The Commandant of PTS, Commissioner of Police (CP) Robert Niyonshuti, while closing the course, said that the peacekeeping pre-deployment training was initiated as a result of the existing partnership between Rwanda National Police (RNP) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), to build the capacity of the RNP officers, who will undertake different tasks in the UN mission areas.
“The pre-deployment training for IPOs presents the essential knowledge in special training materials imperatively required for all peacekeeping personnel—military, police and civilians—to perform effectively in a UN peacekeeping operation.
It also aims at providing a shared understanding of the basic principles, guidelines and policies of UN peacekeeping that guide peacekeepers as they carryout critical tasks to assist countries in the transition from conflict to peace,” CP Niyonshuti said.
He added that the training is in line with the RNP commitment in contributing personnel to peacekeeping missions to maintain peace worldwide and enhance the professionalism and capability to counterbalance security challenges both in the region and beyond.
CP Niyonshuti urged the trainees to fully apply the knowledge and skills acquired from the course in fulfilling their peacekeeping tasks. “Bear in mind the knowledge and skills you acquired in an added value to your daily policing duties.”
The two-week peacekeeping course was conducted by UNITAR in partnership with Rwanda National Police. Police officers acquired skills and knowledge in UN peacekeeping standards such as command, administration, human rights due diligence policy, community oriented policing, and capacity development.
It also looked at monitoring, mentoring and advising, protection of civilians, use force and firearms as well as arrest and detention in peacekeeping operations.
As the country continues to welcome a growing number of travelers, it has recognized the crucial role that high-quality and safe hotel dining plays in elevating the overall tourism experience.
The Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) and Rwanda Development Board (RDB) recently embarked on a nationwide campaign to sensitize hotels to ensure high-quality and safe hotel dining, enabling tourists to experience a culinary journey that leaves an indelible impression and fosters memories that extend far beyond their travels.
Jean Bosco Mulindi, director of the RSB Product Certification Unit, told Xinhua in an interview that Rwanda is positioning itself as the hub for services, hospitality, and international conferences, and anyone that visits Rwanda should expect to have safe and quality food.
“It is crucial for hotels to serve safe and quality food so that our visitors are happy with the safety and quality of the food,” he said. “Compliance with standards is a journey. Currently, we have only 17 hotels that are already certified, but we also have more than 60 hotels in the process.”
“We are planning to extend certification to not only hotels but also other services and enterprises dealing in catering services,” Mulindi said.
According to him, the RSB provides technical assistance to the hospitality industry and the entire value chain to ensure a level of compliance that leads to certification and guarantees the safety of food throughout the entire value chain.
“We are focusing on food safety because food is the source of life. When food is not safe, many problems may arise. Rwanda emphasizes the safety of food due to its status as a hub for services in East Africa. We have different campaigns that emphasize safe and quality food,” Mulindi said.
Hesilo Osire, executive chef of Lemigo Hotel, a four-star hotel in downtown Kigali, said that the hotel ensures the safety of food from the delivery point or from the supplier side.
“We make sure to check the origin of the food, including visits to farms. We ensure that the vehicle that transports meat is well calibrated to maintain a safe temperature for the food,” he said.
Osire said that people booking hotels often inquire about ISO and RSB certification, as they want to ensure they consume safe food.
“We strive for zero food poisoning incidents by ensuring the safety and freshness of our food, avoiding long periods in the fridge,” he said.
Herman Mondisha, general manager of Lake Kivu Serena Hotel in Rwanda’s second largest city of Gisenyi, said the establishment ensures the safety of everything served to its customers, following a rigorous process to prevent any contamination throughout the entire value chain.
“For the past three years, the Rwandan government has prioritized the proper handling of the food chain to support tourism,” he said. “Tourism plays a vital role in the economy. The food and services we offer should meet international standards.”
Mondisha explained that at Serena, food safety policies incorporate Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point programs, which are critical in ensuring food safety from purchasing and handling through suppliers, receiving, production, and delivery to clients.
“Since 2020, we have undergone this process, and our unit has received training through RSB. During the training, we realized that while we were doing certain things correctly, there were still gaps,” he said.
“We truly appreciate the Rwandan government’s push for these programs, allowing us to obtain certification and ensuring the safety of our clients who visit us here,” Mondisha said.
Rwanda’s tourism revenues rose to 445 million U.S. dollars in 2022, up 171.3 percent from the previous year, according to the latest RDB figures.
The country attracted about 110,000 visitors to its national parks in 2022, an increase of 142.4 percent from 2021. Rwanda aims to increase tourism receipts to 800 million dollars by 2024.
Experts have called on African countries to expedite efforts of women’s empowerment so as to realize global development aspirations in Africa.
This came as the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) hosted an expert group meeting that brought together policy specialists and academia to review its upcoming African Women’s Report on costing the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, which dwells upon achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment.
In 2015, countries adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development along with its 17 goals, including SDG 5, which the UNECA considered fundamental to the overall progress on the agenda.
“However, the evidence presented at the meeting indicates that no country in Africa is currently on track to meet any of the goals by 2030,” the UNECA said in a statement issued Friday.
The UNECA further cited a recent African Centre for Statistics data that estimated at the current pace, gender equality and women’s empowerment in Africa will only be achieved by 2094.
Sweta Saxena, chief of staff and acting director of the Gender, Poverty and Social Policy Division at the UNECA, stressed that implementing measures to achieve gender equality commitments by 2030 requires countries to first understand the additional investments required and subsequently mobilize the necessary resources to finance such actions.
“There is a strong commitment to SDG 5. But the question remains how to achieve it. This question resonates with our meeting’s theme and the upcoming edition of our African Women’s Report on Costing of SDG 5 in Africa,” the statement quoted Saxena as saying. The African Women’s Report is scheduled to be published later this year.
She said the UNECA has endeavored to demonstrate, in a practical way and with examples and case studies, how to estimate the investments needed for interventions towards achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
In their interventions, the experts recommended that African countries should adopt a multi-sectoral and integrated approach to identifying data discrepancies and mainstreaming SDG 5 across relevant departments to address existing gaps.
They emphasized the need for a common methodology for identifying investment needs for SDG 5, thereby emphasizing the importance of coordination and collaboration among stakeholders across Africa.
The expert also called on the UNECA to develop training programs to support African countries in collecting sex-disaggregated data and strengthening partnerships with stakeholders, as part of broader efforts to accelerate progress towards gender equality and women’s empowerment in Africa.
Upon his arrival, Gen Kabarebe was warmly received by Maj Gen E. Nkubito, the RSF JTF Commander, who provided him with a detailed briefing on the progress achieved in their ongoing counter-terrorism operations in Cabo Delgado Province.
Engaging with the dedicated Rwandan Security Forces in the Mocimboa da Praia District, the Ministry of Defence has revealed, Gen James Kabarebe conveyed a message on behalf of President Kagame, commending them for their unwavering commitment and dedication in fulfilling their duties. He encouraged them to continue demonstrating steadfastness and strive for exceptional results in their endeavors.
Rwanda started the deployment of 1000 troops of the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and the Rwanda National Police (RNP) to Mozambique on 9th July 2021, to fight terrorist groups, honoring the request of Mozambique. The troops had increased to nearly 2500 by the end of the year 2022.
The situation in the country had worsened since October 2017 when armed extremists launched an insurgency in the Cabo Delgado Province of Mozambique.
Mozambique Defence Armed Forces battled the extremists but many civilians were killed and displaced by the fighting.
Before Rwandan troops’ intervention, terrorists had killed 3000 civilians while more than 800,000 were displaced. The insecurity had also put to halt all development projects in the area controlled by insurgents.
The joint operations between Rwandan and Mozambican troops yielded big, where different regions were seized from rebels.
Responding to a question on Rwanda’s journey in the fight against terrorists in Mozambique, at a joint press conference with his counterpart of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema in Kigali this week, President Kagame said that there has been commendable progress.
“I should say, largely, the problem has been addressed in terms of large numbers of people that had been displaced being able to go back to their villages, homes and starting their activities as they should. There has been a presence of troops from SADC deployed in different parts of that area and together, security and stability has returned because of that,” he stated.
Rwandan troops are deployed in Palma and Mocimboa da Praia and sometimes cooperate with SADC forces upon available intelligence to dislodge terrorists’.
Since deployment of Rwandan troops in Cabo Delgado, security has been restored where the majority of displaced residents returned home.
Besides, businesses resumed and French company, TotalEnergies with US$20 billion investment that might be increased to US$50 billion under the Liquefied Natural Gas project, is expected to resume operations as well.
Speaking to the media this week, Kagame highlighted that economic activities are beginning to pick up owing to current efforts to stabilize the area.
“I have heard even those who were making investments there like Total [Energies] and others, are already thinking of resuming their activities. Of course, there may be one thing here and another there that needs to be put out of their way before they fully resume, but I think that is being enabled by such collaborative efforts, around the provision of security and working together with the host country. And each one playing their part, together, we are seeing a lot of progress,” he noted.
“I should say, 80% of the problem has been addressed. The 20% might be small or big depending on a number of circumstances but that needs to be cleared as well,” added Kagame.
The six-month course is part of the Rwanda National Police (RNP) capacity building programme and to equip Police officers with basic criminal investigation skills.
The Inspector General briefed the graduands on the amended Police law, which gives the RNP basic criminal investigation powers, and reiterated the need for Police investigators to effectively execute the new investigation responsibilities.
“More courses for investigators in various fields, will be conducted to fill the observed gaps in basic criminal investigations,” IGP Namuhoranye said.
He urged the new investigators to serve with integrity, discipline, commitment and to exhibit professionalism in their endeavors.
Under the new law, Rwanda National Police has the power to investigate offences relating to road, railways, and waterways accidents and traffic offences.
{{Best performers}}
Assistant Inspector of Police (AIP) Gilbert Ndayishimiye was awarded as the overall best performer of the Police Basic Criminal Investigations Course.
AIP Emmanuel Nshimiyimana and Police Constable (PC) Alex Akimana were awarded as first and second run-ups.
The widespread adoption of e-commerce in Rwanda, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, has paved the way for this new venture.
RwandaMart serves as a comprehensive one-stop e-commerce platform, offering a diverse range of products and services from local sellers, manufacturers, resellers, and importers.
The company handles all aspects of the business for its vendors, including order fulfillment, shipping, and managing returns and refunds.
By venturing into e-commerce, Rwanda Post Office anticipates an increase in the number of customers seeking their existing services, particularly in parcel delivery.
Celestin Kayitare, the Director General of Rwanda Post Office, explained that their new service is designed to assist traders in packaging their products and presenting them on the website in an appealing manner before they are delivered to the international market.
“We will assist merchants in packaging their products in an attractive and pleasing manner, especially for those who want to sell their products internationally. Small and medium enterprises, in particular, stand to benefit greatly by exposing their products to potential buyers through our platform,” Kayitare emphasized.
Currently, 760 companies and vendors have already registered on RwandaMart, primarily those offering products proudly ‘Made in Rwanda’.
However, their goal is to have approximately 3,000 registered participants by the end of the year.
The initial phase of this endeavor will not involve any charges for vendors to list their products on the site, allowing them to enjoy the benefits of increased exposure.
Kayitare further revealed their vision of developing an e-commerce platform with exceptional capabilities, aiming to establish a prominent presence in East Africa. Additionally, they plan to collaborate with international companies engaged in online business, such as Alibaba and Amazon.
Richard Niwenshuti, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, expressed his enthusiasm for the platform, highlighting its role in connecting various online marketplaces. “This website serves as a unifying platform, connecting different sites and traders, thereby expediting the promotion of Rwanda’s quality products in other markets and accelerating business growth,” he stated.
Moreover, Niwenshuti emphasized that the integration of this platform with the services of the Post Office adds significant value. When customers make purchases, the Post Office automatically initiates the delivery process, streamlining the entire transaction.
It is expected that the Post Office will provide guidance to business owners and clients seeking to understand the intricacies of online commerce. The Post Office also ensures that only traders who possess the necessary skills and produce high-quality products are eligible to join the platform, ensuring customer satisfaction.
Various small and medium-sized traders, specializing in jewelry Made in Rwanda, have already experienced the benefits of RwandaMart. They have reported expanded global reach for their products, resulting in increased revenue.
Looking ahead, an application for mobile phones is in the pipeline, enabling easy access to this burgeoning market.
The development of RwandaMart began two years ago under the auspices of the German Development Agency, GIZ, and has been managed by Rwanda Post Office for the past three months.
With this new venture, Rwanda is poised to capitalize on the growing potential of e-commerce and foster economic growth in the region.
These statistics have been released in light of a significant disparity between projected and actual birth rates. While initial forecasts predicted 367,312 births, the year 2022 saw a total of 341,122 births. This notable difference brings attention to the issue of underreporting in birth registration, as the percentage of omissions decreased from 92.9% in 2019 to 84.2% in 2021.
Within this comprehensive overview of birth rates in Rwanda, the Rusizi district stands out with the highest number of births, recording 16,112 newborns, including 8,139 boys and 7,973 girls. Following closely behind are the districts of Nyamasheke and Gicumbi, with 14,978 and 14,042 births respectively.
Additionally, fertility rates have experienced a slight increase. In 2022, Rwandan women gave birth to an average of 3.7 children, compared to 3.5 in 2021.
In the capital city of Kigali, the Gasabo district takes the lead with 11,871 births, and the name “Ishimwe” emerges as the most popular choice for boys. Among girls, the name “Ineza” claims the top spot with 7,328 occurrences.
Generally, the year 2022 was marked by a celebration of life, despite the challenges associated with birth registration. Rwandans continue to express their gratitude, as exemplified by the overwhelming preference for the name “Ishimwe.”
The three-day forum, that ran through Thursday, features a series of expert panel sessions and events aimed at advancing policies and regulations, and establishing long-term connections and partnerships to promote financial inclusion through fintech.
“To emphasize the importance of accelerating our socio-economic development, especially given the large young population in Africa, we must consider the significance of inclusive fintech,” said Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema at the event.
He added that providing opportunities for African youth can be achieved by paying attention to inclusive financial technology, allowing them to innovate. “It is no longer a question on our lips because we acknowledge that financial technology and access to finance capital are of utmost importance to our quest for accelerated economic and social development to cater to our population.”
Tidjane Thiam, board chairman of Rwanda Finance Limited, mentioned that their ambition, in collaboration with the Africa Fintech Network, the umbrella body for fintech companies in Africa, is to create a leading fintech event in Africa that would act as a catalyst and an inclusive platform to accelerate the growth of Africa and its fintech industry.
Thiam believed that technology presented a unique opportunity for inclusive development and economic growth on the continent. He expressed confidence that some of the most successful companies in the world would come from Africa.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame, speaking at the event, acknowledged that financial technology is accelerating Africa’s digital transformation, with evident impact.
However, compared to the rest of the world, Kagame said Africa has produced a relatively small number of unicorns, and the majority of transactions are still done in cash.
“To sustain the gains already made, we must forge stronger partnerships and build a more equitable, accessible, and sustainable fintech ecosystem,” he said, highlighting the importance of addressing inadequate levels of broadband coverage, documentation, and financial literacy to enhance the delivery of financial services.
In a video conference, Achim Steiner, administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, said fintech provided an unprecedented opportunity to align financial systems with national development priorities.
He emphasized that giving people more choices over their money through inclusive fintech would enable them to invest in critical areas that mattered to them and future generations.
The forum attracted nearly 3,000 participants, including policymakers, investors, and industry leaders.
China welcomes the launch of the Joint Appeal given that terrorism is a significant threat facing the African continent, said Dai Bing, China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations. China hopes the Flagship Initiative will promote synergy among UN agencies to help Africa deal with the challenge of terrorism, he added.
Dai called for efforts to strengthen counter-terrorism capacity-building in Africa.
Practices in many African countries have proved that establishing professional security institutions can fight terrorism and maintain stability. In August last year, China promoted a Security Council open debate on strengthening Africa’s capacity-building. The council adopted a presidential statement, one of the crucial goals of which is to support Africa’s security capacity-building, said Dai. “We hope the Joint Appeal will promote the tilting of global counter-terrorism resources to Africa, focusing on increasing support for capacity-building.”
He also called for efforts to tackle the root causes of terrorism.
In February this year, the UN Development Programme released a report stating that poverty and unemployment constitute the main reasons for people in the Sahel region to join violent extremist organizations. This also applies to other regions in Africa with terrorist activities. Dai said he hoped that projects under the appeal would help improve the living conditions of people in poor areas and eliminate the root causes of conflicts.
In addition, Dai called for an objective look at the challenges facing Africa’s counter-terrorism operations, including the issue of human rights.
“With regard to human rights issues, it should be noted that the AU (African Union) and African countries have made great efforts to strengthen the capacity-building of the troops and enhance the awareness of human rights protection,” he said. “One cannot just assume that there is a problem with the protection of human rights every time the issue of counter-terrorism in Africa is mentioned. This is a kind of prejudice. Human rights cannot be used as an excuse to reduce counter-terrorism support to Africa. It is hoped that relevant projects of the Joint Appeal will pay attention to this issue.”
The Global Security Initiative proposed by China takes support for Africa’s counter-terrorism as essential. It promotes strengthening the role of the United Nations in fighting terrorism. In recent years, China has supported UN agencies such as the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism through the China-UN Peace and Development Fund.
Dai said that China would actively participate in the Joint Appeal, deepen cooperation with UN agencies under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation framework and the China-UN Peace and Development Fund, and provide more support for Africa’s counter-terrorism efforts.
The launch of the joint appeal was a side event during UN Counter-Terrorism Week.
Violent clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces continued on Thursday in various areas of the capital Khartoum.
The clashes mainly took place in eastern Khartoum, north of Bahri (Khartoum North) city, and west of Omdurman city, according to eyewitnesses and resistance committees.
“The clashes renewed today in the vicinity of the Burri neighborhood, with warplanes flying over the area,” the resistance committees of the Burri neighborhood in Khartoum said in a statement.
“Cannon shells fell on several parts of Burri, and residential buildings were affected. No deaths or injuries are reported so far,” the statement added.
Eyewitnesses said the Sudanese army’s warplanes flew over the southern area of Omdurman, with intermittent clashes occurring in old neighborhoods of the city.
Violent clashes also took place in the Al-Kadaro camp in Bahri, a major camp of the army, with explosions heard there, the eyewitnesses added.
Also on Thursday, Malik Agar, the deputy chairman of Sudan’s Sovereign Council, declared on Twitter Sovereign Council’s rejection of the initiative proposed by the African Union to resolve the Sudanese crisis, citing the suspension of Sudan’s membership in the bloc.
Agar also expressed reservations about the recent initiative from the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), saying IGAD was seeking to introduce the United Nations forces into Sudan and demilitarize Khartoum through its “occupation initiative.”
As the fighting went on, residents of Bahri were suffering from continued water shortage while those in southern Khartoum were facing food scarcity.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in its report issued on Monday that the current crisis has worsened the already dire food insecurity in Sudan, with more people possibly plunged into famine.
To scale up its response, the FAO urgently appealed for funding amounting to 95.4 million U.S. dollars to reach 15 million people in need, according to the report.
About 2.5 million people have been displaced inside and outside of Sudan since the conflict broke out on April 15, according to an update of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on Wednesday.
So far, the conflicts have left over 3,000 people dead and more than 6,000 injured, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry.
