{{Rwanda Development Board (RDB) will host the 10th Annual Kwita Izina Gorilla Naming Ceremony on July 1, 2014, in Kinigi, Rwanda. A week of festivities will precede the world-renowned event.}}
An inventive “Name a Gorilla” contest was also launched this month on Facebook to raise awareness of Kwita Izina and promote Rwanda’s extraordinary conservation story among East African Community (EAC) residents.
Participants are invited to propose a name for one of the 18 baby gorillas born this year with a chance of winning a trip for two to Rwanda if their name is selected.
Kwita Izina (which means “gorilla name” in the local Kinyarwanda language) is based on a centuries old Rwandan baby naming tradition.
The celebration is designed to bring international attention to the endangered gorillas of the Virunga Mountains. Over the course of the past 9 ceremonies, 161 baby gorillas have been named.
The theme for this year’s milestone celebration is “A Decade: Conserving – Empowering – Growing”, highlighting the collaborative community approach to conservation that has led to 26.3% increase in the gorilla population since Kwita Izina debuted ten years ago.
“The Kwita Izina 2014 theme reminds us of the indelible link between humans and gorillas. Every name given to a gorilla is part of our promise to provide them with freedom and safety in the wild.
The “Name a Gorilla” contest is a way to extend this relationship to our neighbors in East Africa and invite them to be part of Rwanda’s legacy of conservation,” says Ambassador Yamina Karitanyi, Head of RDB’s Tourism and Conservation Department.
{{Police officers attending the Formed Police Unit (FPU) Training of Trainers course at the Rwanda National Police Peace Support Training Centre in Gishari, Rwamagana district visited Kigali Memorial Centre in Gisozi on June 20 to pay tribute to Genocide victims. }}
Twenty one officers from Ethiopia, Burundi and Rwanda are attending the one month course which started on June 10.
The officers laid wreath on mass graves in respect of the over 250, 000 genocide victims buried there.
They also visited various rooms of the memorial centre to witnesses how the horror act that claimed more than one million innocent lives was planned and executed.
They were also explained on the role role played by the previous regimes including security organs in planning and implementing the mass massacre with intent to exterminate the Tutsi.
Col. Apollinaire Ndayimirije from Burundi, one of the trainers said the tragedy that befell Rwanda should be an eye opener to the rest of the world to lay firm foundation to ensure this never happen again.
“We are here to get first hand information on what happened but also to learn the successful stories because Rwanda and Burundi share a lot in common as neighbours,” said Col. Ndayimirije.
He said as Security organs charged with also ensuring peace in other countries, they have to be equipped with knowledge and skills on how to handle communities in countries of their peacekeeping operations.
{{The US Ambassador to Rwanda Donald Koran last week launched the inaugural meeting of the Ambassador’s Youth Council, a body comprising Rwandan youth and representatives from Rwandan groups focused on youth issues in the country.}}
The purpose of the council is to inform and collaborate with Rwandan youth to make sure U.S. government programming, development assistance and partnerships in Rwanda are targeting the issues important to youth in the country, Ambassador Koran said.
“As the foremost groups representing Rwandan youth, I will count on you in the future to inform me and future Ambassadors about the issues you think affect Rwandan youth the most,” Ambassador Koran told the groups assembled at the U.S. Embassy in Kacyiru.
The Youth Council is part of the myriad efforts the US government and U.S. Embassy in Kigali lead for engaging with and connecting to youth across Africa.
Part of that effort includes this summer’s Young African Leaders Initiative Washington Fellowship, a six-week exchange for young leaders from Rwanda and other countries in Africa.
Five hundred young leaders from across the continent are taking part in the exchange, learning leadership skills and networking with fellow young leaders.
{{Newly appointed director Generals of Public Enterprises and board members of Government Business Enterprises have undergone an induction training workshop on corporate governance, risk management and financial orientation to maximize enterprises market value.}}
Organized by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning through the Government Portfolio Management Unit (GPMU), the training was also aimed at equiping participants with knowledge on how to mitigate government’s exposure to fiduciary risk posed by public enterprises.
Permanent Secretary and Secretary to Treasury Kampeta Sayinzoga reminded participants at the beginning of the workshop that every single company that they sit on has a direct link to EDPRS2 strategic objectives.
“You should ensure that business objectives of companies you lead or boards you sit on are directly linked to national development objectives,” PS Kampeta said.
She urged participant to discharge their responsibilities with the highest level of integrity, transparency and professionalism.
The training is facilitated by the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Rwanda (ICPAR). ICPAR has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning where the former is responsible for promoting capacity building and enforcement of best practices in areas of auditing, financial reporting, risk management and governance within public enterprises.
Over last four years, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning through Government representatives on Boards of Enterprises carried out several trainings mainly focused on risk management, corporate governance, Financial Management and strategic management.
The World Bank last week officially launched new Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for Rwanda.
The new strategy launched June 25, will mobilize World Bank Group financing and knowledge behind three priorities expected to have the greatest impact on the country’s development future These include: accelerating private sector-driven growth to create jobs; improving productivity and raising poor peoples’ incomes; and support transparent, accountable governance .
The Bank Group believes that these priorities will be further strengthened by investing in greater regional integration with Rwanda’s neighbors and the rest of the East African Community.
The CPS is fully aligned with the Government’s Second Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy.
The four year Strategy for Rwanda endorsed by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on June 5, 2014 was launched during a high level forum attended by key government officials and a host of stakeholders, representing county governments, private sector, parliamentarians, civil society and other development partners.
Rwanda has had remarkable progress in recent years and now it has the potential to expand its growth by focusing on export diversification, structural transformation, regional integration and financial sector deepening.
“This progress, so notable in this year, marking the twentieth anniversary of the genocide, illustrates the possibilities and opportunities for any country seeking a new path to peace and prosperity.
We know there is much further to travel and the World Bank Group is proud to accompany Rwanda on its journey to shared prosperity over the next four years.” said Diariétou Gaye
Prepared jointly by the International Development Association (IDA), International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), the new strategy represents a shared view of how resources across the entire Bank Group can best support the government’s effort to achieve its national goals.
“The Synergy between the WB m IFC and Mega using all their resources and expertise to make sure that they can together assist us in different ways and in all areas that are so crucial for our development is commendable.” Said Claver Gatete, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning.
IFC will provide investments and advisory services to help expand access to finance, promote competitive businesses and investment climate, and support critical sectors of the economy, including agribusiness and infrastructure.
“Rwanda’s remarkable economic reforms in recent years are helping to encourage investment in infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing and financial markets.
IFC will work across the World Bank Group in partnership with Rwanda’s government and private sector to help create new jobs and opportunities for inclusive growth“, said Cheikh Oumar Seydi, IFC’s Director for Eastern and Southern Africa.
MIGA will look for opportunities to support sustainable private sector investments in the power, water, transportation, and agribusiness sectors.
“As Rwanda works to achieve private sector-led growth, MIGA guarantees can offer reassurance for foreign investors, including investors in public-private partnerships,” said Michel Wormser, MIGA Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
The new strategy reflects results of extensive consultations with government, local government officials and Members of Parliament, the private sector, development partners, civil society, and academia.
{{The Rwandan Parliament will host the Women in Parliaments (WIP) 2014 Summer Summit from 1-3 July. }}
Participants from 45 different countries will gather in Kigali to study Rwanda’s success in female political empowerment and discuss the need for more women in politics worldwide.
The theme of the summit is ‘The Spirit of Women in Parliaments: Advancing Society’.
Speaking about why Rwanda has prioritised female empowerment, Speaker of Rwanda Parliament/Chamber of Deputies, Donatille MUKABALISA, said that in many ways the rapid advance in gender equality in Rwanda was hastened by necessity.
“Of the survivors of the genocide, 70 per cent were women. They had no choice but to take the lead in healing a broken and fractured society. Rwanda needed everyone to come together to ensure an inclusive reconstruction process and guarantee that genocide would never happen again,” she said.
“In formulating the 2003 constitution, it was decided that all decision making organs must have a quota of at least 30 per cent of women. This has been easily exceeded in every election since.
In September of last year, national elections for the Chamber of Deputies saw women take 64% of seats – the highest level of female representation of any country in the world. We are happy to share this success stories with our colleagues by hosting the WIP Summer Summit,” she added.
During the summit, the MDG Advocacy Group, co-chaired by President Paul Kagame and Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway, will join participants for a joint session on the post-2015 Development Agenda.
Attendees will also discuss topics such as gender balance in politics and its role in societal change and the impact of constitutions and legislation in establishing gender equality and women empowerment.
The WIP Summer Summit 2014 will give participants first hand insights into Rwandan society, built on the values of gender equality and female social, economic and political empowerment.
Participants will meet with ministers, parliamentarians, community and business leaders and academics. They will make also field visits to talk with Rwandan women who run projects and businesses.
On Friday, 4 July 2014, all participants will be invited to take part in the official celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the Liberation Day of Rwanda at Amahoro Stadium in Kigali.
The Women in Parliaments Global Forum is an independent, international and non-partisan foundation established with the purpose of advancing society by building a network of Women in Parliaments. It is the only global forum for all female parliamentarians.
WIP endeavours to find ways to address global challenges by using the collective experience of Women in Parliaments across the world.
During the last year’s WIP Summit, President Kagame was given the WIP Leadership Award in Closing the Gender Gap.
{{Eating a lot of red meat in early adult life may slightly increase the risk of breast cancer.}}
The news is based on a large US study that looked at the protein dietary intake of almost 90,000 female nurses and their risk of breast cancer over a 20-year period.
Previous studies have focused on the dietary intake of those in their “midlife” and older populations.
In this particular study, however, researchers were interested in finding the potential link between diet and breast cancer risk in early adulthood.
The main finding was that a higher intake of red meat (which included both processed and unprocessed meat) was associated with a 22% increased risk of breast cancer.
The results suggest that women who chose healthier sources of protein – such as chicken, nuts and lentils – had a decreased risk of breast cancer.
{{A South Sudanese army general who switched allegiance and joined rebel forces under the leadership of the former vice-president Riek Machar said he had rejected separate peace talks with the government.}}
General Dau Aturjong Nyuol announced that he was defecting last month, calling on the South Sudanese people to join the fight to remove president Salva Kiir from power on the grounds that he had failed to properly manage the affairs of the country.
“They (the government) have continued to approach me for separate peace talks, using people they think would convince me,” Nyuol told Sudan Tribune in an exclusive interview on Sunday.
“They do not only want to localise the grievances for which I decided to resume [an] armed struggle, but it is a clear demonstration that they want to divide our leadership … So I rejected it and asked them to go to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, that is where peace talks are [being] held,” he added.
Nyuol claimed the Kiir-led government was on the verge of collapse, saying the national army (SPLA) was in disarray.
“Until we decided to resume [an] armed struggle, our people were made to believe that certain people are untouchable … They (the government) made our people believe certain people are the problem of the country and the failure of the leadership,” he said.
{{Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has pledged his country’s commitment to provide a battalion of 736 officers of UPDF for the Eastern African Standby Force.}}
“Uganda pledges to provide 736 officers and men for the Eastern African Standby Force,” the President said at the signing of a protocol for the establishment the force on the sidelines of the 23rd extraordinary African Union Summit in Malabo in Equatorial Guinea.
According Uganda Media Center, the President added: “We shall pay our assessed share of finance.
The funds we lose in trade without peace are much more than the contributions by the member States.”
The Eastern African Standby Force whose task is to make prompt responses in the event of a conflict.
{{Three-time World Cup winners Germany face Algeria in a last-16 clash tinged with history on Monday while France and Nigeria square off in another intriguing Europe against Africa contest.}}
The Germany-Algeria match in Porto Alegre is their first meeting since the 1982 World Cup, where Algeria beat West Germany in a group match but then were eliminated when Germany beat Austria 1-0 in a match that both teams appeared to collude to produce a result that allowed the two neighbours to advance.
Germany coach Joachim Loew, whose “Nationalelf” are among the favourites to win the World Cup, has warned against complacency and rejected suggestions that Algeria is seeking revenge for the “Disgrace of Gijon” match 32 years ago.
The Desert Foxes, in the knock-out round for the first time, have a perfect record against Germany with two wins in their two meetings.
Algeria are carrying the hopes of the Arab world with them after holding Russia to a draw and overwhelming South Korea 4-2 in the same Beira Rio stadium in Porto Alegre as Monday’s showdown with Germany.
In Monday’s early match at the Brasilia national stadium, African champions Nigeria are aiming to reach their first World Cup quarter-final. They were eliminated in the Round of 16 in both 1994 and 1998.
Their opponents France, the 1998 World Cup winners, have more attempts on goal in three group matches (62) than any other team and will be looking to Karim Benzema, with three of France’s eight goals, to lead them to a quarter-final against either Germany or Algeria.
