Following the launch, Airtel Money and Mobile Money Rwanda Limited customers will be able to send and receive money to each other instantly with their respective wallets, thanks to the integration of both institution’s platforms through the RNDPS without additional cost.
This milestone is one of the use cases of the interoperability project under the name of Rwanda National Digital Payment System (RNDPS).
The RNDPS is an interoperable and instant payment between all financial institutions including Commercial Banks, Mobile Network Operators, Microfinances, SACCOs as well as other FinTech Companies. This is in line with the Government vision of achieving the cashless economy in Rwanda.
Rwandan consumers will benefit from improved customer convenience, lower transaction costs and increased value from the improved range of products and services through digital payments by enabling service consumers to transact seamlessly and with ease from anywhere.
{{How it works:}}
● To start using the service, each customer is required to accept the Terms and conditions of their respective Mobile Network Operator by Dialing *182*11# and follow instructions.
● To send money to another Mobile network operator, the user shall Dial *182*1*2# and follow instructions.
Recognising the challenges brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, the AMI Resilience Prize celebrates the achievements and persistence of entrepreneurs who completed at least one of AMI’s programmes.
Graduates eligible for the prize included those who completed either the AMI Business Survival Bootcamp, Survive to Thrive programme or Take Your Business Online programme. These programmes are offered by African Management Institute in partnership with Mastercard Foundation.
To celebrate these impressive entrepreneurs, the African Management Institute organised a series of countrywide outreach events and heard how the skills acquired from AMI’s programmes improved their business performance, enabled them to network with each other and grow their businesses.
During these events, the top fifteen entrepreneurs (selected from more than 600 AMI graduates who applied for the prize) reflected on how they overcame a range of business challenges by adapting to market changes and creating jobs – while also contributing to the country’s economic recovery.
“The AMI Resilience Prize recognises the achievements and resilience of entrepreneurs who completed AMI’s business programmes. Around 600 graduates applied for the prize – demonstrating the passion and dedication that exists in our growing network of graduates.
Today, we announced the top six entrepreneurs who have had a great impact on their businesses and the community. I congratulate the AMI Resilience Prize winners. It was an incredibly difficult task to select the winners because all AMI Thrivers are winners. You inspire us every day,” said Allen Ingabire, Partnership Manager at AMI Rwanda.
The six entrepreneurs awarded at the grand finale of the AMI Resilience Prize at Norrsken Kigali House, each received a cash prize of Rwf 1,000,000 and will gain extended access to AMI tools and professional support to keep their businesses thriving. Norrsken House Kigali has also offered to support their entrepreneurship journey by availing a working space for the top six AMI Resilience Prize winners.
“When the Covid-19 pandemic started, AMI responded by supporting almost 4,000 businesses in all 30 districts of Rwanda. This represents more than 8,000 people who kept their jobs. As the Mastercard Foundation, we are humbled by the partnership with AMI which brings us a step forward to achieving our vision of providing 300,000 dignified and fulfilling work opportunities to young people, especially young women, in Rwanda by 2030,” said Livingstone Nkuusi, representing Rica Rwigamba, Country Head of the Mastercard Foundation in Rwanda.
At the event held on Friday, 31 finalists from the 2021 HangaPitch Fest also graduated from AMI’s Survive to Thrive programme. The HangaPitch Fest is an annual competition organised by the Ministry of ICT and Innovation and the Rwanda Development Board.
The Hanga Pitfest graduates now have the opportunity to join AMI’s Take Your Business Online programme, a one-month business programme that supports entrepreneurs in Rwanda leverage social media and other online platforms to gain brand visibility and engage directly with clients.
As part of its long-term commitment to enable ambitious businesses across Rwanda to thrive, AMI Rwanda recently opened a new office in Musanze District in partnership with Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA).
Young entrepreneurs, especially those with micro, small and medium businesses in the tourism and hospitality sector as well as the creative industry from Musanze District, will be enrolled in AMI’s programmes, offered under the Hanga Ahazaza initiative in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, and be equipped with skills and tools to help them seize new business opportunities.
{{AMI Resilience Prize Winners }}
{{● Eastern Province:}} Juvenal Kabagambe, Founder and Managing Director of Urban and Rural Farming Development Company Ltd, a youth association based in Rwamagana District, which designs and implements innovative agricultural projects and supports post-harvest handling and management.
{{● Northern Province:}} Jeanne d’Arc Nyirampakaniye, Chief Executive Officer of Tuberwe Knitting, Tailoring and Handcraft Centre, a company which makes clothes with locally made accessories and provides sewing training to both women and youth in Musanze District.
{{● Southern Province: }} Thierry Rushema, Founder of Better Fashion and Design Ltd which designs and produces Made in Rwanda clothes, and offers sewing training to young people in Huye District.
{{● Western Province:}} Marthe Niyonshuti, Owner of Amahoro Farming Business Ltd, a chicken farm which raises and sells chickens in Karongi District.
{{● City of Kigali: }} Claudine Niyonzima, Co-founder of SAN Tech Ltd, a tech hub based in Kigali that equips young IT technicians, especially women and girls, with innovation and development skills.
{{● People’s Choice Entrepreneur: }} Marthe Niyonshuti, Owner of Amahoro Farming Business Ltd, a chicken farm which raises and sells chickens in Karongi District.
{{About the African Management Institute}}
The African Management Institute (AMI) enables enthusiastic businesses across Africa to thrive through practical tools and training. We equip entrepreneurs with tools to build their businesses, help companies train their teams and run work readiness programmes for young people starting their careers. AMI’s programmes combine online and mobile tools with in-person workshops and on-the-job practice and support. During the Covid-19 period, AMI has delivered fully virtual programming across the continent.
AMI has worked with a range of businesses and organisations to support entrepreneurs and managers build and grow their businesses across Africa including Uber, Nestle, Radisson Blu, RwandAir, Mastercard Foundation, USAID, Shell Foundation and Equity Bank. AMI has directly trained more than 30,000 people in over 30 countries and has offices in Nairobi, Kigali and Johannesburg.
{{About the Mastercard Foundation}}
The Mastercard Foundation works with visionary organisations to enable young people in Africa and in Indigenous communities in Canada to access dignified and fulfilling work. It is one of the largest, private foundations in the world with a mission to advance learning and promote financial inclusion to create an inclusive and equitable world. The Foundation was created by Mastercard in 2006 as an independent organisation with its own Board of Directors and management.
Commissioner of Police (CP) Vianney Nshimiyimana, Commissioner for Cooperation in RNP presided over the pass-out in Rubavu District.
The training was conducted by scuba dive trainers from the Carabinieri Scuba Diving Centre in Genoa, Italy under the cooperation framework between RNP and Carabinieri.
The Carabinieri are the national gendarmerie of Italy.
CP Nshimiyimana said that the training is part of the Rwanda National Police capacity development of officers, including divers.
“These are fruits of cooperation, which is partly aimed at exchange of modern policing knowledge and skills,” said CP Nshimiyimana.
RNP and Carabinieri signed a cooperation agreement in 2017 to partner in capacity development, including environmental protection and marine in particular, peace support operations, counter-terrorism, aviation security, public order management, VIP protection, cybercrime, traffic and road safety.
“This is a crucial training in marine operations, which also requires high-tech equipment. More officers will be trained, including a training of trainers,” he added.
He reminded the trainees to utilize the acquired skills in ensuring security of water bodies as well as the safety of people in waters and their property.
“You have a duty to protect water bodies and the safety of people using these water bodies; to ensure that the law and regulations are respected, to fight smuggling, illegal cross-border, illegal fishing and other crimes committed in water bodies,” CP Nshimiyimana said.
He further urged them to use the equipment well, be disciplined, and to refrain from any form of corruption.
Colonel Francesco Sessa, one of the trainers, thanked the trainees for their discipline and commitment to learn, during the two weeks.
“They were committed to learn throughout the training and they are now professionals with advanced skills in underwater search,” said Col. Francesco.
The divers acquired skills in short-range search visual or non-visual methodology (tactile), circular, spiral, transverse, and seine.
Other areas include search diving with transverse, seine, circular and spiral methodology; searchers with bathymetric lines and line to ground methodology; setting metal detector and diving with metal detector; survey and measurements with GPS and video camera; and recovery of an object on the bottom with hydrostatic lifting flask.
The remains were buried decently during a commemoration event held on Thursday 26th May 2022.
These include 9000 exhumed in Masaga Sector of Kicukiro District at a place known as Gahoromani and more 181 remains found in Nyarugenge District at premises of Kigali University Teaching Hospital (CHUK), in Gitega and Mageragere sectors.
The Mayor of Kigali City, Pudence Rubingisa has said that having concealing whereabouts more remains are dumped is among hindrances to the country’s journey to promote unity and reconciliation.
“We are convinced that that according decent burial to victims is a way of honouring them and contributing to the process of healing wounds among Genocide survivors. This is because not laying to rest a relative leaves a shock. That is why we continue to ask people knowing whereabouts victims were dumped to share information with us to bury them decently,” he said.
Rubingisa also revealed that there are more remains of victims of Genocide against Tutsi found in Rwezamenyo Sector of Nyarugenge District as the search and gathering of information continues to have other victims buried decently.
The Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement (MINUBUMWE), Jean Damascène Bizimana has comforted genocide survivors, requested them to remain strong and avoid sinking into sorrow even though some of them have not yet found remains of fallen relatives.
Claire Ingabire, one of survivors whose relatives were buried during the event said that knowing the place where they are laid to rest soothed her heart after experiencing a sorrowful life over the past 28 years, due to lack of information about where my relatives had been dumped.
“Dear President @Macky_Sall our deep condolences to you and Senegal for the tragic loss of these very young lives! Bless.” He tweeted.
It is reported that the fire was caused by a short circuit. Three babies were rescued but Senegal’s Health Minister Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr has since been fired.
BBC has reported that families rushed to the Mame Abdou Aziz Sy Dabakh Hospital to find out if their babies had survived.
Some could be seen sitting outside in tears with their heads in their hands, overcome with the news that their babies were among the dead.
President Macky Sall also condoled with relatives and mothers who lost their newly born babies.
FDLR is rebel outfit comprised of remnant masterminds of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi who at different times plotted hit-and-run attacks to Rwanda and repelled back.
It has been quite some time since FARDC was reported to be working with different rebel groups based in eastern part of the country including FDLR to fight M23 rebel outfit.
The fighting erupted in March this year and later halted for a while. It however resumed towards the end of last week.
During the fight, FARDC shelled projectiles on Rwandan territory which injured residents in three sectors including Kinigi and Nyange (in Musanze District) and Gahunga in Burera District. The shelling also left houses destroyed.
Rwandan Government Spokesperson, Yolande Makolo has said that ‘the fighting between FARDC and M23 is an intra-Congolese conflict’ noting that Rwanda has no interest of being dragged into the matter.
“The DRC foreign minister should explain why the FARDC fighting alongside FDLR/Interahamwe in their ranks shelled Rwandan territory on 19 March 2022 and again on 23 May 2022,” she said.
She also inquired into the motive behind cooperation with FDLR comprised of remnants of genocidaires forces that still have intentions to destabilize Rwanda.
DRC has shelled Rwanda’s land at different times since the fight erupted. Makolo has said that it would be legitimate for Rwanda to react following these incidents but highlighted that the country but has no intention to do so.
“While it would be legitimate for Rwanda to respond to the repetitive attacks of FARDC on our territory, Rwanda is not involved in the ongoing fighting in Eastern DRC and has no intention of being drawn into an internal matter of the DRC,” she stated.
Makolo further staid that Rwanda wants to collaborate with neighbouring countries for a sustainable solution to insecurity in the region.
“This is why the Rwanda Defence Force requested urgent investigation by the regional Extended Joint Verification Mechanism of this week’s cross-border shelling in Musanze and Burera Districts,” she noted.
Headquartered in Goma, the EJVM was launched in September 2012 in Goma and comprises of military experts from the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) Member States. It monitors and carries out investigations on security incidents.
The public destruction exercise was held on Thursday, May 26, Nyabibuye Village, Gikombe Cell of Nyakiriba Sector in Rubavu District.
The narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, include over 1000kgs of cannabis, 361 litres of a banned crude gin commonly known as Kanyanga, and 164 sachets of Simba, an illicit gin packed in outlawed plastic bags.
They were seized in RNP operations conducted since September last year in the three districts.
At least 103 people were arrested with the disposed of substances, including 76 in Rubavu, 23 in Nyabihu and 4 in Ngororero.
Rubavu is mapped as one of the major corridors for drug dealers from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The mayor of Rubavu Ildephonse Kambogo, while addressing the residents shortly after the destruction of the narcotics, advised the young people to seek alternative and legal means to prosperity instead of wasting time and resources in such criminal practices.
“These narcotics are the enemy to human life. You are poisoning people out of personal greed ignoring the ill-effects these narcotics have on people’s health but also the years you are likely to spend in prison when you are arrested,” Mayor Kambogo told the residents.
Cannabis is classified as a very severe narcotic drug in Rwanda with an imprisonment of between 20 years and life sentence, and a fine of between Rwf20 million to Rwf30 million, under article 263 of the law determining offences and penalties in general.
Kanyanga and other alcoholic drinks produced without following the standards and those unauthorized for sale in Rwanda, are considered as simple drugs.
Upon conviction for “simple drugs” the offender faces between seven and ten years in prison and a fine of Rwf5 million to Rwf10 million.
“You are destroying yourself, your future and country because abusing drugs discourages your ability and relevance to work for your family and influence other criminal behaviours. We need to own this fight together as parents, mentors, communities and grassroots leaders to support our law enforcement organs to protect our children,” Kambogo said.
Janvier Munyaneza, the Chief Prosecutor for Rubavu, Nyabihu and Ngororero districts said that some of those arrested were convicted while other case files are still being handled by courts.
He advised residents particularly the youth, who constitute the majority who were arrested, to refrain from dealing in narcotics because of the severe penalties involved.
“Penalties for drug trafficking and trade were increased to life imprisonment. This is the reason why you should not waste your life but divert your efforts to many other available opportunities,” said Munyaneza.
The Western Region Police Commander (RPC), Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Edmond Kalisa thanked the residents for their role in breaking chains of drug dealers.
He added that most of those arrested were reported by the residents and called for continued partnership and information sharing on other traffickers, local distributors and retailers.
He further warned against drug abuse, which he said it also amounts to crime.
Any person who, in any way, eats, drinks, injects himself/herself, inhales or one who anoints oneself with psychotropic substances, commits an offence, punishable by an imprisonment term between one and two years or subject to a penalty of community service.
Rwanda National Police (RNP) will send 52 officers in the12th EAC FTX to be held in Jinja, Uganda from 27th May to 16th June.
The exercise is in line with the EAC Protocol on Cooperation in Defence Affairs under the theme, “Promoting Peace, Security and Stability towards the East African Community Integration.”
It trains the member states’ armed forces, Police, civilian components and other stakeholders in peace support operations, disaster management, counter terrorism and counter piracy.
It is designed to enhance their capabilities to jointly combat complex security challenges faced in the region.
DIGP Ujeneza urged them to be defined by discipline, teamwork and professionalism.
“Be Polite, respect each other and all those taking part in the exercise, showcase your professional abilities and learn,” DIGP Ujeneza said.
The group will be headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) David Rukika.
The annual exercise was last conducted in 2018. It was affected by the outbreak of the pandemic of Covid-19.
These beneficiaries are from 150 families from Remera Cell of Ruheru Sector in Nyaruguru District.
As beneficiaries attested, they had been hit hard and lacked safe water, electricity, schools and health facilities which they would seek in neighboring country.
Considering the dire conditions they went through, the Government of Rwanda relocated them to Kivugiza Village which has infrastructures facilitating them to lead dignified life.
So far, 32 families have been resettled in the first batch as construction activities are ongoing to relocate the remaining beneficiaries not later than July 2022.
Jacqueline Niyonkuru has disclosed that they endured hard life in previous settlements with no hope for the future.
“We experienced dire conditions while living in the vicinity of the border. However, our lives changed for good after moving to the village. We work without disruptions and sleep comfortably because our security is guaranteed,” she said.
“We used to fetch water along with Burundians from one place. We once experienced issues that restricted us from accessing water but we are thankful that the government rushed to intervene,” said another resident, Daniel Mugendana.
Other beneficiaries said that they would cross to Burundi to access education or health services which would irk them.
The Mayor of Nyaruguru District, Emmanuel Murwanashyaka has said that they want to resettle residents to safe places where they will stay comfortably with easy access to basic needs.
“The first phase of Kivugiza model village shelters families that previously lived nearby the border between Rwanda and Burundi. We built those houses as part of our ambitions to ensure that all residents have decent shelters,” he noted.
Murwanashyaka urged beneficiaries to take good care of received houses, infrastructures made available and work hard to prosper.
The new village is located nearby schools and has a health facility.
Gasana reassured residents recently as he visited Musanze District following an incident in which Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) shelled rockets on Rwanda’s land, leaving residents injured and buildings destroyed.
The rockets from DRC on Monday hit the sectors of Kinigi and Nyange from Musanze District and Gahunga Sector in Burera District.
On Tuesday 25th May 2022, Minister Gasana visited affected residents and reassured them that it won’t happen again.
He said that security remains intact and urged residents to carry on their businesses as usual.
“There are projectiles from another country that hit Kinigi and Nyange sectors. Rwanda’s reaction was to liaise with the country to seek a durable solution to avoid reoccurrence because Rwandans are much concerned with development. No one should drag us into insecurity,” he said.
“We have taken measures to safeguard our security. Everyone here knows his/her role. We cannot allow anyone to threaten our security and destabilize our people,” Gasana added.
He comforted residents affected by projectiles from DRC and assured government’s support to continue moving forward along the development journey.
“There is a girl who was most affected by the incident while residents’ houses were also destroyed. As leaders, we stand in solidarity with you and assure our support lest the incident doesn’t hold back achieved progress. On another note, we would like to reassure that it won’t happen again,” he said.
“The incident should not distract anyone as if there is another issue behind. It is not the case. Let us focus on development activities. Architects with intentions to destabilize our security are dreaming,” added Gasana.
Residents attending the meeting welcomed the message giving them comfort to carry on their businesses without disruptions.
Following the incident on Monday 23rd May 2022, Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) through a statement signed by spokesperson, Col Ronald Rwivanga requested the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM) to investigate cross-border shelling on Rwandan territory by FARDC.
“The situation in the area is normal and security assured. Those injured are receiving treatment and officials are assessing the extent of the damage. The RDF has requested for urgent investigation by the regional EJVM, and Rwandan authorities are also engaging DRC counterparts over the incident,” said RDF spokesperson.
Headquartered in Goma, the EJVM was launched in September 2012 in Goma and comprises of military experts from the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) Member States. It monitors and carries out investigations on security incidents.
