The disbursement was the result of successful achievements of the third set of 9 policy actions by the Government of Rwanda.
The trigger-based disbursement of the loan has been divided into three tranches in which the first tranche equivalent to US$36 million (40%) was disbursed in December 2019 and the second tranche (US$28 million) in July 2020. The total disbursement from the start of the program amounts 10 billion Japanese yen (approximately US$ 91 million).
Rwanda’s Minister of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN), Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana has commended the achievements made in the policy actions and a good cooperation between the Government of Rwanda and Japan through JICA.
The program is implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), National Child Development Agency (NCDA) and Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC).
The key achievements during the third tranche include the initial development of the Rwanda’s first Food Composition Table, district-level planning and implementation of Nutrition Dense Food (NDF) production, Nutrition-sensitive crop calendars, development of Community-Based Nutrition Program (CBNP) Implementation Guidelines, and introduction of Child Scorecard as a tool to monitor access to nutrition related services.
The Program targeted 12 Districts with the highest stunting rates; namely Rutsiro, Rubavu, Burera, Nyaruguru, Ngororero, Nyamagabe, Nyamasheke, Gakenke, Gisagara, Gicumbi, Musanze and Ngoma District.
Mr. Maruo Shin, the Chief Representative of JICA Rwanda Office hailed the achievement and appreciated the efforts made by the relevant ministries, agencies and local government authorities in Rwanda for successful implementation of the program despite the challenges brought by COVID-19 global pandemic. He also reassured the JICA’s commitment to its continuous support in eradicating malnutrition and fighting against stunting in Rwanda.
It is highly expected that the program contributes for improvement of nutritious status of Rwandan people and leads to the socio-economic development of the country.
Xinhua News Agency was founded on November 7, 1931, in Ruijin, in southeast China. Its coverage of Africa news came well before the start of its permanent presence on the continent: the first Xinhua bureau in Africa was set up in Cairo, Egypt, in December 1956. Xinhua’s first sub-Saharan bureau was inaugurated in Accra, Ghana, in February 1959.
Many of Xinhua’s earlier reports on Africa were about the continent’s independence movement and the interactions of the People’s Republic of China with African countries emerging from colonial rule, such as Premier Zhou Enlai’s historic visit to Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, Mali, Guinea, Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia from December 1963 to February 1964.
By the end of 1965, Xinhua had 16 bureaus in Africa, about one-third of its total 51 overseas branches.
Xinhua Kigali bureau was founded in 2011.
Fast forward to 2021, Xinhua now has full-time correspondents or freelance contributors in 48 sub-Saharan countries.
Xinhua’s Africa regional bureau, established in Nairobi in 1986, coordinates news coverage of and subscriber service in sub-Saharan Africa, where it has more than 140 full-time editors and reporters.
Over the years, Xinhua has strived to make Africa’s voice heard and present a full picture of the continent to its subscribers in China and around the world, upholding its principles of objectivity, justice, truth and accuracy.
Xinhua, which has taken on challenges of the information age and embraced new technologies such as 5G and artificial intelligence, now offers wire services in 15 languages (Chinese, English, Spanish, French, Russian, Arabic, Portuguese, Japanese, Italian, Thai, Indonesia, Urdu, Korean, Turkish, and German), with content in a full range of media formats, catering to subscribers and the general audience around the world. Xinhua also maintains an extensive presence on all major social media platforms, including posts in Swahili put out by a dedicated team at its Africa Regional Bureau.
As the state news agency of the world’s largest developing country, Xinhua stories cover the full spectrum of Africa’s development, from politics, economy, society, culture, to technology and sports.
Xinhua maintains sound cooperation and friendly exchanges with major media counterparts across Africa, contributing to deeper understanding and enhanced trust between China and “the fastest growing and most promising continent in the world,” as described by Chinese President Xi Jinping in his speech at the China-Africa Business Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa, on December 4, 2015.
Xinhua is looking forward to a more prosperous and developed Africa when Xinhua celebrates its centenary in 2031.
{{Madam, what is the advantage to work at the multilateral and bilateral levels at the same time?}}
Combining the roles of ambassador and permanent representative presents numerous advantages. First, it allows me to engage my bilateral and multilateral counterparts in one place. I have the opportunity to be directly involved in multilateral discussions and debates which gives me a clearer picture of the priorities of other countries when it comes to global and regional matters. Our various partners are learning to know what Rwanda champions, or supports in the global agenda too. Wearing both hats helps to position Rwanda as a bilateral and multilateral strategic partner while more effectively advancing the interests of my country and of the Rwandan people.
{{Having a Rwandan woman as head of Mission is not exceptional as your country ranks in the top 10 for gender equality in the world. Could you tell us more about the commitment of your government to ensure equal rights for women and men?}}
Since the end of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, the country has made significant progress in terms of gender equality and women and girls’ empowerment. This has only been possible thanks to a leadership that has been intentional in promoting these principles.
At the national level, gender equality has been a key pillar of the country’s vision, strategies and policies. Our Constitution, emphasizes the principle of gender equality and women’s rights, and provides for a minimum quota of 30% of women in all decision-making positions. In addition to this, other gender-sensitive laws have been enacted including matrimonial regimes, donation and successions, access to land as well as the prevention and repression of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and criminalization of GBV offenses.
As a result, Rwanda has become a global leader in women’s participation in decision-making positions with 61.3% female members of Parliament and ranked 7th globally in closing gender gaps according to the Global Gender Gap Report, 2021. 55% of cabinet members are women, 51% of female judges and 45.2% of female as members of district councils in local government leadership.
Rwanda also takes its commitments under international conventions and agreements to which it is party to.
{{Also known as the “Land of Thousand Hills,” your country is famous for extraordinary biodiversity, incredible wildlife, montane rainforests, and national parks. How do you protect your environment and are you impacted by climate change?}}
Like most countries in the world, Rwanda has been negatively impacted by climate change, which has manifested through drought, floods, and landslides. We recognized early on that tackling the climate crisis was a necessity to build a resilient economy. Therefore, Rwanda has decided to take bold measures to protect the environment.
Plastic bags were banned in 2008 and single-use plastics in 2019. We have reforested 30% of the country and have fostered community-led programs such as “Umuganda”. Every last Saturday morning of the month, Rwandans come together at the village level, and agree on which environment or infrastructure challenge they will address and fix.
On the biodiversity conservation side, we also have several initiatives that involve the local communities. To give an example, the Virunga park’s mountain gorillas are the only great ape species increasing in number all over the world with their official status recently upgraded from critically endangered to endangered.
Rwanda is committed to environment protection and with the support of strong partners, will achieve its ambitious plan detailed in the Paris Agreement’s Nationally Determined Contributions.
{{Rwanda has made enormous progress in the communication sector, extending internet accessibility, improving infrastructure, integrating ICTs as well as prioritizing digital literacy. Could you share with us the country’s vision?}}
In the early years of the internet, our government quickly realized the potential of ICT as a driver and enabler of sustainable socio-economic development, especially for a landlocked country with limited natural resources. From there we defined a vision for our country to become a knowledge-based economy and society; and to position Rwanda as a regional and continental ICT hub.
To reach our goal, the government has adopted an ambitious digital agenda articulated in a series of five-year strategies. These strategies support the progressive roll-out of digital infrastructure, with 90% of the country being covered by 3G and 4G, one of the highest rate on the continent. E-governance is also a priority, with close to 100 public services available on “Irembo”, an online one-stop center for e-governance services.
In addition to that, the government has launched a series of innovative partnerships to expand digital literacy and create an infrastructure to support the private sector and technology start-ups.
{{The health sector has also significantly improved and universal health coverage is one example. How do you make it a reality?}}
Good governance and decentralization of health services have made possible the implementation of national health strategies and universal health coverage.
While central government focuses on policy formulation, monitoring, capacity building and resource mobilization, health services are decentralized. The network of community health workers has been critical in ensuring citizen awareness and participation in health programs as well as rapidly identifying health problems and referring patients to the relevant services. 90,5% of the Rwandans are covered by a health insurance. This existing system has allowed for Rwanda’s response to COVID-19 to be swift and robust. Our vaccination campaign kicked off in late March this year, and to-date, over 25% of the adult population has been vaccinated, with over 90% in the Capital City.
{ {{This article was first published by UN Today on 1st November 2021. }} }
{{Catherine Fiankan-Bokonga is a correspondent and Vice-President of Club Suisse de la Presse.}}
The reduction is proven by the Ministry of Health’s daily reports on the status of COVID-19 across the country.
As of 17th July 2021 when Kigali City and eight districts were placed under lockdown; the country registered 1997 new infections with 69.6 percent of new cases found in Kigali.
On the following day, Rwanda recorded 2773 cases including 2225 from Kigali.
Ten days later, new infections dropped to 791 cases including 76 from Kigali. On the last day of lockdown, only 34 cases were found in Kigali out of 860 infections across the country.
Latest figures show that 29 people caught COVID-19 out of 8346 sample tests while one person succumbed to the virus yesterday.
Appearing in a talk show aired on RTV on Sunday 31st October 2021, the Director General of Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC), Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana revealed that the current situation is promising but highlighted that it should not leave loopholes for complacency.
“It is true that we are taking sample tests in concerts and other public places. It has been observed that the COVID-19 positivity rate from sample tests taken in Kigali City remains below 0.5%,” he said.
“We are also confirming new cases among people coming to Kigali from other provinces. We encourage people with symptoms or who had direct contacts with COVID-19 patients to be careful or go for testing to lest he/she spreads the virus,” added Dr. Nsanzimana.
The positivity rate currently stands below 1% countrywide.
Dr. Nsanzimana urged people to keep soldiering on to avoid whatever that could hold back the country’s progress towards defeating the pandemic.
At the end of 2020, Rwanda had made commendable strides in containing the spread of COVID-19 but the Government later imposed lockdown early 2021 in some parts of the country as new cases started soaring due to complacency.
Dr. Nsanzimana has said that people should be mindful of adverse effects that would arise from holding parties.
“The festive season is unfolding when people want to throw parties. Taking examples of cases that happened in other countries, these behaviors often worsen the situation,” he noted.
Dr. Nsanzimana explained that Rwanda has learnt from other countries that the vaccine doesn’t offer full protection.
“The time might come when the vaccine will not be considered enough. We are assessing how vaccine recipients may receive another dose [the third vaccine dose] after six months. It is under process to confirm whether the vaccine developed immunity to protect recipients against new infections,” he said.
Dr. Nsanzimana attributed the decrease in COVID-19 cases and deaths to ramped up vaccination efforts and people’s efforts but urged the general public to remain compliant.
{{Closure of treatment centers}}
As of today, only two patients are admitted at COVID-19 treatment centers in Kigali City and Western Province.
Dr. Nsanzimana revealed that the two patients are admitted at Nyarugenge and Kibuye hospitals.
He explained that they are assessing how Nyarugenge Hospital may resume usual health services.
“We want to concert efforts so that Nyarugenge Hospital may not be used as COVID-19 treatment center again. When all patients recover, a designated hospital resumes usual health services but it can be reused for similar purposes when cases increase,” he said.
As of 1st November 2021, Kanyinya Hospital has started operating as the national referral hospital for COVID-19 cases while Nyarugenge Hospital is set to resume other health services.
Rwanda continues to ramp up vaccination efforts and mulls administering vaccine shots to people below the age of 18.
Dr. Nsanzimana has explained that research is underway to establish if children can be vaccinated.
Latest figures from the Ministry of Health show that a total of 2,032,065 people have been fully vaccinated while 3,884,463 received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine since Rwanda began countrywide inoculation program on 5th March 2021.
Their remains were found in the night of 31st October 2021 when two young men pursued a colleague who stole a chicken and fled to the caves. As they entered the caves, the young men saw four remains laid together.
They rushed to alert local leaders and relatives who lost children. As they got inside the caves, relatives identified their children with clothes they wore by the time of disappearance.
They all went missing on 15th September 2018. At the time, their parents made possible efforts to establish whereabouts their children but ended up in vain.
The executive secretary of Bugeshi sector, Jean Bosco Rwibasira has confirmed that the children’s remains have been retried from caves.
“It is true that children’s remains have been found. Rwanda Investigation Bureau and the Prosecution have arrived at the crime scene pending the decision to bury the remains or proceed with further investigation,” he explained.
As the four children went missing in 2018, suspects were arrested and released after spending eight months behind bars.
IGIHE has learnt, by press time, that the remains were taken to one of parents whose children went missing while the suspected thief was taken into custody at Bugeshi RIB Post.
This addendum takes effect immediately and will ensure that the established ETM in Gashora, Rwanda continue until 31st December 2023, and increases its capacity from the initial 500 to 700 persons at anyone time.
Under this agreement, the Government of Rwanda will continue to receive and provide protection to refugees and asylum-seekers, as well as others identified as particularly vulnerable and at-risk, who are currently being held in detention centres in Libya. They will be transferred to safety in Rwanda on a voluntary basis. After their arrival, UNHCR will continue to pursue durable solutions for the evacuees.
While some may benefit from resettlement to third countries, others will be helped to return to countries where asylum had previously been granted, or to return to their home countries if it is safe to do so. Some may be given permission to remain in Rwanda subject to agreement by the competent authorities.
Evacuation flights are expected to resume and will be carried out in cooperation with Rwandan and Libyan authorities. The African Union will continue to provide assistance with evacuations, mobilise resources, and provide strategic political support with training and coordination. UNHCR will provide protection services and necessary humanitarian assistance including food, water, accommodation, education, and healthcare.
Rwanda has received a total of 648 refugees and asylum seekers so far, who arrived in six evacuation flights from Libya to the ETM since its establishment in September 2019.
UNHCR and the Ministry in charge of Emergency Management (MINEMA) will continue to conduct individual registration of all the individuals and issue Proof of Registration (POR) documents that allow them to travel in the country and access assistance provided in the centre.
The registration activities are followed by individual case processing for solutions, including Refugee Status Determination (RSD), Best Interest Determinations (BIDs) for children with specific needs, including unaccompanied and separated children and resettlement interviews.
Currently, the ETM in Rwanda hosts 214 refugees and asylum seekers from eight African countries, Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Chad, and Cameroon.
However, some 1,680 Persons of Concern (POCs) are currently inside detention centres across Libya.
They urgently need to be moved to safety and to be provided with protection, lifesaving assistance, and durable solutions. The AU and UNHCR urge the international community to continue contributing resources towards the implementation of the agreement and assist POCs in these detention centres, and called on other Member States to emulate Rwanda’s example.
The caution comes after some bars were found breaching the set guidelines, including prior authorization.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry, in its guidelines, set at least 12 conditions before the bar is granted permission to resume operations after assessing the submitted re-opening application to the sector by a joint team that include PSF and RDB.
Some of the requirements include being registered with Rwanda Development Board (RDB) or those bars with a valid trading license issued at sector level are allowed to resume operations.
Bars should also have handwashing facilities and/or with alcohol-based sanitizer at every entry and exit points, visible signs indicating acceptable and prohibited seating in the bar such as 1.5 metre distance between the seats; use of digital payment; all bar employees to wear masks properly at all times as well as clients while entering the bar.
Each bar is also required to an employee or a team wearing visible yellow vest to monitor the adherence to Covid-19 preventive measures on a regular basis.
Doors and windows should always be open while owners are required to facilitate their employees to take Covid-19 test, at least every after two weeks and to ensure maximum sanitation and hygiene.
While appearing on Good Morning Rwanda talk-show on Rwanda Television on Monday, RNP spokesperson Commissioner of Police (CP) John Bosco Kabera called upon the public to be responsive against bars that operate contrary to the set guidelines.
He observed that some bars resumed operations without going the due procedure to apply for re-opening, warning of serious consequences if caught.
“If you did not apply for the re-opening or did not get authorisation from responsible administrative entity, and you are operating the bar, you are misleading people and putting them in danger, which will not be tolerated,” CP Kabera warned.
Forged Covid-19 test certificate
CP Kabera further warned people, who forged or use forged Covid-19 test certificates so as to attend ceremonies and sports events.
“Forging or using Covid-19 test certificate is not only a deliberate act to spread the virus in events where you are going, but also a serious criminal acts punishable by law,” CP Kabera said.
Article article 276 of the law Nº68/2018 of 30/08/2018 determining offences and penalties in general, states that any person, who in any manner, forges or alters documents by forged signature or fingerprint, falsifying documents or signatures or impersonation, forging agreements, its provisions, obligations, or discharged obligations, commits an offence.
Any person who, with fraudulent intention, produces a false written document, causes to write false statements or produces a conflicting declaration, is considered to commit the offence of forgery.
Upon conviction, he/she is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than five years but not more than seven years and a fine of not less than Frw3 million but not more than Frw5 million.
Any person, who knowingly makes use of a forgery document in any way, commits an offence. Upon conviction, he/she is liable to the same penalty.
If forgery is committed by a public servant or any other person in charge of public service, the applicable penalty is an imprisonment term of not less than seven (7) years and not more than ten (10) years with a fine of not less than Rwf2 million but not more Rwf3 million or one of these penalties.
Rwanda has ramped up vaccination efforts and continued to carry out research that would see the country administering the third vaccine shot and vaccinating people below the age of 18.
Among others, the Ministry of Health has revealed that 29 people caught COVID-19 out of 8346 sample tests while one person succumbed to the virus yesterday. The deceased is a man aged 73 from Gicumbi district.
Coronavirus symptoms include coughing, flu, and difficulty in breathing. The virus is said to be transmitted through the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract.
Rwandans are urged to adhere to COVID-19 health guidelines, washing hands frequently using soaps and safe water, wearing face masks and respecting social distancing.
Dreams of becoming a farmer or teacher run up against tough conditions in a society deeply afflicted by unemployment and poverty.
Clement Kahindo, supervisor of a temporary shelter in Goma, capital of North Kivu province, goes through the list of problems.
His facility is managed by an NGO called Cajed, which works for underprivileged young people and currently accommodates around 40 children aged 10 to 17 recently extracted from armed groups.
“They are taught how to behave properly, to read and write. They do drawing, basket-making, gardening, the washing up,” he told AFP.
What about teaching them a trade? “We do that sometimes, but not so much,” Kahindo said. “We lack the funds.”
But he proudly pointed to the success of a young man who had been given a sewing machine and has since regularly visited with reports of his progress. Another runs a hairdressing salon.
Kahindo said many former child combatants were overwhelmed by the horrors they had witnessed in a part of the country that has been ravaged by violence for more than 25 years.
“They have seen killings, some of them have carried out killings themselves, like the teenager who was forced to tie people up and bury them alive,” Kahindo said.
The youngest children are “used for spying, cooking, water and firewood,” said Faustin Busimba, Cajed’s programme officer.
“A child who stays for two or three years in an armed group goes to the front.”
But in eastern DRC’s North and South Kivu, as well as Ituri province, the front line and the conflict itself can be volatile.
The causes of violence in this troubled region are often complex and overlapping, rooted sometimes in ancient grievances but also overlain with the activities of foreign rebel groups and ethnic militias.
{{Voluntary enrolment}}
In the 1990s, child soldiers known as “kadogos” were numerous in the rebel army of Laurent-Desire Kabila, who overthrew president Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997.
According to a task force on children and conflicts led by the child protection section of the UN mission in the country, MONUSCO, and by UNICEF, 13 armed groups still feature on a blacklist for enrolling children. The DRC’s post-Mobutu army has been taken off the blacklist.
The number of child soldiers in the DRC is hard to estimate, although the tally runs into the thousands.
The causes of their enrolment vary, experts say.
Between 3,000 and 5,000 children become combatants each year, according to the MONUSCO estimate, and Cajed says that between five and 10 percent are girls.
Some of the children may be abducted by force, but others join voluntarily, sometimes to escape poverty, take revenge or bask in the supposed prestige that comes with their role, Cajed says.
The UN task force counted 2,253 children “separated” from armed groups in 2018, 3,107 in 2019, 2,101 in 2020 and 957 in the first nine months of 2021.
Some are recovered after a direct approach by MONUSCO to the commanders of the armed groups, others flee or are released during army operations against the rebel groups.
“In 2002, I was among the first children to be demobilised. I was 15 years old,” said Papy Miruho, 36, in Bukavu, capital of South Kivu.
He had spent two years in an armed group that he had joined to defend his community.
“My father had been killed,” he said, “and my mother went mad.”
Miruho was taken in by the Office for Voluntary Work in the Service of Children and Health (BVES), an NGO, which paved the way to studies and a degree in sociology.
After marrying and becoming a father, Miruho took to selling flour in Panzi on the outskirts of Bukavu to help make ends meet. He does not complain but would rather have work that is in line with his education and hopes.
{{‘No standing’}}
At the age of 13, Christian Mulindwa was coming home from school when he was kidnapped by an armed group. He managed to get away two years later and was taken in by the BVES.
In 2010, he and two other young people created an association which supports and employs mostly former child soldiers.
The work includes hairdressing and fixing computers.
“We had no standing in the community. We joined forces to boost our morale,” Mulindwa told AFP.
He admitted that his group had had many setbacks.
“People who were demobilised without getting the right support later took up arms again,” he said.
At Cajed’s base in Goma, four youngsters aged 14 to 17 are full of hope, preparing to rejoin their families in Masisi, farther north. Each has a “reintegration kit” consisting of a saucepan and a hoe.
Avril, whose name has been changed for the purposes of this article, is 12 years old. He fled the armed group that seized him.
While the four teenagers will leave, Avril will stay a while longer at the centre, where he likes to play football. One day, he said, he will be a farmer.
Headquartered in Kigali, Rwanda, Ampersand assembles and finances electric motorcycles (‘e-motos’ or ‘e-bodas’) that cost less to buy and operate, and perform better than the 5 million petrol motorcycle taxis in use across East Africa – all with up to 83% less carbon emissions.
The core of Ampersand’s business is the network of battery swap stations and fleet of batteries Ampersand builds and operates. This system allows drivers to swap batteries faster than refilling a tank with petrol and shields vehicle buyers from the high upfront cost of a lithium battery pack. Since its commercial launch in May 2019, Ampersand’s team has performed over 50,000 battery swaps, powering Ampersand’s fleet of 56 drivers for over 2 million kilometers.
DFC’s US$9 million loan will allow Ampersand to scale up the number of electric motorcycles on the road in Rwanda and Kenya to several thousand by the end of 2022. The loan is part of DFC’s Portfolio for Impact and Innovation (PI²) initiative and contributes to DFC’s commitment to the U.S. Energy Compact and its target to address climate change with one third of its investments by 2023.
DFC’s facility builds on a US$4 million Series A round Ampersand secured earlier in 2021, which was supported by Silicon Valley investor Ecosystem Integrity Fund (EIF) and TotalEnergies.
DFC’s investment also builds on early-stage support Ampersand received from USAID’s Development Innovation Ventures (DIV), Rwanda’s Green Fund and the UK Government’s Frontier Technology Livestreaming initiative among others.
Commenting on the development, Josh Whale, Founder and CEO of Ampersand said: “We’re thrilled to have DFC on board with this historic investment, which is building momentum to electrify all of East Africa’s 5 million motorcycle taxis by 2030. DFC’s support underlines the viability and investability of electric two wheelers for mass-market customers in the Global South, and the importance of this market to reaching net zero. On the eve of COP26 in Glasgow we believe more bold, fast-moving and innovative funds like PI² are urgently needed.”
DFC’s Chief Climate Officer Jake Levine has revealed that the institution is proud to support Ampersand in their important and innovative work bringing e-mobility and electric motorcycles to Rwanda and Kenya.
“DFC is focused on making impactful investments in developing countries that will help communities progress and grow while simultaneously building resilience and prosperity for a clean energy future — this investment and the incredible growth that Ampersand has demonstrated in the market represents a great step in that direction,” she said.
