This year’s event has partnered with the Rwanda Chamber of Tourism in its maiden Rwanda Tourism week in the form of an exhibition, speed marketing sessions and business-to-business networking sessions.
ATLF is a flagship event on the Africa tourism calendar that has played a substantial role in advancing intra-Africa travel growth, youth and women empowerment, intra-Africa travel facilitation and business-to-business networking.
It is the only Pan-African public-private tourism leadership annual gathering convened and hosted in Africa, by Africans, and for Africans. Since its inception and hosted by Ghana in 2018, ATLF has become the premium platform for public and private sector tourism leaders to meet and offer solutions in shaping the continent’s tourism sector.
Having successfully hosted the hybrid event last year (2020) in the extraordinary time of COVID-19, Kigali, the Rwandan capital is once again looking to receive delegates from around the world for this year’s ATLF.
The 2021 event is running under the theme “Harnessing intra-Africa travel for innovative recovery in Africa’s travel and tourism sector”
The Regional Director for Africa at the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Elcia Grandcourt has highlighted that the pandemic has offered the African tourism sector an opportunity to reset and maximize the benefits of Intra-Africa travels.
“The pandemic despite its lethal effects on the tourism sector has created an opportunity for Africa to reset tourism by placing innovation, sustainability and inclusion at the heart of recovery. Building back better with tourism in Africa also means working close amongst ourselves to stimulate demand for Intra Africa travels,” she said.
According to Ms. Grandcourt, it is about zeroing in on the opportunities the pandemic presents to Africa to help regroup, reflect, and build back Tourism better.
Speakers include Desire Loumou, Senior Expert, Trade in Services, AfCTA Secretariat, Senthil Gopinath, CEO, ICCA, Elcia Grandcourt, UNWTO Director for Africa, Dr. Geoffrey Manyara, UNECA’s Economic Officer responsible for tourism, Zephanie Niyonkuru, Deputy CEO, Rwanda Development Board, Ekow Sampson, Deputy CEO and Ghana Tourism Authority, Frank Mugisha, Director General of Rwanda Chamber of Tourism and Managing Director of East Africa Tourism Platform (EATP), Austin Nyawara, Africa and Middle East, Regional Head for Africa and Middle East, SAA, Christelle Grohmann, Director, BDO South Africa, Frank Mustaff, CEO and Howarth HTL Interconsult and Dianne Dusaidi, Program Partner, Mastercard Foundation.
Others are private sector apex bodies across Africa, Directors of leading hotel brands, academics as well as experts and renowned industry experts from across the world.
The event is being organized by the Africa Tourism Partners in collaboration with the Rwanda Development Board, Rwanda Convention Bureau, Rwanda Chamber of Tourism, Mastercard Foundation, and BDO South Africa.
{{About Africa Tourism Partners }}
Africa Tourism Partners (ATP) is an UNWTO Distinction Award winner and Pan-African tourism development and strategic destination marketing advisory firm. We specialise in strategy formulation, master planning and strategic marketing development in the travel, tourism, hospitality, aviation and golf sub-industries. The firm leverages the expertise it has established, global strategic partners and global networks to execute impactful and uniquely designed programs with measurable outcomes.
Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, Africa Tourism Partners (ATP) has country offices and key partners in Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Singapore, Scotland, Tanzania, USA and Zimbabwe. With demonstrated expertise of our leadership team, experienced global partners, representatives, and networks we execute uniquely designed with impactful results for all our clients.
The development to host the conference due in Kigali, Rwanda and virtually from 17-20 July 2023 was announced on Thursday 18th November 2021 during an event that brought together over 2,000 gender equality advocates gathered virtually.
Women Deliver convenings catalyze conversations with stakeholders from around the world, breaking barriers, addressing challenges, and identifying opportunities to advance gender equality, including sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), to improve the health, rights, and wellbeing of girls and women, in all their intersecting identities.
In July 2023, WD2023 will convene thousands of decision-makers from diverse fields, including civil society, government, the private sector, and international agencies, alongside women’s rights organizations and movements, youth-led and LGBTQIA+ organizations, and advocates representing the intersectional identities of girls, women, and underrepresented populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), to identify solutions and drive progress for gender equality.
Commenting on the development, Rwanda’s Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, Minister Jeanette Bayisenge, who is also Chair of the WD2023 Host Country Committee said: “For the very first time, the Women Deliver Conference will be held on the African continent. It is an honor for Rwanda to be the next host of this convening as it affirms that the ongoing efforts in-country around gender equality by the Government of Rwanda are gaining the desired traction.”
She expressed optimism that gender equality will be achieved once all people have equal access to power, dignity, justice, rights, health, and opportunities that will enable them to network, develop skills, share knowledge, access funding opportunities, and participate in conversations that contribute to the global agenda setting on gender equality.
At the event, Joshua Tabah, Director General, Global Health & Nutrition, Global Affairs Canada, symbolically passed the baton – the Women Deliver arrow – to Bayisenge and said: “With more than 8,000 advocates from over 165 countries on-site and more than 200,000 people joining around the world through satellite events and the virtual program, the Women Deliver 2019 Conference (WD2019) was one of the most impactful and influential convenings for gender equality in the world.
The last Women Deliver Conference connected grassroots advocates and decision-makers, fueled over USD one billion in global and country-level investments, and shined a global spotlight on the importance of gender equality. The Women Deliver 2023 Conference will once again promote a robust civic space for feminist action, organizing, and mobilization. The work that started in 2019 must continue and we are honored to pass the arrow to Rwanda.”
As a part of a US$ four million programming investment around gender equality, WD2023 will serve as a critical policy moment and an opportunity for stock-taking and accountability at the midpoint of the United Nations’ Generation Equality Forum’s five-year process for global gender equality action, to achieve irreversible progress towards gender equality by 2026, founded on a series of ambitious actions. In effect, WD2023 can provide advocates and Action Coalition Leaders alike the necessary platform to re-convene, evaluate progress, and reconfigure actions, as needed, to ensure these transformative gender equality commitments will be realized by 2026.
“The Women Deliver 2023 Conference comes at a time when support for the health, rights, and wellbeing of girls and women is more critical than ever. The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately burdened girls and women, threatens to roll back hard-earned gains in gender equality progress, and has disrupted global convenings. Yet, on the heels of this year’s landmark Generation Equality Forum, we know sustained advocacy and investment in gender equality, plus opportunities to evaluate progress, over the next five years will be vital to realize the many commitments made for girls and women at the Forum.
Therefore, Women Deliver is proud to launch WD2023 with an Advisory Group of over 60 expert global stakeholders who will co-create the most inclusive and accessible Women Deliver Conference with us and build momentum to the main stage in July 2023,” said Kathleen Sherwin, Interim President and CEO of Women Deliver.
Consisting of over 30 organizations based in all major geographic regions in the world and representing all six GEF Action Coalition leaders, civil society, philanthropic organizations, governments, media, UN Agencies, the private sector, and youth, including the Women Deliver Young Leaders, the WD2023 Advisory will provide strategic advice and input on the development and implementation of the Conference and Global Dialogue by co-leading and co-creating the Conference’s theme, design, and programming. For the first time, one-third of the Advisory Group members were selected via an open application process, and 60 percent of WD2023’s Advisory Group members belong to organizations based in LMICs.
In the coming months, the Advisory Group will come together to begin designing the details of WD2023. New Conference program elements will be previewed to the public this spring and registration will open during the official WD2023 one-year-out launch event, hosted by and held in Kigali, Rwanda, in July 2022.
Ultimately, WD2023 will create a space for gender equality advocates and decision-makers to come together to engage in critical dialogue, knowledge sharing, and networking. By engaging in the next Women Deliver Conference, Women Deliver hopes that advocates will be inspired to take action and harness new knowledge, skills, and connections to achieve their advocacy goals. It is only in partnerships – and as a result of the contributions of many – that gender equality will be realized.
{{A new global dialogue led by regional convening partners }}
Six months prior to WD2023, a Global Dialogue will be launched to equip advocates around the world with the knowledge and skills they need to address the most pressing challenges around gender equality and SRHR in their own communities, countries, and regions. The Global Dialogue will include webinars and workshops and will be carried out locally while remaining globally accessible. Satellite events will also be held in local communities around the world, hosted by a wide range of partners, including civil society, the private sector, governments, and youth advocates.
Additionally, WD2023’s Regional Convening Partners , which already include the Governments of Colombia and South Africa, will lead the mobilizing and convening of advocates within their geographic regions to advance the conversation around gender equality before, during, and after the Conference as part of WD2023’s expanded Global Dialogue.
Claudia López, Mayor of Bogotá, Colombia and WD2023’s Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Convening Partner, shared, “WD2023 and the Global Dialogue are opportunities for the Latin America and the Caribbean region to showcase the work, the solutions, the innovations, and the policies that are making a difference in the lives of girls and women here. More than half of women in Latin America work in informal jobs or in jobs that were affected during the pandemic in higher frequencies than men. We are looking forward to working with stakeholders in the region and identifying and reaching out to partners across sectors and issue areas, including those who may be unlikely allies. It will take us all working together to achieve gender equality and the city of Bogotá pledges to be a leader in that work.”
“We are excited that WD2023 will be hosted in Africa and look forward to working with our colleagues in Rwanda to highlight the solutions and the progress made on gender equality and the SRHR of girls and women across the continent,” said Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities in South Africa and WD2023’s African Regional Partner. “We understand that transformative change, specifically economic empowerment, can only happen when we collaborate to back our girls and women through entrepreneurship and by activating cross-border trade across the continent. By providing a platform at WD2023, we will be able to have conversations that will help us reach the Sustainable Development Goals.”
The Regional Convening Partners, as part of the Global Dialogue, aim to present new evidence and knowledge, promote solutions, and engage a broader spectrum of voices than ever before to catalyze action for all girls and women in the lead-up to WD2023, and connect diverse communities and sectors by linking previously disparate organizations and movements to drive collective action on gender equality and SRHR. Through the addition of regionally-led convenings, WD2023 will have greater global impact.
{{About Women Deliver 2023 }}
WD2023 will leverage innovative ways to host both 6,000 participants on-site in Kigali and an estimated 200,000 participants virtually through a hybrid convening model. This model aims to enable communities often underrepresented at global convenings to be able to participate meaningfully. Women Deliver will continue to closely monitor the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that the next Conference is safe and accessible, both for those attending in-person and those attending virtually.
“Women Deliver Conferences have traditionally gathered advocates from around the world with the aim of galvanizing momentum towards collective action with and for all girls and women. These Conferences have resulted in diverse stakeholders making political and financial commitments and improving policies and programs which advance gender equality and SRHR. It gives me great pride to be part of the Women Deliver 2023 Conference announcement and to support the preparations for what promises to be Women Deliver’s most inclusive, accessible, diverse, and consultative Conference to-date,” Helen Clark, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Women Deliver Board Member, said.
“Young people have and will continue to play a critical role in advancing gender equality. Since the very first Women Deliver Conference in London in 2007, Women Deliver Conferences have recognized that a gender-equal future relies on the meaningful engagement of young people in the policies and programs that impact their lives and communities. As an alum of the Women Deliver Young Leader Program, I’m honored to continue working with Women Deliver as they embark on a journey to Rwanda. I look forward to seeing young advocates like me represented in pre-Conference planning activities and all aspects of Conference programming — from plenary sessions to side events. And, I look forward to WD2023 being one of the most diverse and inclusive gender equality conferences yet, as Women Deliver addresses the intersectionality which exists in our communities,” said Zanda Desir, Saint Lucian activist and Women Deliver Young Leader Alum.
Women Deliver and partners have worked to ensure that the next Women Deliver Conference is inclusive, diverse, accessible, and consultative — from day one. In 2020, Women Deliver conducted an online survey with nearly 4,500 advocates to better understand impact and outcomes from the WD2019 Conference.
In the lastest operations conducted on Wednesday and Thursday, Police arrested two dealers in the skin whitening products commonly known as mukorogo, in Nyarugenge District.
They are Damascene Nizeyimana and Jackson Twiyongere.
Nizeyimana admitted that he started dealing in the outlawed cosmetics in July and supplied by people, who sneak them into Rwanda from DRC and Uganda, through porous borders.
“I was arrested on Wednesday, November 17, at my shop in Nyakabanda after Police found quantities of skin bleaching products. At the time, I had 10 different types of the banned cosmetics,” said Nizeyimana.
To Jackson Twiyongere, he said that he started selling the banned cosmetics more than a year ago and supplied by street vendors.
RNP spokesperson, Commissioner of Police (CP) John Bosco Kabera warned traders against selling outlawed products.
“Rwanda National Police will continue to enforce policies and laws to fight such cosmetics, which are dangerous to the people. Such operations are meant to protect people’s health,” CP Kabera said.
He thanked residents, who shared information leading to the arrest of the suspects.
He further advised users of such creams and lotions to stop buying them because of the identified side effects.
The suspects were handed over to RIB for further investigation.
There are 1,342 listed cream and oil brands with hydroquinone and mercury, which are prohibited in Rwanda.
Article 266 of the law determining offenses and penalties in general, states that any person, who produces, sells, or prescribes harmful products; cosmetics or body hygiene substance or any other products derived from plants, commits an offence.
Upon conviction, he/she is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than one year and not more than two years and a fine of not less than Rwf3 million and not more than Rwf5 million or one of these penalties.
Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Bonavanture Twizere Karekezi, the Western region Police spokesperson has said that Nyiramatama was intercepted on Wednesday 17th November 2021 in Rugera Village, Nyamitanzi Cell in Jomba sector enroute to Muhanga District to supply one of her clients.
“Nyiramatama was identified and arrested by Police officers at a checkpoint after they found pellets of cannabis stashed in her luggage and covered with fruits,” said CIP Karekezi.
Meanwhile, Nyiramatama disclosed that was also supplied by another drug dealer in Rubavu District whom she could only identify as Kazungu.
Although she also confirmed that she was headed to Muhanga to supply her customer, she could not disclose the identities of her client she was going to supply.
“We are seeing increased arrest of suppliers of narcotic drugs and most of them are reported by the people in communities where they operate or pass. This spirit of community policing and ownership is creating impact in breaking supply chains,” CIP Karekezi said.
Nyiramatama was handed over to RIB at Jomba station as law enforcement organs are still search for other member of the drug trafficking ring.
The Ministerial order nº 001/MoH/2019 of 04/03/2019 establishing the list of narcotic drugs and their categorization classifies cannabis in the category of “very severe narcotics.’’
Article 263 of law No 68/2018 of 30/08/2018 determining offenses and penalties in general states that any person, who unlawfully produces, transforms, transports, stores, gives to another or who sells narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, commits an offence.
Upon conviction for “very severe narcotics,” the offender faces between 20 years and life imprisonment, and a fine of between Rwf20 million and Rwf30 million.
The ceremony took place on Wednesday 17th November 2021.
Dr. Diane Gashumba who previously served as the Minister of Health was named Rwanda’s ambassador to Sweden in June 2021 replacing Christine Nkulikiyinka who had held the position for five years.
Gashumba will also oversee Rwanda’s interests in Nordic countries including Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland.
Google is an American multinational technology company that specializes in Internet-related services and products, which include online advertising technologies, a search engine, cloud computing, software, and hardware among others.
Rwanda’s vibrant economy is an ideal launch pad for future innovation in Africa, with focus in four key areas: affordable and universal access to connectivity; adoption of digital platforms; Digital Skilling for All; and fostering a pan-African innovation ecosystem.
According to a joint statement, Rwanda-Google collaboration is one of several initiatives to advance the above key areas. It will also include support for a progressive policy framework and contribute to an open digital payment ecosystem through the Mojaloop platform.
Initially, the partnership aims to support a Training of Trainers (ToT) pilot for Rwanda’s Digital Ambassadors, a national program to increase digital literacy among Rwanda citizens by recruiting digitally-savvy youth to deliver digital literacy training; upskill 500 developers through Google’s developer training and community support programs and pilot a fintech incubation program for early stage fintech companies, starting with 15 companies in collaboration with Kigali Innovation City, and delivered by a Google for Startups partner.
Among others, the partnership will see Rwanda and Goodle workign together to accelerate e-commerce growth by supporting 3,000 Small and Medium Businesses to go online as well as equipping 1,000 iWorkers, bring Rwanda to the world through Google Street View by enhancing digital maps of key urban centres, digitise Rwanda’s cultural assets and provide access to heritage through digital storytelling in collaboration with the National Museums of Rwanda.
Rwanda’s Minister of ICT and Innovation, Paula Ingabire has said that the partnership complements existing efforts to drive digital transformation.
“We are pleased to launch this partnership with Google to complement existing efforts to drive digital inclusion, skilling and support the growth of the innovation ecosystem in Rwanda. Growing the digital economy is critical and will continue to drive Rwanda’s economic transformation in line with the country’s vision to become a knowledge-driven economy,” she noted.
Commenting on the development, Agnes Gathaiya, Google’s Country Director for Eastern Africa has explained that the collaboration with the Government of Rwanda is an important milestone ‘after our CEO’s commitment to the continent to support Africa’s digital transformation’.
“This collaboration with the Government of Rwanda is an important milestone for us coming soon after our CEO’s commitment to the continent to support Africa’s digital transformation. We will help build a Digital Rwanda by up-skilling the youth, digitally accelerating small businesses, supporting start-ups and developers, improved maps and navigation, digitising Rwanda’s cultural heritage as well as supporting a progressive policy framework. We look forward to deepening our collaboration with the Government of Rwanda,” she said.
Google is expected to continue working with the Ministry of ICT and Innovation to increase its efforts to support Rwanda’s digital transformation.
Google seeks to organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Through products and platforms like Search, Maps, Gmail, Android, Google Play, Chrome and YouTube, Google plays a meaningful role in the daily lives of billions of people and has become one of the most widely-known companies in the world. Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.
The deportees including 25 men, 7 women and 11 children arrived in Rwanda on Wednesday 17th November 2021 through Kagitumba One Stop Border Post in Nyagatare district.
They have told RBA that they were arrested on their way to Rwanda accused of illegal entry to the country.
Deportees have also narrated their ordeal where they endured torture and dispossessed of their belongings in detention facilities.
In October 2021, Rwanda received more 47 nationals expelled from Uganda on similar allegations.
The recent deportation follows series of circumstances under which Uganda has been expelling Rwandans after enduring torture in its detention facilities accusing them of being spies yet they had traveled to the country to run businesses or visit relatives among other reasons.
In the past few months, Uganda handed over bodies of two Rwandans killed in the country.
The deceased include Theoneste Dusabimana, 52, hailing from Rubaya sector and Paul Bangirana, 47, from Kaniga sector. They were respectively killed on 30th August and 1st September 2021.
Rwanda, Uganda relations worsened since 2017. Rwanda has been expressing concerns over Rwandans who travel to Uganda for business purposes but are abducted, imprisoned and tortured accused of being spies.
Rwanda also accuses Uganda of hosting dissidents posing threat to national security.
In March 2019, the Government of Rwanda officially advised citizens not to travel to Uganda for their security following testimonies of over 1000 Rwandans tortured and deported from Uganda.
In August 2019, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame signed memorandum of understanding ‘Luanda Agreement’ in a bid to solve conflicts between both countries.
Despite efforts to sign the agreement between both heads of state witnessed by mediators including the President of Angola, Joao Lourenço and Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the situation is still worsening as Uganda continues with arbitrary detention of Rwandans who are subjected to torture in its facilities.
Organized by Be still Investment, a Zimbabwean Non-Government Organization operating in Rwanda, the annual meeting runs for three days starting from 18th November 2021.
It serves as a platform bringing together health experts, medicines manufacturing plants and health services providers with a view to seek together the solution to address shortage of drugs on the African continent.
The meeting is expected to bring together different officials including ministers, heads of governments, health experts, hospital managers and procurement officers among others.
A health expert and lecturer at the University of Rwanda, Dr. Stefan Jansen has told IGIHE that hosting the meeting is an extra-ordinary opportunity for Rwanda because it helps to determine the status of healthcare services.
“This meeting is very important because it will bring together members of the private sector and entrepreneurs. It is a good move because it will be a platform for discussions on various issues of concerns. Rwanda seeks to strengthen the health sector and foster innovations. Developing a vibrant service sector will be central to achieve this goal. For instance, there are some drugs used in Africa that are not produced on the continent. Engaging in discussions with different stakeholders gets us to a step closer,” he said.
Dr. Jansen explained that Rwanda might get new investors from connections created during the meeting.
“It is a wide open market. The meeting will bring together participants from different fields who might be attracted to invest in Rwanda’s health sector,” he noted.
Rwanda Global HealthCare summit will be taking place for the second time following the first one successfully held in 2019.
It was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The meeting will also feature exhibitions of health equipment serving as a platform for participants including Med Aditus and WaterAid to showcase their prowess in transforming the health sector.
The ultimate goal of the meeting is to strive for improved health through capacity building, sharing health information, creating innovations and making new discoveries which should be among priorities in the health sector.
The exhibition will also facilitate people to acquire new skills, share expertise, provide linkages for health equipment manufacturers, pharmaceutical plants, manufacturers of surgery equipment and buyers among others.
With over 1200 delegates, Rwanda Global Healthcare Summit 2021 is the biggest healthcare event and platform for all the companies to gain visibility in the growing African Healthcare, Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices market.
To achieve business growth targets, Business to Business sessions will be conducted, where Business owners & Decision Makers get time to give short presentations on what their esteemed organisations are doing or have achieved. This will create synergies for most of the Business registered for the sessions.
It’s the best place for product launch, networking, workable business deals & winning more customers under one roof.
These investors have been taken through available opportunities and expressed interest to invest in Rwanda’s agriculture, technology and manufacturing sectors among others.
“We want to change Africans’ mindsets to prove that the continent can do great things through concerted efforts. We ate interested in working with Rwandans given that President Paul Kagame’s visionary leadership has led the country to remarkable progress. We consider him as our role model giving an inspiration to change Africans’ mindsets,” said the Chairperson of Angolan Private Sector Federation, Isabel E. Soares da Cruz.
“We, Angolans want to invest in agriculture and fish production. We have learnt that Rwanda imports fishes from China under difficult circumstances yet Angola has large fish production. We are confident that we can do a lot of great things together. We are waiting for the signing of cooperation agreements in fish production,” he added.
Isabel explained that Rwandans can also invest in Angola as well to streamline transport and service sectors.
Angolan Ambassador to Rwanda, Filomeno Barber Leiro Octavio has said that the visit is of great significance because it provides room for both country’s people to exchange best practices and discuss untapped opportunities.
He explained that both countries’ relations are on good progress as they continue signing cooperation agreements in different areas.
Philip Lucky, Senior Investment Promotion Officer at Rwanda Development Board (RDB) revealed that the country has several investment opportunities that Angolans can tap into.
“The delegation is comprised of representatives from Angola’s private sector coming to Rwanda to explore available investment opportunities and forge cooperation with their counterparts. We have taken them through opportunities in the areas of agro-processing and manufacturing. They have also expressed willingness to invest in Rwanda,” he said.
The visiting delegation was also enlightened on opportunities in the manufacturing of construction materials among others.
The Vice Chairman of Rwanda’s Private Sector Federation, Eric Gishoma has said that ongoing discussions increases Rwandans’ interest to invest in Angola.
Both countries also plan to sign 13 cooperation agreements in the new future.
Mrs Kagame was speaking on Wednesday 17th November 2021 at the ceremony to mark the first year of Cervical Cancer Elimination movement.
It is on the same day last year, that the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem, with a resolution passed by 194 countries.
It draw emphasis on vaccination against the disease, conducting medical checkups, and providing treatment for patients with Cervical Cancer with a view to reduce new infections by 40% and prevent 5 million deaths by 2050.
The hybrid ceremony brought together different participants including the Director-General of WHO,Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; First Lady Jeannette Kagame; and her counterparts of Burkina Faso, Sika Kaboré; Tshepo Motsepe Ramaphosa of South Africa, as well as Neo Jane Masisi of Botswana.
It was designed as a platform to concert efforts to establish stern policies to fight Cervical Cancer which takes lives of 300,000 women every year.
Mrs Kagame has stressed that early detection is the best way to deal with the cancer.
“We all know that early detection is by far, the most effective method, of waning the fatality of cervical cancer. Mass screenings are essential to our mission; therefore, they should be considered an extension, of the human right, to the highest attainable standard of health, conducive to living a life in dignity,” she said.
Since the introduction of cervical cancer screenings in Rwanda in 2015, over 170,000 women have been examined.
Mrs Kagame expressed optimism that new partnerships will have helped raise this number further by this time next year ‘and will speak to the force of our momentum’.
As the world is expending much effort to accelerate vaccine manufacturing, Mrs Kagame stressed that vaccines for Cervical Cancer should also be taken into account.
Rwanda has already surpassed, the target set by the W.H.O cervical cancer elimination strategy, of having 90% of girls under 15 fully vaccinated for Human papillomavirus (HPV), the most common viral infection of the reproductive tract.
“In fact, since 2011, our immunization of young girls aged 12 has consistently stood above 90%,” she said.
Rwanda is among other African countries which have reached 97% inoculations against HPV.
Research shows that it is necessary to inoculate young boys against the virus, in order to reduce transmission rates.
Mrs Kagame has stressed that developing nations need to be equipped, to double their efforts in the unrolling of vaccines.
“I invite industries, the private sector, researchers and development partners, to work with our governments, to reduce the price of HPV vaccines, HPV DNA tests and the adoption of innovative technologies, such as the W.H.O’s Artificial Intelligence visual examination tools,” she enthused.
“I hope for an African continent where, these vaccines are produced locally, with the support of our every ally, who I believe, shares our vision of Health autonomy for all nations,” added Mrs Kagame.
Mrs Kagame also emphasized that eliminating Cervical Cancer should be a collective responsibility.
“A goal of such scale, requires ambition from both genders. We know that this goal, cannot be attained with the burden fully resting on women. I again call on our male counterparts, to proactively join this fight.
This is true allyship in action: sharing our burden, to alleviate the load of women, as they strive for change, that will benefit our entire societies,” she said.
