Through his Twitter Account, Trudeau said that he was pleased to welcome Kagame in Canada. He said that they discussed the issues affecting both countries.
“Canada and Rwanda have deep ties and I was pleased to welcome President Paul Kagame to our country this weekend. Thank you for a very good discussion on fighting plastic pollution, and a variety of issues affecting our countries,” reads Trudeau’s tweet.
Speaking about ‘climate change and the importance of ending plastic pollution’ in the G7 Summit on Friday, Kagame said that plastic bags were banned ten years ago in Rwanda and brought great benefits to national environment.
He said that policy has also served to make citizens more aware of the importance of managing natural resources.
“When citizens understand what is at stake and how their behaviour can make a measurable difference, they become the most effective part of the solution. Involving and empowering citizens laid the groundwork to begin phasing out other single-use plastic products,” he said.
Ngirente was speaking yesterday at the enthronement ceremony of the new Anglican Archbishop who is replacing Dr. Onesphore Rwaje.
Speaking at the event that took place in Kigali, Ngirente promised the new Bishop of government support to successfully implement his responsibilities.
“The Government of Rwanda wants to continue cooperating with churches to implement programmes aimed at developing welfare of people so that a good Christian will have good welfare,” he said.
He hailed the Anglican Church role in the development of Rwandans and called upon its leaders to help people embrace government programmes like education, healthcare and economic development among others.
“What we request churches in general is to continue encouraging followers to participate in programmes that develop the economy, as well as fighting poverty,” he added.
The 64-year-old Mbanda who has been the Bishop of Shyira Diocese in Nyabihu District promised to develop the Church by championing self-reliance.
He said that he will strive towards finalizing the Church’s buildings that have been delayed, establishment of Anglican University in Rwanda and construction of nursery schools among others.
“I was blessed to go around different countries and got different experiences. I will learn from them to take forward given responsibilities. I should think and work as if I will live for many years,” he said.
Pastor David Nzungize requested Mbanda to focus on education in the Church.
“We want him to solve the education problem. Actually, we have few high schools; we expect that he is going to work towards their development. We are ready to support him,” he said.
Mbanda is the fourth Archbishop of the Anglican Church since its inception in 1922.
Kagame who is also the Chairperson of African Union (AU) was speaking Saturday at the outreach session held in Charlevoix, Quebec as part of the two-day G7 summit that has been taking place in Canada.
The Head of State who was speaking on ‘climate change and the importance of ending plastic pollution’ said that the role of oceans in regulating climate change has been severely affected and the human factor, among others, continues to contribute to the situation.
He said that the verse needs global action.
“Among other consequences, we may see tens of millions of people on the move, in search of new homes. No country on Earth is unaffected. And none of us can act alone. We have delayed to take action, with the necessary urgency and scale, but we still have the time and ability to mitigate the damage and stop the worst scenarios,” he said.
On Rwanda’s experience, Kagame said that plastic bags were banned ten years ago and brought great benefits to national environment. He said that policy has also served to make citizens more aware of the importance of managing natural resources.
“When citizens understand what is at stake and how their behaviour can make a measurable difference, they become the most effective part of the solution. Involving and empowering citizens laid the groundwork to begin phasing out other single-use plastic products,” he said.
He reminded countries to involve private sector in finding practical solutions for climate change.
“Involving the private sector in finding practical solutions, not only reduces resistance to change, it also supports the creation of new jobs and revenue streams,” he said.
He said that due to Rwanda’s plastic ban, the bonus is a more pristine natural environment for Rwanda’s citizens, residents and tourists to enjoy.
“Repeated on a larger scale, this experience shows, that it is possible to eliminate the plastic pollution that is choking our oceans, degrading our soils and poisoning our food supply,” he added.
He said that the African Union recognizes the key role of the blue economy in the continent’s socioeconomic transformation and is committed to creating healthier oceans.
Speaking on the Paris agreement, Kagame said that the G7 together with partners gathered at the summit has the opportunity and the obligation to translate the political will into concrete action before it is too late.
The primaries took place at district level by selecting four people from the 20 most successful candidates voted last week at the cell level.
In each district, four people, two women and two men who will make the final list to be submitted to National Electoral Commission (NEC) were elected.
IGIHE visited Nyarugenge District polling site where aspirants were explaining their manifestos to the electorate. Eugene Barikana and Edda Mukabagwiza who had been in parliament were re-elected. Others elected are Brigitte Gafaranga and Lambert Mucyo.
NEC will start to receive candidacy from 12th to 25th July and campaigns will start from August 13th to September 1st 2018.
Elections are slated on September 2nd for Rwandans in the diaspora while Rwandans in the country will elect on September 3rd.
Ngirente was speaking Friday when the Office of the Prime Minister, affiliated Ministries and parastatals staff were commemorating the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.
He said that commemoration enables Rwandans to distinctly understand the country’s dark history that led to the genocide, strengthen them towards reconstruction and enable them to confront effects of the genocide as well as fighting any evil that could lead to its recurrence.
“Understanding the truth history of Rwanda is the foundation upon which we are rebuilding a new Rwanda,” he said.
He said that the light of hope should facilitate Rwandans embrace goodness and encourage youth to avoid conflicts and genocide ideology.
In a lecture by the Executive Secretary of National Commission of the Fight Against the Genocide, Dr. Jean Damascene Bizimana said that the history of the genocide illustrates how Tutsi were segregated in government institutions and culminated into genocide.
He said that senior government leaders planned the genocide and incited people to implement it.
Bizimana said that the cabinet of 1994 which was comprised of 22 ministers, 15 among them were prosecuted in the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Nine of them were convicted and some of them were sentenced to life in prison.
“It proves that the genocide was caused by bad leadership. Whoever is saying that the genocide was not planned by the then government is intentionally promoting falsehoods,” he said.
The graduation ceremony took place yesterday at RDF Senior Command and Staff College in Musanze District.
The 6th intake was attended by different senior officers from ten countries namely: Czech Republic, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia.
According to Senior Command and Staff College Commandant, Maj. Gen Jean Bosco Kazura, the graduates have been undergoing training in analytical and communication skills, personal and collective values and professional military knowledge designed to help them in their future command and leadership management responsibilities.
Speaking at the ceremony, Defence Minister, Gen. James Kabarebe said that he believes that the officers have the capacity to overcome the challenges they may face along the execution of their responsibilities.
“The training was an opportunity for the trainees to not only recharge intellectually but also reassess themselves and their respective militaries. I believe that your studies here have equipped you with the necessary analytical, planning and communication skills to deal with the contemporary complex security challenges,” he said.
The overall best performer, Maj. Claver Gatsinzi from RDF said that they have acquired different skills.
“When we get the opportunity to learn together, it helps understand how we will address problems facing our countries. This course equipped us with new skills that we believe will facilitate us to perform our jobs better than we used before,” he said.
In the ceremony, twenty-nine among the graduates were awarded a Master’s degree in Security Studies from the University of Rwanda.
The course is organized under the partnership between the Senior Command and Staff College and the University of Rwanda College of Arts and Social Sciences.
The move, according to Judicial Spokesperson, Harrison Mutabazi aims at providing good services, resources and logistics management as well as easy process of infrastructure development in the courts.
Twenty-four courts remained untouched while 36 have been merged and became 17 and their names were changed.
Mutabazi said that the development will ease service delivery .
“As they have been merged, there is no need to relocate employees from one court to another, their services will be effective. They will discuss legal affairs and share ideas than they used to,” he explained.
Most Primary Courts have had two judges and two court clerks. Those from the urban used to have more than two judges because of the many cases.
He said that the reforms will lead to good management of human resources and logistics.
“Some courts had old infrastructures like roofs which were leaking. Instead of having many courts operating in old places and having insufficient materials, it is better to merge them and operate in a good environment,” he added.
He said that as people are accessing judicial services online, it was necessary to merge the courts.
According to Mutabazi, no staff will be rendered jobless as they will continue to work in newly established courts.
The Summit brings together leaders and policymakers from the most advanced economies including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, to build consensus and set trends around challenging global issues.
As is the custom, the host country invites a select few non-G7 world leaders to what is referred to as ‘the Outreach Session’ where more common issues of concern are discussed.The outreach theme this year focuses on how to build healthy, productive and resilient oceans, coasts, and communities.
Outreach Leaders invited to Canada include Rwanda as the Chair of the African Union, South Africa, Kenya, Senegal, Seychelles, Haiti, Jamaica, Argentina, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Norway. Leaders of the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development have also been invited.
This evening, President Kagame will attend a reception hosted by the Premier of Quebec, Philippe Couillard and attend a dinner held by Canadian Governor General, Julie Payette.
Akamanzi will be presented the doctorate during the university’s spring convocation ceremonies that will take place on June 11th, 12th and 13th 2018.
In the ceremony, Akamanzi will be awarded along other ten individuals who have made their mark in the fields of law, art, Indigenous rights, journalism, nanoscience, business and philanthropy.
According to the university, the honorands join more than 5,600 students who will receive their degrees and diplomas.
{{About Akamanzi}}
An international trade and investment lawyer, Clare Akamanzi received a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School (HKS). She received awards for academic excellence and distinguished contributions to the HKS community.
Akamanzi also holds an LLM (with distinction) in International Trade and Investment from the University of Pretoria as well as an LLB (Honors) from Makerere University, Uganda.
During her international career, Akamanzi has worked as a commercial diplomat in London and a Trade Negotiator at the World Trade Organization in Geneva.
In 2012, she was named Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, and a year later was selected as one of Africa’s Top 20 Leading Women in Economic Development by Forbes.
On the agenda of the ceremony, Akamanzi will address the John Molson School of Business on June 13.
The laboratory that has been operating under Rwanda National Police (RNP) was operationalized Thursday and started to function as an independent institution.
The Rwanda Forensic Laboratory was handed to its officials in a ceremony held at its headquarters in Kacyiru and presided over by the Minster of Justice, Johnston Busingye.
The Director of the Laboratory, ACP Dr François Sinayobye said that previously, they have been providing few services.
He said that the laboratory has been upgraded and is able to conduct DNA tests which facilitate to establish the evidences with findings from the scene of crime. It is able to test family relationship among other services.
“The aim is to support justice by providing scientific and reliable evidences. The laboratory has skilled employees and are ready to contribute to justice with reliable evidences, professionalism and impartiality,” he said.
The laboratory is capable to deal with physical evidence, biological evidence and chemical evidence, DNA samples, document examination and fingerprint analysis.
The laboratory will offer among others toxicology and ballistics services. Toxicology is a test done on a person who, for instance, is poisoned while ballistics are tests that involve arms and explosives.
The chemical evidence division will identify and analyze poisons or drugs and their effects on the body; chemicals on different crime scenes like fire accidents or arson. On such scenes, investigators seek to identify whether there is presence of fire accelerants, which help the investigator to conclude for a fire accident or arson.
Police Inspector General, Emmanuel Gasana said that since RNP was formed in 2000, different changes have been conducted and led to the establishment of such laboratory.
“We are pleased with having this laboratory along the journey of constructing strong justice system,” he explained.
Minister Busingye said that though the launched laboratory does not have all services, but those available are the first to be offered in Rwanda.
“Evidences like those for gender based violence cases, family relationship, poison among others are available like it is done in other countries,” he said.
“Today we celebrate this milestone. Foreign forensic laboratories were costing the country in terms of time and resources,” he added.
Prosecutor General, Jean Bosco Mutangana said that there have been facing challenges like forensic evidences which they used to conduct from German and were costly. He said that at least they need to conduct 800 forensic tests every year and needed to wait above two months to receive the results, things which used to delay justice.
