The appointment has been announced today in a Communiqué released by the Office of the Prime Minister.
Dr. Ugirashebuja replaces Johnston Busingye who was recently named Rwanda’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
He previously served as the 4th President of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ).
Dr. Ugirashebuja was appointed Judge of Appeal by the Summit of the EAC Heads of State in November 2013 and subsequently, appointed the Judge President of the EACJ in June 2014. His lordship was appointed for seven years tenure.
He also served as the Dean of the Law School, University of Rwanda; Member of the Superior Council of Judiciary; Member of the Supreme Council of Prosecution; Senior Lecturer at the National University of Rwanda; Member of Team of Experts in the East African Community on Fears, Challenges and Concerns towards the East African Political Federation; Legal Advisor at the Rwanda Environment Authority; and Legal Advisor at the Rwandan Constitution Commission.
He has given lectures at the University of Edinburgh, the University of Dar es Salaam, to the Rwanda Senior Command and Staff and at the Rwanda National Police College.
The satellite was launched into space on 25th September 2019. It is equipped with a small technology device that can test the quantity of water, warmth, humidity among other climate measurements.
The satellite has the capacity to monitor different directions using its two cameras that can capture pictures on Rwanda’s earth.
The Minister of ICT and Innovation, Paula Ingabire has said that Rwasat-1 has been sending data useful for the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources to design policies aimed at increasing agricultural yields.
“Most of transmitted data helps to identify productive land, the size and appropriate crops to grow. These indications are used along with other data collected using other technologies,” she said.
“These include satellites, drones, sensors which help us, particularly, the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources to improve monitoring and leverage the power of technology to increase agricultural produce,” added Ingabire.
With 30cm of height and 10 cm of width, Rwasat weighs 3.8 Kgs. Other satellites of the same size are replaced between two and three years to ensure they provide reliable data.
Rwasat-1 was the second satellite Rwanda launched into the space following the launch of ‘Icyerekezo’ satellite on 28th February 2019 to expand internet access in rural areas.
It was launched by the Government of Rwanda in collaboration with OneWeb.
Rwanda continues to promote the use of technology to transform the agriculture sector which accounts for 31 percent of Gross domestic Product (GDP).
In March 2021, Rwanda’s parliament passed the law establishing Rwanda Space Agency (RSA).
As provided by the law establishing RSA, some of its responsibilities include advising the Government on creating and developing national and international space policies.
It also has the responsibility of providing geospatial services for development activities in various domains such as agriculture, urban planning, emergency response & weather forecasts.
Kagame made the revelation on Thursday 16th September 2021 as he virtually attended the ‘Stern Stewart Institute Summit’ where he spoke on transformation and leadership in Africa in a conversation moderated by John Defterios, CNN Business Emerging Markets Editor and Anchor.
Kagame said that leadership should be perceived as the relationship between leaders and citizens which is a crucial aspect leading to great achievements.
“First, leadership has to be understood in terms of the relationship between leaders and citizens. It is not just about the characteristics of the individual who happens to be a leader,” he noted.
Kagame explained that there are two specific things to be considered in leadership which include trust that people have that the leadership is working in the best interests of the country and a mechanism for being accountable for delivering the results that citizens expect and deserve.
The President further stated that people often judge leaders considering circumstances under which they took and quit power yet there are other key considerations to take stock of.
“Too often, the legitimacy of leaders is judged by the process through which they arrived in office or their manner of leaving office. What happens in between is given less attention. And yet, the good or bad results that leaders actually deliver on the ground are how citizens judge them. So you often find a mismatch between internal and external perceptions of the performance of various leaders,” he said.
Kagame also stressed the need for leaders to put citizens’ interests at the forefront if they are to deliver on expectations.
“A leadership that consistently delivers tangible results for the well-being of citizens is going to be resilient and successful,” he affirmed.
Kagame said that Rwanda attaches great relevance to citizens’ participation to promote inclusive leadership and development.
“The second and final thought I have is the importance of changing mindsets. Leaders cannot lead countries alone. They can only set the tempo and raise the level of ambition by involving the public directly. This is a key reason why, in Rwanda, we spend a great deal of time investing in, and engaging with young people. The goal is to make them more self-reliant, confident, and innovative than previous generations. Otherwise, there is no way to secure the gains that our country has made in the past 27 years,” he noted.
The revelations came out on Wednesday 15th September 2021 as FARG appeared before the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to respond to mismanagement issues reported during implementation of the aforementioned project.
During the session, it emerged that the funds provided to four group beneficiaries sheltered in One-dollar campaign complex were poorly managed.
The Auditor General (AG)’s report indicated that FARG provided Rwf81,000,000 funding to four groups comprised of 81 beneficiaries sheltered in the housing unit built under One-dollar campaign project (ODCP).
ODCP is a charity initiative started by members of the Rwandan Diaspora in 2008 to mobilise a symbolic one dollar each to raise money to provide shelter for Genocide survivors.
Initially, beneficiaries received Rwf48, 600,000 with a promise to receive more funds after presenting how best the first installment was utilized.
The previous inspection held in February 2021, indicated that two groups received Rwf12, 600,000 and 12,000,000 respectively but did not operate.
There was also a delay in implementation of projects worth Rwf12, 000,000 for one of the four groups that received funding. It is reported that the group started implementation eight months later after receiving funds.
The AG’s report revealed that beneficiaries in one of the four groups shared received funds worth Rwf12, 000,000 instead of using them for intended purpose.
The Director General of FARG, Julienne Uwacu explained that individuals who shared the money had pitched ideas of selling of agricultural produce.
FARG entered agreement with the Association of Graduate Genocide Survivors (GAERG) to follow up their project.
Uwacu said that details of sharing funds emerged when an inspection was carried out following beneficiaries’ request to get the second installment.
“They kept telling us that businesses are still operational. We visited them and refrained from releasing the remaining 40% after realizing that their businesses are not sustainable. The group did not yield intended results because it was split that every member went his/her own way to live in desired favorite places,” she revealed.
Parliamentarian Germaine Mukabalisa said that there should have been proactive measures to prevent the loss and monitor beneficiaries on daily basis.
Emmanuel Munyangondo, the Director of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation at FARG explained that they followed up beneficiaries but failed to reach out to some of them.
“One of them submitted identifications that he stays in Ntongwe sector of Ruhango district. He gave us contacts that we planned field visits which failed at different times because the beneficiary used to switch off his phone upon arrival in the area,” he said.
The Chairperson of PAC, Valens Muhakwa questioned the response wondering how assigned team failed to reach out to a person living in Rwanda.
“Failing to reach out to people in Rwanda…how come? Does it mean that you delegated someone and came back telling you that he /she didn’t find beneficiaries?”
Mukabalisa also said that it is not reasonable ‘to provide 60% of the total funds without knowing where the beneficiaries are located’.
“How come that a beneficiary disappears when there is an inspection to follow up project implementation. Doesn’t the case involve funds embezzlement?”
The AG’s report indicated that FARG allocated Rwf1, 076,000.000 in 2012/2013 to different districts to support 1065 cooperatives involved in income generating activities.
The implementation has however been characterized by irregularities due to lacking reports on the project’s progress.
The majority of funded projects encountered losses. For instance, 393 projects worth Rwf325, 400,000 an equivalent to 37 percent of all funded projects were not successfully implemented while 35 of them worth Rwf27, 700,000 failed with no clear reasons.
FARG also allocated Rwf49, 500,000 to support 99 small income generating projects.
Each of these projects was supposed to receive Rwf500, 000 but 25 of 73 visited projects halted activities due to various reasons including sickness and use of funds to cater for household needs among others.
Among others, auditors established that 15 beneficiary groups that received Rwf7, 500,000 changed their business models without go ahead from FARG.
{{Unrecovered funds }}
The audit carried out in 2019 indicated that Rwf358, 434,000 that FARG had allocated for lucrative projects were misused and had to be recovered.
Another audit held in March 2021 showed that the funds had not yet been recovered despite ongoing efforts in collaboration with Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB).
The Director General of FARG, Uwacu explained that funds allocated to support projects owned by vulnerable survivors of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi were released following a viable study.
Some beneficiaries implemented businesses different from initially pitched ones. Part of the funds was recovered waiting for the rest to return the money.
Parliamentarian Jean Rene Niyorurema said that beneficiaries used to receive funds without prior training which might have triggered inefficiency.
Uwacu explained that beneficiaries were trained before and received funds in their respective groups through collaboration with grassroots leaders.
MP Germaine Mukabalisa said that the ineffective execution should not only be attributed to beneficiaries but also the committee assigned to oversee these projects that did not fulfill their duties.
The Vice Chairperson of PAC, Beline Uwineza also raised queries to understand stakeholders behind the failure and their actions triggering inefficiency.
Uwacu admitted that FARG is also involved ‘because we would have achieved goals for which the fund was established, had we implemented projects smoothly to transform beneficiaries’ lives. We are responsible for this along with partners.
In the second quarter of 2021, GDP at current market prices was estimated at Rwf 2,665 billion up from Rwf 2,177 billion of the same quarter in 2020.
The statistical report released on Wednesday 15th September 2021 shows that the service sector was the main contributor to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with 47%, followed by agriculture (25%) and industry (19%) while 9 % was attributed to adjustment for taxes and subsidies on products.
Unlike the past year, figures released yesterday reflect a good progress on economic recovery from adverse effects of COVID-19 pandemic due to instituted measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
Overall, the GDP grew by 20.6%, while other sectors of the economy including agriculture, industry and services grew by 7%, 30% and 24% respectively.
Overall, agricultural activities grew by 7 percent and contributed 2.0 percent to overall GDP growth.
Within agriculture, the production of food crops increased by 7 percent while the production of export crops decreased by 2 percent.
Industrial activities grew by 30 percent and contributed 5.1 percentage points to GDP growth. The main contributors in the industry sector were construction activities, which grew by 33 percent, and manufacturing activities, which grew by 23 percent. Mining and quarrying activities also increased by 87 percent.
Among others, the growth in manufacturing activities is due to an increase of 111 percent in the production of furniture and other manufacturing, 11 percent in food processing, 39 percent in production of chemicals, rubber and plastic products as well as 47 percent in metal products, machinery and equipment.
Service activities grew by 24 percent and contributed 10.8 percentage points to GDP growth.
Within services sector, wholesale and retail trade increased by 34 percent, transport increased by 48 percent, education increased by 168 percent, information and communication increased by 28 percent while financial services increased by 19 percent.
As per released report, total final consumption expenditure increased by 46 percent in the second quarter of 2021, with household final consumption increasing by 52 percent.
Government final consumption increased by 20%, imports remained constant at 0 percent growth while exports and gross capital formation decreased by 7 percent and 58 percent respectively.
Some of deportees revealed that they were arrested by Uganda’s military and tortured on accusation of illegal entry to the country.
Cyprien Maniriho,28, hailing from Kabaya village, Nkamira cell, Kimonyi sector of Musanze district said that he has crossed to Uganda in 2018 through Cyanika border.
He was arrested in August 2021 by Ugandan soldiers in Mbarara heading back to Rwanda.
Maniriho was first detained in Makenke for one day and later taken to a detention facility in Mbarara.
He was accused of illegal entry to Uganda and spent 21 days in detention.
Bosco Nyandwi is another deportee who went to Uganda in 2018 to run business in Sambya district.
As Nyandwi explained, he was arrested on 19th August 2021 on his way to Kampala.
Nyandwi was first detained in Mbarara on the same accusation of entering the country illegally.
Their deportation follows series of circumstances under which Ugandan officials have been dumping Rwandans at borders following days of torture in detention facilities accused of being spies yet they had traveled to Uganda to run businesses or visit relatives among other reasons.
Recently on 8th September 2021, Rwanda received 16 nationals evicted from Uganda through Cyanika border in Burera district after enduring torture and dispossession of their valuables.
Rwanda, Uganda relations worsened since 2017. Rwanda has been expressing concerns over Rwandans who travel to Uganda for business purposes but are abducted, imprisoned and tortured accused of being spies.
Rwanda also accuses Uganda of hosting dissidents that are posing a threat to national security.
In March 2019, the Government of Rwanda officially advised citizens not to travel to Uganda for their security following testimonies of over 1000 Rwandans tortured and deported from Uganda.
In August 2019, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame signed memorandum of understanding ‘Luanda Agreement’ in a bid to solve conflicts between both countries.
Despite efforts to sign the agreement between both heads of state witnessed by mediators including the President of Angola, Joao Lourenço and Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the situation is still worsening as Uganda’s Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence continues with arbitrary detention of Rwandans who are subjected to torture in its facilities.
Gihembe camp accommodates 9,922 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Some refugees who spoke to IGIHE lamented about the decision by the Ministry in charge of Emergency Management to relocate them to a new camp which previously accommodated refugees from Burundi.
Alice Mushimiyimana is among young people born in Gihembe camp who revealed that it won’t be easy to mix with the new environemnt.
“We are not happy with the decision. We have been familiar with this area which had become our home. Relocating us to another camp seems like we are seeking refuge afresh. Moving to different camps destabilizes our mindsets because there is no assurance that we won’t be moved to another place in the near future. It affects us in no smaller part. We have been living comfortably as proud residents. The relocation revives memories and living conditions in refuge,” she said.
Mushimiyimana said that it would be better resettling them in places where they will stay until they return to their native land.
Théo Mpatswe, another young refugee said that some of refugees are to leave occupations that helped them to feed their families.
“It difficult to get familiar with a new setting especially when you had strong connections with residents. Besides, the relocation will affect us in many ways because parents who have been running businesses to feed families will be hit hard as they get integrated into new life,” he revealed.
Goretti Murebwayire, Gihembe camp manager allayed fears for refugees noting that the relocation is meant to protect their wellbeing by resettling them in a more decent place.
“They should not be worried about the relocation to Mahama because the camp has been operational. Refugees with businesses will continue to enjoy such opportunity in Mahama camp and receive existing support. I would like to assure them that Mahama is more decent than this camp,” she explained.
Relocation of refugees from Gihembe camp will resume on 20th September 2021 where a total of 500 refugees will be relocated joining more 520 families comprised of 2393 refugees resettled to the place in May 2021.
Gihembe camp accommodates 9,922 refugees from 2227 families expected to have been relocated to Mahama camp by December 2021.
Tembea Nyumbani, Swahili for Visit Home, is a call to the citizens of the countries in the East African Community to visit each other’s countries in an effort to promote domestic and regional tourism business in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.
In the spirit of East African unity, the tourism body is drawing wisdom from the popular adage that as an East African, any East African country you travel to is a home away from home.
Undertaken in partnership with stakeholders, the campaign will promote different tourist packages within the region. The campaign aims to spur tourism business within the region by showcasing the many hidden gems as well as affordable and exciting holiday packages that can be explored in what the world has come to know as Africa’s magical destinations. It is expected that an increase in interest to travel within the region will revive the tourism industry, which is a lifeline for millions of people.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the tourism sector had become one of the most lucrative, but the pandemic brought it to its knees. As uptake of vaccines increases and recovery efforts start, many nations are cooperating to revive tourism. Before Covid-19, tourism contributed to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of EAC Partner States by an average of 9.5% in 2019. It contributed an average of 17.2% to EAC total exports and 7.1% to employment. Research shows that EAC Partner States lost international tourism receipts to the tune of USD 4.8 billion in the year 2020. In terms of impact on employment, it is estimated that 2 million tourism jobs in the region were lost.
Efforts to deal with challenges associated with Covid-19 on domestic and regional tourism should focus on the long term, beyond the pandemic, in order to enable the industry to revive and thrive sustainably to withstand future shocks.
The EAC has a lot to offer in terms of products and attractions, with its enormous untapped tourism and hospitality potential.
Different discounted packages for East Africans are available on the Tembea Nyumbani platform https://tembeanyumbani.visiteastafrica.net/
The site features various tourist attractions, culinary experiences, tour offers and diverse travel experiences in the EAC. It will facilitate people to navigate and find a range of offers within the region and enable business owners to connect with customers easily. We are inviting all East Africans to visit the portal to start exploring beautiful East Africa.
Speaking during the campaign’s launch recently in September 2021, EATP Board Member and CEO of the Tourism Confederation of Tanzania, Richard Rugimbana said: “The tourism economy is at a crossroads. The coronavirus has heavily hit it, but this pandemic also brought us opportunities to explore new markets, open up new destinations, encourage innovation as well as think new and sustainable tourism development models.”
“The crisis is an opportunity to think about the present and the future. With the hard-hitting decline in international arrivals and recovery to pre-crisis levels not expected before 2023, Tembea Nyumbani will provide the much-needed boost to help sustain our region’s many tourism destinations and businesses. Besides promoting domestic and regional tourism, this campaign will be a key driver of business recovery in the short to medium term.”
“Recently, we re-introduced the www.visiteastafrica.net portal where tourists can plan and book tour packages and offers from service providers in the region. This is an addition to a great achievement of the East Africa Tourism Platform and its commitment to continue offering value to its members.”
More than 830 regional tour operators and travel agents will now be able to market and sell their packages through Tembea Nyumbani. More travel operators are welcome to join the platform, at no cost, by registering through their respective country tour associations.
Commenting on the development; Anataria Karimba, Director of Business Competitiveness at TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) said: “A return to pre-Covid-19 international tourist arrival levels may seem far off as travel restrictions still hold. However, this should encourage us as the Partner States to work together in addressing the impact of the pandemic on the tourism sector and in joint tourism recovery efforts.”
“Tourism is one of the world’s major economic sectors, and the current crisis is an opportunity for us to rethink how we do things. One of the vital lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic is that domestic and regional tourism markets are very important. In such situations, they can help make the tourism sector resilient. We need to focus more effort on developing many creative and innovative packages for domestic and regional tourism. Tembea Nyumbani is long overdue.”
{{About the East Africa Tourism Platform (EATP)}}
The East Africa Tourism Platform (EATP) is the private sector body for tourism in East Africa, working towards promoting the interest and participation of the private sector in the East African Community (EAC) integration process.
The East Africa Tourism Platform was established in July 2011 after extensive consultations with tourism stakeholders. It became operational on April 2, 2012, with the support of TradeMark East Africa. The vision of creating and promoting a vibrant and diverse single tourism destination is the driving force.
The platform promotes intra and inter-regional tourism through advocacy, marketing, skills development, research and information sharing. It works closely with national ministries responsible for tourism, hospitality, wildlife, transport portfolios, the EAC Secretariat, TradeMark East Africa (TMEA), the East African Business Council (EABC) and private sector organizations in all EAC Partner States to promote intra and inter-regional tourism.
According to News.In-24, these two partnerships which fall within the framework of government agreements in the field of health between Morocco and Rwanda, affect various aspects of cooperation, in particular the sharing of scientific knowledge, training and the exchange of experiences.
The first memorandum of understanding, signed by the secretary general of the CHU Ibn Sina, Abdelhamid Ouaqouaq and the Director General of the CHUK, Theobald Hategekimana, concerns the development of the opportunities offered by scientific research and the exchange of information and documentation in all sectors of activity.
By virtue of this partnership, which is spread over a period of three years renewable by tacit agreement, the Ibn Sina University Hospital will welcome interns from the Kigali University Hospital for short-term internships intended to improve skills. The Rabat University Hospital is also committed to sharing its experience in the field of strategic planning and hospital management.
“This is a very important partnership which will allow the University Hospital of Kigali to benefit from the Moroccan experience in the fields of thoracic surgery, interventional gastroenterology and pediatric onco-hematology,” said Hategekimana.
“It is a key partnership for the development of our hospital but also for improving the training of our students”, he continued, adding that Morocco has accumulated a wealth of experience in health and training of medical personnel.
The second agreement, signed by Ouaqouaq and the director general of the King Faisal Hospital in Kigali Miliard Derbew, covers various aspects of cooperation, including the upgrading of professional medical skills and the development of certain hospital disciplines.
Within the framework of this partnership, the Ibn Sina University Hospital will contribute to the realization of the strategic objectives of the King Faisal Hospital relating to the promotion of the activities of cardiovascular surgery, kidney transplantation and hospital financial management.
“This partnership reflects the spirit of South-South cooperation advocated by Morocco which allows the countries of the African continent to help each other and share their knowledge and know-how”, Derbew pointed out.
In a statement to MAP, he said that “This agreement will help improve the services offered by the hospital and boost human resource capacities through training”.
For his part, the secretary general of the CHU Ibn Sina declared that these two agreements illustrate the privileged links between Morocco and Rwanda and reflect the will of the two countries to develop cooperation based on sharing, solidarity, enrichment and strengthening of skills in the hospital sector.
He noted that the Ibn Sina University Hospital has set up two steering committees with its Rwandan partners in order to monitor the implementation of the two signed agreements.
These steering committees, he added, will produce consensual programs reconciling ambitions, human resources available in the short term and the budget to be committed by hospital partners.
Kagame made the revelation today as he delivered a virtual Keynote Address at the 14th Annual Banking and Finance Conference organized by The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN).
Themed “Economic Recovery, Inclusion and Transformation: The Role of Banking and Finance,” the two-day gathering focuses on the need to reposition the Banking and Finance Industry as catalyst for economic recovery, inclusive growth and transformation.
The event is an annual knowledge, thought sharing, and solution-based forum for all stakeholders: policymakers, regulators, operators, service providers, members of the academia, and clients in the Financial Services Industry.
It provides a medium for practitioners within the Industry and beyond to share experiences, exchange ideas and proffer pragmatic insights on contemporary issues affecting the sector and the economy.
As he delivered remarks, Kagame said that COVID-19 pandemic has provided an opportunity for banks to take the lead in helping societies during trying times.
“The Covid pandemic has affected every aspect of our economies. But the pandemic also presents an opportunity for Africa’s banks to play a leading role in making our societies more resilient and more responsive to the needs of our people,” noted Kagame.
“Whatever affects business, affects banking. Financial services are the engine of private sector development. Banks are crucial for allocating capital wisely and productively,” he added.
The President said that Africa has what it takes to attain desired progress. He further stated that banking services are not meant for elites but rather should be inclusive to achieve economic development.
“Indeed, Africa has the resources to fund its own economic growth and reduce dependence on external resources. To stay competitive, there is the need to keep integrating new technology into banking to increase financial inclusion and access. Banking can’t just be a service for elites,” he stated.
Kagame reminisced on the importance of the African Continental Free Trade Area under implementation noting that it ‘is creating new opportunities for pan-African trade and investment’.
“Banks with continental reach, like several of the institutions represented here, can lead the way in cementing economic integration. Finally, the banking sector, more than any other, understands the importance of integrity and good customer service. Banking is ultimately about trust. We look to you to set the pace in this regard,” he said.
Kagame said that governments have the role to maintain good enabling environments, protecting both shareholders and consumers, while allowing for innovation.
