The three-month pilot phase launched on Friday 4th June 2021 at Kigali International Airport, is a result of partnership with the Germany Embassy in Rwanda.
The launch of the project was presided over by the Deputy Inspector of Police (DIGP) in charge of Operations, Felix Namuhoranye and RBC Director General, Dr Sabin Nsanzimana.
Police officers under the Canine Brigade were trained as dog handlers.
Rwanda becomes the first African country to rollout the use of sniffer dogs in detecting COVID-19 positive cases.
Dr. Nsanzimana said five sniffer dogs will be used in the three-month pilot phase. He added that the use of sniffer dogs will save time that was being spent to produce laboratory test results.
“It is a pilot project but soon, we will be using these sniffer dogs in areas that receive many people. These sniffers will speed up the testing process and easy to identify COVID-19 positive cases. The current lab process takes at least two days for people can receive their results, but these sniffers will be able to detect positive cases instantly,” said Dr. Nsanzimana.
The dogs are trained to recognize a distinctive odour produced by people with the virus, but undetectable to the human nose.
According to Dr. Nsanzimana, there will be no contact between dogs and people.
“It will be just a cloth used on the person, put in a marked container for the dogs to sniff out Coronavirus,” Dr. Nsanzimana said.
According to experts, dogs can have up to 100,000 times the smelling ability of humans and have long been used to sniff out drugs and explosives.
Dr. Nsanzimana observed that there are people, who were complaining or not contented with the nasal and mouth swab Covid-19 test coupled with delays in getting results, which will be eased with the use of sniffer dogs.
Prof. Leo Mutesa, a researcher and lecturer at the University of Rwanda, said the dogs are trained for over 400 hours before they start sniffing out Covid-19.
The sniffer dogs’ COVID-19 detection capability, Prof. Mutesa said, is at 94%. One dog, he added, has the capacity to produce results for at least 200 people in a space of two minutes.
The five dogs will be used to screen and test at least 1000 people in the pilot phase.
New changes were announced on Friday 4th June 2021.
Among other appointments, Lieutenant General Jean Jacques Mupenzi has been appointed Airforce Chief of Staff while Major General Emmanuel Bayingana became a Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence.
Lt General Muganga has been the RDF Division Commander for Eastern Province and Kigali.
Muganga replaces Lt Gen Jean Jacques Mupenzi appointed Airforce Chief of Staff.
Lt Gen Muganga is among soldiers that liberated the country and stopped the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
In 2012, he was elevated from the rank of Brigadier General to Major General. He was the commander of RDF Fourth Division before leaving for studies overseas.
Upon return, he was appointed Commander of First Division.
Lt Gen Muganga is also the current Chairman of APR Football Club (APR FC), a position held since January 2021.
{{Lt Gen Jean Jacques Mupenzi}}
Lt Gen Jean Jacques Mupenzi was born in 1968 and previously served as the RDF Army Chief of Staff (ACOS). For the last 30 years of his military career the Gen has commanded Battalion, Brigade and Division both during peace time and war time.
He has been the Commandant of the Rwanda Defence Force Senior Command and Staff College and the Commander Mechanized Division.
The Gen has attended military courses both within Rwanda, Region and Abroad. He is a fellow of National Defence College (Karen-Kenya), Joint Passed Staff College (UK), Passed Staff College (Nigeria) and Army High Command Course (China).
Lt Gen Jean Mupenzi is a holder of Masters Degrees in Defence Studies and International Studies from Kings College London (UK) and Nairobi Universities respectively. He also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration.
He has served as the Rwandan Battalion Contingent Commander in Darfur in the AMIS and the Sector Commander in the UNMISS. The Gen has attended and participated in several Regional Field and Command Post Exercises intended to operationalize the African Stand-By Force (ASF) as well as Eastern African Stand-By Force. He has attended high level conferences/ seminars/ Africa Centre for Strategic Studies (USA) and Regional Senior Mission Leaders Course at International Peace Support Training Centre (Kenya).
The Gen is happily married and his hobbies include Jogging and reading military history books.
{{Who is Major Emmanuel Bayingana? }}
Major General Emmanuel Bayingana appointed PS in MINADEF has been serving as Airforce Chief Of Staff since September 2019.
Prior to that, he had been serving as Chief Executive Officer of Zigama CSS. Major General Bayingana joined the military twenty-nine years ago and was part of the force that engaged in the war for liberation of Rwanda on 1st October 1990.
After the military victory of 4th July 1994, he served in several appointments including: Member of the Military High Court, Director of the Criminal Investigation Department, Chief Instructor Rwanda Military Academy Nyakinama, Director for Plans at RDF HQs and Chief of Staff of the Ceasefire Commission under UNAMID.
Major General Emmanuel Bayingana is a graduate of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Accra Ghana and the United States Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, USA.
Madam Vuniwaqa made the remarks on Thursday, June 3, while visiting FPU-3 camp, in Juba, where she met and briefed officers of the contingent.
“This is an important FPU for the UNPOL component; we had challenges of the COVID-19 including the recent surge at the beginning of the year. Thank you very much for the contributions… the work that you have been conducting as a contingent amid these challenges,” Madam Vuniwaqa said.
She added: “I know this is not an easy time to be deployed in any peacekeeping mission, largely due to the challenges of COVID-19 that we are going through, apart from other usual challenges of peacekeeping. You left your loved ones and families back home to come and assist the youngest nation here in South Sudan.
I know at this time, we also worry about our families and loved ones back at home because of the challenges of Covid-19, but I know you are professional peacekeepers, that despite the challenges we are facing, we are here to give 100% in terms of our contribution to United Nations mission here in South Sudan.”
At the camp, the Police Commissioner was received by the FPU-3 contingent commander, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jeannette Masozera, who briefed her on the various peacekeeping operations the contingent conducts as well as other human security activities conducted with the local Police and communities.
“I have been briefed on the various activities that you have been conducting ever since you came to this mission and the individual implored Umuganda.
Thank you for bringing to South Sudan the concept of cleanliness from your country. I have visited Kigali in a beautiful country… thank you for sharing these good practices with the people of South Sudan,” the Police Commissioner said.
She urged them to “continue with the good work until the very last moment” when they return back home.
“I wish you all the best, enjoy your deployment, and I know that with all the support you will get from the leadership here in UNMISS, you will be able to deliver successfully until the very end of your mission.”
SSP Masozera thanked the Police Commissioner and the entire UNMISS leadership for the support, which she said helps them to deliver.
She said that the contingent remains dedicated to its UNMISS mandate and always ready to take up any assigned tasks to restore peace and security for the people of South Sudan.
Kagame delivered the message on Wednesday as he attended COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) Summit.
COVAX, a global initiative aimed at working with vaccine producers to provide countries worldwide with equitable access to safe and effective vaccine.
During the summit, Global leaders and private sector companies pledged US$ 2.4 billion to the COVAX Facility to accelerate access to 1.8 billion COVID-19 doses for lower-income economies. The pledges exceed the original US$ 2 billion target and bring the total raised to US$ 9.6 billion.
Japan demonstrated its commitment to ending the acute phase of the pandemic by pledging US$ 800 million at the Summit, making their total contribution to the COVAX AMC US$ 1 billion. Their leadership made way for other donors to help COVAX fulfill its financial ask.
Kagame thanked donors who continue to support the initiative and urged them to redouble efforts to defeat COVID-19.
“We must redouble our efforts, and also diversify the sources of vaccine available to COVAX, even as we work to build Africa’s vaccine production capacity for the future. The COVAX Advance Market Commitment, led by Gavi, is the financing mechanism that ensures vaccine access for low- and middle-income countries. Now is the time to ensure COVAX has the funds to keep saving lives and help bring the Covid-19 pandemic to an end,” he said.
The President stressed that COVAX initiative saved many people’s lives including Rwandans through distribution of vaccines.
“The COVAX initiative has already saved many lives, including in Rwanda. Our country has received more than 500,000 doses via COVAX, allowing us to vaccinate nearly 3 percent of our population,” he noted.
The President, however, said that billions of people are still exposed to the dangers of Covid-19 where ‘the shortfall in Africa is particularly acute’ and emphasized that it is time ‘to ensure COVAX has the funds to keep saving lives and help bring the Covid-19 pandemic to an end’.
The funds raised will enable Gavi to secure 1.8 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines for lower-income countries participating in the COVAX Facility.
The vaccines, to be delivered in 2021 and early 2022, will enable COVAX to protect almost 30% of the population in 91 AMC economies.
In addition, five countries made new commitments to donate more than 54 million vaccine doses to lower-income countries, including through COVAX, to bridge short-term supply challenges. This brings the total number of doses shared to more than 132 million
The statement released yesterday shows that these two vaccination hubs allow Games participants who will be unable to be vaccinated in their home countries in advance of travelling to Japan for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 to get inoculated.
The two hubs will both offer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, in line with the IOC announcement on 6 May 2021 of the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE to donate doses of the companies’ COVID-19 vaccine to Games participants from National Olympic and Paralympic Committees around the world.
The IOC is in contact with a few NOCs whose athletes are not yet able to access vaccination programmes and who would therefore be eligible to travel to either the hub in Doha (Qatar) or Kigali (Rwanda). They have been set up respectively by the Qatar Olympic Committee and the Rwanda Olympic Committee in relation with the relevant government and medical authorities in their regions and with Pfizer’s support. Concerned NOCs can apply for travel support from Olympic Solidarity should they need it.
On this important development, IOC NOC Relations and Olympic Solidarity Director James Macleod said: “We cannot thank enough the two NOCs, their national governments and Pfizer for their generosity and great show of willingness and support. The progress in preparation of work on the ground has been outstanding, and these additional vaccination opportunities are enabling the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 to be safe and secure not only for the participants, but also for the Japanese people.”
H.E. Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al-Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, expressed delight to be a part of ‘this excellent initiative and to contribute to safe Olympic Games Tokyo 2020’.
“We are grateful to our colleagues in Japan and the IOC for their tremendous efforts in ensuring the Games can go ahead safely. We all have a responsibility to repay this hard work by doing everything we can to protect the health of the Japanese people and all Games participants,” he stated.
The Doha vaccination hub comes in addition to the Qatar Olympic Committee’s confirmation that it will also host the Refugee Olympic Team in early July in a training camp in Doha prior to the team travelling to Tokyo.
Meanwhile, IOC Member in Rwanda Felicite Rwemarika explained the rationale behind the decision to create a hub in Rwanda: “We were also driven to join this initiative in solidarity with our friends at the Japan Olympic Committee, who have constantly supported our NOC by generously hosting training camps for our athletes.”
This is yet another example of the spirit of solidarity that has been witnessed between NOCs, and one that the IOC is supporting in every possible way. From the outset, the IOC has underlined the importance of solidarity in the fight against the virus, and to see this become a reality is testament to the commitment of Olympic Movement stakeholders to making the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 safe and secure for all involved.
Currently as many as 75 per cent of the residents of the Olympic Village are already vaccinated or have secured vaccination; and there is good reason to believe that this figure will be well over 80 per cent at the time of the Games.
The new machines donated by the Government of Japan through the World Health Organization (WHO) were handed over to Rwanda on Wednesday 2nd May 2021.
As he received these machines, the Minister of Health, Dr. Daniel Ngamije they will assist to do more tests in a faster way.
“These machines boost our capacity to do tests easily and faster because they are equipped with advanced technology whereby we can obtain test results with no delays. It capacitates us to do more tests per day. The Government of Rwanda has put forward plans to restore the economy and bring the situation to normal. Doing tests for people attending different activities is part of responsibilities of the Ministry of Health. It will be better finding us with capacity to do tests in a faster way,” he said.
After acquiring the new equipment, Rwanda will be capable of doing at least 3,000 from the current 1,000 PCR tests per day.
The Ministry of Health has revealed that the two machines will be used at Kigali International Airport and the National Referral Laboratory in Kigali city.
The Acting WHO Country Representative, Dr. Ndoungou Salla Ba said that Rwanda is among leading countries with much effort through different initiatives to defeat COVID-19 pandemic adding that received machines will help the country to cut the time that people spend waiting for test results.
“We continue our partnership with the Government of Rwanda along the journey to defeat the pandemic,” he noted.
Masahiro Imai, the Ambassador of Japan to Rwanda also emphasized that the support seeks to realize high-level test results and strengthen Rwanda’s national response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Presidency has via Twitter handle revealed that discussions took place at Village Urugwiro but didn’t point out areas of discussions.
Senator James ‘Jim’ Mountain Inhofe, 86, who led the delegation has been representing Oklahoma State since 1994.
In 2018, he presented President Kagame’s outstanding achievements including the liberation struggle to stop Genocide to US Senate. Inhofe is also known for his interest in African affairs.
At the time, Inhofe said that he has friendship with many leaders on African continent including Head of States and Prime Ministers noting that there are special reasons pushing him to dedicate time to talk about one particular individual who is President ‘Paul Kagame’.
He started with the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi that took lives of over 1 million victims who were heinously killed within 100 days.
Senator Inhofe said that UN troops deployed in the country abandoned victims while the international community remained silent including Bill Clinton who was leading America at the time.
“It stopped because of one man who is Paul Kagame along with a group of Rwanda refugees from Uganda whose parents fled the country’s mass violence three decades before,” he said.
He explained that there were two choices after stopping Genocide including revenge or forgiveness and reconciliation but ‘he chose the last option’ for Rwandans to have a common future.
During his recent visit to Rwanda, he commended Rwanda’s cleanliness, registered development in terms of infrastructure, growing of tea, coffee, security and steadfast economy.
Senator Inhofe explained that Kagame has changed Africans’ mindsets to foreigners not because he doesn’t want to work with them but encouraging them to develop home grown solution towards achieving self-reliance.
Inhofe visited Rwanda at different times and held talks with President Kagame.
The veteran academic will be the most senior representative of the university group in the region and will have oversight of its activities across Africa, including policy development, research, enterprise and innovation, and alumni engagement, among others.
Prof. Lwakabamba will drive business development in the region, using his vast experience, knowledge and network of contacts. He will build collaborative relationships and partnerships to assist long-term knowledge transfer.
The Africa Hub will serve as a base for Coventry University Group in the region, enabling new relationships and strengthening established ones.
Located at Kigali Heights, next to the Kigali Convention Centre, the Hub is part of the university group’s plan to develop a sustainable network of multi-faceted overseas offices. Coventry University Group’s ambition is to have a presence near to its stakeholders in key regions and follows the success of the Singapore and Dubai hubs.
Prof Lwakabamba earned his BSc and doctoral degrees in engineering in the United Kingdom and has held senior positions in higher education in Tanzania and Rwanda. He has also served in the cabinet of the Rwandan government, first as minister of infrastructure and then as minister of education.
Commenting on his appointment, Prof. Lwakabamba said: “ I am delighted to join Coventry University, which is one of the most entrepreneurial universities I know. For me, it is exciting to be part of an institution with great potential to make a difference for our African economies.”
Professor Mohamed Loutfi, the Vice-Chancellor’s Envoy, Coventry University Group said that Prof. Lwakabamba brings long-standing experience to build further relations within the region.
“We are excited to welcome Prof Silas Lwakabamba as the inaugural managing director of the Africa Hub. He is an exceptional leader, with a distinguished track-record in sub-Saharan countries. His wealth of experience, extensive network of strategic contacts, and profile as a highly respected thought leader will certainly add to Coventry University Group’s understanding and building of further relations within the Sub-Saharan Africa region,” he stressed.
Coventry University Group is focused on creating a global reputation as one of the world’s leading education providers and has achieved success as a leading recruiter of international students. Increasingly, through partnerships and directly, the university group is delivering education internationally. Its network of international hubs will support this work, helping to develop, oversee and manage all of the university group’s activity in their region.
It is due to this background that ‘Ni Nyampinga’, organized a campaign dubbed ‘Akurane Itoto’ loosely translated as ‘Growing Up Healthy’ to raise awareness among teen mothers and young parents in general to adhere to children immunization programmes and improve nutrition.
Launched by Girl Effect in 2011, “Ni Nyampinga” is a Rwandan youth brand which empowers girls to navigate the pivotal time of adolescence, so they are enabled to make choices about their health, education and economic future through interactive platforms including a magazine distributed across the country, radio shows, a serial radio drama, digital platforms, a network of brand ambassadors and self-started clubs.
The campaign followed research that indicated gaps in immunization and improved nutrition programs among children in some districts.
The Country Director of Girl Effect, Tiva Kananura has explained that this Ni Nyampinga campaign took heed to sensitizing teen and young mothers between the age of 15 and 24 on improved nutrition and routine immunization.
The campaign also focused on the role of the society to properly raise children below 2 years old ensuring proper nutrition and access to vaccines.
Tiva Kananura said: “The campaign was conducted across all districts countrywide with a special focus on Gakenke, Huye, Kamonyi, Muhanga, Nyamagabe, Nyabihu and Ruhango districts which were identified with gaps in vaccination programs.”
In all districts with special focus on the seven priority districts, young parents were enlightened on the benefits of getting children fully vaccinated and how to prepare a balanced diet for their children to grow up healthy.
Ni Nyampinga encouraged Rwandans to take advantage of introduced vaccination policies for children’s smooth growth.
Speaking to IGIHE; Aurore Irangeneye, a researcher and gender specialist has explained that Rwanda has enough vaccines but some parents don’t enroll children into vaccination programs due to inadequate information.
“Rwanda has vaccines for all children, but some people don’t have access to related information. We organized an engagement with our beneficiaries, both male and female, to acquaint them with the relevance of vaccination programmes, update them on the right times to take vaccines and teach them how to prepare a balanced diet,” she said.
Ni Nyampinga distribution manager, who is also a researcher, Jolie Umunyana has revealed that the campaign was facilitated by ambassadors of “Ni Nyampinga” who assisted beneficiaries through different methodologies and trained them on reproductive health as well.
“We sensitized them on changing their mindsets towards the vaccination programme to understand that it is a shared responsibility among both parents to get children vaccinated. The child should not miss vaccine shots on specific dates because the mother is not present. The husband is also concerned. That is why barriers emanating from gender inequality mindsets should not get loopholes to impede routine immunization.” she stated.
“We also taught teen/young mothers how to prepare a balanced diet within available means. We distributed mini-magazine containing specifically tailored information targeting young mothers and displayed wallpapers with that information at health centers. Men also received leaflets and in-person engagement reminding them of their contribution,” added Umunyana.
Even though a lot has been done; Ilaria Buscaglia, Senior Qualitative Analyst at Girl Effect Rwanda has said that there is still a long way to go for people to understand the relevance of having both parents engaged in childcare which include nutrition and routine immunization.
“We have rolled out the campaign, but changes won’t come at once. There is still a long journey for every man to understand that getting children vaccinated is part of their responsibility. We should focus efforts to communicate relevant information to ensure children get all vaccines and eat properly for smooth growth,” she explained.
The campaign held recently reached 9 635 teen mothers, 7 783 young boys, 1 424 teen fathers and 9 932 older parents. Vaccination and nutrition content produced by Ni Nyampinga can also be accessed from 63,000 Smart Classrooms in schools and 348 access points in the 7 priority districts, as well as on a digital platform called 8-4-5 which uses IVR and USSD technology.
Some participants said that they had fallen victims of beliefs and lack of information and pledged to properly raise their children following the campaign.
“I used to think that two vaccine shots were enough for the child before reading Ni Nyampinga’s mini-magazine dubbed ‘ Ni Bo Ejo’. The campaign equipped me with the right knowledge and taught me that a child received vaccines up to 15 months,” said a 17-year old teen mother from Huye district.
“The campaign was very beneficial because I used to laugh at men taking children for vaccine shots. I have changed my mind, I recently took my child to take the vaccine we had missed in the past two months. Health workers were extremely delighted to see me coming with the child,” revealed a man from Nyabihu district.
The campaign was funded by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi) in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health through Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) and was implemented in partnership with Girl Guides, The Ministry of Youth and Culture through the National Youth Council, Ministry of Education through the Rwanda Education board, the Gender Monitoring Office (GMO), ActionAid, AEE, AVSI Rwanda, Duhozanye, Empower Rwanda, Komera, Miracle Corners, PACT and RWAMREC.
The cabinet meeting that convened yesterday at Village Urugwiro was chaired by President Paul Kagame. It also reviewed other COVID-19 preventive measures.
Traditional weddings and related receptions have been allowed to resume following nearly a year and half under restriction.
Usually Religious and civil wedding have been allowed with minimal attendance of 20 persons observing COVID-19 health guidelines. Receptions were not allowed that whoever caught violating the directive was subject to penalties.
The cabinet decision has lifted these restrictions for introduction and dowry giving that had been put on halt.
“Traditional wedding and related receptions shall resume not exceeding 30 people. However, when conducted in open gardens/hotels, entertainment venues or open gardens, they should not exceed 30% of venue capacity and COVID-19 testing will be required,” reads part of the cabinet communiqué.
Among others, outdoor sports has is allowed and must comply with health preventive measures.
The cabinet meeting also allowed gaming operators to resume activities gradually upon fulfilling COVID-19 preventive measures.
Curfew hours have been maintained between 10pm to 4am while all businesses shall close by 9pm.
However, special measures have been set for Karongi district where curfew starts from 7PM-4AM due to the increase of new COVID-19 cases.
New measures take immediate effect from 1st June 2021 to be reviewed after one month upon health assessment.
Among others; all bars will remain closed, places of worship adhering to health guidelines will continue to function at 50% maximum occupancy, public transport buses should not exceed 75% capacity, physical meetings will continue not exceeding 30% of venue capacity while public and private offices will continue with essential staff at no more than 50% capacity as other employees continue to work from home on a rotational basis.
