The figure was almost half the 7.5 percent reported by National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) for the same period in 2016.
Wholesale and retail trade contracted by 6 percent, while agriculture expanded by 6 percent, the NISR said in a statement.
Claver Gatete said he expected the third and fourth quarters to perform better than the first two, supported by stronger activity in construction, services and agriculture.
“There is a clear improvement and for the next two quarters we are going back to normal high growth,” Gatete said.
A new GDP projection for 2017 will be issued around October after a meeting with a team from the International Monetary Fund, Gatete said. The current growth forecast for the year is 6.2 percent.
The central bank’s repo rate-setting body is due to meet on Wednesday.
Lourenço who had been the defence minister, won the 23rd August 2017 elections.
Lourenço 63, replaces Jose Eduardo Dos Santos who has been the Angola president since 1979.
Since last year, Lourenço has been the vice-president of the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), theleading party in the country.
Both countries, Rwanda and Angola have bilateral relations on peace-keeping.
Court bailiff Ms Nsabimana Vedatse conducted the auction.
Eleven individuals and companies had tendered in their interest to prequalify in bidding for the mall, but two companies and one individual namely; Kigali Investment Company, Four Unit Company and Pascal Kanyandekwe reached the competitive bidding.
Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa had 97% shares in the mall with others taking the remaining 3%.
The auctioning of UTC comes at time when the property owed tax arrears amounting to Rwf 1.2 billion, to Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) accumulated between tax 2007 and 2013 when Nyarugenge district took over as its caretaker and managers.
Shyaka was speaking Monday during a dialogue that brought together RGB and representatives of INGOs in Rwanda aimed at discussing and identifying collective partnerships that would lead to inclusive citizen-based development.
Shyaka said that INGOs have ample programmes which help the country attain its development goals and called for better management of projects funds to reach as many beneficiaries as possible.
“Despite the short time we’ve worked together, there’s ample hope that focus shall be directed towards building foundations that will enable bringing as many people in the loop that will be benefitting from the mutual projects ” he said.
“For the government to get INGOs operate under RGB, the intention was to deepen cooperation with all organizations, strengthen transparency and innovativeness so that we get win results,” he said.
The head of International NGOs forum in Rwanda, Papa Diouf said that since they started to operate under RGB guidance, a number of positive developments have been realized.
Currently, there are 173 non-governmental organizations operating in the country.
In February 2016, RGB was given the mandate of registering and regulating local International NGOs’ responsibilities that were previously held by Migration Office.
In June, three non-governmental organisations filed a lawsuit accusing the bank of financing the purchase of “80 tonnes of arms used to carry out genocide” by the Hutu regime, even though “the bank had to have known the genocidal intentions of the country’s authorities”.
As AFP reported; the Paris judiciary confirmed Monday that it opened an investigation for “complicity in genocide and complicity in crimes against humanity” on August 22, and asked the Paris genocide and war crimes division, which is already handling 25 other cases linked to the Rwandan genocide, to run the probe.
The lawsuit was filed in France by Sherpa, which defends victims of economic crimes; Ibuka France, a Rwanda victims’ association; and the France-based Collective of Civil Parties for Rwanda, which pursues claims against genocide suspects.
The NGOs say BNP authorised the transfer of $1.3 million (1.1 million euros at current rates) to the regime in June 1994, one month after the United Nations had placed an embargo on weapons deliveries to Rwanda.
{{BNP is France’s biggest bank and among the world’s top 10.
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The plaintiffs allege that BNP authorised the transfer of the money that was held by Rwanda’s national bank (BNR) to an account held at Swiss bank UBP by Willem Tertius Ehlers, a South African intermediary who owned an arms-dealing brokerage called Delta Aero.
The 100 days’ genocide led to the massacre of more than 1,000,000 people.
Kigali has repeatedly accused Paris of having a hand in the genocide and of being slow to prosecute some of its kingpins living in France.
The case is the first time a French bank is under suspicion of being involved in the genocide.
Through his twitter account, Karabaranga said that the deal is a result of government of Rwanda efforts in attracting investment in the country.
“Heineken beer is to be produced in Rwanda soon and exported in the region, thanks to the attractive doing business climate,” reads his twit.
It is anticipated that the production of Heineken products in Rwanda will be done by Bralirwa, a Rwanda’s brewer company of which Heineken N.V owns 75% shares.
The founder of Dream Design Property who was speaking to UoK students on Friday said that youth should have business ideas as the first step towards being successful entrepreneurs.
“When you want to become rich, you start by thinking about what you want to achieve in your life. When you don’t know what you want, how could reach where you wish to be? Let your brain think about new things” he challenged students.
“When you have dreams, you should create opportunities. No official will finance you or implement your ideas, otherwise, you need to use your brains and get money from them” he said.
Zari Ameer is in Rwanda on the invitation of INTEch Investments Ltd, a business solutions focused company.
The OAG report released 3rd May 2017 shows that in the fiscal year that ended 30th July 2016, a total of Rwf1.6 billion was mismanaged,
Rwf590 million used without proper accountability and Rwf906million out-rightly embezzled.
A total of Rwf1.5 billion was not recovered.
Among heads of institutions that will appear before PAC are; Water and Sanitation Corporation (WASAC), Energy Development Corporation Ltd (EDCL), Energy Utilities Corporation Ltd (EUCL), Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA), Rwanda Development Board (RDB), University of Rwanda (UR), Rwanda Education Board (REB), Workforce Development Authority (WDA), Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) and Rwanda Agricultural Board (RAB)
“Those are institutions that we shall invite to come here, but there are others which also have qualified audit reports that will explain to the committee through written details,” Nkusi said.
Districts that will appear before PAC include Gatsibo, Gasabo, Bugesera, Rusizi, Ngororero, Nyabihu, Rulindo, Gicumbi, Nyamagabe, Ruhango Rutsiro and Nyarugenge.
Most of the districts have issues with wrongful awarding and poor management of public tenders and poor supervision of infrastructure development projects.
The OAG report revealed that a total of 98 contracts worth Rwf 95.6 billion in 2016 were not fully executed as they were abandoned by tender winners leaving a big toll of financial losses to the government.
Activities for 75 contracts were delayed while 23 contractors abandoned the projects. Some of the implementers of the abandoned projects had already been paid colossal sums of money.
The United Nations themed this day: “Together for peace, respect, safety and dignity for all”, but Rwanda broadened the theme to: “Together for peace, promoting the values of respect and dignity through peaceful families.”
To mark the day, over 400 Rwandan youth from across the country convened at Parliamentary Buildings in Kimihurura, Kigali to deliberate on different interventions of promoting values of respect towards more peaceful families.
The National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) together with its partners aim to enhance citizens’ capacity to analyse the root causes of conflicts, facilitate dialogue, and appreciate diversity to ensure sustainable peace and development.
Speaking at the event, NURC President, Bishop John Rucyahana pointed out that the country’s tragic history has taught Rwandans to value peace above anything else.
“Having experienced the worst history, divisionism, violence, wars and the Genocide Against the Tutsi, Rwandans have a specific understanding of the value of peace. Rwandans overcame this traumatising situation, healed and rebuilt their nation,” Bishop Rucyahana said.
According to Fidèle Ndayisaba, the Executive Secretary of NURC, this year is dedicated to peace among families because the lack of peace in families is the reason behind many troubles across the world.
“When families do not embrace peace, that is when we start seeing people abandoning their own families. We intend to promote unity in the home and protect children against segregation and genocide ideology,” Ndayisaba said in a press conference last week.
The Speaker of the Lower Chamber of Parliament, Donatille Mukabalisa, senior government officials, One UN Rwanda Country Representative and other distinguished delegates, graced the occasion.
Yesterday’s discussions explored how peaceful families can promote peace values, respect, and dignity to ultimately contribute to a peaceful nation. Families that promote peaceful and positive values are likely to raise children with peaceful attributes.
However, statistics show that slightly over 1,000 children are still living in 11 orphanages in the country yet the deadline for phasing down all 33 orphanages elapsed in 2015.
Nzabamwita, 58, a resident of Bugesera District, Nyamata Sector, Nyamata Cell, has her own five children and fostered more five to help them enjoy the family care and hope for a brighter future. She has taken the fifth child recently from an orphanage in line with the government’s program of ‘Tubarerere mu Muryango’ (Let’s raise them in a family) in addition to other four she had so far taken from orphanages in the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Speaking to IGIHE, Nzabamwita said no child should lack parental care when there are many parents in the country who should play on behalf of the deceased parents.
“Genocide claimed lives of my loved ones; husband and my first born, but after Genocide I raised my remaining children together with other four orphans. Life was hard to the extent we were sometimes taking porridge as our supper but I was happy to share the little I was earning with all the children and they were happy in the family too,” she said.
She often visited orphanages and learnt about the inconvenience of living there and that gave her courage to strive to have many fostered into families.
“In orphanages, I was meeting children I knew their origin and some were from my extended family. I started helping many to meet their families. Orphanages just provide food and clothing but no good education. Most of the children there were spoilt and misbehaved because of lacking parental care and education,” she said.
Nzabamwita urges every parent to have a tender heart and foster at least one child from orphanages.
{{Tubarerere mu Muryango as “God’s programme” }}
Some of the children Nzabamwita fostered have found their families but she went back to an orphanage to pick another child whom she is fostering today and the child is now happy in the family, often asking the foster mother for a favour of not returning them to the orphanage.
“This is God’s programme because officials who thought about reintegrating children into families were undoubtedly guided by God. Children in orphanages are deprived of good morals but reintegrating them into families is the good way to build a better country’s future,” she noted.
Nzabamwita wishes she was able to reach every family to persuade them to receive orphans to help all young ones acquire good education from parental care in order to nurture them into good citizens of Rwanda.
“When a child receives care develops love for the country and citizens because they understand that there people who helped them when they were in need. Fostering a child does not require good means but a loving heart willing to share the little with the neediest,” she said.
She said there are no worries that a child from orphanage can spoil other children of the fostering family because a fostered child follows the family’s model when they are given care. She added that it is of great honour to raise an orphan because it is part of building the country and serving God’s mission.
{{
Life of Nzabamwita’s fostered child }}
Four-year old, Christian Manzi has apparently found happiness in foster family. He demonstrates what he acquires at a nursery school by singing Rwanda’s national anthem ‘Rwanda Nziza’.
When chatting with his foster mother, Nzabamwita, who he calls mummy, Manzi displays immense happiness of child having a parent and always ask her where she had been all the time before.
Reintegrating all children into families is still going on and those interested in fostering some usually visit the orphanages to learn about the procedures.
Article 18 of the Constitution of Rwanda amended in 2015 stipulates that both parents have the right and responsibility to raise their children while the State puts in place appropriate legislation and organs for the protection of the family, particularly the child and mother, to ensure that the family flourishes. Article 19 indicates that a child has the right to specific mechanisms of protection by his or her family, other Rwandans and the State.
