250 in the 1980s to more than 600 today.
“From the outset, the mission of this project has focused on creating a space to engage the many stakeholders in conservation—students, scientists, tourists, conservation partners, community members—to advance our collective goal of saving gorillas and, more broadly, the planet,” says Dr. Tara Stoinski, the Fossey Fund’s president and chief scientific officer. “It is our hope that people who visit the Ellen DeGeneres Campus will leave inspired to make a difference, just as Dian Fossey did.”
The multi-acre, eco-friendly facility adjacent to the Volcanoes National Park includes three main buildings—the Sandy and Harold Price Research Center, the Cindy Broder Conservation Gallery and the Rob and Melani Walton Education Center—as well as housing for visiting students and researchers. An extensive ‘living laboratory’ has been created on the former agricultural site through the planting of more than 250,000 native plants and the inclusion of green roofs, water harvesting and a constructed wetland for wastewater treatment.
“The Ellen Campus represents a huge expansion of our teaching and laboratory spaces, enabling us to not just increase but transform our programs to study gorillas and their critical forest habitat and bring educational opportunities to early career African scientists and members of the local community,” says Felix Ndagijimana, the Fossey Fund’s director of Rwanda programs.
The Ellen Campus is also designed to support Rwanda’s ecotourism sector. Managed by the Rwandan government, tourism to see the gorillas plays a critical role in providing revenue for the park as well as supporting local communities through employment and revenue sharing.
Visitors to the Ellen Campus can immerse themselves in an interactive, educational exhibit located in the Cindy Broder Conservation Gallery.
Designed to tell the story of mountain gorilla research and conservation from Fossey’s time to modern day, it includes original, never before displayed artifacts from Dian Fossey’s almost two decades of living amongst the gorillas, stunning visual effects through a 360 degree immersive experience, as well as augmented and virtual reality and numerous engaging, edutainment opportunities to learn more about the science and, most importantly, people behind the conservation success of mountain gorillas.
Support from numerous generous donors contributed to the project, including actor and conservationist, Leonardo DiCaprio, who named the 360 degree theater for his mother, Irmelin DiCaprio, and a computer lab for his father, George DiCaprio.
“The Ellen Campus demonstrates how new infrastructure can be a boon for conservation and species protection,” said Michael Murphy, founder and executive director of MASS Design Group. “With prioritization of local labor for construction, furniture created by Rwandan artisans, and environmental stewardship, the campus will inspire a generation of conservation activists in Rwanda. It also signals to global conservationists new ways to bind ecosystems and communities to one another.”
After launching Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in 1966, Dian Fossey was killed in Rwanda in 1985.
Construction of the campus cost more than US$14 million (over Rwf14 billion). More than 2300 Rwandans got jobs during construction of the campus.
The Southern region Police spokesperson, Superintendent of Police (SP) Theobald Kanamugire said that one motorcycle belonging to one Ngirabakunzi, was stolen in the night of Sunday, January 30, after they broke into his house where it was.
“The motorcycle has a GPS and it was tracked and recovered in the house of one Jean Paul Muhigana located in Kabagesera village, Kabagesera cell, Runda sector, Kamonyi district, but Muhigana was not home at the time,” said SP Kanamugire.
Muhigana’s wife, according to SP Kanamugire, claimed that the motorcycle was brought to their home on Monday morning by two unidentified men.
“His wife argued that the two men came to their bar with the motorcycle, where they took some drinks for Rwf20, 000, failed to pay and left the motorcycle with as collateral and that they would come back with the money to collect it, but investigations are still underway,” SP Kanamugire added.
On the same day, in Rebero village, Kibinja cell, Busasamana sector of Nyanza district, two suspected thieves identified as Ephron Mundanikure, 38, and Valens Mazimpaka, 29, have also been arrested after they were found with another stolen motorcycle TVS.
According to SP Kanamugire, the suspects were apprehended due to information provided by taxi-moto operators in Busasamana sector.
“The taxi-moto operators got suspicious of Mazimpaka, who was operating and transporting passengers on the motorcycle only at night, prompting them to report to the Police. Police swiftly conducted an operation and found the motorcycle, which was previously reported stolen, parked at the home of Mundanikure and the duo was taken into custody,” SP Kanamugire.
The motorcycle was reportedly stolen in Nyamagabe District. According to Mazimpaka, he was given the motorcycle by a man whom he only identified as Emmanuel. He added that he was operating at night because he did not have the required traffic documents.
Mundanikure and Mazimpaka were handed over to RIB at Busasamana station for further investigation while the search for Emmanuel is still ongoing.
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 Head of State paid homage to national heroes on 1st February 2022 during the 28th National Heroes Day ceremony.
This year’s ceremony is held under the theme ‘ Our Heroism, Our Dignity’.
This year’s ceremony is held under the theme ‘Our Heroism, Our Dignity’.
Kagame and First Lady were accompanied by senior government officials and diplomats accredited to Rwanda among others as they paid homage to national heroes.
In a message shared via Twitter handle, President Kagame said that the day is an occasion to honour heroes lives and their sacrifice that helped Rwandans to build a dignified nation.
“Happy Heroes Day! We honor the lives of the heroes -men and women- of Rwanda, and the sacrifices they made to enable us to build the dignified and united nation we live in today. That puts a heavy responsibility on each of us who are working to transform our country,” he tweeted.
The Head of State also reminded the youth to uphold the Rwandan spirit.
“To our Rwandan youth: we count on you to keep the unbreakable Rwandan spirit alive for generations to come,” he noted.
According to the law establishing the Chancellery for Heroes, National Orders and Decorations of Honor “a hero is any person who pursues objectives he/she undertakes to obtain a special achievement for the public interest and with high proven integrity, sacrifice and noble courage in his/her acts and who avoids being a coward in his/her actions in very trying situations.”
{{Rwandan heroes are classified into three categories namely:}}
{{Imanzi:}} The unknown soldier and Major General Fred Gisa Rwigema.
{{Imena:}} Mutara III Rudahigwa, Rwagasana Michel, Agathe Uwiringiyimana, Niyitegeka Félicité and Nyange students.
{{Ingenzi:}} No hero was classified in this category.
The executive secretary of Rugabano sector, Cyriaque Niyonsaba has confirmed that the old man was killed by lightning.
“It is true that lightning struck him dead as he slept in his sitting room around 10 p.m. The old man was living in a house not connected to electricity,” he said.
Last week, another resident of Twumba sector in Karongi district was struck dead by lightning.
The suspects include the executive secretary of Nyamihanda cell and the representative of women council in the same cell of Butare sector in Rusizi district.
The crime was committed between February and April last year.
They were arrested on 30th January 2022 on accusation of soliciting and receiving bribes worth Rwf843,000.
The Spokesperson of RIB, Dr. Thierry Murangira has said that whoever caught in such crimes won’t be tolerated.
“No one should be asked to offer bribery to be registered among beneficiaries of Government’s funds allocated to support citizens. We request grass root leaders and concerned people to shun such acts of corruption which RIB won’t tolerate,” Dr. Murangira said.
“We request citizens to provide information anytime a leader solicits money as an exchange for services to be delivered. We also thank citizens who continue to provide tip off and commend that collaboration,” he added.
The trio is detained at Nyakabuye RIB Post as investigation is underway to send their files to the Prosecution.
Article 4 of the law N° 54/2018 of 13/08/2018 on fighting against corruption states that any person who offers, solicits, accepts or receives, by any means, an illegal benefit for himself/ herself or another person or accepts a promise in order to render or omit a service under his or her mandate or uses his or her position to render or omit a service, commits an offence.
Upon conviction, he/she is liable to imprisonment for a term of more than five (5) years but not more than even (7) years with a fine of three (3) to five (5) times the value of the illegal benefit offered, solicited or received.
In article 174 of the law determining offenses and penalties in general states that; any person who, by deception, obtains another person’s property, whole or part of his/her finance by use of false names or qualifications, or who offers positive promises or who threatens of future misfortunes, commits an offence.
Upon conviction, he/she is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than two (2) years and not more than three (3) years, and a fine of not less than Rwf3 million and not more than Rwf5 million.
The appointment of Msgr. Catalan by Pope Francis was published by the Holy See Press office on Monday, January 31.
According to aciaafrica, Archbishop-elect Catalan, the first member of the Clergy of Philippines’ Manila Archdiocese to become an Apostolic Nuncio, has been serving as Chargé d’affaires at the Apostolic Nunciature in China since 2019.
Catalan, 55, the prelate was born in Manila on 18 September 1966 and was ordained a Priest in March 1994.
He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on 1st July 2001 and has, over the years, served in the Pontifical Representations in Zambia, Kuwait, Mexico, Honduras, Turkey, India, Argentina, Canada, the Philippines and China (Taipei).
The Apostolic Nunciature of Rwanda became vacant on 28th June 2021 after Pope Francis transferred Archbishop Andrzej Józwowicz, the native of Poland, to Iran.
Archbishop Józwowicz had represented the Holy Father in Rwanda since March 2017.
Established initially as Apostolic Delegation of Rwanda in 1963, it was elevated to the Apostolic Nunciature of Rwanda in 1964.
The suspect identified as Francois Tuyishime, 28, was arrested in Rebero Village of Kabeza Cell.
According to the District Police Commander (DPC) for Kicukiro, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jeannette Masozera, the suspect was arrested due to a tip off by a mobile money agent, whom Tuyishime was attempting to defraud.
“Police received information on Sunday at about 7pm, from a mobile money agent in Rebero, that Tuyishime paid her with counterfeit money amounting to Rwf10,000 in denominations of 5,000 after depositing equal amount on his mobile account. Police swiftly conducted an operation and arrested the suspect at the scene,” said SSP Masozera.
She added: “After his arrest, Tuyishime was searched and Police officers recovered other counterfeit bills amounting to Rwf108,000, which he claimed that he got it from a man whom he sold his mobile in Remera. Counterfeit bills amounting to Rwf95,000 were in the denominations of Rwf5, 000 and Rwf13,000 in denominations of 1,000.”
SSP Masozera warned against such criminal actions, which pose ill effects on the national economy and people’s businesses.
The DPC thanked the would be victim for the vigilance leading to the arrest of the suspect.
The suspect was handed over to Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) at Kanombe station for further investigation.
Article 269 of law No 68/2018 determining offenses and penalties in general, states that any person, who fraudulently counterfeits, falsifies or alters coins or bank notes which are legal tender in Rwanda or abroad, notes issued by the Treasury with its stamp or brand, either banknotes or alike that have legal tender in Rwanda or abroad, or one who introduces or issues in Rwanda such effects or notes with knowledge that they are forged or falsified, commits an offence.
Upon conviction, he/she is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than five years and not more than seven years.
Dr. Nsabimana has been serving as the Director General of Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) prior to his new appointment.
He had also served as Vice Mayor in charge of Urbanization and Infrastructure at the City of Kigali before moving to RURA.
Meanwhile; Amb. Gatete who held the position for four years has been appointed Rwanda’s Ambassador to the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Another appointee is Eng. Patricia Uwase who has been serving as the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Infrastructure. She has been named Minister of State in the same Ministry.
{{Who is Dr. Nsabimana?}}
Dr. Ernest Nsabimana received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (2005) from the University of Rwanda (former National University of Rwanda).
In March, 2010, He obtained a Master’s and Ph.D. combined scholarship (in Civil Engineering) at Kyung Hee University in South Korea. In June, 2015, he obtained a Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering with a specialization in Geotechnical and Transportation Engineering. During his PhD course, dr. Nsabimana published various scientific papers in peer reviewed journals. He has research interests and expertise in Transportation infrastructure such as Highway Engineering, Airport Engineering, Railway Engineering, Urban Infrastructure and Utilities planning.
Since September 2015 to November 2018, he served as Senior Lecturer of Civil Engineering at IPRC-Kigali and Coordinator of Rwanda TVET Trainer Institute (RTTI) at RP. He also served as part time lecturer of Geotechnical Engineering and Transportation Engineering at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT-Kigali Campus), Airport and Railway Engineering at INES Ruhengeri, Transportation and Traffic Engineering, and Urban Utilities Planning at Dedan Kimathi University of Technology in Kenya (DeKUT).
Dr. Nsabimana has also a very strong industrial exposure. He has been working as Structural, Geotechnical, Transport, Pavement and Materials Engineer on various road and building construction projects across the country.
Since November 2018 to August 2019, Nsabimana served as Principal of IPRC Karongi under Rwanda Polytechnic (RP). Since August 2019 up to December 2020, he served as the Vice Mayor in charge of Urbanization and Infrastructure of the City of Kigali (CoK) until prior to his appointment as the Director General of Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA).
