Category: News

{Rwanda targets to maximize benefits of international events held in Rwanda which is pushing private investors to increase efforts in preparations of upcoming meetings including African Union Summit, Transform Africa, World Economic Forum among others expected to be held in Kigali this year.}

These efforts are embedded in the program of making a good use of opportunities as a land locked country, targeting to earn USD150 million USD per year from MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions).

In 2016 ,Rwanda expects to host World Economic Forum scheduled from 11th to 13th May, Forum for Agriculture Research in Africa (FARA) scheduled 13th to 19th June and the meeting of African Society of Blood Transfusion scheduled from 31st May to 4th June 2016 among others.

Such meetings and various activities will attract hard currencies from international participants.

Efforts have been put in the development of infrastructures like construction of hotels where it was confirmed that the building of Kigali Convention Center will have been completed in May, 2016 and expected to host the African Union Summit as the first big event.

In the past, international meetings have attracted much foreign exchange for the country. In 2013, Rwanda earned USD 49 million from hosting international meetings.
Rwanda targets to increase rooms of hotels from the current 8000 rooms to 13,800 rooms by 2017.

Rwanda Development Board says a tourist visiting Rwanda, on average, spends USD300 per day on accommodation, food and transport. By 2017 Rwanda could earn USD 4 million from 13, 800 hotel rooms if they were all to be fully occupied.

Francis Gatare, the CEO of RDB has requested private investors to keep improving hospitality infrastructures and quality of services.

“Participants of World Economic Forum must get good services. This will be achieved through everyone’s commitment to kindly receive visitors, availing quality products at markets, good maintenance of hotels and well organized transport system to the extent that they will come back and encourage others to come to Rwanda,” he said.

The president of Private Sector Federation, Benjamin Gasamagera said that all money brought in by visitors goes into the hands of private investors, so their commitment to quality services means a lot to the entire hospitality industry.

“We are going to make a good use of the remaining time collaborating with private investors for better performance,” he said.

{Burundi refugees accommodated in Mahama Refugee Camp have revealed tricks applied by Burundi government to tarnish images of host countries accommodating Burundi refugees including Rwanda.}

Various reports authored by international communities and the government of Burundi have been alleging Rwandan government to recruit Burundi refugees in rebel groups to overthrow President Nkurunziza Pierre.

Those who made accusation reports claim to have talked to Burundi refugees who confirmed that Rwanda trains them with military skills to overthrow Burundi administration.

However Rwandan government has declared accusations to be false saying such information is provided by refugees who came to Rwanda with expectations of getting relocated to America and elsewhere.

Burundi refugees say that their country lies behind allegations intending to tarnish Rwanda’s image to demonstrate how refugees pose military threats.

The representative of refugees in Mahama camp, Jean Bosco Kwibishatse, has told KFM that Burundi government kept disturbing refugees and host countries sending Imbonerakure (Burundi youth engaged in mass violence) in camps to create insecurity by providing false news.

“They continue to send people to disturb refuges as they do for people staying inside Burundi. It is apparent that Imbonerakure penetrate camps to falsify information intending to demonstrate to host countries that we are a threat,” he said.

Kwibishatse said that such individuals provide false news on Rwanda even though it is uneasy to identify them.

“The wrong doer has no stamp .Wrong doers cannot miss in a crowd of over 50,000 people. We know that false news is disseminated by such people hiding in camps,” he said.

On Monday, the Minister of Disaster Management and Refugees Affairs, Seraphine Mukantabana requested Burundi refugees to avoid those who want to tarnish Rwanda’s image.

The spokesperson of MIDIMAR, Frederic Ntawukuriryayo told IGIHE that what Burundi refugee say about Imbonerakure have no evidences since no one presents identifications of Imbonerakore coming in Rwanda as a refugees pass through the same process.

“We consider it as a rumor since they have no evidences. We recommend them to declare to security organs a suspect of security threat,”he said.

MIDIMAR confirms that some Burundians including those who were living in Kigali have returned to their country adding that they all left identifications to immigration and emigration offices and lost refugee status.

{Prof. Dr. Manfred Weibelt, a German Economist, says that based on Africa’s economic development, Rwanda is among African countries treading the right direction and a 21st century development model.}

In a research undertaken by Prof. Weibelt in Deutschland Institute Of Research (IfW), focusing on African economic development and poverty reduction especially for Rwanda, he demonstrated that fast economic development and poverty reduction is becoming a norm for Rwandans.

While presenting the outcomes of his research, Weibelt said that Rwanda’s economic growth is far higher compared to its structure.

“Rwanda is an exemplary country in economic growth. It is a landlocked country, with inadequate natural resources and a majority of the population practicing traditional. The rate of growth is surprising,” he said.

Between 2002-2012,the rate of Rwanda’ economic growth averaged 8%.

He also noted that poverty reduction in Rwanda has gained giant strides, which, between 2005/2006 to 2010/2011 there was a poverty reduction at a rate of 12%.

Statistics from the Ministry of Finance and economic planning indicate that Rwandan economy is mainly boosted by the construction sector, hotels and restaurants, transport, education and services sector, contributing about 27% in 2012 to the GDP.

Manfred said that Africa is progressing in general but expressed worries on investments founded on foreign aids, loans and grants.