The team presented various medical supplies to the hospital Monday, including hand disinfectant, dental treatment equipment, medical isolation goggles, disposable sterile operating overalls, and electric operating table.
Upon receiving the donation at Masaka Hospital, Director General Jean Damascene Hanyurwimfura expressed his gratitude to the Chinese medical team for their generous support toward the hospital’s medical care.
“The Chinese medical team has been providing specialist medical support which has contributed to improved medical care at the hospital. The medical equipment donation would enhance the hospital’s capacity to diagnose and treat a wide range of medical conditions, ultimately leading to better health outcomes for patients,” he said.
Speaking at the event, Zhao Shangjun, the leader of the Chinese medical team, said that the donation will help in providing specialized medical care to patients at Masaka Hospital.
“We discussed with the hospital authorities about the shortage of medical equipment in the hospital. Based on their needs, we donated various medical supplies to Masaka Hospital, including an electric operating table. We believe that this donation will significantly improve the hospital’s capacity to deliver quality medical care,” said Zhao.
At the event, Wang Jiaxin, the economic and commercial counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Rwanda, said that providing medical supplies to Masaka Hospital is an annual activity of the Chinese medical team. “The better the hospital is equipped with medical care necessities, the better the service provided to local patients.”
He said that the medical cooperation between China and Rwanda has been going on for several years, with the Chinese medical team providing medical care support to Masaka and Kibungo hospitals. China started to dispatch medical teams to Rwanda in 1982.
Gasamagera was elected recently during the party’s 16th National Congress, which coincided with the party’s 35 years of existence and saw more than 2,000 party members in attendance.
The congress also witnessed the re-election of President Paul Kagame as the party Chairman and the election of Consolee Uwimana as the first female Vice Chairperson of the party.
Gasamagera, who previously served as the Rwandan ambassador to Angola, expressed gratitude to the party and its members, stating that he owes his existence to RPF-Inkotanyi.
As the former Commissioner in charge of Political Mass Mobilisation in the RPF, Gasamagera’s extensive experience is expected to play a crucial role in shaping the party’s policies and strategies going forward.
Gasamagera and new staff members were elected for five-year term.
Both heads of state were addressing members of the press on Tuesday as Kenyan President William Ruto visited Rwanda on the invitation of his counterpart, Paul Kagame.
During the two-day state visit that began on Tuesday, both countries signed 10 cooperation agreements in the areas of education, health, agriculture and ICT among others.
President Ruto acknowledged the commendable progress made in the area, citing the presence of additional troops, including soldiers from Burundi and Angola, and the success of persuading armed groups to lay down their arms and respect agreements.
He made the disclosure at a time when M23 combatants continue to withdraw from captured areas including Bunagana, Sake, Mshaki, Neenero, Kilorirwe and others.
President Kagame similarly stressed progress in recent weeks and called on the “outside world” to support African leaders’ proposed solutions to the crisis.
He emphasized the need to “do more and register more progress towards the solution.”
After concluding the mission, Ms. Teferra, who led the IMF mission, announced that the team and Rwandan officials have come to an agreement at the staff level regarding the economic and financial policies required to complete the first reviews under the PCI and RSF arrangement. However, this agreement is still subject to approval by the IMF Management and Executive Board, with the Board’s consideration scheduled tentatively for May 2023. If the Board approves, Rwanda would have access to SDR 55.46 million (about US$ 74.6 million) under the RSF.
Performance under the program has been strong, with all quantitative targets for end-December 2022 met and all reform targets under the PCI and RSF progressing well and anticipated to be completed ahead of the Executive Board discussion.
Despite the strong growth of the economy, macroeconomic imbalances have emerged. GDP growth was 8.2 percent in 2022 due to robust output in the manufacturing and services sectors that outweighed weaker-than-expected agricultural production and a significant slowdown in construction activity.
Rising food prices, strong domestic demand, and weak agricultural performance due to unfavorable weather conditions have kept headline inflation persistently above 20 percent in recent months. High core inflation, which was at 14.4 percent in February, indicates broad-based and persistent inflationary pressures in the economy. Robust import demand coupled with high commodity prices and tightening global financing conditions have weakened Rwanda’s external position, causing foreign reserves to decline to 4.1 months of prospective imports at end-2022.
Given Rwanda’s vulnerability to external shocks, Ms. Teferra emphasized the urgent need to rebuild policy buffers. Another spike in global energy and fertilizer prices, a steeper decline in trading partners’ growth, or global financial market and geopolitical developments that adversely affect the availability of concessional resources will further strain external buffers and limit the policy space to confront developmental challenges and address climate change. To rebuild policy buffers, the authorities need to further tighten the fiscal and monetary stance.
To maintain fiscal sustainability, the government needs to raise domestic revenues while containing non-priority current and capital expenditures. Additionally, reforms to adopt effective and transparent public financial and investment management practices should accelerate, and institutional capacity to assess and manage state-owned enterprise fiscal risks needs to be strengthened. The National Bank of Rwanda should pursue a more decisive monetary policy tightening to contain inflationary pressures and promote exchange rate flexibility to ensure external stability.
Structural reforms should be sustained to tackle pandemic scarring and enhance socioeconomic resilience. More efforts are required to enhance access to healthcare and education, address learning losses, promote regional trade integration, and scale up and better target social protection. Continued reforms to allocate climate resources more effectively and transparently will be critical to mobilizing additional climate funding and achieving Rwanda’s ambitious climate agenda.
Ms. Teferra expressed her gratitude for the authorities’ excellent cooperation and candid and constructive discussions and reaffirmed the IMF’s support for the government’s efforts to implement its economic reform program.
The department of Testing and Licensing has started issuing electronic provisional driver’s license as Rwanda National Police (RNP) continues to shift its services from analogue to digital to improve service delivery.
The e-provisional driver’s license issued through Irembo digital platform brings to an end the old paper system, according to Commissioner of Police (CP) John Bosco Kabera, the RNP spokesperson.
“Effective April 3, the department of Testing and Licensing will only be issuing e-provisional driver’s license to successful candidates and to those already holding valid ones.
Successful candidates and those holding valid provisional driver’s license will no longer have to go to the TL offices to go through the usual inconveniencing process of registration and issuance,” said CP Kabera.
Now, registration for provisional driver’s license for successful candidates as well those with valid ones is done online through Irembo, where an e-provisional driver’s license can be accessed and downloaded.
No additional payment required for those already holding valid provisional driver’s license.
“E-provisional driver’s license is fast, it facilitates candidates who passed the test to access it wherever they are and helps to fight forgery and other malpractices,” said CP Kabera.
Liliose Nyinawinkindi, the head of customer experience at Irembo said that shifting from analogue to digital services enhances service delivery.
“You can now access your e-provisional driver’s license on the palm of your hand on your smartphone at any time, at the nearest cyber cafe or Irembo service providers.
If you lose it, it will be easier to download another one on Irembo and the same goes for those who wish to renew it,” Nyinawinkindi said.
Those who registered to do practical driving test will now be required to present either soft or hard copy of the new e-provisional driver’s license to Police officers, if needed.
The meeting offered the opportunity to take stock of the expanding bilateral partnership and provided for constructive exchanges of views and discussions on issues of mutual concern, including on the global and continental level.
The Ambassadors and Government representatives reviewed a large array of domestic and international issues, ranging from economic development, governance and fundamental freedoms, reconciliation in Rwanda, regional relationships and continental issues, and global challenges, including peace and security, climate change or gender equality. In all these areas, the parties also explored the possibilities to identify areas to strengthen further their cooperation.
During the meeting, the EU also presented the implementation of its bilateral development programme, flagships under the EU Global Gateway strategy to boost smart, clean and secure links in digital, energy and transport sectors and to strengthen health, education and research systems across the world.
The EU also presented the various TeamEurope Initiatives, supported by EU and Member States that translate some of the Global Gateway priorities while responding to priority needs of Rwanda’s National Transformation Strategy.
The EU’s multi-annual indicative programme for Rwanda focuses on the areas of Education, Skills and Jobs for Youth, the Green deal for development and Political and Economic Governance. Under the Global Gateway, the EU, Member States and finance institutions mobilised resources to enhance the enabling environment for BioNTech’s investment in vaccine manufacturing in Rwanda. EU and Member States are implementing jointly as “TeamEurope” their support for the climate-resilient agricultural transformation and to accompany the emergence of a network of smart cities in Rwanda.
The political dialogue was co-chaired by the Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr. Vincent Biruta, and the Ambassador of the European Union, Ms Belen Calvo.
Rwandan Government was also represented by Dr Uzziel Ndagijimana, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning; Dr Emmanuel Ugirashebuja, Minister of Justice and Dr Jean Damascène Bizimana, Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement.
Other representative on Rwandan side include Brigadier General Patrick Karuretwa, Head of International Military Cooperation in the Ministry of Defence; Dr Usta Kaitesi, CEO Rwanda Governance Board; Ambassador Yamina Karitanyi, CEO Rwanda Mining Board; Dr Emile Bienvenue, DG Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority; Mr Antoine Kajangwe, DG Trade and Investment in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Mr Richard Kayibanda, Registrar General in Rwanda Development Board.
On the EU side participated the Ambassadors of Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden, as well as representatives from Denmark, Luxemburg, Malta and Poland.
Of the agreements inked on Tuesday 4th March 2023, six were signed by both countries’ Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Vincent Biruta and his counterpart Alfred Mutua. These include correctional services, diplomatic training, ICT, health, youth, and cooperative development. In addition, three agreements in education, agriculture, and gender were signed by each country’s respective ministers.
Rwanda and Kenya have enjoyed cordial bilateral ties across different sectors of development for a long time. Kagame said that the new areas of cooperation will bring people in both countries even closer, with regional integration and trade being a big part of the equation of private sector growth.
“We are happy that Rwanda is home to a large and vibrant Kenyan community, we are grateful for their contributions to our development. I hope that we can leverage this shared interest to equip our youth with the skills and knowledge to innovate and compete,” he added.
Kagame noted that the people of Rwanda and Kenya are also united by a common vision for a more stable region. Ruto said that the signed MoUs in different sectors will consolidate the relationship between the two countries, present a new momentum, and create new impetus for the expansion of engagements between both countries.
“Just like Rwanda is a gateway for us in the Great Lakes Region, we are also aware that Mombasa is an important port for the people of Rwanda and creates the synergy between our two economies, and we will continue building the network necessary for us to benefit from it,” he added.
Regarding the ongoing education system reform in Kenya, Ruto stated that the agreement in the education sector will assist in tackling the significant challenge of financing university education. The aim is to share experiences and identify ways to make education more relevant, easily delivered, and cost-effective.
Furthermore, Ruto highlighted that there will be an exchange of expertise and resources between the large referral hospitals in both countries in the health sector.
Ruto also affirmed the positive relationship between the two countries and their desire to strengthen and expand their friendship and unity.
It is worth noting that Rwanda and Kenya have ratified the One Area Network, which allows for reduced call rates between both countries, thus facilitating business growth.
To shed more light on the bank’s impact and future plans in Rwanda, IGIHE had a conversation with the Country Manager for Rwanda, Aissa Touré. Appointed to the role in December 2020,she provided insights into the Bank’s operations, including its activities and opportunities for the private sector.
{{Excerpts:}}
{{IGIHE: Which mega projects currently being implemented by the AfDB in collaboration with the Government of Rwanda?}}
{{Aissa Touré:}} The bank has been working with Rwanda since 1974, since then we have provided US$2.9 billion worth investments in many sectors. As we speak, we have a portfolio of 26 projects worth US$1.5 billion. These projects are mainly in the area of infrastructures including water, sanitation, transport and energy. This accounts for 87% of our entire portfolio.
The remaining projects are in skills development and human capital in general and interventions to support the private sector to thrive and be able to contribute to the socio-economic transformations of Rwanda.
Within infrastructures, 46% of our projects are for energy, 28% are in water and sanitation and 13% in transport.
These include Kivu Belt game changing project, Carnegie Mellon University – Africa, School of Architecture and Built Environment (SABE), Kagitumba-Kayonza- Rusumo and Base-Rukomo-Nyagatare roads, the Kivu Watt project and Kigali Bulk Water Project to name few.
The impacts of these investments are massive because we believe that providing services such as water and sanitation, roads and energy, education, access to schools and hospitals facilitate a lot in many aspects because when you have electricity , you can go for agro-processing , you can have start businesses. Our impact has been massive.
During COVID-19, the Bank provided US$100 million as direct financing public support as a contribution to the recovery fund the government put in place.
It is a long partnership, we are a trusted partner, and the second largest development partner of Rwanda after the World Bank.
We are currently preparing a new project in transport that will need public investment to get the infrastructure done. Once this investment is done next year, we will come with private sector investment because the government has requested the bank to support on electric buses.
This is something that we are very excited to do because this is a new avenue for development in Rwanda. We are happy to be part of it.
Lastly, as part of the new international airport in Bugesera and the expansion of the airplane fleet in the country require qualified human capital to manage, operationalize and sustain these investments the Bank will support to the government to set up a Centre of Excellence for Aviation Skills (CEAS).
It is a project of around US$24 million to set up an academy where all the skills that are needed in the aviation value chains, from pilots and other people working at the airport will be trained.
{{What are projections to help Rwanda achieve its goals?}}
In Rwanda, the bank has what we call a country strategy paper which defines what the bank could be doing in the country for a period of time.
In Rwanda, the country strategy runs from 2022 to 2026. It is designed around two mutually reinforcing pillars. The first one is strengthened physical infrastructure to enhance productive resources and reduce the cost of doing business; and the second one is around improve skills and financial capabilities to foster private sector and productivity-led growth. because these are critical for meeting NST1 and would even be more critical for the NST2 that is in the making.
We have that strategy, it has been formulated with the government and it is really a participatory process. Within that, we have what an indicative pipeline which runs from 2022 to 2024, we have discussed with the government what they will be doing and what they want us to focus on.
We provide resources to countries. We are very soon going to disclose to all country members including Rwanda what the allocation will be from 2023 to 2024.
{{ How do you promote private sector development in Rwanda?}}
In 2023, Rwanda got a very consistent private sector window under the AfDB Window of US$242. Usually, this window finances lines of credit to Band of Kigalu, BRD, Equity among others but we really want the private sector to come and have direct access.
The Bank needs to do more outreach and awareness raising on its Private sector financing opportunities. In May this year, we will have a private sector road show to engage with the private sector federation, RDB and big players on private findings opportunities.
We look forward to having this dialogue with the private sector for them to know the instruments that we have, the conditions and the sectors that they can use it for.
{{How are you working with countries to tame rising inflation?}}
Economic hardships started with COVID-19 which has been challenging for all countries especially African ones with borders closing and lockdowns etc… When countries like Rwanda were starting to slowly recover, we had the Ukraine and Russia war.
When COVID-19 hit, the Bank and the Government agreed the financing of the year 2020 would go to the budget support. We provided the entire envelope to the COVID 19 recovery fund.
When the Ukraine-Russia crisis hit last year, the bank quickly put in place the African Emergency Food Production Facility provide 20 million African smallholder farmers with certified seeds. Initially, Rwanda was not a beneficiary of this facility.
We had to make a case and that facility has been exhausted but Rwanda with US$1 million. Discussions are on-going with the Ministry of Agriculture on how that money could be used.
We had last December the Dakar Summit on agriculture and because you see that inflation is mainly in food items especially for Rwanda.
Rwanda presented a very good case in Dakar last year, and we are trying to unpack different investment schemes especially because the private sector is key to making those investments a reality.
We are working to see how we can better support countries, address and mitigate the impact of inflation.
Last year, we also gathered all Eastern African countries, made a study on the impact of inflation and the Ukraine-Russia crisis. Each country had an opportunity to present measures put in place. It was also a good moment to learn from each other.
TeensCanCode, founded by Queen’s Young Leader award winner Isaac Damian Ezirim, provides training and development opportunities to young people looking to get into the technology industries and provides a plethora of programmes dedicated to advancing internet safety.
Crucial will partner with the team to run Nigeria’s first Safe Gambling Hackathon on April 17th, bolstering its emerging African strategy.
The event will also see the launch of Nigeria’s first youth gambling attitudes survey, lifting the lid on how gambling is affecting the millions of young people in the densely populated country.
Speaking on the partnership; TeensCanCode founder, Isaac Damian Ezirim said: ‘We are excited to be doing this with Crucial Compliance and Adam Bradford Agency as this falls in line with our Virtually Safe initiative to help keep young Africans safe while using the internet, in Lagos where I live there’s a betting shop on almost every street and most times young people are their major customers and users, many of these young people do this without any guidance or adequate information plus the laws that regulate this industry is not stringent enough which exposes everyone even the vulnerable and this can push many of them into depression and loss of money. This partnership can help kick start the needed conversations around gambling, its safety and addiction.’
Crucial successfully ran interactive hackathon events in January and February of this year bringing together young people, parents, industry professionals and others to explore the topic of gambling related harm and how gaming can constructively contribute to the communities in which it is doing business.
Crucial Compliance will run a second Hackathon in Kigali on 19th April, providing real investment, mentorship and support to youth-led tech initiatives and programmes which safeguard against the pitfalls of gaming and gambling and which strengthen the sector.
Crucial already powers ‘BetProtect’, a digital therapy tool accessible by phone or web, which provides an additional layer of awareness and support to people who might be at risk.
Crucial is also investing in the idea of Eric Kalisa, who will begin conducting research to look into the prevalence of gambling and the attitude of Rwandans towards it and the addiction, which his team have observed anecdotally across communities in the country.
Commenting on the development, Paul Foster, CEO of Crucial Compliance, said: “We are delighted to be working with Damian and his team on this important initiative as well as our existing partners.
We are aware of the high rates of gambling and potential for gambling addiction to affect lives in the country and through our Africa development strategy are keen to provide advice, regulatory guidance and solutions which can help. We are excited to have launched our Rwanda hub to power our African business and are impressed by the country and its development agenda.”
For more information on the Hackathons and to get involved, visit www.safegamblinghackathon.com.
Additionally, Rwanda has accused the DRC of collaborating with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a terrorist group responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
This coalition has led to several provocations, including shelling of Rwandan territory and Congolese soldiers storming Rwanda with rapid fire.
The DRC has also violated Rwanda’s airspace with fighter jets. Despite regional efforts to resolve the conflict, the DRC has repeatedly resorted to war.
During an exclusive interview with IGIHE, the Russian Ambassador to Rwanda, Karen Chalyan has shared his views on the situation, including alleged presence of Wagner Group in DRC and his country’s involvement in various activities across Africa.
Excerpts:
{{IGIHE:}} The resumption of fighting between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the M23 rebel group has left many civilians dead and others displaced. What do you think is the root cause of the clashes?
{{Amb.Karen Chalyan: }} As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Russia is deeply concerned by the situation in the east of the DRC.
Decades of instability in that area, which are a consequence of the colonial past, are exacerbated by the tragedy of many years of civil strife as well as the selfish and greedy behavior of transnational economic actors who for all practical purposes act as agents of neocolonial oppression.
The only remedy is the strengthening of the institutions of state in the DRC for the benefit of the population as a whole, irrespective of ethnicity or creed.
{{In your opinion, what would be a durable solution?}}
Force alone cannot ensure stability. There needs to be dialogue, as well as the introduction of effective confidence-building measures. We must all keep working to come up with political and non-violent solutions for eastern DRC.
Once found, these will allow for a comprehensive cessation of hostilities and create practical conditions for lasting stability. In the long run, everyone will benefit.
Constructive interaction at the regional level is key to resolving the existing security problems. We welcome the commitment of all states in the region to overcome tensions in the east and launch new settlement mechanisms.
We appreciate the mediation efforts of President Lourenco of Angola and former President Kenyatta of Kenya, as well as those of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region. We are closely monitoring the Nairobi process, and welcome the establishment of the EAC Regional Force. These decisions need to be implemented with the support of the global community.
This combination of efforts and initiatives is meant to be mutually complementary and serve the goal of bringing peace and socio-economic development to all those who live in the Great Lakes Region. Russia is ready to do its part to achieve quality results.
{{It has been reported that the DRC sought support from the Wagner Group. Is it true they are present in DRC?}}
I wish I had Rwf1,000 for every time I have had to answer this question. Then, instead of doing international relations, I would be a very rich man spending his days in the world’s fanciest casinos.
Let me once again say that there are no Wagner personnel in the DRC. And, to preempt a possible further question, no agents of the Russian Government are involved in any advisory capacity in eastern DRC, much less doing any fighting.
{{Do you have an idea on possible origins of these individuals?}}
I have been told that there have been sightings in the east of foreigners in uniform, and someone somewhere may have heard Russian coming from the general direction of some of them. I have no idea who these personnel are, how many they are, and where they came from. I have heard that some of them may be from Ukraine and Georgia.
Let me remind you that the Russian language is lingua–franca for hundreds of millions of people. To try to present all speakers of Russian in this world as some kind of extended arm of Moscow would be a variation of hate speech similar to insisting that all Kinyarwanda speakers are agents of Kigali.
{{What is your perception of the image of Wagner Group?}}
I see that the Wagner mystique has even reached IGIHE. Personally, I find it amusing that the myth created by the Western media of an ever-present, omnipotent and all-powerful Wagner has permeated popular imagination to such an extent.
This is a classic case study of the folly of believing self-generated propaganda. In fact, Wagner is simply a volunteer formation, albeit with strictly enforced military and personal discipline.
{{We frequently hear about Russians being involved in various activities across Africa? Is there a specific reason behind this?}}
Russians have been “involved” in Africa for a very long time, in my own case since 1975. In the days of the Soviet Union, many thousands of us assisted the nations of this continent in their national-liberation struggle and in strengthening the new counties’ defence and economic capabilities, that is their independence and sovereignty. We continue to do the same today.
Accusing Russia of having dark and nefarious designs on Africa has always been a fashion in the West. These days it is a growing trend in quarters that have in the past several years experienced political setbacks in the Central African Republic, Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso, countries that all possess a common characteristic, the wonderful French language.
The best French of all, of course, is spoken by those who having failed in their grand ambitions in Africa and politely been requested to cease and desist in the further pursuit of same, have for some strange reason decided that Africans’ disappointment with their policies and practical actions is somehow the Russians’ fault.
So once you establish where anti-Russian criticism comes from, a great many things become clear. What distinguishes our actions from what many others do in Africa is that we never go where we are not invited.
