“If both are successful, it will mark the first time that all parts of an orbital rocket return to Earth intact,” Musk wrote on X.
“This is the critical breakthrough needed to make life multiplanetary,” he added.
Vice President of Launch at SpaceX Kiko Dontchev said Thursday that the company is targeting Nov. 13 for Starship’s 15th flight test.
Starship completed its 14th flight test on Sept. 28, reaching orbit for the first time and deploying 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites. The mission was cut short after one of the spacecraft’s Raptor engines shut down prematurely during ascent.
The SpaceX Starship and Super Heavy v3 Booster lift off on its 13th test flight from the SpaceX launch complex in Starbase, Texas, U.S., July 24, 2026. REUTERS/Steve Nesius/File Photo
The findings are contained in the Ayre Index, which assesses how 56 Commonwealth countries are preparing young people to use and benefit from AI. The index was unveiled at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda on November 5, 2026.
The study presents three possible scenarios for Rwanda’s economic gains from AI over a 10-year period. Under a low-impact scenario, the potential gain is estimated at $115 million, while the middle scenario puts it at $237 million. Under a high-impact scenario, the figure could reach $360 million.
The projections draw on data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to estimate the potential economic gains associated with AI adoption.
The report highlights the importance of aligning AI training with labour market needs and the practical challenges that entrepreneurs can address to ensure young people benefit from the technology.
In agriculture, for instance, young people could be trained to develop applications that help farmers identify signs of crop diseases. Such tools could reach more farmers if they were also available in Kinyarwanda.
Rwanda ranks fourth among assessed East African Community countries
In the Ayre Index, Rwanda ranked 47th among the 56 Commonwealth countries assessed, with a score of 38.1%.
Kenya was the highest-ranked of the four East African Community (EAC) countries included in the assessment, placing 22nd with 48.7 points. Uganda followed in 23rd position with 47 points, while Tanzania ranked 25th with 45.5 points.
Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and South Sudan were not included in the assessment because they are not members of the Commonwealth.
Of the 56 countries assessed, only 15 reached the benchmark score of 53 points used by researchers to evaluate countries’ readiness to help young people benefit from AI.
Training among Rwanda’s approaches to AI adoption
Rwanda has approximately four million people aged between 15 and 29. According to the report, 4G network coverage reaches areas inhabited by 98.8% of the population, while electricity access stands at 72%.
The researchers note that young people also need affordable internet access and suitable digital devices to benefit from AI.
In June 2026, the Government established the Rwanda AI Agency. In October, the agency invited proposals for the development of AI curricula in Kinyarwanda and English.
The planned training programmes are expected to address the needs of people working in sectors such as agriculture and healthcare, while also equipping communities with digital skills.
In the education sector, a programme implemented by the Ministry of Education and the Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB) in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) had trained more than 5,000 teachers in the use of AI by the end of 2025. The training continued in 2026.
However, the report notes that there is still a gap in data on how young people in Rwanda are using AI.
A new Ayre Think Tank study estimates that artificial intelligence could contribute up to $360 million to Rwanda’s GDP over the next decade under a high-impact scenario, with the central estimate standing at $237 million.
Launched in 2004, Swift was the first-of-its-kind multiwavelength observatory designed to study gamma-ray bursts, some of the universe’s most powerful explosions, using its three telescopes.
As of Monday, the U.S. Space Force predicted that the roughly 3,200-pound (1,450-kilogram) spacecraft would re-enter the atmosphere at around 3:30 a.m. Eastern Time (0830 GMT) Wednesday, with an uncertainty window of 11 hours.
NASA expects most of the spacecraft to burn up as it travels through the atmosphere, but some components are expected to survive re-entry.
Depending on the timing of re-entry, any surviving debris could land in areas between 20.6 degrees south and 20.6 degrees north, while the risk of harm to anyone on Earth is very low, estimated at approximately one in 2,100, according to NASA.
NASA had sought to extend Swift’s operational life through a commercial spacecraft servicing mission, but the effort was scaled back to technology demonstrations after the servicing spacecraft encountered technical problems and ran low on fuel.
NASA said on Oct. 23 that Swift had ended its science mission as its orbit continued to decay.
Originally designed for a two-year prime mission, Swift went on to operate for more than two decades, serving as a multi-tool for exploring the universe, observing a wide range of light, rapidly pointing at short-lived outbursts, and sending alerts to other facilities to help coordinate follow-up observations, according to NASA.
NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere on Wednesday
The company has supplied Rwanda through distributors, according to its Africa Business Director, Christina Liao, who told IGIHE that unmet electricity needs present opportunities for battery systems that store solar power for use after sunset.
Rwanda aims to increase electricity generation capacity to as much as 5,000 megawatts under Vision 2050. As the country develops renewable energy projects, battery storage could help make electricity generated during daylight hours available when demand rises in the evening.
Ritar’s interest comes as Rwanda seeks investors for a proposed 200MW floating solar power plant on Lake Sake in Ngoma District, Eastern Province. The project includes an 800-megawatt-hour battery energy storage system and infrastructure connecting it to the national grid.
Rwanda’s solar plans create demand for storage
Speaking at the Nuclear Energy Innovation Summit for Africa on June 30, 2025, then Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente said Rwanda would need up to five gigawatts of electricity generation capacity to achieve its Vision 2050 ambitions.
Prime Minister Justin Nsengiyumva told Parliament in July 2026 that installed generation capacity stood at 471MW, highlighting the scale of expansion required.
The proposed Lake Sake installation would combine solar generation with battery storage to help balance electricity supply and demand. At its rated capacity, an 800MWh battery system could theoretically deliver 200MW for four hours, although actual delivery would depend on operating limits, conversion losses and the final design.
Storage could help supply electricity during evening peak hours, regulate grid frequency and voltage, and reduce the need to curtail solar generation when production exceeds what the grid can accommodate.
The project would operate under an independent power producer arrangement, with the Energy Utility Corporation Limited purchasing electricity through a 25-year power purchase agreement.
Rwanda is also considering floating solar panels on the Nyabarongo II reservoir, with potential capacity of another 200MW.
“Nyabarongo II will provide 43.5MW of hydropower. Because Nyabarongo is a multipurpose project, the lake that will stretch until the Vunga area [in Gakenke District] will have floating solar panels installed on the water surface to generate 200MW,” Nsengiyumva told Parliament.
Together, the two proposed floating solar installations would have a combined rated capacity of 400MW. However, installed capacity does not represent continuous electricity output, which varies with weather and operating conditions.
Ritar has not confirmed any involvement in either project or secured a contract to supply batteries for them.
Ritar’s business and African ambitions
Liao said Ritar had supplied Rwanda through distributors for more than 15 years, offering lead-acid batteries rated at 12 volts and 100 or 200 amp-hours, alongside lithium batteries with storage capacities of 5kWh, 10kWh and 15kWh.
“You can connect to the solar and then to a small power system,” she said, describing how batteries can store electricity for household use.
A fully usable 5kWh battery could theoretically power a steady 500-watt load for 10 hours, although actual runtime would be shorter after accounting for conversion losses, discharge limits and variations in electricity demand.
Founded in 2002, Ritar is headquartered in Shenzhen, China. Its published company profile reports more than 6,500 employees, eight major production bases across China and Vietnam, and 11 international warehousing and logistics centres.
Company materials supplied for this story put investment in its Hengyang plant in Hunan Province at $150 million and investment in its Vietnam plant at $120 million.
Ritar’s published profile reports more than 120 gigawatt-hours of cumulative global battery shipments. Liao put annual production capacity at 80GWh and annual group sales at more than $1.7 billion.
She said Africa accounted for approximately 30% of sales. Applying that proportion to $1.7 billion gives an indicative annual African sales value of about $510 million, although audited accounts confirming the figures were not provided.
Liao identified distributors in South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria and Zambia among the company’s African customers. Separate company materials describe battery supplies to more than 30 African countries and identify energy storage projects in Zambia and South Africa.
A Rwanda factory remains a possibility
Liao said Ritar serves African markets through distributors rather than factories of its own on the continent. The company is seeking more distribution partners and has not ruled out manufacturing in Africa if suitable opportunities emerge.
“Maybe if we have the chance, we can build factories in African countries,” she said.
Asked specifically about Rwanda, she expressed conditional interest in visiting the country if the company developed plans for a factory.
“If we have the project or we have the schedule to build a factory, we will visit Rwanda,” she said.
Ritar’s ambitions come as China continues to expand its solar industry. China’s National Energy Administration reported approximately 1,200GW of installed photovoltaic capacity at the end of 2025, up 35% from a year earlier. Photovoltaic electricity generation reached about 1.17 trillion kilowatt-hours during the year, an increase of 40%.
For Rwanda, expanding electricity generation and integrating renewable energy into the grid could create opportunities for battery storage. For Ritar, the challenge is to turn that potential demand into business through its distribution network and possible future investments in Africa.
The Ritar logo displayed on a building at the company’s Hunan facility.Christina Liao presents Ritar’s range of batteries, including products for energy storage and backup power.A camera operator records machinery on the production floor at Hengyang Ritar Power Co., Ltd. in Hunan Province.Battery components move along a production line at Hengyang Ritar Power Co., Ltd.A production line at Hengyang Ritar Power Co., a Hunan-based subsidiary of Ritar.Battery components are stored inside Hengyang Ritar Power Co.’s factory in Hunan.Christina Liao, Africa Business Director at Hengyang Ritar Power Co., Ltd., explains the company’s battery products and their applications.Production machinery inside Hengyang Ritar Power Co.’s factory.Workers handle battery components during production at Hengyang Ritar Power Co., LtdVisitors tour the production floor at Hengyang Ritar Power Co., Ltd.
Logistics robots, drink-making robots and pet-companion robots crowded the intelligent robotics area at the fair, which is being held from Oct. 15 to Nov. 4 in Guangzhou, capital of south China’s Guangdong Province.
At the booth of Hangzhou Taixi Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., buyers lined up to try out a consumer waist-assist exoskeleton. Many overseas buyers held the handrail and shuffled forward, step by step, to feel how the device relieves pressure on their lower limbs.
It is the first flagship product to integrate its human-oriented physical AI technology roadmap, said company founder Liang Linchao. The device uses waist motors and sensors to detect movement and assist lower-limb mobility. Its weight has been cut to about 2 kg, and alongside a refined appearance, algorithms and gait plans tailored to elderly people and hemiplegic patients have been added.
The cluster of cutting-edge smart equipment reflects a broader push toward industrial innovation. At this fair, 64 percent of exhibitors have integrated the industrial internet and artificial intelligence into R&D and production, and new products accounted for 23.2 percent of exhibits, marking a record high.
“At today’s Canton Fair, consumer electronics are the dominant category, and tech products such as new energy storage, embodied intelligence and smart healthcare are eye-catching, with many cutting-edge Chinese-made products making their debut,” said Zhang Li, an official with the Ministry of Commerce.
Nearby, several European buyers closely watched the scrolling data at DSL Tech Group’s booth. The AI-POOL low-chlorine intelligent pool system uses sensor probes to collect the pool’s real-time indicators such as residual chlorine, pH level, turbidity and water pressure, and automatically coordinates pumps, disinfection units and sand-filter backwash systems.
Chen Meixiang, the representative of the company, demonstrated on her phone how users can receive alerts about water quality abnormalities from thousands of miles away. The system adjusts automatically, so staff no longer need to visit regularly to take samples and mix chemicals.
“Many overseas private pools used to rely on maintenance workers visiting once a week, and water quality would easily exceed standards,” Chen said. These European clients are mainly pool operation and maintenance service providers, attracted by the system’s ability to cut manual maintenance costs.
These technology-driven products are also reflected in trade data. Customs statistics show that in the first three quarters of 2026, China’s total imports and exports of industrial robots, electronic components, computer parts and electrical equipment exceeded 10 trillion yuan (1.49 trillion U.S. dollars), up 58.9 percent year on year, driving overall import and export growth by 11.3 percentage points.
Liu Chun, president of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, said that driven by technological innovation and industrial upgrading, high-tech and high-value-added products are gradually becoming the main growth engine of foreign trade, pushing “China’s smart manufacturing” toward the high end of global industrial and value chains.
This service-oriented approach is visible at the booth of Shandong Linuo Paradigma Co., Ltd., where sales staff explained tailored plans to buyers from different continents.
“Africa lacks power and is windy and dusty, so we cut costs and provide solar water-heating systems that are easy to install and run without electricity,” a staff member of the company said. “The Middle East wants high quality, so we match energy-saving products with high-standard certification, and South Asia emphasizes large capacity and durability, so we strengthen system adaptability.”
The company has set up agent systems and localized service outlets in markets of Belt and Road partner countries, combining Chinese manufacturing, German-partnered technology and global service into a competitive edge.
Beyond individual products, the latest edition of the Canton Fair also features a batch of prefabricated new products, including space capsules, portable integrated kitchens and modular homestay houses. Chinese suppliers are moving from selling parts to selling whole houses, and integrated overseas expansion is supporting a new growth path.
“By launching prefabricated building solutions for cultural tourism camps, we have attracted buyers from Australia, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia among other countries, and more than 300 have reached preliminary agreements. We will continue to use project meetings to deliver full-chain services from planning to design, construction and operation,” said Jia Xuehong, planning and design director of Chongqing SUNDON Prefabricated Construction and Technology Co., Ltd.
More and more foreign trade companies are shifting from simply taking orders and shipping goods to building systems and exporting supporting services. At the fair, 36.5 percent of exhibitors have started a transformation of “product plus service.”
For the first time, the trade services zone covers all 10 major categories of producer services, including logistics and warehousing, industrial design, overseas operation and maintenance, cross-border investment and financing and other supporting services, building a one-stop support platform for companies expanding overseas.
Yang Jie, secretary-general of the Guangdong Industrial Design Association, said that under an industrial design and R&D approach that runs through the whole life cycle and centers on consumer pain points, more and more Chinese companies are winning favor in more markets by integrating design into the early stages of development and coordinating it with technology to deliver innovative products and solutions.
Green products are another highlight. Amid the global energy transition, green products and low-carbon technologies have become highly sought-after in international markets. At the fair, exhibitor Xiamen HiTHIUM Energy Storage Technology focused on showcasing its flagship long-duration energy storage products, presenting stable and reliable long-duration power supply solutions to overseas buyers.
Wang Pengcheng, co-founder and CEO of the company, said more and more countries and regions are advancing energy structure transition, and the company hopes that through the Canton Fair, the “Chinese solution” for long-duration energy storage can be seen by the world, so that more countries have the option of using stable, green and affordable clean power.
China is enriching global supply with quality green and smart products and helping accelerate the global green, low-carbon and digital and intelligent transition. Over the past decade, China has provided more than 80 percent of the world’s photovoltaic modules and 70 percent of its wind power equipment, effectively driving down the cost of global wind and solar power generation.
Commenting on the trend, Liang Yutian, associate dean of the Institute of International and Regional Studies, Sun Yat-sen University, said the concentrated display of new energy, energy storage equipment, green home appliances and other products reflects the global green transition forming new market demand. In the future, around the digital economy, green energy, smart manufacturing and low-carbon technologies, countries can further strengthen technological cooperation, industrial coordination and standards alignment to cultivate new international growth points.
From continuous breakthroughs in hard technology to complete solutions stepping into the spotlight, and green thinking embedded in products, the innovation vitality surging at the Canton Fair illustrates how China’s foreign trade keeps cultivating new advantages and deepening its links with the world.
A staff member controls a smart wheelchair to go down the stairs during the Canton Fair in Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong Province, Oct. 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)
Kagame made the remarks on Wednesday, October 28, during the second meeting of the AI for Good Global Commission, which he co-chairs alongside Marc Benioff, CEO and co-founder of Salesforce.
The virtual meeting brought together Benioff, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin, who serves as vice-chair, and other commissioners to review progress and discuss the next steps towards ensuring AI delivers economic and social benefits worldwide.
“The objective of this commission is to ensure that AI reaches everyone, everywhere without exception,” Kagame said.
President Kagame co-chaired the meeting alongside Marc Benioff, CEO and co-founder of Salesforce.
He noted that AI continues to evolve and that its benefits would grow if people from different backgrounds had a voice in determining how the technology develops.
“The benefits of AI will also compound if we all have a voice in shaping the future of this new technology,” he said.
Kagame urged commissioners to continue asking difficult questions and commit their time, expertise and resources to finding practical solutions.
“As a commission, our job is to keep asking the hard questions and commit our time, expertise, and resources to find practical solutions,” he remarked, expressing confidence that the commission had the capacity to achieve its objectives.
The President also said Rwanda was ready to champion the commission’s AI for Good in Action initiative, through which some of the country’s existing initiatives could be scaled up.
“Rwanda is also ready to champion the work under the AI for Good in Action where some of our initiatives as a country can be scaled,” he added.
The meeting comes as Rwanda advances plans to strengthen its national AI capabilities, including the establishment of the National Artificial Intelligence Agency.
The Head of State stressed that AI continues to evolve and that its benefits would grow if people from different backgrounds had a voice in determining how the technology develops.
Rwanda advances its AI agenda
On Tuesday, October 27, Kagame appointed three senior officials to lead operations, delivery, and strategy and partnerships at the agency.
Olivier Twagirayezu was appointed Chief Operations Officer, Jessica Ingabire Chief Delivery Officer, and Robert Kayinamura Chief Strategy and Partnerships Officer.
The appointments follow Cabinet approval in June 2026 to establish the agency, which is expected to coordinate AI development, innovation, investment, adoption and governance in support of Rwanda’s digital transformation and economic growth.
Its mandate includes government transformation, research, skills development, AI ethics and safety, industry development, commercialisation and international partnerships.
Rwanda has been positioning AI as a tool for improving public services and supporting economic development, with initiatives spanning healthcare, agriculture and public administration.
The commission, meanwhile, seeks to bring together leaders from government, business and international organisations to identify practical ways to expand access to AI, strengthen trust and ensure the technology contributes to development across countries and communities.
Kagame was appointed co-chair alongside Benioff when the commission was announced by the ITU in July 2026. Bogdan-Martin serves as vice-chair.
The Beijing-based company announced the changes on Saturday, October 24, 2026, ahead of plans to release the model’s underlying weights on November 4.
These files allow developers to run, modify and adapt an AI model on their own computer systems.
According to Reuters, Moonshot removed cybersecurity-related data from the model’s training material and reinforcement-learning environments while retaining its general coding capabilities.
The company said the decision was intended to prevent the public release of a model that could significantly expand the ability to conduct sophisticated cyberattacks.
“We aim not to release open weights that would extend the absolute frontier of cyber capability,” Moonshot said.
The move comes as governments, technology companies and cybersecurity researchers increasingly warn that advanced AI systems could help malicious actors identify software weaknesses and automate parts of cyberattacks.
AI models capable of writing code, using software tools and completing complex tasks could make it easier to discover vulnerabilities in computer systems, including those supporting critical infrastructure and government services.
Moonshot said its risk-reduction measures had lowered the model’s performance on an internal cybersecurity benchmark.
The company reported that Kimi K3.1 Pro scored 81.0% on a controlled test involving the identification and exploitation of software vulnerabilities, compared with 90.5% for a similar version without the additional restrictions.
The results have not been independently verified.
Despite the reduction, Moonshot said the new model still outperformed its predecessor.
The company maintains that openly available AI models can also improve cybersecurity by helping organisations identify weaknesses and protect their software, particularly older systems that may not receive regular security updates.
However, releasing model weights publicly presents additional challenges because developers have less control over how the technology is used once the files are widely distributed.
The announcement follows China’s proposed export controls on certain AI-driven malware-generation technologies and tools that use AI to identify software vulnerabilities.
The proposed measures reflect growing concerns about the potential misuse of increasingly capable AI systems.
Kimi K3.1 Pro features a context window of one million tokens, allowing it to process large amounts of information in a single interaction.
Moonshot also introduced a faster version, K3.1 Pro Highspeed, which the company says operates two to three times faster than the standard model.
Chinese AI startup Moonshot AI has introduced restrictions on the cyber-offensive capabilities of its Kimi K3.1 Pro model ahead of its planned release to developers.
The penalty follows a jury verdict that the company violated state consumer protection laws more than 43 million times through misleading statements about its data practices and the enforcement of rules against harmful content.
Judge Francis Mathew issued the ruling on Wednesday, reducing the potential penalty of more than $219 billion to $25 billion. The judge found that Meta’s alleged misconduct was deliberate and spanned more than 11 years, from 2010 to 2021.
The case centred partly on the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which came to light in 2018 after revelations that the British political consulting firm had obtained personal information from as many as 87 million Facebook users through a third-party application without their consent.
The firm used the information for voter profiling and political targeting, including work connected to Donald Trump’s 2016 US presidential campaign.
New Mexico’s Attorney General Raúl Torrez sued Meta in 2021, accusing the company of misleading residents about who could access their personal information. The state also alleged that Meta misrepresented how it handled hate speech and misinformation on its platforms.
Torrez welcomed the ruling, saying it sent a message that major technology companies could be held accountable for their business practices.
“For too long, powerful technology companies have operated as though their size and influence put them beyond the reach of the law,” he said.
Meta disputed the ruling and said it would appeal. The company’s Chief Legal Officer, C.J. Mahoney, argued that the lawsuit sought to impose restrictions on online expression.
The penalty adds to the company’s mounting legal challenges over data privacy and online safety. In 2019, Meta paid a $5 billion penalty to the US Federal Trade Commission over its data privacy practices following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
New Mexico also secured nearly $1 billion in penalties against Meta earlier this year in separate cases concerning the safety of its platforms for children and allegations of harm to young users.
Despite the legal setbacks, Meta continues to invest heavily in artificial intelligence. The company reported revenue of $64.5 billion in the July-to-September period, up 26% from a year earlier, while profits tripled to $9.8 billion.
The penalty against Mark Zuckerberg’s tech giant follows a jury verdict that the company violated state consumer protection laws more than 43 million times through misleading statements about its data practices and the enforcement of rules against harmful content.
NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover is scheduled to embark on a mission to the lunar South Pole region in 2027 to explore permanently shadowed craters in search of water and other potentially valuable resources that could support sustainable lunar exploration.
The rover will be delivered to the lunar surface by Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 lander and is expected to travel more than 30 kilometers, collecting data on local temperatures, lighting conditions and terrain.
NASA said the data could help scientists better understand the origin and distribution of water on the Moon and assess how lunar resources might be used to support future exploration.
Meanwhile, NASA has awarded task orders to Astrolab and Lunar Outpost to build the first phase of Moon Base rovers capable of carrying crew, called lunar terrain vehicles (LTVs), which are intended to reach the Moon ahead of crewed Artemis missions.
Blue Origin has been tasked with delivering the rovers to the lunar South Pole region by 2028 through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative.
The LTVs will allow astronauts to explore geologically diverse areas near the lunar South Pole, collect samples and transport equipment. They will also be remotely operated from Earth to map the lunar surface before astronauts arrive, NASA said.
According to NASA, the LTVs are designed to travel up to 10 kilometers on a single battery charge, support up to three moonwalks per Artemis mission, and carry up to 80 kilograms of lunar samples and tools.
“Lunar rovers are central to our surface mobility strategy,” said Robert Pickle, director of NASA’s Surface Mobility Office within the Moon Base Program.
Their performance will help lay the groundwork for the mobility systems needed to build, operate and expand infrastructure for long-duration lunar exploration, he said.
An artist’s concept of NASA’s VIPER lunar rover on the surface of the Moon.
The application, dubbed ‘Thrive App’, was officially launched on October 17, 2026, at SOHO Fitness’s Kimihurura branch in Kigali. It offers practical exercises, guidance, and challenges to help users build healthier habits, with rewards for those who complete selected activities.
The initiative comes as mental health remains a public health concern in Rwanda. In January 2026, the Ministry of Health reported that 9.1% of Rwandans experienced depression-related mental health problems in 2025.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can also be challenging for people who struggle to exercise consistently, make nutritious food choices, or manage their finances.
Thrive seeks to address these challenges through activities that encourage users to adopt healthier routines and monitor their progress.
Participants at the launch said they were particularly impressed by the application’s mental health exercises, which were among the first features they explored. They also welcomed its nutritional guidance, noting that the recommended foods are readily available in Rwanda.
Tsatsi Rugege, who had used the application for two days, said its locally relevant nutritional advice and mental health exercises stood out.
“Many applications provide nutritional advice, but you often find that they recommend foods that are not readily available here in Rwanda. This one, however, includes foods that you can easily find here. It also has exercises related to mental health, which I have now started practising and have found enjoyable,” she said.
The application includes exercises that encourage users to reflect on their emotional state, identify how they respond to stress and explore ways to manage it. Based on their responses, it provides guidance on steps they can take to address the challenges they face.
Rugege said the exercises helped her understand how to put into practice her desire to maintain a positive mindset.
“I have always known that I want to have the right mindset and remain happy, but I did not really know how to achieve that in practice. That is where I came to appreciate this app,” she remarked.
Beyond mental health and nutrition, the application encourages physical activity through challenges that users can complete individually or alongside others.
As part of launch activities, participants took on a challenge to walk 10,000 steps daily for one week. The application tracks their progress, with those who complete the challenge eligible for rewards, including fuel-related products, gym sessions, and other prizes.
The official launch also featured physical exercise activities, with prizes awarded to participants who completed them successfully. Two additional soft-launch events are scheduled to take place over the remaining months of the year.
Old Mutual Insurance Rwanda Managing Director Chantal Habiyakare said the partnership with SOHO Fitness was part of the company’s efforts to promote well-being among its clients and the wider public.
“SOHO Fitness is one of our partners in Thrive. Having worked together for some time in other areas, we built on that relationship to bring the app to our community more efficiently. We will continue promoting it so that more people beyond our clients can benefit,” the MD said.
Thrive is available free of charge and can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
The application, dubbed ‘Thrive App’, was officially launched on October 17, 2026, at SOHO Fitness’s Kimihurura branch in Kigali.The mobile app offers practical exercises, guidance, and challenges to help users build healthier habits, with rewards for those who complete selected activities.Thrive seeks to encourage users to adopt healthier routines and monitor their progress.The official launch also featured physical exercise activities, with prizes awarded to participants who completed them successfully. Participants at the launch said they were particularly impressed by the application’s mental health exercises, which were among the first features they explored.
