In October 2016, BRD and the Ministry of Education signed a Memorandum of Understanding allowing the bank to pay tuition and living allowances to university students, recovering the same beneficiaries graduate and get employment.
Speaking to the media yesterday in Kigali, BRD Chief Executive Officer, Eric Rutabana much as there is a big amount of money which is yet to be recovered, efforts have been invested in the recovery process.
The bank says that a total of Rwf80 billion has been distributed through scholarship programme and benefited over 70,000 students.
However, BRD took over the responsibilities after Rwf12 billion had been recovered.
“From 2016 to todate, we have recovered Rwf5.1 billion. Of the Rwf80 billion which was disbursed, a total of Rwf17 billion was recovered,” he explained.
He said that BRD faces challenges of graduates who do not get employment and delay recovering process.
Beneficiaries pay 8 percent of monthly salary.
BRD’s Head of Recovery Unit, Claudine Matata said that they have got the list of beneficiaries and are still tracking where they work from.
She encouraged beneficiaries who have got employment to start paying before they face legal fines.
“They should also come forward and facilitate us during the recovering process, if they ought to reimburse certain amount of money, they should start doing so. If they don’t, fines will be applied as determined by the law,” she added.
Currently, BRD pay scholarship fees for 28,500 students studying in the country and 365 studying abroad.
This is particularly true when one considers that in 2013, Kigali Serena Hotel was the only five-star facility in the hospitality industry. Since then, Rwanda has risen among the leading foreign direct investment (FDI) destinations in the region, and even beyond.
Five years ago, the government of Rwanda set out to establish foundations for the Meetings Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) promotion with the aim of becoming Africa’s newest darling in the sector.
Given the upward trajectory on the macro front, good governance, great policies for doing business and the fact that it is a growing MICE and conference destination, Rwanda quickly became the region’s leading choice of investment for a number of international hotel brands.
In 2016 Rwanda started reaping what it had so tediously sown in the MICE sector.
Radisson Blu launched a new Kigali complex in 2016, a 292-room luxury hotel together with Kigali Convention Center, which was unveiled just in time for the 2016 African Union Summit from which it earned $4.2 million, according to Rwanda Development Board.
The International brand joined a slew of other hotel chains that found in Rwanda, a new travel and conferences hotspot.
Rezidor Hotel Group’s Radisson Blu, a five star complex with 292 rooms and conference facilities that can host more than 5,000 guests opened shop, hosting several international meetings, attracting foreign exchange, boosting national pride and tourism.
Kigali Marriott Hotel which is part of Marriot Hotels International chains followed suit. It is a five-star hotel and the first ground-up Marriott hotel in Sub-Saharan Africa with 254 rooms and suites spread across eight floors with the capacity to accommodate over 650 guests.
Park Inn by Radisson, a four-star hotel by Rezidor Hotel Group located in the cool shades of Kiyovu offers 161 rooms in different types including suites, superior and standard rooms.
Hilton Hotels and Resorts, another Global hotel chain took over Ubumwe Grande Hotel, which is located within the heart of Kigali. The facility that is currently undergoing some changes will be rebranded as DoubleTree by Hilton Kigali City Centre.
Africa’s largest hotel group, the Protea Hospitality Group is set to open a grand hotel in Rusizi District by name of ‘Protea Kivu Marina Resort Hotel’. The group has over 116 hotels in its portfolio, in several parts of the continent such as South-Africa, Zambia, Nigeria, Namibia, Malawi, Uganda and Tanzania.
Another International brand known as Starwood Hotels & Resort, more popular as Sheraton, announced its entry in Rwanda’s hospitality industry with a facility to be built in Gasabo District this year. It will be the fiftieth hotel of the group and will consist of 136 rooms.
Other important international brands with a foot in Rwanda are Golden Tulip, Onomo Hotel, Serena Group of Hotels, Marasa and Swiss International Hotels & Resort, popular in Asia, Europe and America.
All these international hotel brands are establishing in Rwanda with the aim of grabbing a portion of the regional conferencing pie as the country progressively defined itself, making MICE the base of tourism industry.
High-end luxurious facilities such as Fatima Hotel, Bisate Eco Lodge, Singita Kwitonda Lodge, Nyungwe Forest Lodge, CityBlu Epic Hotel are also hitting their marks in the country’s hospitality industry.
{{MICE tourism segment’s impact on Rwanda’s Development
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Since the launch of MICE in 2014, Rwanda has hosted tens of thousands of regional and international conference guests among who are many that visit several tourism destinations across the country.
According to Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Rwanda received 1,298,000 visitors in 2016, up from 666 000 visitors in 2010, indicating that the long-term outlook to the country’s MICE tourism segment is now very vibrant. Furthermore, in 2016 alone, the MICE tourism segment contributed to the $404 million Rwanda earned in revenues.
Last year (2017), Rwanda hosted over 169 international meetings, recording 28,308 delegates, hence an indirect support for the service providers such as hotels, lodges, restaurants and Rwanda Air.
The blooming MICE sector is an unmistakable vote of confidence in the reforms Rwanda has been undertaking over the years in its bid to revitalize an economy that almost everybody believed was in limbo after the 1994 genocide against Tutsi.
The Envoy was speaking yesterday in Kigali ahead of the president’s two-day state visit to Rwanda.
“As the Chinese Ambassador to Rwanda, I firmly believe President Xi’s upcoming visit will be of historic significance and will bring China-Rwanda relationship into a new era,” he said.
{{Deepening political trust}}
“Adhering to the principles of sincerity, practical results, affinity and good faith, and upholding the values of friendship, justice and shared interests, China will work with Rwanda and all other friendly African nations, carry out more exchanges on governance and guidelines of development, so as to pave a broader and more solid road of mutual benefit and common development for China and Africa,” Hongwei said.
He noted that the visit will increase programmatic cooperation where Jinping and President Paul Kagame are expected to witness the signing of a number of Memorandum of Understandings and agreements.
“These will enable China and Rwanda to further match our development strategies and seek to harvest more fruits across multiple areas, including the Belt and Road Initiative, public health, human resource training, mining and law enforcement cooperation among others,” he said.
The envoy said that the visit will broaden regional cooperation. He said that it remains a cornerstone of China’s foreign policy to consolidate China’s relations with Rwanda and other African nations.
“China values the important contribution to the solidarity and development of Africa that President Kagame has made after assuming the rotating chairman of the African Union and coordinator of the AU reform. China and Rwanda will further enhance collaboration in regional and international arena and uphold the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries,” he added.
China is the World’s second largest economy, largest industrial producer, largest trader in goods, and largest holder of foreign exchange reserves. Over the past four decades, thanks to the policies of reform and opening up, China’s economy has been growing an average annual rate of 9.5% and its foreign trade at 14.5%.
In recent years, China’s contribution to global growth has been exceeding 30%.
Jinping will start his visit to Rwanda from July 22nd to July 23rd 2018.
Mushikiwabo met the ambassadors at a luncheon yesterday in Paris, France.
According to official twitter of Mushikiwabo’s campaign at OIF also known as La Francophonie, at the meeting, she got opportunity to present her priorities to the ambassadors.
“Today, in Paris, Mushikiwabo met ambassadors to the OIF. A meeting rich in exchanges and the opportunity for the candidate to present herself, give an overview of her priorities and priority topics,” a tweet reads.
The group of ambassadors emphasized that Mushikiwabo presented her priorities and received many questions from the ambassadors.
Mushikiwabo recently in Antananarivo, Madagascar submitted her candidature to President Hery Rajaonarimampianina who is the sitting president of La Francophonie currently.
OIF Secretary General Elections will take place during the the organisation’s summit scheduled for October 11th -12th in Erevan, Armenia.
The road linking four districts of Northern Province; Rulindo, Gakenke, Burera and Gicumbi is being constructed in fulfillment of President Paul Kagame which he promised when he was campaigning for the first term back in 2003, according to the Province Governor Jean-Marie Vianney Gatabazi.
The 51-kilometer road is part of 125-kilometer-road linking Northern Province and Eastern Province through northern Rwanda.
IGIHE visited the construction works for Base-Gicumbi side and contractors confirmed that in the first phase, 46 out of 50 kilometers have been completed.
The phase was expected to have been completed by August 21st 2018 at a total cost of Rwf32 billion. However, Northern Province officials say that construction process encountered different challenges including heavy rains which delayed the activities and increased the budget.
Officials assure that construction works will be completed by December 2018.
Governor Gatabazi said that the road will boost transport services of Gicumbi.
“When it is completed, it will facilitate movement from Nyagatare District in East to Musanze District in North. None will need to pass through Kigali,” he said.
Gatabazi said that they cleared queries that had been raised by residents whose activities were affected by construction works.
“Some houses were relocated and residents through whose land the road passes have been compensated and whoever will be affected will also get paid,” he added.
{{People speak}}
Northern Province residents who wanted to travel from one district to another used to pass through Kigali.
Take an example of those to or from Gicumbi-Gakenke , it used to take them around a day to reach there.
For a person who used a motor-bike, transport cost to or from Gakenke—Gicumbi used to take them Rwf15.000. Currently, it has reduced to Rwf5000.
“Currently, we are using Rwf1200 in public bus to reach Byumba and takes us two hours. I believe that the time will reduce further when the road is fully completed,” said a Burera resident.
Traders in Base Centre in Gakenke District started to reap from the benefits of the road.
They say that a commercial room which was rented at Rwf20,000 today fetches Rwf40,000 currently.
{{A pledge by President Paul Kagame}}
Gatabazi said that the road was the remaining activity to be implemented among the pledges the Head of State had promised former Byumba Prefecture in 2003 presidential elections.
“I was there when President Kagame promised residents to construct this road, Kinihira Hospital, water, electricity and schools among others. Today, a majority have been done and this road is also nearing completion,” he explained.
Road users requested investors in public transport to increase the number of public service buses on the road to ease transportation.
Adele Nyirabishyimbo said that they used to walk for three hours from Ruhunde Sector of Burera District to Byumba Hospital but today it takes them thirty minutes in a bus.
The second phase construction works from Gicumbi to Nyagatare will start in 2018/2019 fiscal year, according to CHICO, a Chinese company contracted to build the road.
Car Free Day takes place every first and third Sundays of the month, bringing together city dwellers for physical fitness exercises.
In sports on Sunday, First Lady participated in the running exercise and stretching at Rwanda Revenue Authority premises.
Last year President Paul Kagame participated in the sports event and requested city officials to increase the hours of the sports so that it continues to contribute to the health of Rwandans.
Speaking to the press, NEC Chairperson Prof. Kalisa Mbanda said that they have invited electoral observers form inside the country, the region and overseas with representatives from government institutions, civil society organisations, Forum for Political Parties in Rwanda, Embassies and Faith-based organisations’ forum among others.
“We expect as many observers as possible of who about 400 will be foreign,” he explained adding that some have confirmed their participation with more expected to confirm in the last weeks of election preparations.
Mbanda added that the report from observers helps in improvement of next electoral preparations.
Preparations for September elections continue with independent and political representatives submitting candidatures to NEC, an exercise that has been on from July 12th ending July 25th. The final list of approved candidates will be announced on August 6th.
Three months from the Yerevan summit, where the new secretary general of the International Organization of la Francophonie (OIF) will be elected on October 11 and 12, the campaign continues for Michaëlle Jean, the incumbent President and her opponent, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Rwanda, Louise Mushikiwabo.
During an interview with Radio-Canada that took place Wednesday, 11th July, Canadian Michaëlle Jean claimed that she personally knew Mushikiwabo who, according to her, “had been Rwanda’s ambassador to Canada”.
“She showed me her credentials while I was still Governor General in Canada,” she added.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2009, Louise Mushikiwabo has never been Rwanda’s ambassador to Canada. At the time when Michaelle Jean was Governor General (2005-2010), Edda Mukabagwiza, now a member of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), was the representative of Rwanda in Ottawa.
{{Michaëlle Jean’s false claims slammed by Tweeps
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Few hours after being released, the video of the Interview went viral on Social Media, where some people criticized Jean’s wrong claims on Mushikiwabo.
A tweep who goes by Sharangabo wrote “It is very Sad. Michaëlle Jean, Mrs Louise Mushikiwabo was never Rwanda’s Ambassador in Canada or anywhere else on Earth.”
Another tweep who goes by Oria K. Itegeri said “It is really sad… and hilarious on another side. And the way she contradicted herself saying ‘I am not in competition’.”
“This showed me that the journalist was not well-informed about Mushikiwabo either for she would have corrected her”, said Mireille (@M_Musaniwabo)
Meanwhile, Louise Mushikiwabo on Wednesday officially submitted her candidature for the position of Secretary General of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF).
The organization, to which Rwanda subscribes, brings together French-speaking countries across the world.
Among her ideals, Mushikiwabo seeks to prioritize peace, security and promotion of the youth among others.
She is currently on a campaign trail across various OIF member countries.
In support of her candidature, President Paul Kagame officially wrote to all African states who are members of the organization requesting them to back the Rwandan candidate. She also has been shown support by French President Emmanuel Macron who wields great influence in la Francophonie and pays the largest portion of its bills.
