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Born on June 11th, 1950, Ntidendereza’s life was marked by his dedication to public service and his contributions to the betterment of Rwanda. Tragically, he left this world four years after assuming his position in Rwanda’s Upper House of Parliament. Ntidendereza’s journey as a senator commenced on September 16th, 2019, when he was elected to represent the City of Kigali.

His election victory was a testament to his popularity, as he secured an impressive 60% of the total 110 votes cast. Competing against three other candidates, Ntidendereza emerged triumphant over John Butera, who garnered 14.5% of the votes, Zeno Mutimura (18%), and Ignace Rwakayiro Mpabukawari, who managed to secure 7.7% of the votes.

Ntidendereza held a bachelor’s degree in education and psychology, as confirmed by Senate records.

His influence extended beyond his role as a senator; he served as the Secretary General of the former National Itorero Commission from 2012 to 2018.

The term “Itorero” refers to a Rwandan civic education institution aimed at nurturing a sense of cultural identity among Rwandans. This institution imparts values such as national unity, social solidarity, patriotism, integrity, bravery, tolerance, and societal norms.

His previous positions were equally impactful. From 2009 to 2012, Ntidendereza held the position of Vice Chairman of the National Itorero Commission. Prior to that, he served as the Mayor of Kicukiro District in the City of Kigali from 2006 to 2008. Additionally, he contributed to academia as a visiting lecturer at the University of Rwanda between 1996 and 2000.

Munyabugingo is among the 20 entrepreneurs who presented their projects during the ABH 2023 semi-finals that took place in Kigali from September 1-2. The announcement of the top 10 finalists, who stood out from a pool of more than 27,000 applicants from across the African continent, was made on Saturday night.

Munyabugingo becomes the fifth Rwandan entrepreneur to secure funding from Alibaba since 2019, when the initiative by Chinese billionaire Jack Ma was launched.

He has emphasized that this competition provides exposure and has encouraged fellow Rwandans to expand their horizons, marketing their businesses beyond the domestic market to compete globally.

He further highlighted that the contest serves as an ideal platform for entrepreneurs with impactful projects aimed at addressing various challenges in Africa, fostering innovation, making a societal impact, and contributing to food sufficiency, among other goals.

In an exclusive interview with IGIHE recently, Munyabugingo shared that Vuba Vuba contributes to reducing poverty by empowering entrepreneurs at the grassroots level in Rwanda, enabling them to scale their businesses.

The company collaborates with more than 10 startups registered as restaurant businesses in Rwanda, which primarily focus on food preparation and delivery through Vuba Vuba, eliminating the need for dining space.

Since its establishment in January 2020, Vuba Vuba has grown to include a team of 31 full-time employees, 100 delivery riders, and 50 casual workers. Together, they have facilitated the successful delivery of over 1,000,000 orders, maintaining an impressive daily average of 1,000 deliveries. Vuba Vuba Africa Ltd was founded in January 2020, with Munyabugingo’s aim being to develop a robust local technological solution for e-commerce.

Also among the top 10 finalists is Mawuse Christina Gyisun, CEO and co-founder of Sommalife, a Ghanaian agricultural enterprise. The remaining entrepreneurs include Bola Bardet, CEO and co-founder of Susu, a Beninese healthcare company; Ayman Bazaraa, CEO and co-founder of Egyptian education and training company Sprints; and Andrew Takyi-Appiah, founder of Ghanaian fintech company Zeepay.

Additionally, the list features Thomas Njeru, CEO and co-founder of Kenyan agricultural company Pula Advisors Limited; Ismael Belkhayat, CEO and founder of Moroccan fintech company Chari; and Ikpeme Neto, CEO and founder of Nigerian healthcare solution provider Wellahealth Technologies.

The roster of winners also includes Nthabiseng Mosia, co-founder of Easy Solar, a South African energy distribution company, and Theo Baloyi, CEO and founder of the South African retail company Bathu.

In November, African’s Business Heroes will unveil the allocation of the $1.5 million prize pool. The highest-earning entrepreneur will receive $300,000, the first runner-up $250,000, and the second runner-up $150,000.

The remaining seven of the top 10 finalists will each be granted $100,000, while the remaining $100,000 will be distributed among all finalists for supplementary training programs.

Since 2019, four Rwandan entrepreneurs have secured a total of $385,000 (equivalent to over Rwf460 million) in funding from the Alibaba initiative. These entrepreneurs include Francine Munyaneza, founder of Munyax Eco; Yvette Ishimwe, founder and CEO of IRIBA Water Group; Christelle Kwizera, founder of Water Access Rwanda; and Kevine Kagirimpundu, co-founder and CEO of UZURI K&Y.

[Related article: Exploring impactful innovation and entrepreneurship: A conversation with co-founder of Vuba Vuba Africa Ltd->https://en.igihe.com/business/article/exploring-impactful-innovation-and-entrepreneurship-a-conversation-with-co]

Graced by the First Lady of Rwanda, Jeannette Kagame, the 19th Kwita Izina Gorilla Naming Ceremony held on Friday 1st September 2023, brought together distinguished namers, friends of Rwanda, special guests and tens of thousands of people from the communities surrounding Volcanoes National Park.

The 23 baby gorillas were named by conservation champions, community heroes, sports stars, industry leaders and international artists and celebrities.

The ceremony featured Rwandan musicians and a performance with almost 180 artists from the Mashirika Performing Arts and Media Company that celebrated 19 years of Kwita Izina through the theme of consistency, growth, and expansion.

Speaking at the event, the First Lady of Rwanda, Jeannette Kagame highlighted that mountain gorillas represent more than a source of tourism, or adventurous entertainment.

“To us, our gorillas are the custodians of a nature we cherish. Rwanda’s efforts to protect its biodiversity have been multi-faceted, and multi-purposed. From local and international advocacy, to the creation and expansion of national parks, no stone is being left unturned,“ she stated.

Clare Akamanzi, Chief Executive Officer, Rwanda Development Board, stressed the need to invest in nature because the environment is the foundation of economy.

“This is why Rwanda invests heavily in building an eco-tourism industry that benefits both our people and our planet. I invite everyone to follow the journeys of the baby gorillas named today. Let their stories be a living testament of our commitment today,“ she said.

Since Kwita Izina began in 2005, 374 baby mountain gorillas have been named, and the population in the Virunga Massif has grown by 23%, according to the most recent census.

According to Michaella Rugwizangoga, Chief Tourism Officer, Rwanda Development Board, this remarkable achievement would not have been possible without the communities living around the park, dedicated conservationists and researchers as well as visionary leadership.

Marked every year in September, delegates from across the world gather at Musanze, in the Northern part of Rwanda to name baby gorillas.

During this year’s naming, celebrated movie actor; the late Chadwick Boseman ‘resurrected’ through a gorilla that was named by Zimbabwean-American actress Danai Guria.

Danai starred alongside Boseman in ‘Black Panther’, and as a way of remembering Boseman aka T’challa, she named the gorilla Aguka (Kinyarwanda word for Expansion) T’challa.

“I pick this name to applaud Aguka T’challa’s mother for her contribution to growing the motobo’s family members as well as to commemorate and honour T’challa the king of Wakanda this memorial week whose love for this continent shines brightly in his legacy left behind,” Danai Gurira.

Among other namers was; Hazza AlQahtani, the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the Republic of Rwanda, who named a male gorilla from the Kwitonda family, mother Icyamamare, ‘Urunana’ which means collaboration. The ambassador choice was to ‘highlight the importance of collaboration and partnership to achieve global conservation goals’.

Andrew Mitchell-Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK named the gorilla from the family of Pablo, mother Teta, daughter ‘Mukundwa’ which means Beloved and Favoured.

Actor Idris Elba and wife Sabrina Elba named their gorilla ‘Narame’, which means ‘Long life’. The Elba’s chose the name wishing the newborn gorilla a long life as her mother Mudakama from the Motobo family, has previously lost two of her babies.

Still from the acting industry, Actor and Producer Winston Duke named his gorilla ‘Wintarumwika’ which translates to ‘Resilient Giant’.

Winston chose the name in honour of his late single mother who taught him the meaning of resilience while Kevin Hart named his baby gorilla ‘Gakondo’.

Arsenal legend Sol Campbell named the gorilla ‘Jijuka’ which means enlightenment while former NBA Chicago Bulls Centre/Forward, Joakim Noah and International model Lais Ribeiro named a baby gorilla from the family of Igisha- ‘Turumwe’ which means Oneness.

“The baby is named after Chicago’s one city basketball league symbolising safe spaces for youth growth and fostering inter-community oneness. The name also symbolises the unity of the Rwandan people,” said Noah.

Twelve year old Ineza Elvine, the youngest of all namers, named her gorilla ‘Nibagwire’ which means to multiply.

Nibagwire is daughter to Ubuhamya, from the family of Segasira and Elvine chose the name as a way of wishing the Segasira family to grow in number.

Other gorillas were named; Bigwi which means achiever, Ingoboka meaning support, Intiganda to mean Humble and Brave, Umutako which symbolises Ornament, Ikirango-Symbol, Ramba-Sustainable, Igazo-origin (Source), Ishingano- Responsibility, Impundu-acclamation, Gisubizo-solution, Umucunguzi-redeemer, Mugisha-blessing, Uburinganire-gender equality, and Murare-Sleepover encouraging all those who visit Rwanda to stay longer and enjoy the beauty of the country.

23 gorillas were named during the 19th Kwita Izina event which was graced by the First Lady of Rwanda, Jeannette Kagame.

In her speech, the first lady stressed that ‘nature can persist without us, but we can’t persist without it’, hence urging for continued efforts in conserving the gorillas.

“To us, mountain gorillas represent more than a source of tourism or adventurous entertainment, to us our gorillas are custodians of a nature we truly cherish,” she said.

Together with President Paul Kagame, the First Lady pioneered the first Kwita Izina that happened in 2005, where they named baby twin gorillas: Byishimo and Impano.

Kwita Izina will mark its 20th anniversary in 2024 and according to the CEO of Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Clare Akamanzi, everyone should mark their calendars as it will be filled with a ‘series of celebrations’ that will have all previous gorilla namers.

So, the question that must be posed is, is there anything that Rwanda can learn from China’s development trajectory?

Surprisingly, yes. While China is today a power, the steps that China made to get to this position can, and should, be used for reference by other developing nations including Rwanda.

In 2022, the gross domestic product (GDP) of China amounted to around 18.1 trillion U.S. dollars where the agricultural sector contributed around 7.3 percent.

As of 2021, around 22.9 percent of the workforce in the country was employed in the agricultural sector.

Meanwhile, agriculture accounts for around 31 percent of Rwanda’s GDP and remains the main source of income for majority Rwandans occupying 70% of the labor.

To feed its people and become food secure, China made certain policy decisions that can be studied by Rwanda.

Of course, China and Rwanda have developed their agriculture under different historical conditions. However, China’s agriculture-led growth and poverty reduction and small holder based agricultural development policy can provide a useful model for African countries, such as Rwanda, to develop their own agricultural development strategies to reduce poverty.

One of its biggest policy decisions was the empowering of smallholder farmers. Today, smallholder farmers are the backbone of Rwanda’s food system. They are the majority of employed labour and, at a strategic level, for Rwanda to develop, these smallholder farmers must become more productive.

In China, agricultural development was primarily driven by smallholder farmers moving from lower to higher levels of productivity and unlike Rwanda, the origin and evolution of Chinese agricultural structure has been based on long-term experimentation over thousands of years. This has enabled Chinese smallholders to develop smallholder-based farming technology in an incremental way over a long period, and has provided a solid foundation for further agricultural development.

To make it a reality, China introduced series of policies and measures to ensure food security.

This is an addition to resolutions including clear guidelines, issued every year by Chinese Communist Party, to solve problems affecting the agriculture sector.

In 2006, China exempted smallholder farmers from agricultural taxes which significantly contributed to improved livelihoods.

Besides, agriculture is the fourth largest priority for government’s expenditures after education, social safety and health.

The Chinese agricultural system is centered on technology while farmers receive support at their doorsteps from agriculture extension stations across the country.

Fish and mushroom farming have emerged among other key areas highlighting agricultural development in China.

In response to growing demand for aquatic products, China introduced its 14th Five-Year National Fisheries Development Plan in 2022.

Under this plan, the country’s 2025 target for aquatic production is 69 million tonnes from 65.47 million in 2020.

In Rwanda, figures show that fish production slightly increased from 41,664 tonnes in 2021 to 43,560 tonnes in 2022.

As for mushrooms’ farming, China adopted Juncao mushroom technology promising to help smallholder farmers boost household income.

In this regard, China-Rwanda Agriculture Technology Demonstration Center was established to help families generate income from mushroom sales.

The question is , how are smallholder livelihoods in China maintained under small scale conditions?

Firstly, productivity is achieved through an intensive family farming system. In most parts of China, multiple-cropping is widely practiced and mixed crop-livestock systems are common.

Likewise, Rwandan farmers, due to the relatively small sizes of their landholdings, have no choice but to practice the same multi-cropping and mixed-farming systems. And while Rwandans have attempted this system, there is a lot more that can be done.

Although some agricultural work has been taken over by machines, smallholder agriculture in China is very labour intensive. In addition, Chinese smallholders widely use improved seed varieties and fertilisers. This is something that the creators of Rwanda’s agricultural policy are copying. Today, the Government of Rwanda provides improved potato, bean and maize seeds as well as subsidizing the cost of fertilizer.

Land use and settlement patterns in rural China have also contributed to agricultural development. Except in mountainous areas, villages are usually nucleated and arable land belonging to different small holders is relatively concentrated. This helps the development of large scale commercial crop clusters such as maize clusters in Northern China and rice clusters in Southern China. This also favours the economic use of joint services such as irrigation, extension, harvesting and marketing services provided by the state.

By creating the umudugudu system in rural Rwanda, the Government of Rwanda has been able to separate land for settlement and land for agriculture. This has allowed for land consolidation and increased productivity. Irrigation schemes, agricultural schemes and other Government services have followed.

In China, with an increasing labour movement out of agriculture, mechanisation has gradually taken over heavy farm work such as ploughing, planting and harvesting. Mechanisation is not normally done through individual family farms, but is provided by private services.

The lack of mechanization in Rwanda is largely due to the high cost of equipment and the lack of skills to operate this equipment. Rwandan private sector players can also use the China-model to support the country’s agricultural development. They should purchase this equipment and then rent it to rural farmers.

While Rwanda is very different from China, there are nevertheless some important lessons that could be shared between the two countries. Much of this centres on the politics of policy, and the importance of a consistent, long-term, learning approach, rooted in local contexts, avoiding sudden change and inappropriate external interventions.

In China, a consistent agriculture-centred development strategy and staple food crop-led agricultural development policy, honed through an incremental learning process, significantly shaped smallholder agriculture.

Another lesson from China stems from the steady transformation towards a market system ensured by the provision of irrigation, improved seed and fertiliser, and market facilities provided by the state, which enabled smallholders to gain access to the services at low cost.

Building a food-based agriculture system takes time and must be accompanied by comprehensive support to assist appropriate new technologies to emerge. This includes re-investing in agricultural education, research institutes and experiment stations as well as a modern extension service.

The driving force behind BK Group’s success has traditionally been the performance of its flagship entity, the Bank of Kigali. With a profit after tax of Rwf36 billion, the bank continues to solidify its position as the group’s primary revenue engine. During a press conference on Thursday, August 31, Bank of Kigali CEO, Diane Karusisi, highlighted two pivotal factors contributing to the bank’s outstanding performance.

The first factor was a marked increase in fee income, attributed to BK’s adept management of foreign exchange trading and fees collected from its payment facilities. This diversification strategy has proven effective in generating substantial revenue streams. The second factor is the bank’s meticulous approach to maintaining a healthy loan portfolio. Notably, the bank boasts a staggeringly low Non-Performing Loan (NPL) rate of 2.6% and a cost of risk of just two per cent. These figures reflect the bank’s disciplined underwriting practices, positioning it as a paragon of financial prudence.

As of June 30, the Bank of Kigali catered to an extensive customer base, serving over 375,038 retail customers, more than 2,183 corporate clients, 59,260 SME customers, and over 44,268 agri-customers. Impressively, the bank facilitated over 3.5 million transactions amounting to Rwf 836.2 billion during the same period. With a widespread presence, the bank boasted 67 branches, 105 ATMs, and 2,984 POS terminals across the country.

BK Group’s achievements do not end with its banking arm. BK Insurance achieved a profit of Rwf 1.7 billion in H1 2023, reflecting a consistent growth trajectory. Furthermore, BK TecHouse’s remarkable 29% increase in sales revenue, soaring from Rwf 574.4 million to Rwf 738.3 million year-on-year, underscores the company’s ability to adapt and excel in a competitive market.

Similarly, BK Capital showcased an exceptional performance, with net operating income skyrocketing by 96% to Rwf 752 million in Q2 2023, compared to the same period last year. The growth demonstrated by these subsidiaries signifies the group’s holistic approach to financial services and its capacity to capitalize on diverse revenue streams.

Beata Habyarimana, the group’s CEO, emphasized the steadfast commitment of the BK Group amidst a challenging economic landscape. She applauded the resilience, adaptability, and dedication exhibited by the group, expressing a commitment to continued vigilance and agility in navigating the uncertain economic environment.

The trio was taken into custody at about 8p.m, in Boli village, Miko cell of Karengera sector, shortly after a violent theft when they attacked and injured a 60-year old man before stealing Rwf300,000, a cellphone and other electronics from him.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Bonaventure Twizere Karekezi, the Police spokesperson for the Western region, said that the trio, armed with traditional tools, injured the victim on shoulders and chest, and was rescued to Mwezi health center for treatment.

“The victim was found by a passerby groaning on the side of the remote road where he had been attacked and injured by suspected thieves, and called the Police,” SP Karekezi said.

He added: “The search for the suspects was immediately commenced and three people said to be behind the violent theft were located and arrested shortly after in the same village.

They were found in possession of the same phone stolen from the victim and Rwf114,900, said to be part of the Rwf300,000 that they had also stolen from the victim. They had used part of the money to buy 7kgs of meat, among others, which they were caught with. They were handed over to RIB at Karengera station for further investigations.”

Two of the suspects are aged 23 while the third member is aged 30. “These are young and energetic people, who should be working instead of going astray in criminal activities and wasting their lives in prison.”

Under Article 168 of the law determining offences and penalties, any person convicted for violent theft face between five and seven years in prison and a fine of between Rwf3 million and Rwf5 million.