The discussions between President Kagame and Minister January Makamba were also attended by other officials from both sides, including Rwanda’s Foreign Minister, Dr. Vincent Biruta, and the State Secretary for Regional Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gen (Rtd) James Kabarebe.
Minister January Makamba began his four-day visit to Rwanda on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, with the goal of reinforcing the friendship and cooperation between Rwanda and Tanzania.
In a recent press conference, he emphasized that the two countries are inseparable friends and partners in various sectors, including transportation, technology, agriculture, and more.
Makamba highlighted Tanzania’s commitment to facilitating Rwanda’s use of the Dar es Salaam port for cross-border trade, emphasizing the importance of smooth trade operations through the port.
This visit follows several others made by the leaders of the two nations in recent times.
On November 2, 2023, President Kagame had discussions with his Tanzanian counterpart, Samia Suluhu Hassan, who was in Rwanda for the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Forum.
This was after President Kagame’s visit to Tanzania in April of the same year, which followed President Suluhu’s visit to Rwanda in August 2021.
During President Suluhu’s visit, the two countries signed five agreements in areas including technology and communication, human and goods mobility, education, and pharmaceutical regulations.
Rwanda and Tanzania have a history of collaboration, especially in trade, as Rwandans use the Dar es Salaam port and Rwandan goods are also sold in Tanzania.
In March 2015, Presidents Kagame and Museveni met in Kigali at a gathering of alumni from Ntare School in Uganda, where they pledged financial support for the construction of Ntare School Rwanda Chapter.
President Kagame, who attended this high school in Uganda from 1972 at the age of 15 until he was 19, committed to contributing 100 million Rwandan Francs.
Museveni, who attended the school from 1962 to 1966, pledged to contribute $200,000.
Speaking at a dinner for the alumni association held at the Kigali Convention Centre on March 8, 2024, President Kagame informed the members that Museveni had quickly fulfilled his pledge, taking the opportunity to thank him.
He said, “I want to thank the President of Uganda, Kaguta Yoweri Museveni, for bringing us together in the name of Ntare School, and for making a significant contribution. You may remember from our last meeting here, he committed to contribute towards building the school and he delivered in a short time. We built upon that.”
President Kagame proposed that parts of Ntare School, including dormitories, laboratories, and sports fields, should be named after alumni who have performed exceptionally well.
However, the President clarified that he and Museveni should not be among those honored, as they have already had many things named after them. He said, “Museveni and I have been fortunate to have many things named after us, I want us to be excluded from this.”
He continued, “Set criteria, let those in Uganda choose the names; two, three, four, five, or six, and do the same on the Rwandan side, we will use these names as a perpetual reminder of the cooperation between both sides.”
The construction of Ntare School Rwanda began in 2019. It is expected to be inaugurated in 2024, having cost 6 billion Rwandan Francs for construction. The school will have the capacity to accommodate 1,100 students, contain 5 laboratories, and 35 classrooms.
The ceremony was held at Save campus on 7th March 2024 in Gisagara District. Chancen International is the first private student financing operator that aims to provide fair and affordable access to education finance , particularly targeting students from low-income earning families using Income Share Agreement (ISA) model.
The university enrolls many beneficiaries of CHANCEN International Rwanda, of whom the majority are girls.
This event was marked by various messages aimed at promoting the progress of women and girls in particular, highlighting achievements and considerable efforts the country has made to ensure their advancement.
Nancy Karake, Community Manager at CHANCEN International Rwanda, expressed the significance of organizing this Women’s Day event, emphasizing the importance of gender equality in this year’s curriculum and the substantial involvement of girls in CUR.
She said, “Out of the students we support here, 62% are girls, and the university itself has a significant female population. The reason we chose to celebrate this day here is because there’s a time when you step into the campus, you feel like there’s no progress being made for you as a woman or a girl. And the theme of this year’s curriculum is to encourage women to participate in sustainable development.”
She continued, “It means that whether a woman lives in a rural area or in the city, she contributes to the country’s development. Because being outside of Kigali doesn’t hinder progress in gender equality and what contributes to the nation. We need to have the confidence that wherever you are as a woman, progress is possible.”
The Rector of the Catholic University of Rwanda, Father Ntaganda Laurent, said that 73% of the students are girls and that they have increased since they started working with CHANCEN International Rwanda.
He said that the administration of this university is also planning ways to help these girls who are studying here in large numbers to get a job while they are still in school and after.
CHANCEN International Rwanda is an international institution that provides student financing through a model called Income share agreement (ISA), especially for girls, where they make up 6O% of all beneficiaries.
While the mother organization-CHANCEN eG is based in Germany, CHANCEN International has been operating in Rwanda since 2018, and it also operates in other African countries such as Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa.
So far, CHANCEN International in Rwanda has assisted over 3000 beneficiaries and supports students in various universities across the country.
Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris relayed the president’s directive while speaking to the media in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, emphasizing the need for a unified effort among security agencies to rescue the victims.
The minister underscored the government’s commitment to exploring options with international partners while refusing to negotiate with criminal gangs.
Gunmen abducted at least 287 students in an assault on schools Thursday in the northwestern state of Kaduna, prompting security forces to launch a search and rescue operation. This followed an earlier abduction of women in the northeastern state of Borno in late February. Both incidents have sparked nationwide concerns.
Security forces have launched search and rescue operations in response to these assaults, with assurances from Idris that efforts are underway to ensure the safe return of the victims.
The Kaduna incident, which followed an armed intrusion into the state’s Kuriga town by a gang of gunmen, is said to be one of the largest mass abductions from a Nigerian school in recent years.
While no specific armed group has claimed responsibility for this latest incident, it echoes a similar mass kidnapping that occurred about a decade ago in April 2014. Back then, more than 200 schoolgirls were abducted from their dormitories in the northeastern state of Borno by the Boko Haram terror group.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) electricity workshop brought together electricity regulators from 21 African countries in northern, eastern and southern Africa to discuss ways to reduce the percentage of the population without access to electricity.
Mohamedain Seif ElNasr, chief executive officer of the Regional Association of Energy Regulators of Eastern and Southern Africa, said Wednesday that more than 300 million people in the region are not connected to the national electricity grid. “We need to tap the abundant geothermal, solar and wind resources in order to enable households and businesses to benefit from renewable electricity.”
He noted that harmonized electricity laws and regulations will allow the trade of electricity between countries with surplus production to those with deficits and result in increased access to reliable electricity across Africa.
Solomon Sarpong, senior energy economist at the AfDB, said that countries in Africa should cooperate in the development of their electricity generation capacity, given that some of the green energy sources are transboundary. He suggested that countries should endeavor to attract private investment in the energy sector to augment public resources in the exploitation of renewable energy sources.
Lee Okombe, senior research and policy analyst at Kenya’s Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority, said that Africa lags behind the rest of the world in access to electricity despite its abundant energy sources.
He added that one avenue to reduce the gap of the population without access to electricity is the harmonization of electricity tariffs across Africa, which will promote competition in the energy trade.
South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile made the appeal at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress Africa (GEC+Africa) taking place in Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa, from Wednesday to Thursday.
GEC+Africa is a gathering of entrepreneurs and leaders from more than 50 African nations committed to advancing entrepreneurial activity throughout their own countries.
Hosted by the South African Department of Small Business Development, the two-day event is attended by more than 1,500 delegates, including representatives of small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs), investors, policymakers and representatives of organizations.
While delivering the keynote address, Mashatile said the congress came at the right time for Africa.
“This GEC+ Africa congress is timely and extremely important given the current global economic situation, especially the African continent’s continued efforts to reinvent itself as a more influential actor in shaping the global agenda,” he said.
The deputy president noted that Africa is a continent overflowing with untapped potential, a hub of innovation and invention waiting to be reawakened.
“As a continent, we need to rise to a level where we have well-integrated production networks, are equally participating in global trade, and are rapidly improving our export mix,” said Marshatile.
“As policymakers, we have to create an enabling environment for our entrepreneurs,” he stressed. “It is critical that as policymakers, we create a more supportive policy environment.”
Marshatile suggested that leaders should ensure that the core foundations of the digital economy are in place, including digital infrastructure, digital skills, cybersecurity capabilities, and affordable and accessible data.
He also called for the elimination of red tape to facilitate cross-border trade for African entrepreneurs.
The deputy president also emphasized the need to enhance governance systems, such as combating corruption, improving macroeconomic management, and resolving disputes through negotiation rather than violent conflict.
“This event should serve as a call to action for this generation of African leaders to do the work and leave a lasting legacy of economic growth, regional integration and overall African prosperity,” he added.
South African Minister for Small Business Development Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams also addressed the gathering, calling on governments to create enabling policy frameworks to effectively support entrepreneurship on the continent.
“Besides making policy, governments must lead and direct their respective entrepreneurship eco-systems,” said Ndabeni-Abrahams. “To effectively co-ordinate the eco-system, the government must also provide strategic leadership.”
Ingabire requested the High Court to be granted rehabilitation after serving a sentence of 15 years in prison since her conviction on October 12, 2013.
At that time, she was convicted of both conspiracy against the government and belittling the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and intentional spreading of rumors.
The prosecution informed the court that Ingabire should not be granted rehabilitation because after her release, she engaged in activities that were not in line with what the President’s pardon had envisaged.
The prosecution also demonstrated that Ingabire continued to act as a leader of the FDU-Inkingi party and the DALFA-Umurinzi party, both of which are considered illegal organizations in the country.
The court considered whether five years would be enough for someone granted clemency to observe good conduct.
It was also pointed out that during that period, from the day she was released on parole or early release, her behavior would be monitored.
The prosecution argued that the second condition of the President’s pardon, granting Presidential Pardon, required Ingabire to apply for parole and disclose her place of residence.
Other conditions included a prohibition from traveling abroad while requesting permission from the Minister of Justice to leave the country during her parole period until her sentence was completed.
The provision suggests that everyone granted clemency by the President must fulfill what they are required to do.
The court ruled that even though the law requires a request for clemency, it is only after five years of parole that the conditions set must be met.
The court further ruled that if there are conditions for parole and presidential pardon, and they are not contradictory, rehabilitation should be granted.
It was also emphasized that she must start by complying with the conditions set by the President’s Order before applying for rehabilitation.
The court stated that her rehabilitation plea must be considered after the parole period.
Her 15-year sentence was to end in 2025. This means that the time for her to apply for clemency is in 2030.
Victoire Ingabire, after her trial, told reporters that she was not satisfied with the verdict where she can continue to count on her lawyers to to the court in two years or appeal to the East African Court.
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The brand made headlines across Africa last October when nearly 28,000 customers became millionaires within just 10 days, with a staggering Le1.52 Trillion paid out in total between the 21st and 30th of the month.
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The elections to determine the new head of the AU Commission, replacing the current Chadian politician Moussa Faki Mahamat, are scheduled for February 2025.
The 78-year-old politician, who leads the Kenyan opposition coalition Azimio, declared his candidacy for the AU chairmanship in February.
On March 8, Kagame welcomed Odinga to his office for discussions on regional and continental matters, as reported by Rwanda’s Presidency.
“It’s no secret. I told him Rwanda would support him. I wish him well,” Kagame said in an interview with NTV, broadcasted on Tuesday, March 12.
Kagame also commended Odinga’s performance during his tenure as the AU High Representative for Infrastructure Development, a position he held from 2018 to 2023.
“He [Mr Odinga] did a good job at that. He had a full grasp of it,” he said.
“Not only will we support him to be there, but also when he is there, we will support him for Africa to succeed,” he added Kagame.
In late February, Odinga, a trained mechanical engineer, had already secured endorsements from Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu, Salva Kiir of South Sudan, as well as William Ruto of Kenya, and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda.
A new chairperson of the continental body will be elected in 2025 to succeed Mahamat.
Former Somali Foreign Minister Fawzia Yusuf Adam has also announced her candidacy for the AU Commission presidency, aiming to become the second woman to lead the continental body after South Africa’s Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
So far, Odinga and Adam are the only ones to have declared their candidacy for the leadership of the continental body.
Ricard arrived in Rwanda on March 10, 2024, for a four-day visit, during which he held various meetings with the Chief Prosecutor of Rwanda and officials from the IRMCT to discuss investigating evidence related to the complicity of France in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis.
On this 12th of March 2024, he visited the Murambi Genocide Memorial located in Nyamagabe District.
This memorial was established on the grounds where bodies of Tutsi victims were initially buried in mass graves but later exhumed, and it now holds the remains of over 50,000 Tutsi victims killed in 1994.
Among the atrocities documented are the actions of French soldiers who arrived at Murambi between July 21, 1994, and August 21, 1994.
These soldiers encountered Tutsi refugees who sought shelter there, but instead of protecting them, over 50,000 were massacred, and their bodies disposed of in mass graves.
French soldiers used the classrooms of a nearby school to hold Tutsi women and girls they had abducted, turning them into sex slaves, as evidenced by the materials found on site.
Chief Prosecutor Jean-François Ricard sought to further explore the historical context of the Tutsi Genocide and its execution but was confronted with the sight of the classrooms where French soldiers raped women
He also visited a volleyball court where French soldiers played Volleyball and the ball falling on human heads.
This memorial bears witness to the genocide in a visceral and tangible way, allowing visitors to witness the extent of the horror.
Ricard expressed his inability to comprehend the scale of the atrocities witnessed, estimating that over 50,000 Tutsis were massacred at this site alone, making it difficult for him to provide a detailed account to the media due to the overwhelming nature of what he saw.
However, in a brief interview with French students who visited the Murambi Genocide Memorial, he emphasized the need for acknowledging the truth and ensuring accountability for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis, suggesting that justice must be served to those who participated in the genocide.
In a message left in the memorial’s guestbook, he wrote, “For the first time, I came to Murambi to witness firsthand the profound suffering inflicted during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda, but the horror is beyond comprehension.”
“I wish to emphasize the importance of ensuring justice for the victims of this genocide so that we may prevent such atrocities from happening again, as we strive to promote a culture of reconciliation.”
The testimony provided by a survivor of sexual violence named Oliva corroborated the systemic rape and sexual abuse perpetrated by French soldiers at Murambi. She recounted how French soldiers stationed in the area would raise the French national flag at their base, and then systematically rape and abuse women and girls on a daily basis.
She stated, “French soldiers would wait at the gates. Every evening, they would come to the camps and take girls, sometimes in groups of ten would all rape one girl , . Every evening, we feared for our lives. It was like a ritual for them.”
The atrocities committed at the Murambi site were led by four senior military officers who commanded troops stationed there, including Col Didier Tauzin, the overall commander of Operation Turquoise in Gikongoro, Col Jacques Rosier, who was a subordinate of Col Didier Tauzin and led the troops in Murambi.
Lt Col Erik De Stabenrath also served under Col Rosier, along with Capt Marc Zwilling, who was the commander of the Murambi base.
