During the visit on Monday 6th June 2022; they were received by Maj Gen Innocent Kabandana, the joint task force commander of Rwandan troops in Mozambique and the Commander of Rwandan Police forces deployed to the country, CP Denis Basabose.
RDF has revealed that the leaders also addressed local residents.
Rwanda sent joint troops of RDF and Rwanda National Police to Mozambique in July 2021 to fight terrorists in the country.
Following the deployment of Rwandan troops, the situation has been gradually returning to normal where displaced citizens returned home and schools resumed.
The company started operations in Rwanda in 2019 while the inauguration ceremony of Kigali office which is the first ever on African continent was due in March 2020.
The official inauguration was postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Speaking at the launch on Monday 6th June 2022; the President and Chief Operations Officer of Rohde & Schwarz, Peter Riedel has commended the management of Rwanda office for having successfully started the company in difficult times.
Riedel disclosed that he met President Kagame in 2018 as he attended a security meeting in Munich. As he explained, the meeting became the foundation of fruitful collaboration leading to the opening of Rwanda office as the first milestone.
Riedel said that President Kagame invited him to visit Rwanda’s attractions where he later attended ‘Kwiza Izina’, baby gorilla naming ceremony. At the time, he named a baby gorilla from Musilikare family.
Riedel has revealed that the company plans to do more in Rwanda, increase local staff and expend much effort in trainings on cyber security to staff from relevant institutions.
He also explained that they want to improve the curriculum for Cyber Security Academy in Rwanda and provide modern infrastructures.
President Kagame commended ‘Peter and the entire Rohde & Schwarz leadership for accepting to have our country as a long-term partner’.
The Head of State said that the management didn’t hesitate when he asked them to come to Rwanda during his visit to the company’s headquarters.
Over the years, Kagame said, ‘Rwanda has made significant progress in developing our digital economy’ but highlighted that there is a lot more to do.
The Head of State underscored that the Kigali International Financial Centre, Kigali Innovation City and Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution are just examples of many things Rwanda is trying to do or can do in the near future.
“Our vision is to become a trusted hub for digital financial services and technology innovation in our region and beyond. Rohde & Schwarz is already a positive addition to Rwanda’s technology community through the software development lab started in 2019,” he said.
“Key public institutions in Rwanda are already making use of these applications. The launch of Rohde & Schwarz Rwanda Office, the first in our continent will only enhance the good collaboration we have seen,” added Kagame.
He commended the company’s new commitments in cyber security training, curriculum development as well as support for a Radio Frequency Lab in conjunction with QT-Software, a Rwandan software company.
The Head of State assured the company of Rwanda’s full support, urged the management to consider Rwanda as a reliable partner and reminded them to feel at home in Rwanda.
Diogene Niyigena, Senior Developer Team Lead at Rohde & Schwarz Rwanda has said that they have rolled out different projects for the past two years including Pace 2 related to network traffic classification in which they work with banks, airports and hospitals among others who are prone to cyber-attacks.
He explained that the local office seeks to establish a system helping different people to detect cyber-attacks and develop proactive approaches.
Under Pace 2, Niyigena revealed that they can monitor 3000 applications and alert companies on possible cyber threats.
The advisor to German Ambassador in Rwanda, Peter Primus said that the achievement is a result of cordial relations between both countries.
Rohde & Schwarz runs operations in more than 70 countries.
Three people, including the alleged rightful owner of the goods identified as Fiacle Rutabana alias Ganza, were arrested when the Congolese registered Fuso was stopped in Gikarani Village, Nengo Cell, Gisenyi Sector, on Monday, June 6.
The driver, Steven Mutabazi, and one Olivier Twizerimana, who was also on board, are two others arrested in the foiled smuggling attempt.
Police also seized nine gas cylinders, movit products and Salsa, cooking flavours from the truck.
The goods had been sneaked into Rwanda from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to Superintendent of Police (SP) Bonaventure Twizere Karekezi, the Police spokesperson for the Western region.
“The seized skin whitening cosmetics include Coco pulp, Paw paw, beauty and epiderm crème, all which are banned in Rwanda,” said SP Karekezi.
There are 1,342 listed cream and oil brands with hydroquinone and mercury, which are prohibited in Rwanda.
According to SP Karekezi, the Police was tipped off by a “responsive resident.”
“ASOC had prior credible information that assorted goods including outlawed skin bleaching products, had been smuggled into Rwanda through a porous border point.
Information also indicated that Mutabazi (driver) and his turnboy (Twizerimana) had loaded the goods and were transporting them to City of Kigali,” SP Karekezi explained.
“Following their arrest, Mutabazi and Twizerimana disclosed that the goods belong to Rutabana, who had hired them to transport them to his store in Kimisagara, Nyarugenge District. Rutabana was later located and arrested in Rubavu,” the spokesperson said.
The suspects were handed over to RIB at Gisenyi station for further legal process.
SP Karekezi thanked the resident, who reported the act of smuggling and fraud.
Article 266 of the law determining offenses and penalties in general, states that any person, who produces, sells, or prescribes harmful products; cosmetics or body hygiene substance or any other products derived from plants, commits an offence.
Upon conviction, he/she is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than one year and not more than two years and a fine of not less than Rwf3 million and not more than Rwf5 million or one of these penalties.
Under the East African Community Management Act, which is also applicable in Rwanda, seized smuggled goods under article 199, are auctioned.
The vehicle used in fraud and smuggling, it is also auctioned and the driver slapped a fine of US$5,000.
A taxpayer, who commits fraud, is also subject to an administrative fine of one hundred percent (100%) of the evaded tax and a likely imprisonment of between six months and two years.
Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Viateur Munyurasi Gakara, the Acting District Police Commander for Rulindo, identified the suspects as Jean Claude Sibomana alias Fils and Frederic Niyonsaba, both aged 25.
He said that the duo had allegedly trafficked the narcotics into Rwanda from Uganda.
“ANU first arrested Niyonsaba in Nyirabirori Village, Gatsinde Cell of Tumba Sector with 8kgs of cannabis, where he was going to supply cannabis retailers.
Niyonsaba identified Sibomana Jean Claude as his boss, who had hired him to supply the narcotics. Sibomana was located and arrested in Cyogo village, Marembo cell of Kinihira sector also in Rulindo District with other 10kgs of cannabis,” CIP Gakara said.
Many drug traffickers have been intercepted in Rulindo District enroute to Kigali. It is mostly used as a transit route from either Uganda or the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In January, three people were in Rulindo District in possession of 1,300 pellets of cannabis.
On March 1, ANU three other people in the same district with 31kgs and 200 pellets of cannabis.
Two more drug dealers were also arrested on March 7, with 12kgs and 115 pellets of cannabis.
Later on March 29, another drug trafficker was intercepted in Gatimba Village, Bugaragara Cell of Shyorongi Sector also in Rulindo trafficking about 1,000 pellets of cannabis to Kigali.
The Ministerial order nº 001/MoH/2019 of 04/03/2019 establishing the list of narcotic drugs and their categorization classifies cannabis in the category of “very severe narcotics.’’
Article 263 of law No 68/2018 of 30/08/2018 determining offenses and penalties in general states that any person, who unlawfully produces, transforms, transports, stores, gives to another or who sells narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, commits an offence.
Upon conviction for “very severe narcotics,” the offender faces between 20 years and life imprisonment, and a fine of between Rwf20 million and Rwf30 million.
During the meeting held yesterday, Airtel Rwanda and Ericsson addressed various topics revolving around the future of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Rwanda and the digital ambitions of the country.
The meeting highlighted key areas of collaboration between Airtel Rwanda and Ericsson to strengthen their long-term partnership and to achieve Rwanda’s digitization vision.
Emmanuel Hamez , Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Rwanda said that it was great to meet in person after two years of virtual meetings.
“We are looking forward to more collaborations with Ericsson and planning a great digital future for Rwanda,” he noted.
Erik Ekudden, Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Strategy, stressed hat meeting with Airtel Rwanda reiterated the long-standing partnership between Airtel Rwanda and Ericsson.
“We look forward to continuing our partnership on the road to realize and bring digitization to Rwanda to enable increased connectivity to the nation. We are committed to providing our latest technology solutions that contribute and fulfill Rwanda’s digital ambitions as part of our journey in setting #AfricaInMotion.”
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Food “waste” refers to food that is fit for consumption but consciously discarded at the retail or consumption phases.
The research carried out recently by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) has indicated that Kigali City alone generates 500 tons of garbage every day of which 70% is ‘food waste’.
The research also shows that every household in Kigali City generates 164 kilograms of food waste annually while 2,075,405 tons of food waste is collected from all households in Kigali every year.
Despite the large quantities of wasted food, 19% of the country’s population does not have enough food.
The food waste is harmful to the environment and constitutes 8% of greenhouse gas emissions. The wasted food also constitutes at least 8% and 12% of agricultural produce.
Shaffy Niyoyita, Agriculture Specialist at RAB has pointed out different reasons leading to food spoilage. Among them, he cited lack of proper post-harvest handling particularly for some crops like vegetables and fruits. He also pointed out mindset as another factor.
The management of Nduba dumpsite in Gasabo District has revealed that the majority of food waste is collected from households. These include leftovers and spoiled food over buying excess quantities among others.
The City of Kigali has delegated a committee to design strategies meant to reduce food waste and determine how they could be reused to produce something else beneficial to the community.
The team has been training different segments of waste producers including hotels, restaurants, food vendors and schools to seek how food waste can be reduced.
Janviere Niyongira, a vendor of fruits at Gahoromani market in Gasabo District is one of trainees who disclosed how food spoilage incurs big losses.
“The foods are mostly spoiled in case we don’t have clients yet we have enough in store. When food commodities are damaged, a vendor is likely to sell at a giveaway price,” she said.
Kigali City Vice Mayor in Charge of Urbanization and Infrastructure, Dr. Merard Mpabwanamaguru has advised vendors of food commodities to properly store their merchandise to prevent damages or losses.
“We want to ensure proper management of foods instead of wasting them. They should be used appropriately and well preserved. There are some merchandises including rotted mangoes, several types of fruits and vegetables dumped at landfills because they were not properly stored,” he noted.
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Dr. Mpabwanamaguru has said that Kigali city is sensitizing vendors on proper handling of agricultural produce and place orders matching with clients’ expectations.
“First of all, a vendor must estimate the quantity of sales, circumstances under which they are spoiled and determine what should be their role to avoid loss. He/she might place order for small quantities, consider the nature of container and time to buy new merchandise,” he said.
The Executive Director of Rwanda Rural Rehabilitation Initiative (RWARRI), Bel Ange Uwizeye has observed that Rwandans need to be sensitized on how to reduce wasted foods that could save many.
“Some of large grocery stores keep foods until they are expired and thrown away. Isn’t there a way of introducing a technology to detect merchandises about to get spoiled to sell them on discount or distribute them for free?” she wondered.
Niyoyita has explained that launching a campaign mobilizing people not to buy excessive quantities beyond needed consumption would be helpful to tackle the issue of wasted foods.
Some of projects in pipeline expected to address the issue include the launch of a website helping vendors to market their produce and link them to buyers.
Other recommended measures include mobilizations among traders to use fridges to keep fruits and vegetables fresh as well as producing compost from waste and ‘briquette fuel’ as one of the alternative source of cooking energy.
Niyoyita has also indicated that a committee at village or cell level would be of great help to collect foods from those with excess in storage to be distributed to the needy.
During the visit on Saturday 4th June 2022, the hotel’s staff and management were taken through history of Genocide perpetrated against Tutsi and laid wreaths in hour of victims buried there.
The visit was followed by commemoration talks held at the hotel’s premises.
Speaking at the event; the Country General Manager for Serena Hotels in Rwanda, Daniel Sambai said that the visit was meant to pay homage to victims killed on the basis of their identity. He also urged propagandists trivializing Genocide against Tutsi to stop their destructive ideology.
“They are doing nonsense. They should return to Rwanda so that those who committed atrocities can face justice. They should also understand that Rwandans are united. That is why you can see such a number of youth coming here to pay tribute to victims killed over their innate personality,” he noted.
Sambai also called on everyone to embrace the spirit of ‘Ndi Umunyarwanda’ to strengthen unity among Rwandans and resist propagandists trivializing Genocide against Tutsi particularly on social media to shun misinterpretation and revisionism.
Didace Habiyambere, a Genocide survivor hailing from Ngoma District who also works at the hotel provided testimonies on his ordeal.
He narrated how Genocide against Tutsi unfolded in their village, recalled the courage of brave men who resisted Interahamwe militia until their last breath and how he hid himself day and night until Genocide was stopped.
Habiyambere thanked RPA Inkotanyi soldiers who came on his rescue during night hours even though his relatives had been killed.
Paulin Rugero, Commissioner at IBUKA in charge of Survivors’ Welfare said that what happened is beyond imagination and stressed the need for concerted efforts to prevent reoccurrence of Genocide.
IBUKA is the umbrella organization that brings together associations of survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Rugero urged employees of the hotel to dedicate time for teaching of history of Genocide against Tutsi among people with little knowledge about it noting that it will be crucial to fighting revisionism.
The Executive Administrator of Nyarugenge District, Emmy Ngabonziza also attended the ceremony.
Kagame made the remarks as he officially opened the Broadband Commission Meeting on Sunday held in Kigali for the third time.
It was attended by Houlin Zhao, the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU); Dr. Tawfik Jelassi, the Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information Dr. Tawfik Jelassi at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Broadband Commission’s co-chair, Carlos Slim.
The President said that a lot has been done since 2011 even though there is still a long journey to achieve affordable and universal access to broadband.
“We are still living in tough times economically, politically and in terms of global public health. The immediate future is full of uncertainties and risks but one thing is sure. All of the challenges we face can be handled fast, better and more equitably by investing in universal and affordable broadband,” he said.
Kagame also pointed out an example of Rwanda’s milestone of adopting technology, particularly in schools and highlighted that it is a result of partnership.
“As an example, Rwanda has already benefitted from such partnership efforts as a lead country in the Giga initiative, led by ITU and UNICEF. The pilot project in 63 schools has resulted in a quadrupling of capacity and a 55% reduction in cost,” he noted.
Launched in 2019, Giga is a UNICEF-ITU initiative to connect every school to the Internet and every young person to information, opportunity and choice. Giga maps schools’ Internet access in real time, creates models for innovative financing, and supports governments contracting for connectivity.
It is reported that more than 2.9 billion have no access to internet globally.
On Sunday, President Kagame also attended a luncheon hosted by Smart Africa at the Kigali Convention Centre ahead of the Broadband Commission Meeting.
The community work was launched on Saturday, June 4, in Tomping, capital Juba by the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General, Guang Cong, to mark the World Environmental Day.
Rwandan Police peacekeepers joined the DSRSG and other troops to launch the community works.
In his speech, Mr. Cong said that Umuganda Day is a “Rwandan tradition of coming together for a common purpose to carry out community work.”
He urged the peacekeepers to embrace and use such initiatives that build peaceful coexistence.
Umuganda, loosely translated as “coming together in common purpose to achieve an outcome,” is a Rwandan homegrown initiative to contribute to the national development agenda.
Normally, Umuganda in Rwanda is conducted every last Saturday of the month where communities come together to undertake sanitation and hygiene activities in their localities and to discuss measures against local challenges.
It largely contributes to two dimensions; socio-economic evolution of the community through infrastructure development, environmental protection, hygiene and cleanliness as well as implementation of national development programmes.
Through community meetings in this framework, village members discuss specific challenges affecting them and come up with solutions, share information and foster social cohesion and peace building.
The suspects were arrested red-handed mining cassiterite in a concession owned by Luna mining company, using traditional tools.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Hamdun Twizeyimana, the Eastern region Police spokesperson, said that the suspects were arrested due to information provided by the security guards at the concession.
“When security guards saw a group of people entering the concession that night, they called the Police. Nine illegal miners were found inside the concession at about 6am. Some of them were extracting while others were washing and filtering cassiterite. Police also seized from them 1kg of processed cassiterite and 30kgs of unprocessed minerals,” SP Twizeyimana said.
He warned against such illegal activities, which in some cases cause loss of lives. He further appealed to the public to report people, who conduct these unlawful acts, including illegal mineral traders.
The suspects were handed over to RIB for further investigations.
Article 54 of the law N° 58/2018 of 13/08/2018 on mining and quarry operations, states that; any person, who undertakes mineral or quarry exploration, exploitation, processing or trading without a licence, commits an offence.
Upon conviction, the offender is liable to imprisonment for a term of between two and six months and a fine of not less than Rwf1 million and not more than Rwf5 million or only one of these penalties.
The court also orders confiscation of any seized minerals or quarry in storage, trading or processing without a license.
