On its twitter handle it is stated: “ Due to the rapid spread of the epidemic of coronavirus, the EAC has postponed the meeting that was to take place on 21 March until further notice. Other meetings and activities that attract crowds of people have also been put on hold.”
Kenya is the only country in EAC that has so far announced a person with the virus. Other countries in the community have taken strong measures of defence including stopping activities that attract crowds.
This meeting is postponed for the third time after one that was supposed to take place on 30th November 2019 following the decision of one member state not to attend. It was rescheduled for 29th February but was also postponed because of lack of quorum.
In the meeting it was expected the leaders would analyze the report on the vision of the membership of South Sudan and also confirm what transpired from observation aimed at confirming Somalia as a member of the EAC.
They were also to consider allowing The Democratic Republic Of the Congo to join the community following its request in June last year.
RDC requested to join the community on 8th June 2019, in a letter addressed to the current chairman of EAC, President Paul Kagame.
The meeting of heads of state and government of countries making EAC has been postponed due to Coronavirus
On March 12th, 2020, Cogebanque officials handed over to MTN Rwanda 1000 smartphones in a bid to accelerate digital penetration in Rwanda.
The challenge was initiated on December 20th, 2019 by Mitwa Kaemba Ng’ambi, MTN Rwanda Chief Executive Officer and has since then attracted pledges in cash or in kind from individuals, private and public institutions across Rwanda.
Apart from contributing to the ‘Connect Rwanda’ Challenge, Cogebanque is involved in various other initiatives aiming at promoting technology.
To ease financial transactions, the bank has established 27 outlets across Rwanda and availed Mobile Banking seevices to its customers which allows them to perform online banking tasks such as checking account balance, transferring funds and bill payments among others.
In addition, Cogebanque Savings Accounts allow customers to save in local or foreign currencies and customers can access money whether they are abroad or on the move through Cogebanque mobile banking platforms.
Currently, COVID-19 pandemic continues to hinder various activities around the globe.
In Rwanda, all public events and gatherings have been cancelled until further notice.
Recently the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the US suspended the 2019-20 season games after Utah Jazz players Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell tested positive of the virus.
La Liga, Spanish Football League also suspended all its games after one player tested positive.
In a meeting with representatives of private institutions in Rwanda, Kamanzi declared CHOGM will not be affected by the outbreak of COVID-19. Automatic word wrap
“We continuously assess our preparedness in countering the virus and we are confident by the time CHOGM happens, COVID-19 will have been contained on an international level.”
She urged business owners to be prepared to host visitors by availing all types of payment options to ensure a seamless experience during their stay in Rwanda.
“We recommend hygiene of the highest level especially in restaurants and hotels.
Let us avoid all reports of food poisoning. Provide all types of payment options for visitors who don’t like walking around with money.”
CHOGM will be held from June 21st to June 26th, at Kigali Convention Centre and Intare Conference Arena in Rusororo while smaller forums will be held at Kigali Conference and Exhibition Village commonly known as ’Camp Kigali’, Kigali Serena Hotel and Ubumwe Grande Hotel.
The meeting is expected to attract at least 1000 delegates from 54 member countries of the Commonwealth.
Business owners and other delegates will hold the ’Commonwealth Business Forum’ prior to the meeting from June 23rd to June 25th, 2020.
Robert Bapfakurera, Private Sector Federation (PSF) Chairman said CHOGM will attract more than 7000 delegates from private institutions and businesses and confirmed the attendance of 20 Heads of State during the ’Commonwealth Business Forum’
“Visitors will be consuming our products, sleeping and eating in our hotels and restaurants. We must be ready to offer them a seamless experience.”
Bapfakurera said that visitors should leave Rwanda with a brand new image as opposed to the dark history of genocide which is associated with Rwanda every time the country is mentioned.
It is expected that during CHOGM, investment agreements worth $700 million will be concluded.
COVID-19 was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province in China towards the end of 2019 and has since spread to many other countries in the world. After the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic, countries around the world implemented preventive measures to combat its spread.
In Rwanda particularly, the Ministry of Health urged all public institutions and private business owners to avail hand sanitizers or soap and clean water at all times. The City of Kigali went the extra mile and banned all social gatherings and events. Event organizers expressed concerns given that even the event which was scheduled on the day the notice was issued were cancelled.
{{Mashariki Film Festival}}
The annual cultural event which brings African films to an African audience and offer a workshop and masterclasses to filmmakers was scheduled from March 21st to March 27th, 2020. Screening sessions had already been published but the organizing committee recently announced the film festival was cancelled until further notice.
{{Seka Live Festival}}
The two-day stand-up comedy festival brings together renowned comedians in the region. The latest edition which was held on February 29th, 2020attracted talents such as Nigerian Otolorin Kehinde Peter commonly known as Kenny Blaq and Ndumiso Lindi from South Africa.
Although no announcement has been issued by the organizers, the monthly comedy festival is highly likely not to happen.
{{Kigali Jazz Junction}}
The monthly music gathering where Jazz meets other music genres might also be affected. In February 2020, Kigali Jazz Junction had on stage, Nigerian singer, Joeboy and Rwandan Davis D attracting crowds of revelers.
This month’s edition is expected to host Nigerian Singer, Inetimi Alfred Odon, known as Timaya on March 27th, 2020. RG Consult, the organizing team has not yet spoken about the social gatherings ban.
{{Africa in Colors Festival}}
The event which puts forth the promotion of Africa’s creative industry is expected to be held at Radisson Blu and Convention Centre in Kigali between March 26th and 28th, 2020. The festival brings together African creatives to share, trade and market opportunities for African entrepreneurs in the creative industry. Due to the social gatherings ban, it might also be cancelled.
Some social events which were cancelled since the ban are ‘Ikirenga mu Bahanzi’ which had on the lineup, famous Rwandan Singer, Cecile Kayirebwa. Fans who had already bought tickets were requested to keep them for future use although no other dates were communicated.
On March 8th, 2020, the day the ban notice from City of Kigali was issued, Adrien Misigaro, a Rwandan gospel singer had planned a concert but resorted to making a live session of his concert on his YouTube channel.
On March 10th, 2020, Igor Mabano, a Rwandan singer was expected to launch his first album titled ‘Urakunzwe’ but announced the concert had been suspended due to Coronavirus.
Located Kabarore trading center, the parking will be seated on 9000 square meters with functions of; car parking, passenger waiting shades and a commercial storey building.
Gatete John, the chairman of the Gatsibo Car Park Board told IGIHE that the parking will be built in two stages over two years.
“The first phase will consist of a parking yard surrounded by 24 commercial buildings and waiting shades at a cost of Rwf500 million while the second phase with a two-storey house will cost Frw 700 million.”
He said the first phase will be completed within two years.
Big swings on the financial markets as traders weigh impact of coronavirus closures
Schools are to close in jurisdictions including seven US states, Austria, Lithuania, two German states and Algeria
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is awaiting test results
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie are in 14-day isolation after she tests positive
Just eight new cases are reported in China
India reports its first death; Kenya, Ghana and Gabon report first cases
London Underground driver tests positive after returning from holiday in Vietnam
Mumbai is the third destination RwandAir suspends flights to after Guangzhou in China and Tel Aviv in Israël.
Flights to Guangzhou were suspended on January 31st, 2020 while flights to Tel Aviv were suspended on March 10th, 2020.
RwandAir administration announced that the airline will waive change of reservation costs, re-issues and refunds for all affected customers.
RwandAir decision to cancel flights to Guangzhou, Tel Aviv and Mumbai follows an announcement from the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11th, declaring Coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic.
Since December 2019, the number of new infections has increased by 13 times outside of China where the virus was first identified.
Currently, 4749 people died from the virus while the total number of COVID-19 patients reached 129,590. Among those 68,670 were treated and recovered from the virus.
Airlines across the world have implemented drastic measures to counter the spread of the virus through cancellation policies.
Israel Airlines suspended all flights from Israel while other airlines such as Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Wizz Air, American Airways, British Airways and Australia Airlines suspended flights to China and other COVID-19 endemic countries.
Today, the United States will start implementing travel restrictions on 26 European countries after President Trump issued a ban to combat the spread of the virus.
The UK, Ireland and other non-Schengen countries will not be affected.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the COVID-19 crisis is expected to bring a $113 billion loss to international airlines in the US if the virus continues to spread.
To counter the spread of the virus, many countries around the world including Rwanda, have implemented preventive measures.
Although no case of COVID-19 was identified in Rwanda, the government has set a multidisciplinary team to assess and strengthen preparedness and response to the epidemic.
At Kigali International Airport, all travellers are screened using thermal imaging cameras and tested before entering the country.
The ceremony was attended by Rayon Sports officials led by their President, Munyakazi Sadate, coaches including Kirasa Alain, staff of the team, fans and friends.
Also in attendance were his teammates; Rutanga Eric, Iradukunda Axel, Nizeyimana Mirafa, Mugheni Fabrice, Kayumba Soter, Nsengiyumva Emmanuel, Niyomwungeri Mike, Oumar Sidibé and others.
Iragire has been cohabiting with Umubyeyi Dinha for five years and have a four-year-old child together.
The UN medals were awarded to RNP officers along Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Barthelemy Rugwizangoga, the commander of Rwanda police peacekeepers, during a ceremony held at Rwanda Formed Police Unit-Two (RWAPFU-2) in Juba, South Sudan. The first ceremony was chaired by Unaisi Lutu Vuniwaqa, UNMISS Police Commissioner.
RNP peacekeepers in South Sudan are in charge of protecting government officials and civilians, actively prevent conflict, reduce violence and strengthen security through patrols.
The award ceremony was graced by the presence of high-ranking commissioners of police in South Sudan and Brig. Gen Eugène Nkubito, Rwanda Sector Commander in Juba.
Vuniwaqa commended the bravery, courage, and professionalism of Rwandan peacekeepers and expressed how proud the UN and citizens in South Sudan feel for being under the protection of Rwandan peacekeepers. ” You are a great addition to the UN taskforce and together we can support South Sudan transition from conflict to peace.”
As the first-ever female police commissioner in the UN, Vuniwaqa particularly thanked female peacekeepers and emphasized the role of women in UNPOL in making a difference in the lives of the people they protect. “To the 14 Rwandan female peacekeepers, you are appreciated for your efforts. It is your time to especially help fight gender-based violence as one of the striking vices in war-ridden regions.”
ACP Claude Tembo, FPU 3 commander said that the UN Mission in South Sudan taught them a lot of valuable lessons they will apply once they get home. He thanked Rwandan peacekeepers for their bravery and relentlessness and the people of South Sudan for their collaboration without which the mission they came for wouldn’t have been possible.
Decorated Rwandan peacekeepers started their mission in South Sudan in April 2019. Currently, Rwanda has 3 cohorts in peacekeeping missions in South Sudan made of 560 police officers. Two of the three cohorts were decorated yesterday, one led by ACP Claude Tembo and other by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jackline Urujeni.
Rather than creating products and services that even the poorest person can afford, most innovations target the persons who can pay the most which in a long run may actually not yield the most growth results.
When Tap&Go was first introduced in Kigali in 2015, sure everyone was questioning it and suggesting that “this kind” of innovation would never work in Rwanda where the majority of the population could barely afford three meals a day, let alone buy a smart card for transportation.
As true as it was and the basis for doubt was legitimate, the critics missed something – Tap&Go was an innovation that was here to create markets that would create growth which meant making their products affordable and accessible to even the lowest income earner. And that’s exactly what Tap&Go did when it came to the market.
{{What does it take to create-market innovations}}
Recently, AC Group, the parent company that championed Tap&Go was hosting an event with a theme: “Starting Local and Going Global.”
During the discussions, one of the speakers made a comment and said, “ to go global as a company, you must have speed.” What this meant was that for a company to create a product/service that impacts not just the local market, they must have the speed to take their products to other markets.
While this is true especially in the case of Tap&Go’s expansion to other African countries, there is a fundamental truth that has been left out and that is the fact that Tap&Go is a market-creating innovation.
{{How Tap&Go has created new markets}}
The unserved market: When AC Group set out to solve inefficiencies that were in the public transport sector, they automatically tapped into the market that had been ignored by other innovators.
The majority of the public transport users are low-income earners who because of their low purchasing power are not the target market for innovations. By introducing the Tap&Go card, AC Group targeted this market segment. Today, even the poorest person, previously left behind by banks can use the Tap&Go card to pay for their daily commute.
Creating local & global jobs: Any market-creating innovation does not only create jobs locally but also globally. These jobs can range from software development to hardware and so forth. When Tap&Go started, jobs ranging from tech to marketing, operations, and administration were created locally to help get the company up and running.
These were not the only jobs created, globally, people were being employed to manufacture hardware (POS and Bus Validators), transport them from wherever they were being manufactured to Kigali. These types of jobs have not only impacted and lifted communities in Rwanda but beyond and will continue to do so.
This is what creating innovations that create markets and bring economic growth is all about. It is about creating innovations that create job opportunities both locally and globally.
Finally, apply enabling technology: Companies that set out to disrupt the economy and change lives use technology as an enabler.
They know from the very beginning that they want to lift people from poverty, enhance processes and do it all within a limited time. Using technology as an enabler makes a company like AC Group not use people to improve technology but instead use technology to improve people’s lives. People become the center of innovation.
Conclusively, it is true that not all innovations are meant to serve the same purpose, some are meant to create sustainability, others to increase efficiency while others are meant to create new market opportunities.
There is no one innovation better than the other, but it is key to understand that they each serve different purposes. My advice is that before creating any innovation, one should ask themselves what the purpose of that innovation is going to be, is it going to sustain the already existing markets, create efficiency or create new markets?
Rwanda needs all three but for it to grow and achieve its goals of being a middle income country, we need more innovations that target people who are often left behind, create job opportunities both locally and globally, and use technology to improve and empower communities.
