One hundred and thirteen deputies who attended the plenary session unanimously passed Ndirakobuca’s candidature which was a unique one.
The candidature of Gervais Ndirakobuca was sent by Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye who later in the day signed a decree appointing Gervais Ndirakobuca as the Prime Minister.
Before this, Gervais Ndirakobuca was the minister for Interior, Community Development and Public Security since June 2020.
He replaces Alain Guillaume Bunyoni who was accused of undermining the activities of the government.
Bunyoni was Burundi’s Prime Minister since June 2020.
The latter runs a project to breed black soldier flies which is in the final stage of pilot phase.
The pilot phase is being conducted at SAFE For Health center.
Musabyimana is a livestock farmer who ventured into poultry. He currently owns over 100,000 chickens that produce over 70,000 eggs per day.
His project to breed black soldier flies began in January this year to address the high cost of animal feeds owing to the shortage of soy.
The research carried out by the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) indicated that black soldier flies can provide an alternative source of protein to replace soymeal used in the production of livestock feed as highlighted by Dr. Solange Uwituze, the Deputy Director General in charge of Animal Resources Research and Technology Transfer at RAB.
“Preliminary research outcomes show that black soldier flies can successfully serve as a replacement for soybean at the rate between 25% and 50%, which is good news for livestock farmers,” she said.
Musabyimana says that he has two sheds in which he breeds flies in different phases starting from eggs which develop into to larvae. The larvae develop into flies which are dried and ground into flour rich in proteins to be used while producing animal feeds.
“We started seeking out designated black soldier flies, arranged hatcheries and hatched the eggs to produce larvae which are also nourished to grow. After 14 days, we take well developed larvae into cages where they spend six days and metamorphose into flies. Thereafter, the male and female mate to produce eggs,” he said.
The flour used in the production of animal feeds constitutes flies at 80%. Some of the flies are dried and ground to produce flour while others are returned to cages for reproduction.
The larvae of black soldier flies are fed with residues of vegetables and fruits. They also serve as a source for compost.
From seven to ten days, a fly at SAFE For Health produces between 700 and 1000 eggs.
As of today, Musabyimana has injected over Rwf300 million into the research on black soldier flies.
After sending the sample flour from flies for experiments in Europe laboratory, Musabyimana is set to use them for production of chicken feed and fish foods later.
President Mnangagwa arrived in Rwanda early this week to attend the Africa Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) Summit taking place in Kigali.
AGRF is Africa’s premier forum for driving the food and agriculture agenda in the continent.
Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, Mnangagwa was received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Vincent Biruta.
He met with by President Kagame at Urugwiro Village on Tuesday 6th September 2022.
Organized under the theme ‘Grow, Nourish, Reward — Bold Actions for Resilient Food Systems’, the AGRF 2022 Summit is taking place in Kigali from 5th to 9th September 2022.
It is expected to provide a platform to reflect on the coordinated large-scale action by leaders, institutions, investors, coalitions, and individuals to accelerate action towards translating commitments made into actionable strategies and progress on the ground.
The summit also brought together leaders from governments, businesses, civil society, international organizations alongside innovators, financiers, experts, scientists, entrepreneurs, and youth.
The Secretary-General of Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland is among other leaders who attended the summit.
On Tuesday, President Kagame also received and held talks with the Vice President of Tanzania, Philip Mpango who is in Rwanda for the summit.
Rwanda’s Presidency has revealed that both meetings discussed bilateral relations and avenues to strengthen intra-African cooperation and trade.
“Congratulations @trussliz on your election as Prime Minister of the UK. We look forward to further strengthening the existing close ties between the UK and Rwanda and wish you success,” Kagame tweeted.
On Tuesday 6th September 2022, Liz Truss was appointed Britain’s next prime minister by Queen Elizabeth II at the Balmoral estate in Scotland, shortly after Boris Johnson met the monarch to formally offer his resignation.
“The Queen received in Audience The Right Honourable Elizabeth Truss MP today and requested her to form a new Administration,” reads part of a statement released by Buckingham Palace.
“Ms Truss accepted Her Majesty’s offer and kissed hands upon her appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury,” adds the statement.
Liz Truss, 47, becomes the 15th UK Prime Minister since Queen Elizabeth II was installed on the throne.
Liz Truss officially takes office one day after Britain’s conservative party’s members elected her as their leader in a tough race against Indian-origin former chancellor Rishi Sunak.
She replaces Boris Johnson who resigned in July this year.
Truss assumes office at time when the UK and Rwanda are working together to implement the Migration and Economic Development Partnership that will see migrants and asylum seekers staying in the country illegally deported to Rwanda.
The institution’s management appeared before the committee as the hearing from government institutions to provide explanations on mistakes pointed out by the Auditor General (AG)’s report in the fiscal year 2020/2021 began on Monday 5th September 2022.
The pieces of land in question were bought at Rwf137 billion. The AG report indicates that the land has been idle for ten years where RSSB spent more Rwf394 million on it.
The expenses include taxes and the cost associated with its management.
The Director General of RSSB, Regis Rugemanshuro has revealed that the institution bought the pieces of land for future use because the value of land increases overtime.
“The pieces of land were bought for future projects. If the land is not bought early for future use, planning to build houses in the next 15 years would not be lucrative enough. However, buying the land earlier helps to mitigate risks of high cost it in the future,” he said.
The Chairperson of PAC, Valens Muhakwa questioned RSSB’s decision to buy plots of land without a clear plan for development.
“The institution should be far-sighted. You have the land but don’t know how it will be exploited. This is the problem being discussed. This is done by citizens trying to secure the future. Should RSSB be in a land banking race with citizens?”
Reacting to the concern, Rugemanshuro said: “What you say is true. There was no plan for all bought plots of land to determine whether they will be developed for business or something else. However, considering designed master plans, RSSB bought them in strategic locations ideal for different activities. In some instances, we handed over some plots of land unsuitable for our study plan.”
Parliamentarian (MP), Jean René Niyorurema also wondered how the institution can buy the land to be kept for 10 years yet the government informs the general public that those whose land remains undeveloped will be confiscated as per legal provisions.
“Keeping the land is not the sole plan. We also work with available investors willing to develop the land. Besides, we buy new land for clear reasons,” replied Rugemanshuro.
MP Jean Claude Ntezimana maintained that buying land before prices go high is not a bad idea but insisted that RSSB has what it takes to obtain information regarding the master plan for a particular area.
“For instance, you push forward public interest reasons while expropriating residents in Kiyovu cy’Abakene. It becomes meaningless for a citizen who passes by the area and realizes that the land is still idle. You have to buy pieces of land knowing better that you won’t face losses,” he said.
MP Christine Bakundufite said that RSSB was wrong to consider the Rwf137 billion worth land project because ‘it would have generated profits from other businesses’.
“This report shows that you have spent Rwf394 million. The longer it takes to develop the land, the more you increase losses,” she said.
PAC also indicated that the land owned by RSSB across the country is exploited at 3%.
RSSB explained that efforts are underway to set out a clear plan with which specific projects suitable for these pieces of land and their implementation timeframe will be determined not later than 2023 to develop the land in line with national development blueprint.
The institution also revealed that its land located in areas where the projects cannot materialize will be sold.
The building is part of ‘Amarembo City Center’, a large project comprised of architectural marvels expected to make the city’s skyline richer and more colourful.
The structures will be erected at former premises of Akagera Motors, Ets. Verma, Mironko and Mukangira between Kigali City Mall (former Union Trade Center) and Kigali City Tower.
Amarembo will be comprised of buildings extended on 120,000 square meters.
Despite the delay in other buildings under this project, the construction of Nobelia Tower is underway.
It is expected that Nobelia Tower project will be comprised of water-efficient green buildings using renewable energy.
The 19-floor building will be extended on 11 469 square meters of which 9,284 will be dedicated for businesses. It will have offices to let, commercial buildings and restaurants among others.
The project’s design was produced by a Spanish company dubbed Carlos Arroyo Architects. The company has executed different mega construction projects in Belgium, France, the United Kingdom and Germany.
Its principal, Carlos Arroyo is among expert architects in Europe. He served as a lecturer at different universities including Princeton SOA, Boston MIT, Berlin TU, Bauhaus, Politecnico di Milano, Paris ENSAPLV and Tokyo University. He currently teaches at the Universidad Europea de Madrid, where he is Academic Curator of the Master in Architecture.
HABI Ltd, an investor running Nobelia Tower project began construction activities in June 2022 while design phase commenced in 2014 and was completed in October 2015.
Green by Design, a US based company offering consultancy services in large, sustainable and green construction projects was also involved from conceptualisation through every phase of the design to ensure the facility meets all standards.
After completing the design concept, Nobelia Tower was rated as a six-star green building making it the first of its kind to receive the rating in East Africa.
Some of aspects considered for a building to be classified among six-star facilities include the source of energy, construction materials, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system and water and waste recycling among others.
A building receives a six-star grading if the average of points given to all features ranges between 70 and 100%.
This is the case for Nobelia Tower. It will be comprised of water-efficient green buildings using renewable energy.
It also has a sophisticated HVAC system had to be incorporated to dehumidify the fresh air, which will be distributed through hollow-core floor slabs, where the air is fed at floor level, displacing the air in the room and extracting it at ceiling level.
The building’s solar panels will also have the capacity to generate 198 804 kWh per annum.
Among others, onsite waste management needed to address as all organic waste will be used to create compost onsite. It is an addition to an onsite water treatment system expected to result in a 90% total reduction of water discharge.
As the project’s design was released; Eudes Kayumba, the Chairperson of Green Building Council of Rwanda said that Nobelia Office Tower would be used as ‘the benchmark for all future green buildings in Rwanda and the Central East African region’.
Figures from the ministry show that disasters occasioned by rain from 15th August 2022, injured 36 people, destroyed 100 houses and ravaged 142 hectares of arable land.
Rwanda Meteorology Agency (Mateo Rwanda) recently predicted average rainfall in all districts of Eastern Province between 200 and 300 millimeters.
Meanwhile, the rain between 300 and 400 millimeters is expected in different districts of Northern Province.
Heavy rainfall between 400 and 500 millimeters is forecasted in different parts of Musanze District and the north-west of Burera District. The heavy rain is also predicted in many districts of Western Province excluding Ngororero.
Appearing in RBA talk show on Sunday 4th September 2022; the Permanent Secretary at MINEMA, Philippe Habinshuti urged the general public to own disaster-prevention measures.
He reminded them that dealing with effects of disasters in more costly than prevention and reminisced on incurred loss where the government of Rwanda has injected Rwf10 billion in projects to build 12,500 houses for disaster-hit citizens.
Habinshuti explained that tightening a roof can cost Rwf10,000 yet a replacement takes between Rwf300,000 and Rwf400,000.
“We must expend much effort in disaster prevention instead of folding arms until a house collapses. When anti-erosion measures are not considered while building a bridge, it is likely to be destroyed. We encourage citizens to tighten roofs, build strong foundations lest water penetrate through walls and relocate from high risk zones,” he said.
The development was announced during a two-day retreat that brought together members of Rotary Club Virunga in Bugesera District over the last weekend. It was chaired by Prof Geoffrey Rugege, the new club’s President installed recently in July 2022.
Prof. Rugege who is in retirement life, previously served as the Vice Chancellor of the African Leadership University (ALU). He has been a member of Rotary Club for 50 years since 1972.
Established 118 years ago, Rotary International is an organization purposed to bring together businesses and professionals to provide humanitarian services and providing support in addressing problems facing the world by combating illiteracy and poverty, contributing to the provision of safe water, handling disputes, environmental and prevention fighting diseases and do lots of projects geared towards community development.
Participants of the retreat discussed issues including a blueprint of strategies for the year 2022/2023 with a focus on the recruitment of new members and expansion of development projects in Rwanda.
Dr. Jean D’Amour Manirere, the Assistant Governor of Rotary Club District 9150 in Rwanda who is also a member of Rotary Club Musanze-Murera and the CEO of Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Clare Akamanzi were among other participants who delivered talks.
Akamanzi said that she learnt a lot about the values of Rotary during the retreat and pledged to share them with her colleagues at work. She underscored that the Rotary values should be part of every civil servant’s values.
Akamanzi also assured support and collaboration with Rotary Club on strategies aimed at fostering development of the community.
Masterjerb Paul Birungi, the former Assistant Governor of Rotary Club District 9150 in Rwanda in 2017/2018 and member of Rotary Club Kigali-Virunga said that they have recruited quite a good number of members this year and expressed optimism that other individuals will join gradually to extend the club’s impact.
“Early this year, we recruited 15 new members in our club. It is a great milestone to get the members who currently hold various government and private sector high positions. This gives us hope that many more members will join this club,” he said.
Masterjerb Paul Birungi disclosed that Rotary Club in Rwanda seeks to open as many as possible clubs so that Rwanda can become among Districts of Rotary International.
Members of Rotary Club Kigali-Virunga who have so far increased from 35 to 50, are very focused towards achieving envisioned objectives.
As per regulations governing the organization, a country with 40 clubs can be promoted to a district level with a requirement to reach the threshold of 80 clubs within a span of two years.
Today, Rwanda has 10 Rotary Clubs with plans to open news ones in all the 30 districts before the end of this year. If everything goes well, this year might leave Rwanda hitting the number of 40 clubs.
“We want to change Rwanda’s status to a district level, which will help us roll out more development activities to our citizens because Rotary International has a handsome amount of money allocated for community development,” noted PADG Paul Birungi.
In the mid of this week, new Rotarians who were not able to attend the Retreat held in Bugesera were inducted. These include; Arthur Asiimwe- the CEO of RBA; Andre Kulayigye – the CEO of Britam insurance; Judge Kadigwa Laurien -High Court Judge; Daniel Okechukwu – Rwanda-Country Representative of GGGI and John Gatebera- CEO of DSPA ( a security company for for Fire prevention, Alert&Fighting).
Rwanda has ten clubs including Rotary Club Kigali Mont Jali, Musanze-Murera, Rotary Club Kalisimbi, Rotary Club Kigali Virunga, Rotary Club Kigali Doyen, Rotary Club Gasabo, Rotary Club Seniors, Rotary club Kivu Lake, Rotary club Butare.
Rotary Club District 9150 is comprised of ten countries including Rwanda, Burundi, Cameroun, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Tchad and Sao Tomé-et-Principe.
Rotary Clubs in Rwanda will focus on different areas of community development namely; Basic Education and Literacy, Environment protection, Peace and Conflict resolution, Child and Maternal Health, Disease Prevention, Water and Sanitation as well as Community Economic Development.
“We therefore, all look forward to join our efforts, men and women of good will and big hearts to impact on our Rwandan community through Rotary international aspirations,” PADG Birungi underscored.
In mid-June, the first flight to deport migrants and asylum seekers staying illegally in the UK to Rwanda was cancelled few hours before taking off.
After the judgment from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), passengers were removed from the plane which had to take off on Tuesday 14th June 2022 at 11:30 p.m. of Kigali Time.
The human rights court said that it had suspended the deportation of one migrant from Iraq who was onboard the plane.
It also maintained that UK must wait for the final judgment before further action.
On Friday 2nd September 2022, Priti Patel held a phone conversation with Minister Biruta which revolved around the commitment to implement the policy.
“Always a pleasure to speak to my counterpart in Rwanda Vincent Biruta. On a call, we discussed our countries’ steadfast commitment to the Migration and Economic Development Partnership. Rwanda and UK stand together in promoting a fairer, more effective global asylum system and we won’t be deterred,” Patel tweeted.
Their discussions took place few days before courts reassess the deportation of migrants and asylum seekers from UK to Rwanda.
The High Court in UK will hear objections against the plan next week. However, the country asserts that the policy will discourage migrants from seeking refuge in UK.
Through the deal signed this year, the UK will provide an upfront investment of £120 million to fund invaluable opportunities for Rwandans and migrants including secondary qualifications, vocational and skills training, language lessons and higher education.
These asylum seekers from African countries and others outside the continent will be treated decently like Rwandans upon arrival. It is expected that those willing to return to their mother lands will be helped to do so.
Following the last minute cancellation of the first flight; the Spokesperson of the Government of Rwanda, Yolande Makolo said that Rwanda remains committed to welcome the migrants when they arrive.
“We are not deterred by these developments. Rwanda remains fully committed to making this partnership work. The current situation of people making dangerous journeys cannot continue as it is causing untold suffering to so many. Rwanda stands ready to receive the migrants when they do arrive and offer them safety and opportunity in our country,” she said.
At the time, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel said that she was “disappointed” but added that preparation for the next flight continues.
“I have always said this policy will not be easy to deliver and am disappointed that legal challenge and last-minute claims have meant today’s flight was unable to depart,” she said. “We will not be deterred from doing the right thing and delivering our plans to control our nation’s borders. Our legal teams are reviewing every decision made on this flight and preparations for the next flight begins now,” added Patel.
Melodie was arrested around 4:00 p.m. upon arrival in Bujumbura City on 31st August 2022.
His arrest was also confirmed by Burundi’s Ministry of Interior, Community Development and Public Security on the same day which indicated that he was held in custody for investigation over swindling.
Sources revealed that Melodie was taken into Police custody as soon as he left the airport for interrogation on the accusations filed by a man identified as Toussaint who had invited him to stage a concert in 2018.
The artiste had to perform in Burundi on 25th December 2018 but missed out. Later on, it was reported that the organizer asked for reimbursement.
As he was arrested in Burundi this week, sources reveal, the man demanded Bruce Melodie to refund the advance of US$2000 he had paid him out of US$6 million contract to stage a concert and provide 30 million Burundian Francs in compensation of incurred losses.
It is said that Melodie paid the money but was obliged to pay more Rwf12 million which he did and released to proceed with concerts on last minute.
Melodie was released in the evening of Friday 2nd September 2022.
