The statement released last night also shows that 17 people have caught the virus out of 16 893 sample tests, one recovered while three are critically ill.
A total of 1,990,105 people have been fully vaccinated while 3,809,747 received the first dose of COVID-19 since Rwanda began countrywide inoculation program on 5th March 2021.
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.
The one-day training was conducted on Sunday 31st October 2021, at RIB Headquarters in Kimihurura, Gasabo District. It is part of the RNP initiative to equip different institutions in Rwanda with basic skills against fire emergencies.
Trainees were equipped with separate skills to fight fire and to conduct fire cases related investigations including fire chemistry, fire behavior, classification of fire and extinguishing media and causes of arson and fire in general.
Other disciplines tackled include precaution safety measures on cooking gas, definition of fire investigation, fire investigation goals, and skills required for an investigator in the field of fire science.
Assistant Commissinoner of Police (ACP) Paul Gatambira, the Commanding officer for Fire and Rescue Brigade said that the investigators were first trained about fire chemistry to be aware of fire causes and components.
“It is important to understand the components and chemistry of fire if you are to create impact in prevention and response to related emergencies. You need to know types of fires and firefighting techniques as well as safer ways to use Liquefied Petroleum Gas in homes.
These are some of the skills and knowledge that were extended to the RIB investigators to help them both in their duties and back in their respective homes,” said CP Gatambira.
He added: “This training was designed specifically to equip them with investigation priorities upon arrival at the scene in regard to witness safety, examination, evidence collection and analysis and establishing the cause and origin of fire.”
CP Gatambira explained that fire investigations require advanced skills and knowledge in fire science to build the case and facilitate the justice process.
These activities held on Saturday 30th October 2021, included cleaning and medical services at Marché Miskin in 5th Arrondissement and Marché Petevo in 6th Arrondissement.
The community work aims at sharing the practice of ‘Umuganda’ as one of the homegrown solutions aimed at uniting people and help the community to protect their environment.
After community work Rwandan peacekeepers provided medical care to the local population. The health services included medical screening for non-communicable diseases such as blood pressure, obesity, and other diseases such as malaria where rapid tests were performed, and treatment provided to those who were positive.
The Mayor of Bangui Capital City, Emile Gros Raymand Nakombo thanked Rwandan peacekeepers for their support in protecting civilians and participating in cleaning and protecting their environment.
“The community work conducted today, is a lesson borrowed from Rwanda and will contribute to our country’s development,” he said.
The Rwabatt8 Contingent Commander Col Augustin Migabo urged the local population of Bangui to adopt community work concept (Umuganda) as a solution to ensure a clean and safe environment.
In the latest operation conducted in two separate operations in Huye District on Friday and Saturday, Rwanda National Police (RNP) in partnership with local leaders arrested three people in Amahoro Village, Kimana Cell, Tumba Sector with counterfeit money amounting to Rwf40, 000.
One of the suspects, Maurice Ndahayo, 24, was found with forged bills amounting to Frw30,000. The duo of Eric Kabandana, 22, and William Rukundo, 20, was arrested with fake money amounting to Rwf10,000.
According to the Southern region Police spokesperson, Superintendent of Police (SP) Theobald Kanamugire, the suspects were apprehended in partnership with local leaders following a tip-off by the would-be victims.
“Police received information on Friday October 29, at about 3pm on a man (Ndahayo), who was attempting to defraud a mobile money agent in Amahoro Village. Ndahayo had defrauded the mobile banking agent, who deposited Rwf30,000 at his mobile account and paid six fake bills in the denominations of Rwf5,000. However, the agent realized that the bills were fake and reported to the Police, leading the search and arrest of Ndahayo,” said SP Kanamugire.
He added that on October 30, Police also received a call from the same village about two men, who had paid two fake notes in the denominations of Rwf5,000 at a local bar where they had taken alcoholic drinks.
“Police responded swiftly and arrested Eric Kabandana and William Rukundo at the scene.”
SP Kanamugire said lauded the increased vigilance against fraudsters circulating counterfeit money.
The suspects and counterfeit money were handed over to RIB at Ngoma station for further legal process.
Article 269 of Law No 68/2018 determining offenses and penalties in general states; any person who, fraudulently counterfeits, falsifies or alters coins or bank notes which are legal tender in Rwanda or abroad, notes issued by the Treasury with its stamp or brand, either banknotes or alike that have legal tender in Rwanda or abroad, or one who introduces or issues in Rwanda such effects or notes with knowledge that they are forged or falsified, commits an offence.
Upon conviction, he/she is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than five years and not more than seven years.
Kagame was speaking at the G20 Summit held in Rome, the capital of Italy on Saturday 30th October 2021.
Kagame is among two African Heads of State invited to attend the summit. He is participating in-person along with his counterpart of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Félix Tshisekedi who is also the current Chairperson of the African Union.
Kagame delivered his remarks as the Chairperson of African Union Development Agency (NEPAD).
“The Covid-19 pandemic cannot be brought under control without global vaccine equity, and this is also the precondition for economic recovery,” he said.
The President explained that Africans represent nearly 18% of the world’s people, but less than 5% of Covid vaccine doses have reached the continent.
To this end, the Head of State stated that closing the gap has three components requiring active commitment by the G20, as has already happened.
“First, we must ensure a consistent supply of vaccines for low-income countries to meet the target of 70% vaccination by mid-2022. After a slow start, Covax deliveries have picked up, thanks to increased pledges from different countries, among them the United States, the European Union, and its member states among others,” he noted.
“Second, national health systems need to be upgraded to efficiently handle mass vaccination. Third, we have to build manufacturing capacity for vaccines in developing countries,” added Kagame.
Commenting on measures to reduce the continent’s over reliance where 99% of its vaccines are imported, Kagame revealed that Africa targets to produce 60% of needed vaccines by 2040.
He explained that efforts to build local capacity are underway pointing out an example of recent milestone where Rwanda and Senegal concluded agreements with BioNTech to build end-to-end mRNA vaccine production facilities, starting in mid-2022.
The agreement will see technology and know-how transferred to build the capacity of local companies, and the doses produced will be distributed in Africa.
Kagame said that it is an important milestone in which the European Union and the African Union are also playing a key role.
“Finally, continued strengthening of the World Health Organization and Africa CDC is critical, along with support for the new African Medicines Agency,” he said.
This brings the total current U.S. donation of COVID-19 vaccines to Rwanda to 1,658,690 doses, for one dose of protection for 22% of Rwanda’s people who are eligible.
This donation is a further symbol of U.S. commitment to work with the people and Government of Rwanda to protect the Rwandan people from disease.
The statement released by US embassy in Rwanda shows that the donation is part of the country’s commitment to contribute to COVID-19 response.
‘As we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and work to end the pandemic worldwide, President Biden has promised that the United States will be an arsenal of vaccines for the world.Thanks to the ingenuity of American scientists and the strength of American manufacturing the United States is bringing life-saving vaccines around the world to the people who need them the most,” reads part of the statement.
To date, the United States has donated more than 200 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, a major step in ending the pandemic globally. And we are not done yet.
Working together with COVAX, WHO, UNICEF, and partner countries, the United States is committed to donating 1.1 billion vaccine doses to where they are needed most to end this global pandemic.
As President Biden said: “The United States is committed to bringing the same urgency to international vaccination efforts that we have demonstrated at home.”
This donation to Rwanda comes as a response to this Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to share vaccines with the world and is a continuation of our support to the Rwandan people and will help them focus on economic recovery.
“We mourn the loss of life across the region due to COVID-19 and extend our condolences to those who have lost loved ones to this terrible disease. We will continue working together to put an end to this pandemic’s high toll on life, livelihoods, and secondary social and economic impacts.”
The six-month training which kicked off on Friday was organized by Rural Development Initiative (RDI) in partnership with University of Rwanda – College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine (UR – CAVM) and Rwanda TVET Board on the funding of SDF.
RDI is a youth led non-governmental organisation (NGO) that focuses on serving individuals and families in the poorest communities.
It promotes innovation among youth farmers based in rural Rwanda to boost agriculture production through market oriented farming.
RDI provides trainings with keen interest on value addition, linking farmers to markets, attractive agriculture diversification and providing effective extension services.
Agriculture accounts for 31 percent of Rwanda’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and remains the main source of income for majority Rwandans occupying 70% of the labor with the youth constituting 61.7 %.
Figures from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda show that Rwanda registers 9.7 million farmers.
As enshrined in the Government’s seven years development blueprint, Rwanda plans to leverage technology to transform and modernize the agriculture sector.
It is under this context that the youth from Northern Province has started receiving training on best practices to make agriculture sector more efficient to national development and individual’s economic growth.
Beneficiaries of the training have expressed optimism that the training will be helpful along the journey to transform livelihoods, attain food sufficiency and transition from agrarian to market oriented agriculture.
Godelive Nyiramwiza practicing horticulture has revealed that farmers’ produce would rot in storage facilities because they had lacked relevant skills on post-harvest handling techniques.
“We used to grow fruits and vegetables with inadequate skills to select the best seeds and grow crops appropriately. This would result into low yields and persistent losses due to lack of market information and skills to handle the produce,” she said.
“The training will help us to improve farming techniques, and acquaint us with best ways to preserve the produce. Apart from the fact that we will be linked to buyers, we have optimism for increased yields to achieve food sufficiency and reserve for the market,” added Nyiramwiza.
Jean de Dieu Ntamagezi, a farmer breeding fishes in Lake Burera has also explained that the training will help them to increase fish production and reduce imports.
“We have been faced with different problems including lack of skills, fish seeds and feeds which resulted into low fish production. For instance, we used to receive orders for 15 tons but would only deliver 1 ton. We expect the training to help us increase production to reduce the country’s reliance on imports,” he said.
The Chief executive of RDI, Aimé Kayumba has said that the training is meant to provide skills and technical know-how to young people and women involved in horticulture and fish production.
“The training is meant to build their capacities to make the sector more resilient. Vegetable and fruits produce was poor and wasted in some instances. We will not only enhance their skills to increase quality and quantity, but also we will link them to markets,” he noted.
Kayumba urged trainees to make good use of acquired skills to make agriculture more relevant to national development.
Dr. Antoine Karangwa, the Dean of the school of Agriculture and Food Sciences at CAVM has called on farmers to tap into opportunities available in the sector to make it a sustainable source of income and positively impact their respective communities.
Rwanda targets to increase agricultural produce by 10.4% in 2024 from 5.2% of 2017.
The summit also brings together counterparts from invited countries and representatives of some of the main international and regional organizations for discussions focused on health, economic recovery, climate and energy.
The summit takes place on 30th and 31st October 2021.
Other leaders attending the summit include the President of the United States, Joe Biden and India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi among others. It is the first of its kind held in-person since Coronavirus pandemic emerged.
As he arrived in Italy yesterday, Kagame held talks with the Director General of World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala ahead of G20 Summit.
On Saturday, the president was also welcomed by Italy’s Prime Minister, Mario Draghi who currently holds the G20 Presidency.
The 16th summit is the first of its kind held in-person since Coronavirus pandemic emerged.
The first G20 Summit was held in Washington in November 2008, while the lastunder the Saudi Presidency was held in virtual mode in November 2020.
Only two African Heads of State including Kagame and President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Félix Tshisekedi who is the current Chairperson of the African Union, were invited to attend the summit.
Kagame arrived in Italy yesterday to participate in the two-day G20 Summit of Heads of State and Government, which also brings together their counterparts from invited countries and representatives of some of the main international and regional organizations for discussions focused on health, economic recovery, climate and energy.
The summit is the first of its kind held in-person since Coronavirus pandemic emerged.
Only two African Heads of State including Kagame and President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Félix Tshisekedi who is the current Chairperson of the African Union, were invited to attend the summit.
Dr. Ngozi who held talks with Kagame, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the seventh Director-General of the WTO. She took office on 1st March 2021, becoming the first woman and the first African to serve as Director-General. Her term of office will expire on 31st August 2025.
She is a global finance expert, an economist and international development professional with over 30 years of experience working in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America.
On Friday 29th October 2021, the RDF Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen J Bosco Kazura met in his office US senior Military officials led by Maj Gen Daryl Bohac to discuss areas of mutual interest to the three countries.
Through video conference, Lt Gen Jaromir Zuna, Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Czech Republic Armed Forces and his team will as well be part of the discussion on Monday 1st November 2021.
The trilateral engagement between the Rwanda Defence Force, the Czech Republic Armed Forces and the Nebraska National Guard opens door to opportunities for all parties to support each other in many areas of mutual interest.
The partnership was arranged through the State Partnership Program (SPP), a US Department of Defense (DoD) security cooperation programme, managed and administered by the National Guard Bureau.
The SPP started in 1992 as a way of establishing professional contacts between the US military and foreign militaries.
Today, it is a significant component of DoD’s security cooperation efforts linking states within the USA to 83 sovereign countries around the globe of which 15 are African countries including Rwanda.
Rwanda joined the programme on 12th December 2019 through an agreement that was signed in Kigali between the CDS, Gen J Bosco Kazura and the Adjutant General of the Nebraska National Guard, Major General Daryl L. Bohac.
