Kagame was speaking Saturday at Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre while opening the Mourning Week and the 100 days of commemoration of the 19994 Genocide Against the Tutsi.
The event was attended by different government officials, representatives of different missions in the country and representatives of survivor associations.
In his remarks, Kagame said that Rwanda will not stop commemorating atrocities that took place in the country 24 years ago.
He said that when history is revealed, people continue to understand the truth.
“The truth is necessary to found on towards development. We remember the truth, and those who don’t remember look down on it, but the truth will remain there,” he said.
“This is the 24th time we commemorate, but, it seems like the first time. Commemorating is to start afresh as we remember our nature, families, lives and the country; when we commemorate we go back in these times,” he reminded.
The Head of State said that commemorating remind Rwandans to face their history and noted that commemoration reminds Rwandans that when they don’t watch out same history could re-occur. He said that there are things need to be done to avoid re-occurrence of such history.
“Commemoration reminds that we Rwandans should take a lead in solving own problems. We own our history and our problems. Commemoration reminds us that bad history could come from away or others support us to cause it,” he said.
Kagame said that the history reminds Rwandans that foreigners could participate in falsifying them.
“What we could do is to continue to strengthening our institutions, economy, security and unity as we continue to construct Rwandan society. We should not get held by bad history,” he urged.
He added that the country continue to leave bad history behind through rebuilding, capacity building and development.
The event marking the beginning of the Mourning Week and the 100 days of commemoration is attended by President Paul Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame where they laid wreaths on mass graves.
Different officials attended the event alongside diplomatic missions representing their respective countries in Rwanda.
Also the representatives of genocide survivors organisations laid wreaths unto the graves.
At Gisozi, President Kagame and first Lady Jeannette Kagame lit a torch of hope.
Kigali Genocide Memorial is resting place to over 250,000 genocide victims.
This year’s commemoration is taking place under the theme “Remember, Unite, Renew”
The events continue with remarks from different officials.
Musoni was recently reported in a scandalous adultery incidence where he allegedly impregnated another man’s wife and wrecking the entire family.
In a statement signed by Prime Minister, Dr. Eduard Ngirente, President Paul Kagame replaced Musoni who has rarely appearing in public since the scandal was reported.
Gatete who replaced Musoni was also replaced in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN) by former state minister for economic planning in MINECOFIN, Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana.
Kagame also appointed Dr. Claudine Uwera, the State Minister for Planning in MINECOFIN; Evariste Rugigana the Director of Cabinet in the Office of the Prime Minister.
Also appointed is the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry in the Office of the President, Alphonsine Mirembe; the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs, Doreen Kagarama.
Yvonne Makoro was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of National Career, RwandAir.
Also appointed is Charles Karakye, the head of Government Action Coordination Unit (GACU) in the office of the Prime Minister; and Michelle Byusa teh Vice-head GACU in the Office of the Prime Minister.
Vrooman was appointed as envoy to Rwanda last October, replacing Erica Barks-Ruggles who had been in Kigali since December 2014.
He was sworn-in as new US ambassador to Rwanda on March 26. During his swearing-in, Vrooman said that he will work towards the strengthening of bilateral relations between both countries with an agenda focusing on inclusive education and activities promoting women and girls.
Vrooman has extensive diplomatic experience in the region. Prior to the new appointment, he served at the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia, as deputy Chief of Mission from July 2014 to August 2016 and as Chargé d’Affaires from September 2016 to July 2017.
The one day consultative meeting that took place in Upper House of the parliament brought together senators, the National Commission for the Fight Against (CNLG), the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) and local government officials among other partners.
The sites targeting the World Heritage list are Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre in Gisozi, Ntarama Genocide Memorial Site in Bugesera District, Murambi memorial centre in Nyamagabe District and Bisesero Genocide Memorial site in Karongi District.
Speaking at the meeting, Senate President, Bernard Makuza said that definitely, genocide memorial centres have evidence of genocide history and must be well-preserved.
“As a country, we established that there are some genocide memorials that should be included in the World Heritage sites and help in telling genocide history as consequences of bad leadership founded on bad politics and hatred,” he said.
“Four genocide memorials were chosen to be included on the World Heritage list, the World has the opportunity to learn from genocide history that Rwanda shares with the World as well as picking lessons and particular messages,” he added.
He said that the first lesson the World should learn from such history, is that the genocide is not an accident, it is planned and executed.
Makuza added that evidence and history in memorial centres betray deniers and people who say that the genocide against the Tutsi was not prepared.
He said that genocide memorials are among evidence that proves how the genocide was prepared and executed due to the bad leadership and bad politics.
“This process of listing genocide memorials to the World Heritage and the battle against denial of genocide against the Tutsi is not for Rwandans only, it is an exercise which requires national and international partnership,” Makuza explained.
Speaking at the meeting, CNLG Executive Secretary, Dr. Jean Damascene Bizimana said that much has been done towards meeting the requirements for the four genocide memorial sites to be included on the World Heritage list.
He said that they documented history of the districts where memorial sites locate from, uniqueness of the memorial sites, demographic and topographic data about the sites and sites environment.
They also prepared plans for the memorial sites targeting the list, sites plans and their buffer zones as required by UNESCO among others.
A cabinet meeting of May 2nd 2012 reccommended that the four genocide memorial sites are included among the World Heritage Sites
Nduhungirehe said in a tweet yesterday while responding to Israel based newspaper’s article saying that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the New Israel Fund, a US based human rights organization was behind Rwanda’s decision to pull out of agreement to deport asylum seekers from there to Rwanda.
Nduhungirehe said that he was surprised with the statement and added that Rwanda doesn’t even know what the fund is about.
“I am extremely surprised by this statement. My surprise comes less from the fact that Rwanda doesn’t even know what this New Israel Fund is all about, but more from the assumption that a foreign NGO can successfully impose any pressure on a sovereign government named Rwanda Government,” the tweet reads.
He noted that there was no deal between the two countries in the first place.
“We didn’t cancel any deal with Israel for the simple reason that there was no deal. The open door policy of Rwanda towards African migrants has a basic requirement that Israeli’s proposal didn’t meet: the migrants must be willing to come to Rwanda without any form of constraint,” he added.
About Netanyahu’s statement
Earlier this week, Netanyahu officially named Rwanda as a “third-party country”. In a Facebook post, he said that New Israel Fund and the European Union pressured Rwanda and backed out the agreement.
It was the first time for Israeli government official to claim so.
“For the past two years I have been working with Rwanda so that it will serve as a third-party country to absorb the infiltrators expelled there, even without their consent,” he said.
Netanyahu explained that he had been forced to seek out a deal with the UN.
“Rwanda agreed to this and we began deporting people there,” Netanyahu continued.
“In recent weeks, due to the tremendous pressure on Rwanda from the New Israel Fund and the officials in the European Union, Rwanda backed out of the agreement and refused to accept any more infiltrators from Israel,” he said.
Ingabire was speaking yesterday on the occasion of TI Rwanda presentation of findings and recommendations from the Auditor General’s Report on districts performance as well as the City of Kigali for the financial year ended 30 June 2016.
The AG report identifies performance shortcomings that include; unsupported expenditures; wasteful expenditures; overstated expenditures; fraudulent expenditures; unrecorded transactions for Non-Budget Agencies (NBAs) as well as non-respect of laws and procedures among others.
The report indicates that the government suffered loss of Rwf99.57 billion in 2015/2016 financial year up from Rwf27.26 billion in 2014/2015.
The report reveals that mismanagement of public tenders continue to be the top cause of losses to government.
Ingabire observed that for the nation to terminate embezzlement and misuse of government resources, they need to first terminate impunity.
“It requires ending a culture of impunity and whoever mismanaged or embezzled government resources should return them. Many culprits are acquitted by the justice system as innocent,” she said.
She said that in the tendering process, bidders do not report circumstances when they encounter impropriety because when they do, it affects them from winning future tenders.
Speaking at the event, the Deputy Ombudsman, Clement Musangabatware said that different concerns reported must be responded to by the local government authorities and the City of Kigali.
“Actions must be taken to avoid such weaknesses,” he said.
Using an example of the just concluded national leadership retreat, Musangabatware said that the government has put in place measures in terms of laws, institutions and capacity building to put an end to the weaknesses in financial management.
The last National leadership Retreat recommended the strengthening of strategies to fight corruption in all public and private institutions, fast track recovery of embezzled public funds and put in place measures for compliance with the Auditor General’s recommendations.
An interim period of positive change ensued, a growth fuelled by new media including the Internet, greater multiculturalism and a stronger attachment to democratic principles.
In March 2018, 44 of the 55 African Union Heads of State and Government enacted the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement (AfCFTA) in Kigali, Rwanda at its 10th Extraordinary Session, under the able leadership of H.E. President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger, with H.E. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda as current AU Chairperson and H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the AU Commission. Once in force AfCFTA will be the largest trade zone in the world, increase intra-African trade by 52% by the year 2022, remove tariffs on 90% of goods, liberalise services and tackle other barriers to intra-African trade, such as long delays at border posts.
The end of colonialism in the early 1960s created 55 African countries which cut arbitrarily across ethnic, cultural and traditional boundaries. They established the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) to promote unity and solidarity on one hand yet emphasised territorial sovereignty on the other. This hamstrung the OAU insofar as national affairs were concerned, and helped create regional economic blocks or communities (RECs) in the mid-1970s.
RECs engendered political and economic integration. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the East African Community (EAC) signed agreements for the free movement of goods, services and people. There are now 8 AU-recognised RECs and a number of sub-regional bodies that are actively pursuing Africa’s integration agenda.
In 1991 the Abuja Treaty established the African Economic Community (AEC), building on RECs for integration. At the 2001 OAU Summit, African Heads of States and Government adopted the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) as a further vector to accelerate African economic co-operation and integration. The Summit recognised the importance of OAU input into REC programme planning and implementation. In 2002, the Constitutive Act of the AU was adopted in Lomé, Togo, formally replacing the OAU.
These milestones show that African economic integration is best pursued on a regional basis.
Rethinking Africa’s priorities is urgently called for. In this regard Agenda 2063, a consolidated strategy for sustained political and economic integration and prosperity, was launched by African Heads of State and Government at the 50th Anniversary of African Unity in 2013. Agenda 2063’s first Ten-Year Implementation Plan (2013-2023) draws heavily on NEPAD’s experiences. Beyond these broad strokes in development priorities and programmes, African development must be translated into concrete action.
While business and consumer confidence have improved, investment, trade and productivity have not. This has a direct impact on both foreign and domestic investments in Africa, particularly in infrastructure. As the world’s second-fastest growing region, Africa holds much promise for those willing to invest time to study our local economies and identify opportunities presented by a booming middle class with an endless appetite for consumables.
Although the Africa Report 2017 shows that virtually all countries plan large infrastructure projects and understand the need to industrialise, Africa cannot afford to be an ‘investment risk’ for infrastructure projects that advance sustainable inclusive development.
To this end, the AU-NEPAD Continental Business Network (CBN) continues to de-risk infrastructure projects in order to attract financing, especially through Pension and Sovereign Wealth Funds. In September 2017, NEPAD and the CBN initiated an Africa-led and Africa-owned campaign to increase African asset owners’ contributions to African infrastructure from approximately 1.5% of their assets under management (AUM) to 5% of AUM. By using financial resources available on the continent and strengthening public-private partnerships, infrastructure investments should increase. The CBN has called for a more strategic engagement with domestic institutional investors in support of this campaign.
The AfCTA, is a monumental step for Africa; another significant milestone in Africa’s integration process. I have to however aptly point out that the AfCFTA was signed in Kigali the capital that experienced complete turmoil some 24 years ago but is now poised to become the futuristic “Wakanda.”
{{ {Dr Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, a former Prime Minister of Niger, is the current CEO of the African Union’s NEPAD Agency.
} }}
Dr Ndayambaje Irenée, the Director General of Rwanda Education Board (REB) says the move is intended to promote English language, as a medium of education, among Rwandans, adding that all education institutions and stakeholders are jointly working on the implementation plan.
Speaking to IGIHE last Thursday, Dr Ndayambaje reminded that every entrant to higher learning institution will have to pass English test or else keep studying the language at the universities’ language centres which are set to be opened.
He urged the general public especially students at all levels to strive for the highest English proficiency level if they want to be successful on their studies and career journey, noting that university students who fail English test will not appear on the lists of graduands in the near future but the official stood short of précising the exact time.
‘We are closely working with British Council on this programme. The current requirements for one to do TOEL or IELTS in order to continue their studies abroad will be scrapped because our English proficiency test will be at the international standards,” he said, adding
“This means that a university that will not do enough to upgrade its students’ English knowledge will not be helping them to succeed at the end. They must offer English training with a focus on international test. I advise students to use well the language centres because those centres will allow or deny them access to their degrees.”
Dr Ndayambaje said the ICT advancement also presents opportunities for people to coach themselves in different subjects including English language.
He said that students from all higher learning institutions in Rwanda will do the same English test to avoid their movements to different institutions seeking an easier test.
Make English a communication tool at school
Dr Ndayambaje said REB considers initiating mandatory use of English as a communication tool at schools to ensure that students and staff get enough time to practice the language in every aspect of school life.
“REB is also planning to examine every teacher’s English fluency to ascertain if their level is low, medium or advanced. We are alerting people earlier so that they upgrade their level. Teachers have to master English language so that other subjects can also be well delivered. You cannot teach in the language you do not know,” cautioned Dr Ndayambaje.
He said that despite acquiring English for succeeding in tests, people should remember the importance of English as the world’s most used language in international affairs, reminding that Rwanda is a member of different regional and international communities that primarily use English.
Admitting the lack of English fluency among many Rwandan teachers and other educated people, Dr Ndayambaje said changing the strategy will change the status quo.
The 15th National Leadership Retreat (Umwiherero) concluded early last month resolved, among others, that English be taught at all levels of education from primary to university in order to boost the country’s quality of education.
Rwanda switched to teaching in English in 2009 and has so far offered a range of English training to teachers who were used to teaching in French but many are still poorly faring in English.
The government was responding to US president Donald Trump’s notification of 60 days to suspend the application of duty-free treatment for Rwanda through AGOA saying that Rwanda imposed barriers to US trade in apparel products.
In a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of Senate, Trump said that the government of Rwanda continues to impose barriers to United States Trade which affects the exports of apparel products.
“I am providing advance notification of my intent to suspend the application of duty free treatment to all African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA)-eligible goods in the apparel sector for the Republic of Rwanda 60 days after the date of this notification,” the letter reads.
Trump said that the Government of Rwanda continues to impose barriers to United States trade, specifically, barriers affecting certain United States exports of apparel products.
{{Rwanda’s position}}
Through the statement released yesterday, he government of Rwanda says that the notification by the United States on suspension of duty-free status for Rwandan apparel products under the AGOA follows a decision by East African countries to raise tariffs on second-hand clothing imports, in order to promote local manufacturing capacity in garment and other industries.
“AGOA is a commendable unilateral gesture to African countries, including Rwanda, meant to promote trade and development through exports. The withdrawal of AGOA benefits is at the discretion of the United States,” the statement reads.
