Category: News

Taking place in Travelling to a different European city each year in June, World of Coffee is the essential event for coffee professionals – drawing a loyal audience from the global specialty coffee community, more than 80% of whom return year-on-year. Brought by the Specialty Coffee Association, the event has more than doubled in size and stature over the last five years, growing from 3,000 visitors and 45 exhibitors to 6,800 visitors and 240 exhibitors in just 5 years.

Rwanda Coffee with its complex acidities and diverse flavours will be exhibited and tasted by prominent European specialty coffee importers, roasters and retailers. The exercise will generate business deals and seek more investment opportunities within the coffee sector in Rwanda.

A delegation of 15 exhibitors from Rwanda representing the coffee sector players will participate in the RAI Amsterdam event. The participation of Rwanda delegates is facilitated by a joint collaboration of the Embassy of the Republic of Rwanda in The Netherlands and National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB). The team will similarly explore sessions related to coffee quality improvement, marketing and promotion. On the side-lines of the World of Coffee, Rwanda Coffee exhibitors will make a call for participants about the up-coming ‘African Fine Coffee Conference and Exhibition’ to be hosted by Rwanda at Kigali in February 2019.

‘This is an invaluable experience for international coffee enthusiasts, ‘urban foodies’, key industry players and of course many other interested parties to discover and enjoy the specialty coffees from Rwanda’, said H.E. Ambassador Jean Pierre Karabaranga.

Rwanda Coffee – A Second Sunrise is a national coffee brand, comes from Rwanda’s best coffee-growing areas. It captures the essence, landscapes, resplendent beauty and natural biodiversity of Rwanda.

The 2018 edition of the World of Coffee will be another opportunity for Rwanda’s Coffee to reach thousands of coffee industry stakeholders.

Speaking at a media launch of the anniversary, Mr Bart Hofker, MTN Rwanda Chief Executive Officer noted that the company entered the picture in 1998 as the first MTN Operating Company out of South Africa.

“MTN is a truly African company and brand, born in 1994 in post-Apartheid South Africa. In two decades, we have grown and innovated our business partnerships, served millions of customers and I can safely say that today MTN Rwanda is a solid fixture in Rwandan society,” he said.

When it started operations back in 1998 with less than 10 staff, 98% of who were expatriates, MTN Rwanda today boasts 300 permanent staff and over 60,000 agents whose livelihood depend on the company.

“We are a truly Rwandan employer. Currently, we have only four expatriates in our permanent staff of 300 and over 60,000 agents. If you look at the bigger picture and include their families as well, you could say that more than a quarter of a million people in Rwanda depend directly on MTN Rwanda as an employer. This is a responsibility that we do not take lightly. We are a family, the Y’ello family,” Hofker added.

MTN Rwanda will celebrate its 20th anniversary throughout 2018 with several commemorative events. These events will involve employees, communities, suppliers, shareholders and customers and reinforce its 20th anniversary theme of togetherness and giving back to the communities.

In response to the growing demand for convenient payment solutions in the country and to improve the efforts being made to make the economy a cashless one, MTN has kicked off the anniversary celebrations with MoMo offers, such as the reduction in MoMo tariffs. Customers can now send small amounts of money, even below Rwf100, with transfer fees that start from as low as Rwf3.

In another drive to push Rwanda’s ‘Going Cashless’ agenda, the company also introduced MoMoPay, a mobile money-based payment solution that enables merchants to easily accept payments from MoMo customers at zero charges.

Every year, MTN Rwanda allocates a 1% of the company’s profit after tax to initiatives in health, education, entrepreneurship, economic empowerment and other national priorities determined in collaboration with the Government of Rwanda. One of these initiatives is the annual 21 Days Y’ello Care program, which this year is focusing on contributing to youth empowerment and education in ICT in Model Villages.

MTN’s 20th anniversary celebration is not so much a time simply for festivities but will involve reflecting on the evolution of the business and a view of prospects for the future.

According to Hofker, the company always strives for excellence to offer service models that are tailor-made to clients’ specific needs and thanked everyone who contributed to the growth of MTN in Rwanda.

“We thank Rwandans for the support that they have given us and appreciate the partnerships that we have forged. As we evolve, we will always maintain the highest standard of service and commitment to our customers, partners, associates, and vendors,” he said.

Inkomoko, a Rwandan organization that provides specialized training to business leaders to learn skills that can be applied directly to their companies, as well as the potential to access zero-interest loans from Bank of Kigali; reached out to some of last year’s winners to ask them how the initiative impacted their business, and why entrepreneurs should apply this year.

{{Moto riders get opportunity to buy own motorbikes
}}

SafeMotos, a Rwandan ride hailing platform that enables customers to book moto-taxi rides, won Rwf 11,800,000 in last year’s Urumuri Initiative.

“The Urumuri initiative enabled us to create a new product offering, that we wouldn’t have been able to launch otherwise,” said Nash Barrett, the CEO of SafeMotos.

According to Barrett, the platform used the loan to purchase motorbikes that riders would eventually buy using the Family Wallet, which is an online platform that enables the riders save a small percentage from every ride.
“We really appreciated the combination of business support and zero-interest loan. The money enabled us to launch the program, but the consulting helped us to redefine the product – initially we wanted to finance drivers’ equipment, such as helmets, but Inkomoko helped us realize that it was more interesting to partially finance the bike purchase” said Joseph Erick, the director of the SafeMotos Family Wallet product.

The program was well received by SafeMotos drivers, according to Jean Chrysostome, one of the drivers who managed to buy his motorbike by using the platform: “I have been working in the moto industry for more than 5 years, renting bikes and paying Rwf5000 a day to the owner of the bike. I am grateful to SafeMotos’ platform that allowed me to save part of my income and helped me to get my own bike. From now on, I will not worry about the daily fee I have to pay to the owner or the times I used to stay jobless because the owner had decided to take his bike.”

{{Publishing house gets investors ready
}}

Mudacumura Publishing House, another 2017 Urumuri winner who received a Rwf8 million loan from Bank of Kigali commended the initiative for helping them acquire skills they lacked.

“If an investor comes at any moment, we are better prepared than before, and that it is why I decided to continue with Inkomoko business support even after the initiative, because in today’s world, the business environment changes a lot and we have to have the skills to stay in the game.” Says Fiston Mudacumura, the CEO of Mudacumura Publishing House.

“We used the loan to purchase publishing rights for new books by authors from Muhanga district” added Fiston Mudacumura.

{{Murakali grocery store grows substantially
}}

Murukali, an online grocery store, is another business that was amongst the winners. The business received a Rwf6 million loan from Bank of Kigali that they in turn invested in stocks.

“Now I’m no longer afraid of any shortages, I have enough stock to cover the demand. Our daily revenues more than doubled after the initiative, so it has really helped us to grow substantially” said Yvette Uwimpaye, Murukali’s CEO.

Murukali also benefited from Inkomoko’s programme on marketing and sales as they learnt how to better target customers and generally increased their professionalism and competences.

{{Urumuri 2018 – your chance to win consulting support and a zero-interest loan
}}

The Urumuri Initiative, which began last year to mark Bank of Kigali’s 50th anniversary, continues this year as Bank of Kigali continues to invest in Rwanda’s emerging business leaders.

“In line with the government’s initiatives to develop local products and services for the Rwandan and export markets, this year’s Urumuri is seeking to help entrepreneurs with a unique “Made in Rwanda” brand,” said Nathalie Niyonzima, Inkomoko’s Managing Director.

“We’re pleased to partner with Bank of Kigali for another opportunity to support young entrepreneurs and promote Made in Rwanda.”

The Urumuri application deadline is June 15, whereby the 25 selected winners will start the Inkomoko Business Development accelerator on July 2nd. Eligible businesses must be based in Rwanda, have financial sustainability plans, and meet other competitive criteria.

To apply for Urumuri 2018 and get the chance to win 6-months free consulting and zero-interest loans, entrepreneurs can visit[ www.BK.rw/urumuri ->www.BK.rw/urumuri] or [www.inkomoko.com->www.inkomoko.com] and contact +250 786 779 012 or +250 788 548 441 for any questions.

At a glittering function, held yesterday, at the Kohinoor Continental Hotel in Mumbai, India, Prof. Dr. Aftab Anwar Shaikh, President of Indo Global Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture commended the tremendous efforts which have been put in by Fernandes in marketing Remarkable Rwanda in India.

According to Shaikh, Fernandes has been awarded for promoting quality education and specifically for taking a multi-million dollar investment from India to Rwanda in the Education Sector and for promoting Accessible Tourism, thereby creating a vibrant and knowledge based community, even among differently abled.

In his acceptance speech Fernandes dedicated the award to Rwandans.

“I dedicate this award to the people of Rwanda and particularly to the Survivors of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi who have worked tirelessly and against all odds to bring the country from where it was immediately after the Genocide, to where it has reached today, after twenty four years” he said.

Fernandes added that the resilience and fortitude of the Rwandan people made this possible.

Quoting President Paul Kagame Fernandes said that “We cannot turn the clock back, nor can we undo the harm caused. But we have the power to determine the future and to ensure that what happened never happens again,”

Rwanda Renaissance is laying great stress on promoting accessible tourism.

Affordable and accessible safe drinking water has an arching role in the social-economic development of a country. In Rwanda it has been ranked as a basic amenity—among the highest priority public goods.

Access to drinking water reduces time spent on fetching water and has a positive impact on school enrolment and attendance especially for girls, while absent, unsafe, and distant water supplies have been seen to be detrimental to all lives, and especially for women who are normally responsible for water collection and handling for household hygiene and for caring of the sick.

The water and sanitation sector in Rwanda is thoroughly monitored within the Vision 2050—which is about ensuring high standards of living for all Rwandans, modern infrastructure, transformation for prosperity as well as an improved quality of life.

{{Water and sanitation for all}}

The Water and sanitation sector in Rwanda aims at increasing the proportion of the population / households accessing improved source of water from 84.8% (EICV 4) to 100% and the proportion with improved sanitation facilities from 83% (EICV 4) to 100% by 2024 as per National Strategy for Transformation (NST1).

It also plans to increase the proportion of the rural population living within 500m of an improved water source from 47.% (EICV4) to 100%, and to raise the proportion of the urban population residing within 200m of an improved water source from 61%(EICV4) to 100%.

Regarding sanitation, the sector has plans to increase the proportion of schools with latrines complying with health norms will reach a target of 100% and the proportion for rural households will increase to 100%.

Understandably, the water and sanitation sector plays a critical role in ensuring that targets of the Vision 2050 which include Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and National Strategy for Transformation (NST 2018/19-2023/24) are attained.

Officially known as Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs) are a comprehensive set of 17 goals which will go above and beyond the remarkable past accomplishments of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to create a sustainable world by 2030.

The SDG’s have three targets around water and sanitation which are; achieving universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all; achieving access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and lastly, improving water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.

However to achieve these targets, adequate investment in water and sanitation infrastructure, providing sanitation facilities and promoting hygiene at every level is a prerequisite.

{{Overcoming challenges through united efforts}}

As a way of partnering with the government in protecting the population against dangers that come with unsafe water, a number of local and international organizations for years have been implementing vibrant programs that enable people especially in rural areas to easily access clean water, as well as intervening in sanitation projects.

As an example, a five year program dubbed “Ending Poverty One Village at a Time” (EPOVAT) that was led by ‘Tear fund’– a Christian Organization; provided water and sanitation facilities that drastically improved many households’ hygiene standards.

In the first phase of the program, up to 43,797 households were reported to access water through water gravity flow system, springs and piped water. More beneficiaries also gained access to water within a walking distance.

The program also permitted a decrease in a number of hygiene-related diseases as a result of improved hygiene practices.

Also, SNV is also leading a consortium of non-profit partner. It is implementing USAID funded Isuku Iwacu project, running from 2016 to 2020 to improve household sanitation in Rwanda.

The project aims at increasing local ownership of, and capacity to deliver, sustainable, high-quality sanitation and hygiene services, in order to improve access to and support correct, consistent use of household sanitation and hygiene facilities, with the overall goal of decreasing childhood stunting.

Similarly, Financial Institutions are playing a big part in boosting the water and sanitation sector, such as the two loans totaling $171 million that were recently approved by the African Development Bank Group Board to finance Rwanda’s Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation Programme under which water supply and sanitation infrastructures & services will be provided in Kigali, Rubavu, Rusizi, Nyagatare, Muhanga, Huye, Musanze and Karongi.

The move is expected to boost water supply and sanitation in the country.

Although the journey is still long, efforts in creating a promising future for the country’s water supply and sanitation sector are beginning to pay off. The day when safe water will be easily accessible for all citizens is approaching little by little.