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Category: News

  • Mushikiwabo is new OIF head

    Mushikiwabo has been elected after she won the majority votes by the Heads of States of the OIF member states.

    Mushikiwabo replaces the Canadian Michaelle Jean who had been on the helm of la Francophonie as Secretary General for the last four years.

    Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Loiuse Mushikiwabo has been voted the Secretary General of the la Oganization Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF).

  • Riha Payment System Mobile wallet gets BNR nod

    Riha Payment System Ltd is the first company in Rwanda to be granted such permission. The sandbox regulatory framework was put in place to allow testing of innovative payment products to fast-track the rollout of the Rwanda cashless economy.

    Riha solution is a lifestyle consumer and merchant/retailer engagement platform that combines seamless payments and rewards all in one.For consumers, it’s a single destination wallet for all their transaction accounts to seamlessly pay, transfer funds, and collect loyalty & rewards from their preferred merchants or brands.

    The wallet also allows consumers to manage personal finances through a series of machine learning algorithm which help them spend smarter. For Retailers, it’s a future proof of payment acceptance platform with the abilityto create a truly personal buying experience for the consumer. With the Wallet, merchants can identify, understand and engage with customers while building relationships that drive value.

    Riha Mobile Wallet is all about the value addition that mobile technology can unlock across the payment and retail spectrum.

    A select group of users will be able to download and use our System starting November 2018 and an official public launch is scheduled for first quarter of 2019 after the official License has been issued.

    Alain Ndayishimiye, CEO at Aurasoft, parent company of Riha Payment System Ltd

  • How Swedish Ambassador found herself at the same lunch table with Kagame

    Speaking to IGIHE, Ohlson said that when she presented her credentials at the President’s Office, she was informed by Foreign Affairs Minister Louise Mushikiwabo that she would be pleased to be sitting with her at lunch. She didn’t understand it.

    To her surprise, Ohlson was seated by the president’s table whom he had never met before.

    “It was very nice but I was a bit nervous because it was the first time I met him. It was when I handed over my letters of credentials.” She told IGIHE

    For Ohlson, 41, new ambassador seated at the small lunch table with the President and the first Lady that was quite a new experience for her, she said.

    “That was a very interesting lunch. I hadn’t prepared for any special topics to talk about since I didn’t know beforehand,” She said.

    However, Ohlson said that later, the luncheon was a good opportunity to discuss with the President about pertinent subjects.

    She says that it was a very interesting conversation about current political affairs and differences as well as similarities between Sweden and Rwanda.

    {{Something memorable and not secret
    }}

    Ohlson says that when the waiters came to ask them to stand up and go to the dessert table, the president said he did not want any dessert. For a second she must have looked very disappointed, because she had seen all the nice Rwandan fruits and had waited to try some. But she was definitely not going to take off for the dessert table alone.

    “I was not sure about the protocol! I saw that he noted the disappointed look in my face, and he smiled and immediately said, ‘No, of course we will have dessert, let’s go’. To me, that was a little friendly gesture to a nervous young ambassador,” She says.

    {{I didn’t feel physically intimidated
    }}

    Ohlson says being at lunch with five people around the table was a big day. She had never gone to the ceremony of the credentials before.

    “I didn’t think of any intimidation or anything like that. It was just a very nice lunch. I was happy and relieved I had managed to do the protocol around the ceremony,” she says.

    Swedish ambassador to Rwanda Jenny Ohlson describes her first encounter with President Kagame as 'quite a new experience'

  • New mapping system to guide in fighting soil erosion

    Rwanda Water and Forests Authority (RWFA) gathered information from 50 000 Ha of areas severely affected by soil erosion which will be the focus of different projects during the 2018-19 national budget.

    RWFA through Water For Growth Rwanda is also training the district staff from Western Province to use the systems to fight soil erosion. The trainings are talking place at INES-Ruhengeri University, in Musanze District and City of Kigali.

    The Ministry of Environment urges all the districts to submit a report based on GIS information on the planned areas and where erosion has been combated.
    Participants in the training from both Kigali City and Musanze District are required to be aware of the new system and use information provided by GIS and GPS to know where they should focus in fighting erosion.

    Ancille Musabyemariya, Land Surveyor and GIS Officer in Nyamasheke District and Jacques Ndikubwimana who is in charge of forests and natural resources in Rubavu District who are among the trainees in Musanze District both observe that this technology will show on maps where erosion will be combated which will help in giving accurate figures and ultimately the right budgeting equivalent.

    “Before this technology, we used to fight erosion based on an estimated area of land. This GIS technology will help us implement the measures we took for fighting against erosion in exactly a defined area and location of land,” she said.

    Remy Ngoga Mugunga, the head of Water Resources Protection and Development at RWFA says that both GIS and GPS helped them in introducing CROM DSS (Catchment Restoration Opportunity Mapping Decision Support System).

  • President Macron reiterates his support for Mushikiwabo’s candidacy

    Macron is one of the 40 heads of State and Government and 84 delegations who are gathered at the ongoing Summit of La Francophonie in Yerevan, Armenia.

    In a short interview with IGIHE, President Macron has emphasized his support for Mushikiwabo’s Candidacy, where he described himself as ”a determined and careful boy” and that he stood on his earlier position on Mushikiwabo’s candidacy.

    While meeting President Kagame at the Élysée Palace in May 2018, Macron said that today’s centre of the La Francophonie is in Africa. He said that there was a need to change La Francophonie into a successful organization and assure that Africa will own the organization.

    “I have a conviction that I cannot hide that if there is an African candidate to the Secretary General of La Francophonie, it will make sense. If that candidate is a woman it will surely make more sense. On that post I believe that the Foreign Affairs Minister of Rwanda, Louise Mushikiwabo has enough competence to effectively exercise that function,” Macron said adding that having an African candidate from African Union will be good news.

    Mushikiwabo is standing against incumbent secretary Michaëlle Jean in the run for OIF’s Secretary General Position.

  • Ministry of of Health launches survey on HIV

    The national household-based survey will measure the reach and impact of Rwanda’s HIV prevention, care, and treatment services across the country.

    “Data collected from RPHIA will provide critical insights on the successes and challenges Rwanda faces in confronting the HIV epidemic. RPHIA participants will also benefit from free and confidential HIV testing, counselling and treatment referrals.” said Dr. Patrick Ndimubanzi, Minister of State for Public and Primary Health.

    RPHIA will start collecting household data on October 12, 2018 in the Northern Province. The survey is anticipated to last through February 2019.

    Over the course of five months, trained survey personnel will visit approximately 10800 randomly selected households and collect demographic, clinical, and behavioural information from consenting participants. Staff will also perform HIV and hepatitis B and C testing. All participants will receive counselling as part of RPHIA.

    Meanwhile, results from HIV and hepatitis B virus tests will be returned to participants on the same day. RPHIA will also provide viral load testing for those who test HIV positive.

    Participants who test positive for HIV and those selected for hepatitis B and C testing will be referred to health facilities of their choice for further follow up to receive further counseling and HIV treatment as well as the vaccine or treatment for hepatitis B. They will also receive hepatitis C test results.

    RPHIA will help health authorities and policymakers better understand the impact of HIV on everyone in the population, not only people living with HIV but also their family, friends and the community at large.

    “RPHIA survey personnel have been extensively trained and are ready to implement a successful survey.” says David Hoos, managing director, ICAP at Columbia University.
    Rwanda has intensified HIV testing and treatment strategies and prioritised evidence-based interventions with the goal of achieving epidemic control by 2020.

  • Kagame, Mushikiwabo in Armenia for OIF summit

    Other heads of state and government are also expected in Yerevan.

    The two-day summit starts on Thursday. Two candidates, Louise Mushikiwabo and Michaëlle Jean are the only ones facing off.

    Michaëlle Jean has been chairing this organisation for four years after she was elected in Dakar, Senegal in 2014. She is the first woman to lead this organisation ever since it was founded.

    She is facing off with Louise Mushikiwabo whose candidacy is supported by many countries as well as the African Union (AU).

    Mushikiwabo gained hand upper after Canada and Quebec endorsed her candidacy.

    The International Organisation of La Francophonie was created in 1970. Its mission is to embody the active solidarity between its 84 member states and governments (58 members and 26 observers), which together represent over one-third of the United Nations’ member states and account for a population of over 900 million people, including 274 million French speakers.

    IOF organises political activities and actions of multilateral cooperation that benefit French-speaking populations. Its actions respect cultural and linguistic diversity and serve to promote the French language, peace and sustainable development.

    Rwanda has been OIF country member since 1970. OIF figures in 2014 indicate that 274 million people speak French.

    President Kagame yesterday arrived in Yerevan, Armenia where he is scheduled to attend the 17th edition of Francophonie Summit.

  • Former senator returns kindness to a man that saved his family members during genocide

    Shyirakera who says hid 10 people during the genocide including some of Mugesera family members who lived in Rugerero Sector, Rubavu District and later transported them to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

    Mugesera noted that it was courageous of Shyirakera to hide people he didn’t know, with vast risks involved.

    “What he did is a fine example. He risked his life in in hiding these people,” he said.
    Shyirakera said that he hid Mugesera’s relatives because of his generous heart. He also thanked Mugesera for returning that kindness.

    “I couldn’t imagine that an official could take time and come to thank me. That is very good. I hid these people during the genocide because of my generous heart. The children I saved became good to me and took care of me. These cows I have been given will help me in my old age,” he said.

    When Shyirakera hid the people, Interahamwe would come to search for them on a daily basis until he fled with them to Congo where he handed them over to an orphanage to take care of them.

    Mugesera is a Rwandan researcher and and historian.

  • Rwanda commended for fighting proliferation of small arms

    Participants from 15 RECSA member states are in Kigali for a workshop to discuss what can be done to help countries to ratify the agreement on preventing small arms.

    RESCA Executive Secretary Lt. Gen. Baldreldin Elamin Abdelgadir reassures that RECSA will continue to support Rwanda to fulfill her responsibilities and to make it exemplary to other countries for the progress the country has made.

    “Among all the RECSA member states, we praise Rwanda for the steps it has taken in regard to fighting the most pressing issue of small arms proliferation in the region,” he said, adding that Rwanda is now counted among the most secure countries.

    In the the past two years, Rwanda cooperated with RECSA to destroy 55 tones of ammunition comprised of outdated weapons.

    This operation took place in Gaborone Military Academy from 26 to 31 July, 2016.

    Rwanda Minister of Justice Johnston Busingye said that the proliferation of small arms can be a threat to regional, continental and international peace.

    Busingye reminded representatives that peace and safety of people cannot be achieved without cooperation.

    “As you may be aware, illicit trafficking and use of arms and ammunition remains a big challenge to national, regional and global peace and security,” he said, adding that to achieve sustainable development, countries have to put efforts together to reduce illicit arms flow that feed conflicts and divert resources.

    Busingye stressed that nearly 100% of those who commit all the crimes use small arms that they acquire illegally.

    In 2006, the UN General Assembly recognized that the absence of common international standards for transfer of conventional arms contributes to armed conflict, the displacement of people and crime, and that these in turn undermine peace, reconciliation, safety, security, stability and sustainable social and economic development.

    Based on this finding, the General Assembly launched a process to examine the feasibility of a treaty establishing common international standards for the transfer of conventional arms.
    The Arms Trade Treaty was opened for signature on 3/06/2013 and entered into force 18 months later, on 24/12/2014.

  • Bilateral relations between Turkey, Africa have gained substantial momentum- Premier Ngirente

    The Premier made the observations in the ongoing 2nd Turkey-Africa Economic and Business Forum, representing President and Chairperson of the African Union, Paul Kagame. The forum creates a close cooperation between Turkish & African business circles.

    “Bilateral relations between Turkey and our continent have gained substantial momentum. Turkey’s ‘Opening to Africa policy’ has ushered in a continuous phase of mutually reinforced economic partnership,” said Ngirente.

    Over the last 15 years the trade volume between Turkey and African countries rose six-fold to $17.5 billion thanks to Turkey’s ‘Opening to Africa’ policy.

    Ngirente also noted that the African Union recognizes the progress made under the Joint Implementation Plan of the Turkey-Africa Partnership in keeping with the Istanbul Declaration of the First Africa-Turkey Cooperation Summit of August 2008.

    “Implementing the Agenda 2063 requires strong and active cooperation with all stakeholders, including Turkey. We are keen to strengthen and deepen our economies through industrialization. I therefore invite Turkish investors to join Africa’s quest for industrialization,” said Ngirente.

    Premier observed that with Rwanda’s efforts in establishing a competitive business environment, which is underpinned by zero tolerance for corruption, sustained economic growth of over 7% for the last 15 years.

    “We welcome Turkish investments in light manufacturing including construction materials, textiles and garments, wood processing, agro-processing, hospitality and many other subsectors,” concluded Ngirente.

    Rwanda's Premier Edouard Ngirente in the 2nd Turkey-Africa Economic and Business Forum.