Over the coming months, the KIFC, in collaboration with the GDFA, will develop new ways to allow banks to assess the greenness of the companies they support. The pilot programme will utilise the data banks already hold on the SMEs they finance, minimising the input required from the SMEs. Following a ‘data mining’ process, the data will be converted in to ‘climate metrics’ to reveal a green rating for the company based on their emissions.
The generation of green metrics will then become automated, providing banks with green SME rating tool which will help to drive future decision making of which companies to invest in, and enabling them to move towards the objective of providing green finance as part of their core product offering.
The development of these new tools also has the potential to bring benefits to the SMEs themselves who will be able to identify quick wins to reduce their emissions (through streamlined transportation, reduced energy consumption etc.). This will enable them to cut their running costs while also contributing to the country’s efforts to meet their Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs) to reduce emissions.
The KIFC was chosen for the pilot program because of their commitment to driving green investment, and Rwanda’s globally recognised efforts in sustainability and environmental protection. Rwanda recently announced an ambitious plan to raise $11 billion in finance to help cut emissions, and for adaptation and mitigation projects.
“Rwanda is an ideal pilot country because it its commitment to both digitalisation and to using innovative finance to deliver on its national targets under the Paris agreement. Not to mention that Rwanda is a reginal training centre for carbon accounting. Hence, Rwanda is committed to bringing together green and digital both at strategic and practical level. That is why I am particularly pleased to GDFA and KIFC has agreed to form this partnership,” reads the statement released by GDFA following the agreement.
Nick Barigye, the Chief Executive Officer at KIFC expressed delight for the milestone.
“This tool could change the face of green investment in SMEs as banks will be able to see just how green their investments currently are and make decisions about future investments based on accurate data,” he said.
“Here at the KIFC, we are committed to making ourselves a leading centre for green investment. This will benefit our businesses, the Rwandan people, and have a positive impact across the continent and beyond. This project helps us make progress towards this objective. It shows yet again that trusted partners see that Rwanda works for investors, and it will only strengthen our claim that Rwanda is the best place in the world for green investment,” added Barigye.
The discussions were held on Wednesday 10th October 2021 as CHOI paid a courtesy call to Minister Biruta.
Minister CHOI has been in Rwanda for a three-day official visit from 9th to 11th November 2021.
During their discussions, Minister Biruta expressed Rwanda’s readiness to enhance cooperation with Korea in several sectors including public health, education, ICT and science technology.
CHOI also appreciated Rwanda’s efforts to establish a vaccine manufacturing plant in the country, which will expand vaccine supply capacity on the African continent.
He expressed optimism that the two countries will find ways to cooperate in this area as Korea is also working to become a global vaccine manufacturing hub.
During his stay in Rwanda, Minister CHOI also visited Kigali Genocide Memorial and paid tribute to victims of the Genocide against Tutsi.
Since 2011, Rwanda has been a priority partner in development cooperation for the Korean Government where the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) is implementing a dozen of projects focusing on ICT, education and rural development.
In addition, Korea EXIM Bank is cooperating with Rwanda, through its Economic Development Cooperation Fund to develop the infrastructure of the University of Rwanda and expand Rwanda’s electricity infrastructure.
This high-level visit is expected to serve as a springboard for Korea and Rwanda to further consolidate the bilateral partnership ahead of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations to be marked in 2023.
He made the appreciation on Thursday 11th November 2021 as he interacted with 25 women entrepreneurs from the Rwanda Muslim Community who were also taken through the UAE’s gender equality and women’s empowerment initiatives.
“I want to highlight that we recognize the great initiatives put in place by the Government of Rwanda in empowering women and fostering gender equality in all sectors. The results have been outstanding,” he said.
After the devastating effects of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Rwanda placed gender equality and women empowerment at the forefront to drive the country’s vision for development.
Rwandan women have seized available opportunities and made major strides in realizing their dreams and impacting their respective communities.
Today, Rwanda is a global leader in women participation in legislative decision-making positions with 61.3% female members of Parliament and also ranked 9th globally in closing gender gaps according to the Global Gender Gap Report, 2020.
In addition, 52% of the Cabinet members are women, among the Judges and clerks, women stand at 49.7% while in the local government leadership, women occupy 45.2 % as Members of District Councils.
Rwanda and the UAE enjoy cordial relations and share a common vision with regard to women empowerment.
As he interacted with women entrepreneurs during the event held at UAE Embassy in Kigali, Amb. Alqahtani reminisced on different programs initiated by the UAE Government in Rwanda where women empowerment is always taken into consideration.
“To name a few, the Embassy held a successful training in partnership with the Rwanda Development Board and the Ministry of Education, to Empower 100 Women Future Leaders in Hospitality and Tourism Excellence. The training was conducted by highly qualified trainers from the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management and was attended by young women working in Rwanda’s tourism and hospitality sector,” he noted.
Amb. Alqahtani also reflected on the inspirational words of the founding father of the UAE, late Sheikh Zayed highlighting that a woman plays a critical role in the society.
“The woman is half of the society, any country which pursues development should not leave her in poverty or illiteracy. I am on the woman’s side,” he quoted.
He went on to explain that the UAE Constitution guarantees equal rights to all of its citizens, including women who have the same legal status, access to education, the right to practice and pursue different careers, the right to own as many as possible properties as men do among others.
The World Economic Forum’s 2020 Global Gender Gap Report revealed that the UAE is one of the region’s best performing countries having closed the overall gender gap by 66%. The report assessed women’s economic opportunity, education, health and political empowerment.
Among others, the World Bank’s 2020 Women, Business and the Law Report also named UAE as one of the world’s top ten economies exhibiting the most progress towards gender equality.
The UAE also ranked 35 out of 189 countries in women’s empowerment according to the 2019 Human Development Report commissioned by the UNDP.
In 2015, the UAE Gender Balance Council, a federal entity, was established to enhance gender balance in the public sector for women in the UAE and aims to help place the UAE among the top 25 countries for gender equality by 2021.
Later in 2017, the UAE Gender Balance Council in coordination with the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) introduced the Gender Balance Guide, a tool for both the public and private sectors with the aim to decrease gender inequality.
Other efforts include launch of the Arab Charter of Women’s Rights on October 8th 2019 in Abu Dhabi to serve as a guideline for all Arab League member states with an aim to inform legislation and ensure Arab women’s rights among others.
Regarding representation in government positions, the Emirati women in the UAE hold two-thirds of public sector jobs, with 30% in leadership roles and 15% in technical and academic roles. Women also make up 20% of the UAE’s diplomatic corps.
The UAE has a population of approximately 10 million.
Sheikh Salim Hitimana, the Mufti of Rwanda has commended the UAE for its initiatives to advance women empowerment that has been extended to Rwandans through Rwanda Muslim Community highlighting that it will be a critical towards fully overcoming barriers that hindered women’s involvement in different activities.
“There came a time when women Muslims were not actively engaged in businesses and other income generating activities due to social and cultural constraints. With the visionary leadership of Rwanda, women inclusion has been achieved gradually that we have many women running businesses and other activities to spur their economic growth,” he said.
“The current progress is commendable. We have optimism that with more great initiatives advancing women’s empowerment, we shall achieve women inclusion to the desired extent,” added Sheikh Salim Hitimana.
This is the second interactive discussion held by the UAE Ambassador, following the first meeting he held in November 2020 with entrepreneurs from the Private Sector Federation Chamber of Women.
The decade anniversary celebration took place virtually on Tuesday 9th November 2021, one day after the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Rwanda.
Apart from the anniversary; both institutions; the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XIEG) and UNILAK have committed to extend the partnership for more five years (2022 to 2026).
The renewed partnership agreement followed the end of the initial 10 years marked by strong academic and research collaboration in the areas of natural resource and environment.
Commenting on the ten-year journey, Dr. Jean Ngamije, the Vice Chancellor of UNILAK revealed that the partnership entered in 2012 has been very successful where several projects were achieved.
“We have seen our dreams becoming a reality and we continue to work together for more great achievements,” said.
For the last ten years, UNILAK and XIEG partnered in capacity building which saw UNILAK students and lecturers going for further studies in China.
Since 2014, students from UNILAK studied in XIEG-CAS and have been awarded masters and PhD degrees.
Dr. Christopher Mupenzi; the Director of Research and Consultancy at UNILAK has said that their researches focused on natural resources and environment not only in Rwanda but also in East Africa.
“This cooperation has boosted research finding disseminations with UNILAK research publishing more than 30 papers in international journals,” revealed Dr. Mupenzi.
Research projects were also undertaken whereby an annual international conference was organized and held in Kigali since 2013.
Under this MoU; XIEG and UNILAK committed to look for funds to facilitate the running activities of the SAJOREC Rwanda Office and the Joint Research Center for Natural Resources and Environment in East Africa.
Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography and Wuhan Botanical Garden have promised to send professors and provide other related support for Master of Sciences in Environmental and Development Studies at UNILAK. They will also continue offer scholarships to two or three persons from UNILAK each year for Master’s and PHD program.
“We have a lot to celebrate at the end of a decade of our partnership especially the establishment of the Joint Research Center for Natural Resources and Environment in East Africa based at UNILAK since 2016 and the launch of the Atlas,” said Prof Chen Xi, President of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Jambojet Managing Director, Ndegwa Karanja has said that with the stringent Covid-19 travel regulations in the two countries, the carrier does not plan to resume flights in those destinations soon as demand for air travel has also dropped.
Uganda demands all passengers going to Entebbe to take a second PCR test upon arrival, regardless of vaccination status except children under six years and airline crew.
Tests cost $30 (Sh3, 352) and are conducted at the airport, implying that travellers will have to incur additional costs to enter the country.
Speaking to Business Daily , Ndegwa said: “We may not want to go in markets full of travel restrictions such as Entebbe and Rwanda any time soon. The two nations are still implementing tough Covid-19 travel restrictions.”
As per current guidelines in Rwanda, if a passenger tests positive for COVID-19 upon arrival or during his/her time in Rwanda even if you are fully vaccinated, the severity symptoms determines whether you are isolated in a government-run treatment center or a hotel at your own cost.
Ndegwa explained that the tough travel restrictions in the two countries have seen demand for air travel dropping.
A subsidiary of Kenya Airways, Jambojet expanded footprint to Rwanda beginning with its maiden flight on the evening of Monday 25th November 2019.
It was established in April 2014, as the first low cost local airline in Kenya.
The group was arrested on Wednesday, November 10, following investigations into the series of vandalism and theft of the solar systems in the two districts.
The suspects were identified as Jean Paul Bagarirayose, 38, and Innocent Uwamahoro, 31, both arrested in Gatsibo; and the trio of Seth Niyorurema, 40, Sylvain Nzirorera, 26, and Eram Niragijumukiza, 35, arrested in Ruhango District.
So far, investigations indicate that five solar panels and four batteries were stolen from houses of the vulnerable beneficiaries.
Police has so far recovered three batteries and five panels from the suspects.
“Jean Paul Bagarirayose and Innocent Uwamahoro were arrested red-handed with three solar energy batteries which were stolen from houses in Rwimbogo Village, Murambi Cell in Kabarore Sector,” said Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Hamdum Twizeyimana, the Police spokesperson for the Eastern region.
The vandalized and stolen solar energy systems in Gatsibo were donated by RNP to support the vulnerable communities in Rwimbogo Village.
“The affected beneficiaries in Rwimbogo village reported the series of theft. Police received credible information that Uwamahoro had bought stolen solar power batteries from Bagarirayose. They were both located and arrested, and two batteries were recovered from them,” said CIP Twizeyimana.
Bagarirayose admitted that he was breaking into houses to steal the batteries as people are away running errands.
He added that he sold two batteries to Uwamahoro at Rwf15, 000, each. He could, however, not disclose the whereabouts of the third battery.
Meanwhile, Police recovered five solar panels and one battery from Seth Niyorurema, Sylvain Nzirorera, and Eram Niragijumukiza.
According to the Southern region Police spokesperson, Superintendent of Police (SP) Theobald Kanamugire, three solar panels and one battery were recovered from Seth Niyorurema.
“Niyorurema had just stolen three panels and one battery from houses in Rukeri village, Nyabibugu cell of Mwendo sector when he was arrested red-handed at night,” said SP Kanamugire.
Sylvain Nzirorera and Eram Habumukiza were also arrested with one solar panel, each.
The suspects were handed over to RIB for further legal process
Article 166 of the law determining offences and penalties in general states that; any person convicted of theft is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than one (1) year and not more than two (2) years and a fine of not less than Rwf1 million and not more than Rwf2 million, community service in a period of six (6) months or only one of these penalties.
In article 167, the penalty for theft doubles if the offender committed the crime through burglary, climbing or possession of keys other than the owner; the theft is carried out in an occupied house or in a building used for habitation or in its surroundings.
The statement released last night shows that 28 people have caught the virus out of 6845 sample tests.
Among others; a total of 2,520,113 people have been fully vaccinated while 4,775,538 received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine since Rwanda began countrywide inoculation program on 5th March 2021.
“I would like to extend my appreciation to students of the Islamic Secondary School for Sciences for performing well in your studies. I was informed that most of you present here performed well in national examinations,” said Amb. Alqahtani.
“I want to reiterate that the UAE is fully committed to ensure that not only its citizens should have access to the best educational opportunities, and my country in cooperation with Rwanda, is willing to give the most talented students access to higher education in internationally recognized universities in the UAE,” he added.
The ambassador delivered the message on Wednesday 10th November 2021 after holding an interactive session with students and teachers during his visit to the school located in Nyamirambo.
Amb. Alqahtani ‘s interactive discussion with students was also attended by Dr. Nelson Mbarushimana, the Director General of the Rwanda Basic Education Board and Mr. Abdellatif Aouid, the Director General of the Islamic Cultural Center.
The Ambassador also took the opportunity to share the key initiatives put in place by the UAE in advancing education not only to UAE citizens but also to Rwandans.
Since 2002, the UAE through the Al Maktoum Foundation has supported Rwanda’s education by funding two secondary schools, the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Girls Secondary School for Sciences in Muhanga and the Hamdan Bin Rashid Kimisange Secondary School. Students from these schools have been performing well in national examinations.
For the last at least 10 years, the UAE through the Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation has also been 100% supporting the Islamic Secondary School for Sciences whose students have been also performing well in national examinations.
Within the framework of joint action in order to support the education sector in Rwanda, the UAE Government provided scholarships to outstanding students in different UAE universities, through the UAE Technical Assistance Program.
“The scholarship programs will enable the students to build a better future, and contribute to achieving development for their country and the local community,” said Amb. Alqahtani.
Since 2018, 20 male and female students from Rwanda received UAE Government scholarships at the UAE University in the disciplines of Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Biology, Biochemistry, and Computer Science.
Among others, 10 Rwandan students were given full scholarships to pursue bachelor’s degree programs at Sorbonne Abu Dhabi University in 2019.
In consideration of the fact that education plays a critical role in knowledge-driven economy, he commended the school for excellent performance in national examinations and reiterated his country’s commitment to provide scholarships to best performers.
The study published by the British Council in 2017, named UAE as one of the best countries when it comes to its support of international higher education.
It was established after the release of second volume of the Shape of global higher education report which analysed international higher education policies across 38 countries.
The country came second in the quality assurance and degree recognition category and fifth for openness and mobility.
The UAE has established an excellent and diversified system of higher education in a very short period.
The UAE University, founded in 1976, led higher education in the country. Since then, the UAE currently has 76 public and private institutions of higher education and they include universities, colleges and vocational & technical institutes, both local and international campuses, such as the Sorbonne Abu Dhabi University, New York University and American University of Sharjah.
The UAE Government has been providing scholarships to Rwandan students who excelled in their secondary education at some of these public and private universities such as the UAE University and Sorbonne Abu Dhabi University.
She delivered the message on Wednesday 10th November 2021 at the 5th East African Youth Leadership Summit (YouLead Africa Summit) 2021 held in Arusha, Tanzania.
The summit brings together over 10,000 young professionals in the areas of leadership, investment, peace building and gender equity and women empowerment in Africa as well as policy makers.
Themed the ‘Future of Africa: Creating Jobs, Feeding, and Housing the World’s Youngest Continent’; the summit running from 8th to 12th November, 2021 is aimed at discussing issues pertinent to the regional development agenda including unemployment and access to economic resources.
Sessions held on Wednesday focused on the role of the youth to promote gender equity and women empowerment.
As she delivered remarks, Mrs Kagame reminisced the words of Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem highlighting that ‘the world cannot a better place if women’s conditions are not better in it’.
Even though his words were highlighted in 2006, Mrs Kagame said that they still resonate now ‘despite our country’s advances of the past 15 years in granting women equal status, equal opportunities and equal protection under the law’.
She revealed that the biological differences between the sexes are frequently mischaracterized as a justification for gender inequality. Mrs Kagame however insisted that it should not be case but rather ‘an indicator of how complementary our respective offerings can be’.
“To be in the post 1994 Rwanda, the contributions of all available human capital had to be put to use. The nurturing nature of women, the sensitivity that nourishes the unconditional love for their children, needed to be capitalized upon to engage an entire nation in the testing task of communal healing,” she explained.
Mrs Kagame also emphasized that Africa needs life and love as a continent that has been scarred by centuries of oppression.
“Gender equality is not about uplifting one gender. It is about uplifting the community by empowering every individual that can contribute to our society’s progress, wellbeing and stability,” she noted.
Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5 or Global Goal 5) concerns gender equality and is fifth of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations in 2015.
The principle of gender equality is also enshrined in Africa’s Agenda 2063 where it calls in its aspiration 6, for “An Africa, whose development is people-driven, relying on the potential of African people, especially its women and youth, and caring for children.”
The African Union (AU) also recognises that gender equality is a fundamental human right and an integral part of regional integration, economic growth and social development and has developed the AU’s strategy for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) to ensure the inclusion of women in Africa’s development agenda.
Mrs Kagame said that gender equality is the common appreciation of the unseen yet essential efforts of invisible woman to craft the first notion of home ‘most of us have ever known’.
She therefore stressed that achieving gender equality is ‘our means of giving back to those countless women who have dedicated their lives to ensuring we could all sit here positioned to be an impact on the future of our communities’.
Mrs Kagame highlighted that girl’s education in developed nations is of critical significance.
“On our continent, too many young girls have been withdrawn from schools and forced into premature adulthood through child marriage, full time employment and responsibility of financial support to their families. While these practices are becoming less and less common, we cannot hope for our morality to match our development in 2063 if they still occur at all,” she noted.
To promote young girls education, Mrs Kagame through Imbuto Foundation supports students from vulnerable backgrounds under the ‘Edified Generation Programme.’
Imbuto Foundation also awards girls with outstanding performance through ‘Best Performing Girls’ initiative.
First Lady Jeannette Kagame has said that a young girl who has shown the merit and the value of her efforts will be more willing to take on academic challenges.
She revealed that rewarding best performing girls is of critical importance and stressed the need to create an ecosystem where girls can exhibit their skills.
“I invite some of the professional, leaders and entrepreneurs here today, to join us in providing our young people including our young girls with guidance on attending career fulfillment and success. Your expertise might be invaluable but I believe it could lead to quantifiably promising results,” she noted.
Mrs Kagame emphasized that the ultimate goal is to see countries helping and granting girls and women, opportunities they deserve.
“For all the love that girls and women receive, they reinvest ten folds. Give a woman safety and she will give you serenity. Allow, a woman knowledge, and she will raise your children to be wise. Give a woman seed, and you will be brought the fruit garden flourishing,” she stated.
The Youth Advocacy Advisor at She Leads Plan International, Elsie Masava explained that the meeting plays a significant role to determine the youth’s role on the continent.
Tanzania’s Prime Minister, Kassim Majaliwa also emphasized that the youth deserve opportunities leading to sustainable development.
He stressed that Africa should particularly empower women and the youth in financial management which paves the way for sustainable Africa’s development.
The youth accounts for 60 percent of the population in East African Community.
Kagame who is the current Chairperson of Smart Africa board welcomed new members on Wednesday 10th November 2021 at the 10th meeting.
“I welcome you to our 10th board meeting. Please join me in welcoming two new board members: Google and WestLink. We are very happy to have you with us,” he said.
Smart Africa is a bold and innovative commitment from African Heads of State and Government to accelerate sustainable socio-economic development on the continent, ushering Africa into a knowledge economy through affordable access to Broadband and usage of Information and Communications Technologies.
The 10th Smart Africa board meeting brought together participants from over 30 countries from the African continent and partners working together to accelerate Africa’s socio-economic development through digital transformation.
Google is an American multinational technology company that specializes in Internet-related services and products, which include online advertising technologies, a search engine, cloud computing, software, and hardware among others.
WestLink is a subsidiary of Africa Development Solutions Group, a company which operates as an integrated platform specializing project management, as well as in the provision of services and equipment, servicing African states, African and foreign multinationals and people of the continent.
Smart Africa is an alliance of 32 African countries, international organizations and global private sector players tasked with Africa’s digital agenda.
With a vision to create a single digital market in Africa by 2030, the Smart Africa Alliance brings together Heads of State who seek to accelerate the digitalization of the continent and create a common market.
Launched in 2013 by seven (7) African Heads of State, the Alliance now has 32 member countries, representing over 815 million people and over 40 Private Sector members committed to the vision and the advancement of Africa.
Google and WestLink recently joined other international and African technology firms as members of Smart Africa including Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Microsoft, Facebook, Inmarsat, Liquid Telecom, Orange, Intel, Ericsson, Huawei and Tata Communications & Transformation Services.
Smart Africa also partners with international organisations such as the International telecommunications Union (ITU), the African Development Bank (AfDB), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMA) and the World Bank among others.
