The Police Advisor at the UN Department of Peacekeeping Missions, Stephen Feller, has commended Rwandan peacekeepers in the Central African Republic (CAR) for their professionalism and commitment in bringing peace and stability to the country.
He delivered the message last Friday during his visit to the Rwanda – Formed Police Unit (RWA-FPU) base in the capital Bangui, where he was received by the contingent commander, ACP Gilbert R. Gumira.
He was accompanied by the Police Commissioner for MINUSCA Luis Miguel Carrilho.
Briefing the Rwandan police contingent, Feller noted that it was a “big honour and pleasure to count Rwanda FPU” among the MINUSCA peacekeeping force, which has “promoted professional conduct and patriotism.’’
“Rwanda is a country that brings expertise to the UN missions not only through excellent skills of the police officers, but also the rich human and cultural values Rwandan women and men possess,” Feller said.
“This peacekeeping task is a challenge and it comes with overcoming obstacles on a daily basis – and I am grateful that Rwandan FPUs work in partnership with the residents to ensure that their mission areas are secure and at peace at all times.”
Rwanda was the first country to deploy a contingent of 140 police officers in September last year under the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in CAR (MINUSCA).
They have been credited with several initiatives including the introduction of Umuganda (community work) in Bangui, as a homegrown solution to some of the socio-economic challenges the country faces.
Newly- opened University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) Rwanda is expected to integrate development strategies into the health sector.
Owned by Partners In Health (PIH), an international non-profit organisation, the university was officially inaugurated at a function in Kigali on Saturday with 26 students admitted for the inaugural master of science in global health delivery (MGHD) degree.
Over 160 students had applied to join the new higher learning institution.
The university is rooted in the principles of health equity, incorporating the latest advances in education technology, according to officials.
It will offer a two-year, part-time MGHD programme.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, the Minister for Health, Dr Agnes Binagwaho, who is also one of the senior lecturers at the university, said she was passionate about integrating development into the health sector.
“I am grateful that the term health equity is being used and applied which is a big step towards the development of the health sector in the country,” she said.
The university also intends to promote leadership, management and financial skills among students.
“The master of science in global health delivery programme will provide a one-of-a-kind learning experience fundamentally rooted in the principles of global health, epidemiology, global health policy, management, finance and leadership,” she added.
Dr Papias Malimba Musafiri, the Minister for Education, said he is optimistic the university will contribute towards the achievement of the country’s Vision 2020 in building science, technology and innovation.
“To unlock the continent’s potential, Africa must have well-trained science and technology professionals.
Leveraging opportunities in science and technology contributes to the building of capacities across sectors such as health, agriculture, trade and industry, infrastructure, environment and ICT, all of which are key to development,” he said.
Dr Paul Farmer, a co-founder of Partners In Health and one of the university’s lecturers, said it will take the institution a few years to become a world class university.
“Harvard University is one of the best universities in the world, but it took it 300 years to become the best. Given the level of development and resources that Rwanda has, I believe that we will live to see this university compete with the best universities in the world,” he said.
The private university is owned and operated by Partners In Health, and is supported by the Government of Rwanda, Harvard Medical School and several international experts.
Students will be taught by global health experts and will hold evening classes on Wednesdays and over the weekend. The schedule is meant to be friendly to working students.
Tuition fees for the MGHD will be $15,000 ($7,500 per year).
The first of two permanent UGHE campuses are under development in Butaro, Northern Province, according to officials.
Rwandan teams have performed exceptionally well at the ongoing All-Africa Games taking place in Congo Brazzaville.
Cyclists have already struck gold in the men’s road race and bronze in the team time trial with the women’s beach volleyball side bagging bronze.
The men’s volleyball team has lost to Congo Brazzaville 3-1, but still stands a chance for a podium finish when they play the third place playoff today against the winner between Algeria or Egypt who are playing the next semifinal.
Cycling and volleyball are the two disciplines that have placed Rwanda on the sporting map.
The All Africa Games’ medals are a re-statement of the potential the country has in sports and with more support from the Ministry of Sports and Culture and local companies through sponsorship, a lot more can be achieved.
Rwanda is currently ranked sixth on the African continent in cycling behind Algeria, Morocco, South Africa, Eritrea and Tunisia in that order, and all this is down to a project that started only eight years ago.
A keen eye on youth structures across the country and investment in facilities has played an important role in the success on display right now.
The cycling side trains all year round, from Monday, to Friday at the Africa Rising Cycling Centre in Musanze and continue their training programmes on the weekend at their homes when they are off to spend time with their families.
Both cycling and volleyball have brought on board expert coaches with massive experience from their earlier careers as players.
Jonathan ‘Jock’ Boyer, the first American to ride at the prestigious Tour de France in 1984, has played a very important role in getting the best out of the team, while Paul Bitok, the coach of the national volleyball side, has done a tremendous job to get Rwanda among the top five countries on the African continent in the last four years.
Their success has attracted sponsorship from local companies like Cogebanque and Skol for cycling sparking the creation of the Rwanda Cycling Cup that has unearthed talent from across the country.
More support from all stakeholders could make Rwanda a powerhouse on the continent.
Kigali, Rwanda. September 10, 2015. Preferred internet service provider Airtel Rwanda has taken a front seat in the 4G network expansion in partnership with Olleh Rwanda Networks (ORN) during the official opening of the 4G square in Rubavu on September 8, 2015. This follows a recent opening of the first of its kind 4G Square in Kigali.
The 4G Square in Rubavu will be a one-stop hub for all the 4G LTE technology and devices which include; smart phones, touch pads, smart watches and a conference room, a refreshment area and advanced on technology options (Play interactive system) for customers to experiment with.
Airtel Rwanda will also be actively participating to provide customer services, devices as well as bundled offers for its 4G LTE plans.
Speaking on the launch of the 4G Square opening in Rubavu, Airtel Rwanda Zonal Business Manager Henry Kainerugaba said, “The 4G Square phenomenon is a great innovation in as far as experiencing technology is concerned. It is also a good way for our customers to have a one stop center for all their 4G LTE needs.”
He added, “As Rwanda’s preferred 4G LTE retailers, we shall ensure that consumers enjoy consistent, uninterrupted and high quality super-fast internet speeds in partnership with Olleh Rwanda Network.”
According to the Chief Executive Officer of Olleh Rwanda Networks, Mr. Patrick Yoon, “The 4G Square will have free super-fast internet that can be accessed inside the square by all customers and will be the number one hub for everything 4G LTE and beyond.”
The Guest of Honor, Rose Mary MBABAZI, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Youth and ICT said continued 4G expansion in the country was a great step in realizing Rwanda’s dreams to become the ICT hub of East Africa. She said, “This technology is really meant to benefit our society and especially the business community. She thanked Olleh Rwanda Networks for the continued investments and innovations.”
4G LTE is the fourth generation of mobile telecommunications technology, succeeding 3G. 4G LTE technology provides mobile ultra-broadband Internet access to internet enabled devices like smartphones, tablets and laptops. It is considered the fastest internet in Africa.
Rwanda Defence Forces will today launch a four-year cadet programme at Rwanda Military Academy, Gako (RMA Gako) in Bugesera District.
The event is expected to be officiated by the Minister of Defence, James Kabarebe and his education counterpart, Dr Papias Musafiri.
According to a statement from RDF, the cadet programme will initially begin with one department, offering a Bachelor’s Degree with Honors in Social and Military Sciences, which will be done in conjunction with the University of Rwanda.
This department will be followed by one of physics, chemistry and engineering.
“The programme is mainly designed to build the capacity of the RDF officer corps, through provision of quality University level education to be able to contribute to the socio-economic transformation of Rwanda,” reads the statement.
The course is expected to produce graduates equipped with the necessary theories, professional knowledge, skills and aptitude to perform the responsibilities of a Junior Commander in the Rwanda Defence Forces both in war and peace time.
Since 1999, the Rwanda Military Academy (Gako) has been undertaking a one year officer cadet course for both civilians and serving soldiers.
Kigali, 10th September, To mark the international Peace Day celebrations, Coca-Cola is set to bring together several African acts to perform for the first time ever a special Peace Anthem by Coke Studio Africa at the Petit Stade Amahoro in Kigali.
The Peace anthem, written by South African award winning musician and Grammy nominee Zwai Bala has been produced by Coke Studio Africa to inspire a generation of young Africans to celebrate Peace as a factor of long lasting stability and progress in the region. The Coke Studio Peace anthem will be performed live by top artists of the African music industry Ice Prince (Nigeria), Dama Do Bling (Mozambique), Maurice Kirya (Uganda), Alikiba (Tanzania) and Wangechi (Kenya) who will be joined by leading artists Krest Crew & Jabba Junior, Urban Boyz, Knowless, and Innoss’b on the day.
The 21st September Concert will be open to all peace lovers and music fans in Kigali and is being organized in partnership with the Rwandan National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) and with the support of the Rwandan Ministry of Youth and ICT, and the Ministry of Sports and Culture. The concert will also highlight how peace can be nurtured through dance and sport.
The climax of the concert will be the performance of the Peace Anthem by Coke Studio Africa which will be available on iTunes from 21st September 2015 and also as a call back tune/ring tone from local mobile telephone companies with proceeds going to the non-profit organisation Peace One Day to support its mission to reach 3 billion people with the message of Peace Day by 2016.
The Concert will be broadcasted live across the RBA network as well as a global streaming feed thus reaching a wide audience. An 11minute episode on the “making of” capturing the behind the scenes of the recording of the Peace Anthem by Coke Studio will be aired on local TV channels and on the huge screens at the concert location.
To celebrate Peace Day 2015, Coca-Cola is making a special toast to peace with the release of a commemorative Coca-Cola Bottle with the Peace One Day logo. The specially-designed limited edition bottle will be available at the Concert location and in retail outlets in Kigali.
Mr Lionel Marumahoko, The General Manager for Central, Indian and Atlantic Oceans Franchise at Coca-Cola stated, “Coca-Cola is happy to join the world in celebrating the 2015 Peace Day to encourage everyone to stand together for non-violence and ceasefire. With the Peace Anthem by Coke Studio Africa artists and the special Coca-Cola bottle that we are releasing we’re toasting to Peace as we observe this event.”
In anticipation of the great event, Peace One Day founder Jeremy Gilley said, “I am thrilled to be marking this Peace Day with the first-ever Peace Day Anthem being performed live at Petit Stade Amahoro Stadium thanks to Coca-Cola. I’m extremely grateful to all of the extraordinary artists who are giving their time so generously to the event that will be a youth-focused daytime event featuring popular young artists and influential young speakers”.
Though this historic event, it is hoped that young people from Rwanda and the wider Great Lakes Region of Africa will be inspired to become the driving force behind the vision of a united Africa using Peace Day 21 September as a focus for their actions of peace.
The Sudanese government on Wednesday said it will launch a major media campaign to promote the national dialogue during the next three months.
Sudan’s state minister of information, Yasir Youssef, said the coming three months would witness the unification of the media discourse, pointing its message to the actors will underscore that national dialogue is a strategic choice.
He noted that the information ministry would implement the presidential decree number 158 which gives all political parties participating in the dialogue opportunities to appear on the state-owned media.
Youssef, who spoke at the meeting of the information secretariats of the political parties which are part of the dialogues’ coordination body known as 7+7, stressed that the national radio and TV and the official news agency (SUNA) besides Ashorooq and the Blue Nile TV channels would be devoted to activate the dialogue in the coming period.
The minister further announced that a website for the national dialogue will be launched besides several pages on the social media sites, adding the campaign budget amounts to 150,000 pounds (SDG).
Meanwhile, the member of the 7+7 mechanism form the opposition side, Fadl al-Sid Shuaib, emphasized the media would be dedicated to national dialogue, denying that the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) is controlling as is commonly believed.
He stressed that all political parties are free to use the media, saying the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) doesn’t have the powers to prevent them.
“If [the NISS] prevented any party [form using the media], it should complain to the 7+7 subcommittee for creating conducive environment for the dialogue”, he added
The Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir launched the national dialogue initiative more than a year and a half ago in which he urged opposition parties and rebels alike to join the dialogue table to discuss all the pressing issues.
But the initiative faced serious setbacks after the government refusal to create suitable atmosphere by releasing political prisoners, ensuring freedoms, and postponement of elections.
The rebel groups and the opposition alliance of the National Consensus Forces (NCF) refused to join the process from the beginning while the National Umma Party (NUP) led by al-Sadiq al-Mahdi withdrew from the process in protest of al-Mahdi’s arrest in May 2014.
Later on, several political parties including the Reform Now Movement (RNM), and the Alliance of the Peoples’ Working Forces (APWF) announced they had decided to suspend participation in the national dialogue until the requirements of a conducive environment are met.
The Government is considering erecting temporary shelters in safer zones for people who have not yet moved from high risk areas, especially in Gasabo and Muhanga districts.
According to Jean Baptiste Nsengiyumva, the Director of Disaster Risk Reduction and Preparedness at the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee affairs (MIDIMAR), this is part of measures to mitigate potential effects of the projected El Nino rains in the country in the coming months.
“We have a preparedness plan for the El Nino threat. In collaboration with affected districts and the Ministry of Local Government and Social Affairs (MINALOC), once good sites are availed, MIDIMAR, Red Cross and other partners could erect big strong tents to house many families for a few months,” Nsengiyumva told The New Times yesterday.
“The biggest challenge is the mindset of the people who still resist, saying they must first be compensated. We are urging people to drop that mindset and move from high risk zones.”
Nsengiyumva was speaking to The New Times on the sidelines of the launch of the National Risk Atlas of Rwanda, a new document providing a more comprehensive disaster risk profile of the country.
The $635,350 atlas, the first of its kind in the region, possesses information on hazards and risks, and comes with lots of relief since the ministry will now better coordinate disaster management efforts in a proactive manner and thus reduce disaster risks.
It presents results of the hazard assessment and mapping of five major hazards that prevail in the country: drought, landslides, floods, earthquakes and windstorms.
Nsengiyumva said some districts completed relocating people from high-risk zones but others such as Muhanga and Gasabo continue to lag behind, partly because of the big number of people in those areas.
“In Muhanga, there is an area called Nyabinoni that used to host many people, but because of the district’s lack of capacity to relocate them, the necessity has been delayed,” he explained.
“About 4,000 to 5,000 people still live in high-risk areas in the entire country.”
Relocation challenges
One of the challenges, however, is that most of the people in high-risk zones in and around the city depend much on the employment opportunities presented by urban areas and do not wish to move far.
“Most people living in Kigali suburbs such as Gatsata are tenants and the owners, sometimes, do not live in those areas. Intensive awareness is crucial so that those able can relocate themselves. The government cannot be able to relocate each and every one considering the limited resources,” Nsengiyumva said.
Nyamagabe, Karongi, Rutsiro, Nyabihu and Ngororero are some of the other districts with residents in high-risk zones.
During the launch of the atlas, yesterday, Magdy Martínez-Solimán, the UNDP assistant administrator and director of the bureau for policy and programme support, said every dollar injected into planning and preparedness efforts save about $5 to $10 that would be used later in disaster management when a catastrophe hits.
Among others, he said, the atlas affirms that in order to reduce disaster risk, people must also be prepared for future worse case scenarios.
“This requires robust monitoring, assessment and understanding of disaster risks and their integration into development planning and policies,” Martínez-Solimán said.
The atlas reveals that about 2.8 million Rwandans are exposed to windstorms at an intensity of moderate to strong gales and that 148 health facilities and 882 schools are exposed to windstorms.
Rwanda National Police officers board a UN plane at Kigali International Airport en route to South Sudan, yesterday, for a one-year tour of duty under the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Some 170 police officers were seen off by Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of operations, Dan Munyuza. The contingent, headed by ACP Rogers Rutikanga, will be based in Malakal County, located about 500km north of the capital Juba. (Courtesy)
Following a request by both chambers of Parliament, the Cabinet Wednesday nominated the seven independent commissioners to the Constitutional Review Commission.
The Commission’s mandate is to assist parliament in working out the amendments of the constitution after 70 per cent of eligible Rwandan voters petitioned the August House demanding constitutional change.
The nominees are Dr. Augustin Iyamuremye (Chairperson); Usta Kayitesi (Vice Chairperson); Evode Uwizeyimana; John Mirenge; Aimable Havugiyaremye; Loyce Bamwine and Beata Mukeshimana.
They are all subject to vetting by the Senate.
Iyamuremye is the head of the Rwanda Elders Advisory Council, while Kayitesi, is currently the Principal of the University of Rwanda College of Arts and Social Sciences, and prior to that was the Head of Department of Public Law.
Uwizeyimana is the current vice-chairperson of Rwanda Law Reform Commission while Milenge is the CEO of RwandAir and a trained lawyer.
Aimable Havugiyaremye, another seasoned lawyer is the acting rector at Institute of Legal Practice and Development. He has previously worked at the Ministry of Justice; Law Reform Commission; University of Rwanda and is also an academic from Pretoria University.
Bamwine is the Division Manager of Legal Research, Reform and Revision at the Law Reform Commission, while Mukeshimana is Head of Department of Law Research Reform and Revision at the Law Reform Commission.
The Committee comes as parliament rushes to respond to calls by over 3.7 million Rwandans who petitioned the legislators to kick-start a process to amend the constitution and allow President Kagame run again come 2007.
Under the current constitution, President Kagame cannot stand when his second term ends in 2017, and several petitioners, who make up over 70 per cent of the country’s electorate, said there is still much more that Kagame has to offer them and cannot let him go.
During an interview yesterday, Samuel Musabyimana, the chairperson of the committee in charge of assessment of deputies’ activities, conduct and legislative immunity, said that the commissioners will be sworn in before judges at the Supreme Court before they begin their work.
“They will also need to organise themselves and draw a roadmap, vis-a-vis the task ahead, where they will also design internal regulations to make sure they deliver accordingly,” said Musabyimana, whose commission sponsored the bill that established the commission.
“But the core job awaiting them is to draft the preliminary bill of the amended constitution which will later be tabled before the lower chamber of the parliament for consideration.”
MP Musabyimana further stressed that although details of their task will be communicated as they proceed, they will be closely working with all Parliament’s standing committee chairpersons.
The commission, whose members were selected based on their vast experience and training in Law including constitutional matters, will help parliament clean the prime law and propose other relevant changes.
The commission has a mandate of four months, subject to extension should the need arise.
“Under any circumstances their term can be extended through a presidential decree if the assigned duties not completed in four months period,” he said.
Independent commissioners who will then be answerable to the parliament will be given offices and monthly remunerations as stated by Abbas Mukama the Deputy Speaker in charge of administration and finances.
The report on any changes in the constitution as suggested by the commission, will be put to a parliamentary vote and once approved by a two-third majority of the legislature, a referendum will be called.
