Ndikuriyo had planned to travel to Kigali with Aigle Noir FC for its CAF Champions League qualifying match against Sudan’s Al-Hilal.
He revealed his plans to journalists on August 22, 2026, while discussing CNDD-FDD activities.
“Do you think I am afraid of Kigali? After all, I am an officer! Do you think there is an everlasting fire? The only thing is that I do not know how my work schedule will be because we plan things day by day. So, if the Eagles [Aigle] were going to Kigali to play football, would I miss going there to enjoy myself? Only work would prevent me from going there,” Ndikuriyo said.
Sources familiar with the matter said Ndikuriyo’s planned four-day visit raised concerns for President Évariste Ndayishimiye amid strained relations between Burundi and Rwanda.
According to the sources, Ndayishimiye questioned the CNDD-FDD Secretary General about why it was necessary for him to accompany his team to Rwanda and instructed him not to travel to Kigali.
Although the trip was presented as an effort to support Aigle Noir FC, analysts say Ndikuriyo’s political influence in Burundi made the planned visit more significant than an ordinary football trip.
Some CNDD-FDD members and opposition figures describe Ndikuriyo as one of the party’s influential figures with the political weight to challenge Ndayishimiye.
He is also said to have a strong following at the grassroots level of the ruling party, making his movements and activities a subject of close attention from the country’s top leadership.
Against this background, his planned stay in Kigali for several days was viewed by some as having political implications beyond football.
Burundi-Rwanda relations remain strained
The reported disagreement comes as relations between Burundi and Rwanda remain tense. Burundi closed its land borders with Rwanda after accusing Kigali of supporting the RED-Tabara rebel group, which opposes the government in Gitega. Rwanda has denied the allegations.
The strained relations have affected movement between the two countries, cross-border trade and other activities involving their citizens.
Analysts say the prospect of a senior CNDD-FDD official spending several days in Kigali may have been viewed through a political lens rather than as a routine sporting trip.
The episode also highlights how tensions between Burundi and Rwanda can extend beyond politics into areas such as sport and business.
In 2024, Burundi’s Dynamo BBC refused to wear jerseys bearing the “Visit Rwanda” logo after the country’s basketball federation, FEBABU, instructed the team not to display the sponsor’s branding amid worsening relations between the two countries.
Dynamo BBC was taking part in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) at the time. The team was forfeited after refusing to play in the sponsor-branded jerseys and was subsequently eliminated from the competition.
Révérien Ndikuriyo is the president of Aigle Noir FC and Secretary General of Burundi’s ruling CNDD-FDD party.Aigle Noir FC president and Secretary General of the ruling CNDD-FDD party Révérien Ndikuriyo (left) with Burundian President Ndayishimiye during a past public engagement in Burundi.
The discussions focused on the role of capital markets in mobilising long-term capital, attracting domestic and international investment, and broadening financing options for enterprises. They also considered the importance of deeper and more competitive capital markets in supporting private-sector growth and Rwanda’s wider economic priorities.
Chairperson Holtzman expressed his appreciation to President Kagame for his leadership and continued support for the development of Rwanda’s capital markets.
Chairperson Holtzman noted “Thank you, Your Excellency President Kagame for your visionary and inspirational leadership. Every day you motivate us to work harder and do better for our great country. Thank you for the opportunity to serve and to try to make a difference.”
He was joined by Blair Richardson, founder of Denver-based Bow River Capital, a US$7.5 billion private equity fund; Dan Green, CEO of JA Green Development, the largest operator of a logistics hub at America’s third-largest airport in Denver; and Korab Toplica, CEO of Mabetex Africa, a US$8 billion Swiss-based construction and development company.
Chairperson Holtzman also commended President Kagame for his support for Rwanda’s capital market development and the broader reform agenda that has strengthened the country’s investment environment.
He noted the importance of a sound policy and regulatory framework in attracting capital, widening access to finance and positioning the capital markets as a key source of long-term funding for Rwanda’s economy.
CMA’s Chairperson Marc Holtzman has met President Kagame on Rwanda’s Capital Markets Development
The group gathered at the Kigali City offices before beginning the journey to Musanze, where they are expected to arrive on September 3. On September 4, they will travel to Kinigi to attend Kwita Izina.
Speaking to IGIHE before their departure, Bazongere said the group would spend the first night at Nyirangarama before continuing to Musanze the following day.
“We will spend two days on the journey. Today, we will spend the night at Nyirangarama, and tomorrow, September 3, 2026, we will spend the night in Musanze,” she said.
Bazongere organised the journey, dubbed ‘Imbaraga Gorilla Walk’. She is passionate about sports and has previously organised various walking journeys to raise awareness about different causes.
She said the initiative is intended to use the journey as a way to promote environmental conservation and encourage people to take part in protecting Rwanda’s natural heritage.
“The goal is not simply to walk, but to use our journey as a way to promote healthy living, promote tourism in Rwanda and encourage people to play a role in conserving our natural heritage,” Bazongere said.
Bazongere said ‘Imbaraga Gorilla Walk 2026’ brings together sport, wellbeing, tourism and environmental conservation, while also promoting efforts to protect mountain gorillas and other wildlife.
The walk comes as Rwanda prepares to host the 2026 Kwita Izina ceremony in Kinigi on September 4, an annual event that celebrates the conservation of mountain gorillas and brings together local and international conservationists, tourists, officials and other stakeholders.
Members of the Imbaraga Gorilla Walk group begin their journey from Kigali to Musanze on September 2, 2026.Bazongere Rosine and other participants set off from Kigali as part of the Imbaraga Gorilla Walk 2026.More than 20 participants gather at the Kigali City offices before setting off on foot for Musanze.The group will walk along the Kigali-Musanze route during a two-day journey linked to Kwita Izina.Participants in the Imbaraga Gorilla Walk 2026 use the journey to promote healthy living, tourism and environmental conservation.
The firm-fixed-price contract has a maximum potential value of approximately 700 million U.S. dollars. Under the contract, Blue Origin will deliver a high-performance telecommunications orbiter for Mars to NASA no later than Dec. 31, 2028, according to NASA.
Blue Origin will design, develop, integrate, launch, and operate the network as part of NASA’s broader space communications and navigation infrastructure.
The network will include a high-performance telecommunications spacecraft orbiting Mars to transmit science data, imagery, navigation information, and critical mission communications for spacecraft operating on and around the planet.
The network, managed by NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program, is expected to be operational at Mars by 2030 and will support both current and future missions to the Red Planet, according to NASA.
NASA said the contract award marks a milestone in its strategy to expand communications and navigation services beyond Earth and the Moon, laying the foundation for sustained exploration of Mars in the coming decades.
This illustration released on Sept 6, 2024, shows the twin spacecraft of NASA’s Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers entering Mars’ orbit. (PHOTO/ROCKET LAB USA)
Alexis Bizimana, Head of Agribusiness at Bank of Kigali, announced the facility while speaking on a panel at the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFS Forum) 2026 in Kigali on Tuesday, during a session titled “Scaling Agri-Food Investments: From Blended Finance to Breakthrough Deals.”
“The $21 million facility will combine concessional finance with technical assistance and risk-sharing mechanisms, as well as a digital component,” he revealed, adding that the facility will be unveiled this week.
Bizimana said no single blended-finance instrument can address the full range of challenges facing agribusinesses, arguing that different tools need to be combined depending on the specific financing gap.
“I think one blended finance facility cannot solve the issue,” he noted. “We need to combine different [blended] finance facilities because they have different issues to tackle.”
He told the delegates attending the forum that concessional finance can help address challenges related to loan tenor and affordability, but does not necessarily solve collateral requirements, which may instead require risk-sharing and guarantee mechanisms.
Similarly, he said, gaps in visibility, knowledge and business capacity among beneficiaries are better addressed through technical assistance.
“We believe we need to combine different [blended] finance facilities, depending on the mandate and what we need to achieve,” he said.
Guarantees expanding access to agribusiness finance
Bizimana said Bank of Kigali’s guarantee-backed lending has already enabled the bank to expand into segments of the agribusiness sector that were previously difficult to serve.
He attributed the expansion to partnerships with a local guarantee scheme and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), saying guarantees now cover close to 48% of the bank’s relevant portfolio.
Looking ahead, Bizimana said blended finance must evolve alongside the changing needs of the agricultural sector and the wider country context.
He called for a shift “from grant to catalytic and thematic financing” to sustain investment in agribusiness over the long term, while also developing a “graduation pathway” that can bring in greater volumes of private capital.
“We need to graduate from blended to private, that’s where the sustainability is,” he said. “That’s how the future will look.”
Financing tools need to match businesses’ needs
Bizimana spoke alongside Joshua M.A. Kabugo, Regional Investment Specialist for East and Southern Africa and the Arab States at the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF); Daniel Farchy, Head of Private Sector Investment for the Africa Region at the Green Climate Fund (GCF); and Vivette Igihozo Iradukunda, representing the International Association of Students in Agricultural and Related Sciences (IAAS).
Kabugo said UNCDF uses a mix of instruments, including lending, repayable grants, concessional grants and guarantees, tailored to the size and financing profile of individual agribusinesses.
He cited a transaction in Kenya that financed cold storage for smallholder producers, while also highlighting currency mismatch as a hidden cost that can add several percentage points to agricultural lending prices in some markets. Farchy identified fragmentation among millions of small-scale producers as one of the biggest barriers to scaling catalytic capital.
He pointed to a facility in Tanzania that combined technical assistance, a line of credit and a guarantee to help develop a parametric insurance product, which has since scaled to around $200 million.
Iradukunda outlined the challenges facing young agripreneurs, including high collateral requirements, revenue cycles that often lag behind production costs, climate-related production risks, limited market access and gaps in business skills.
She cited programmes such as the Rwanda BRIDGE programme, implemented by the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) with support from the Mastercard Foundation, as examples of efforts to share risk and improve young entrepreneurs’ readiness to attract investment.
The 2026 edition of the AFS Forum, which is also celebrating its 20th anniversary, has brought together more than 5,000 delegates from over 50 countries, including government leaders, investors, farmers, scientists and young entrepreneurs.
The forum is being held under the theme, “Investing in Africa’s Agri-Food Systems: Nourishing Nations, Growing Jobs, Building Resilience,” with discussions focused on mobilising investment and accelerating solutions across Africa’s food systems.
Alexis Bizimana, Head of Agribusiness at Bank of Kigali, announced the facility while speaking on a panel at the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFS Forum) 2026 in Kigali on Tuesday, during a session titled “Scaling Agri-Food Investments: From Blended Finance to Breakthrough Deals.”Bizimana said no single blended-finance instrument can address the full range of challenges facing agribusinesses, arguing that different tools need to be combined depending on the specific financing gap.
A report by the AfricaNenda Foundation, an organisation that promotes instant payment systems across Africa, shows that the continent currently has 36 IPS platforms operating in 31 African countries.
The report indicates that total transaction volumes increased by an average annual growth rate of 35%, reaching over 64 billion transactions in 2024. Total transaction values increased by an average annual rate of 26% from $775.5 billion in 2020 to $1.98 trillion in 2024.
The rise of digital payments in Africa
Instant Payment Systems (IPS) are among the innovations introduced across Africa to make financial services easier and more accessible. Previously, making payments, depositing money, or withdrawing cash often required physical visits to banks or financial institutions.
This process was time-consuming and inconvenient. However, as technology advanced, financial institutions introduced various digital solutions for transferring money.
This led to the growth Mobile Money services, Mobile banking applications, USSD-based financial services, all of which have made it easier for people to send and receive money.
However, while these solutions reduced the need for frequent trips to financial institutions, they also created another challenge: the emergence of multiple payment systems operated separately by different financial institutions.
To address this challenge, banks, telecommunications companies, and other financial service providers began working together to enable interoperability, allowing customers to transfer money between different banks and mobile money platforms.
The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of AfricaNenda Foundation, Sabine F. Mensah, said Africa’s digital payment sector has reached an encouraging stage of development.
“Between 2024 and 2025, five new IPSs came live, which is the highest number of IPS in a given year since we’ve started tracking the ecosystem with the first SIPS 2022 report,” she said.
However, Mensah noted that challenges remain, with more than 400 million Africans still relying on traditional methods of transferring and payment methods.
She explained that this is mainly because some countries have not yet introduced modern payment systems, while in countries where such systems exist, many are still not fully interconnected.
“The inclusivity and interoperability journey remains a challenge. Although we already have 50% of the systems that are cross-domain, 18 out of 36, it also means that there are still 18 more that are not,” she said
“That is the reason why we are focused on driving inclusivity of this instant payment system and working with the different countries and IPSs to ensure that inclusivity is top of mind and is being developed across here in time to meet the needs of consumers and ensure that all have access to financial services through instant payment systems,” she added
Rwanda has addressed the interoperability challenge
On July 14, 2026, Rwanda rolled out eKash, a new fast and fully interoperable payment system.
eKash is a digital payment platform that connects different financial institutions, allowing customers to send and receive money and make payments between licensed financial service providers.
The system aims to make digital payments more accessible, secure, affordable, and available to everyone.
The platform has gained significant adoption. By August 6, 2026, eKash had processed more than 10.5 million transactions, with the total value exceeding Rwf 960 billion.
The number of users making payments between different financial institutions increased by 166%.
Digital payments are reducing costs and boosting economic activity
Economic analyst Teddy Kaberuka said increased adoption of digital payment services helps countries reduce the costs associated with producing and managing physical money.
“Using cash has a high cost because producing banknotes and coins is expensive. In some cases, producing money can cost up to 20% of its value. However, with digital payments, such costs are significantly reduced because fewer physical notes and coins are needed,” he said.
He added that digital payments also increase the movement of money within the economy.
“Another advantage of instant payment systems is that they increase liquidity flow. Money moves faster, economic activities continue without interruption, and more transactions can happen within a shorter period,” he explained.
Kaberuka, however, stressed that protecting users’ financial information and educating citizens about fraud prevention remain key priorities as digital payments continue to grow.
The FinScope 2024 survey showed that 96% of Rwandans have access to financial services.
Rwanda’s national digital payment system, eKash, aims to make digital payments more accessible, secure, affordable, and available to everyone.
Organised by Sion Foundation, a Christian organisation registered in Rwanda, the festival will begin at 1pm and bring together Gospel music lovers, churches, families and young people for an afternoon of music, worship, entertainment and messages centred on faith, hope and positive social change.
The lineup also includes MD and other Christian performers, with organisers saying the event will use music and creative arts to encourage young people to make positive and purposeful choices.
Beyond entertainment, the festival will feature initiatives targeting education, savings and access to health insurance.
Chancen International will provide 1,000 young people aged 18 to 35 with opportunities to pursue education through a study-now, pay-later model. The initiative will cover bachelor’s degree programmes, short courses and professional training, allowing beneficiaries to defer payment under applicable arrangements.
The festival will also promote participation in Ejo Heza, Rwanda’s long-term savings programme, by providing attendees with a starting contribution towards subscriptions.
Sion Foundation will further support social programmes aimed at helping vulnerable people access Mutuelle de Santé, Rwanda’s community-based health insurance scheme.
Organisers say the initiatives are intended to make the festival a platform for spiritual, educational, social and economic empowerment, particularly among young people.
Rabagirana Festival 2026 will later continue in Muhanga, Ruhango and Rubavu as part of a nationwide outreach programme.
The organisers say the festival seeks to encourage young people to embrace faith, education, entrepreneurship, professional development and responsible citizenship while avoiding drug abuse, alcoholism and other destructive behaviours.
The Bugesera event is open to the public, with young people, churches, families and communities in Bugesera and surrounding areas invited to attend.
RSSB announced on August 27, 2026 that it had acquired the remaining shares in Inyange Industries Ltd, one of Rwanda’s leading food and beverage processors, and Ruliba Clays Ltd, a manufacturer of clay-based construction materials.
The transactions brought RSSB’s ownership in both companies to 100 percent, after it previously held 40 percent of Inyange and 50 percent of Ruliba.
Five days later, on September 1, RSSB announced that it had completed the acquisition of the entire shareholding in BK General Insurance Ltd (BKGI) for Rwf31.7 billion. BKGI will now be integrated with RSSB’s existing insurance businesses, SONARWA General Insurance and SONARWA Life Assurance.
In an exclusive interview with IGIHE, RSSB Chief Executive Officer Regis Rugemanshuro said the acquisitions reflect a broader shift in how the pension fund intends to manage its growing investment portfolio.
“The short answer is that RSSB is entering its next phase as an investor, and these businesses are entering theirs,” Rugemanshuro said.
RSSB’s assets under management reached Rwf3.9 trillion at the end of June 2026, having doubled over the previous five years. The institution generated investment returns of 15.06 percent, equivalent to about Rwf401 billion, in 2024–2025 and 12.8 percent, or approximately Rwf438 billion, in 2025–2026.
Rugemanshuro said the growth has given RSSB greater capacity to invest, but also places greater responsibility on the institution to ensure members’ money is deployed prudently.
Under its new five-year strategy, RSSB is seeking to get more value from businesses it already owns while identifying investments capable of generating sustainable, long-term, risk-adjusted returns.
Why take full ownership?
For Inyange and Ruliba, RSSB was already familiar with the businesses and had participated in financing their productive capacity.
Inyange’s revenues increased from Rwf28 billion in 2021 to Rwf68.9 billion in 2025, while its profit after tax reached Rwf1.35 billion last year.
Its milk powder plant can process up to 650,000 litres of fresh milk per day into products including milk powder, butter, ghee and UHT milk. RSSB sees significant room to increase utilisation, develop new products, improve distribution and expand exports.
Ruliba, meanwhile, has more than doubled its annual production capacity following the construction of a second plant, from roughly 62,000 tonnes to more than 126,000 tonnes.
Rugemanshuro said the timing of the acquisitions is important because the companies are moving from investing heavily in production capacity to generating greater commercial value from those investments.
“That is why the timing matters. We are acquiring greater control just as these businesses move from building capacity to realising its full commercial value,” he said.
Full ownership, he added, will allow RSSB to make decisions faster, align capital allocation with strategy and establish clearer accountability for performance.
But RSSB does not necessarily intend to remain the sole owner forever.
Once the companies become stronger, the institution could bring in strategic or institutional investors or consider public listings.
“Full ownership is not a trophy. It is a platform for value creation and gives us the freedom to choose the future ownership structure that best serves members,” Rugemanshuro said.
RSSB CEO Regis Rugemanshuro says the institution’s next phase will focus on active ownership, regional growth and prudent investment of members’ savings.
Building a larger insurance business
BKGI presents a different opportunity. The insurer’s profit after tax increased from Rwf2.7 billion in 2021 to Rwf4.7 billion in 2025. RSSB valued the company at approximately Rwf32 billion and subjected the transaction to independent valuation and scrutiny.
Rugemanshuro said the objective is not simply to combine insurance companies to reduce costs, but to build a stronger Rwandan insurer capable of handling larger risks.
“The ambition goes well beyond combining businesses to reduce costs. We want to build a Rwandan insurance champion with the scale, capital, expertise and technology to compete at a much higher level,” he said.
The larger group could participate more meaningfully in risks linked to infrastructure, energy, aviation, manufacturing and construction, while also developing new products and improving customer service. RSSB ultimately wants the insurance platform to compete regionally, potentially with the involvement of a strategic partner.
What does this mean for members?
Rugemanshuro says the central test for all three acquisitions remains whether they protect and grow members’ savings.
“A pension fund does not protect your savings by putting them in a vault. It protects them by investing them prudently so that they grow and are available when benefits fall due,” he said. Diversifying across sectors also reduces RSSB’s dependence on a single industry or source of returns.
The fund expects the businesses to improve their performance over time, but Rugemanshuro cautioned against judging every investment by the headline return of the entire RSSB portfolio.
A manufacturing company, insurer and government bond have different risk and cash-flow characteristics, he explained. What matters is whether each investment produces an appropriate return relative to its risk.
Over the next 12 to 24 months, Rugemanshuro said, members should look for higher capacity utilisation and broader product availability at Inyange, increased production and market reach at Ruliba, and a disciplined execution of the insurance consolidation.
In less than one month, the Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) has taken full ownership of three major businesses, including Inyange Industries Ltd, Ruliba Clays Ltd and BK General Insurance Ltd (BKGI).
From Rwanda to regional markets
RSSB’s ambitions extend beyond strengthening the companies’ positions in Rwanda.
For Inyange, the immediate focus is on increasing production, strengthening the agricultural supply chain and expanding exports. Greater utilisation of the milk powder plant is expected to create additional demand for quality milk, potentially giving farmers more predictable markets.
At Ruliba, the new production capacity is expected to serve Rwanda’s construction industry while opening greater opportunities for exports.
The same regional ambition applies to insurance, although through a different model involving regional corporate clients, partnerships and potentially direct market entry.
“Regional expansion must improve returns, diversify earnings and strengthen the business,” Rugemanshuro said.
Regis Rugemanshuro has outlined how RSSB plans to turn its growing investment portfolio into stronger businesses, higher returns and lasting value for members.
A more active RSSB
The acquisitions point to a broader ambition for RSSB to become a more sophisticated institutional investor while remaining focused on its core social-security mandate.
Rugemanshuro said RSSB will become more active as an owner where intervention can genuinely improve performance, but it will not seek control simply for the sake of control.
As its asset base grows, RSSB also expects to gradually increase investment outside Rwanda to reduce concentration risk and strengthen portfolio resilience.
“We will be active where active ownership can genuinely change the outcome. We will not seek control where it adds complexity without adding value,” he said.
Ultimately, Rugemanshuro says the success of the latest acquisitions will be judged not by the number of companies RSSB owns, but by whether those businesses become more profitable, more competitive and more valuable while generating sustainable returns for members.
“Ultimately, the test is simple: did we protect members’ capital, grow it meaningfully and build businesses that are more valuable because RSSB owned them?”
Five years from now, he wants to see Inyange supporting a stronger agricultural value chain and expanding into regional markets, Ruliba contributing to Rwanda’s industrial and construction capacity, and the insurance group becoming financially stronger, more innovative and capable of underwriting larger risks.
For RSSB, the wider objective is to build an institution capable of protecting today’s members while ensuring it has the financial strength to meet the obligations of future generations.
RSSB CEO Regis Rugemanshuro says the fund’s latest acquisitions are aimed at creating greater long-term value for members while strengthening the businesses it owns.
The six-day trade fair was officially opened by Mozambique’s President, Daniel Francisco Chapo, at a ceremony attended by Rwanda’s High Commissioner to Mozambique, Col (Rtd) Donat Ndamage.
The exhibition has brought together 29 countries, including Rwanda, with products and services from more than 500 foreign companies and 1,950 Mozambican businesses on display.
The Rwandan delegation comprises entrepreneurs involved in processing agricultural products, manufacturing leather shoes and bags, and producing hair oils.
The businesses travelled from Kigali with the aim of expanding their market presence in Mozambique and exploring investment opportunities in the country.
President Chapo visited various exhibitors at the fair, learning about the products and the distinctive activities of each business.
He also visited the Rwandan exhibitors accompanied by High Commissioner Ndamage and was briefed on their products.
Mozambique’s President officially opened the Maputo International Trade Fair.Government officials and diplomats attended the opening ceremony.Rwandan exhibitors showcased products made in Rwanda.Leather-made bags were among the products displayed by Rwandan exhibitors.A variety of oils and fragrances were also showcased at the fair.Rwanda’s High Commissioner to Mozambique, Col (Rtd) Donat Ndamage, joined Rwandan exhibitors to support their participation at the fair.
The celebration was held on August 29, 2026, and was attended by Rwanda’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Johnston Busingye, who joined members of the Rwandan community and friends of Rwanda.
Held in Oxford, the event provided an opportunity for Rwandans living in the UK to come together, preserve their cultural heritage and share Rwanda’s values with friends and other members of the wider community.
Umuganura is traditionally known as a celebration of the harvest. Today, however, it carries a broader meaning, providing an opportunity to reflect on achievements, express gratitude and remind individuals of their role in the development of their families, communities and country.
For Rwandans living in the UK, the celebration also served as an opportunity to preserve Rwandan culture and its values while passing them on to younger generations.
High Commissioner Johnston Busingye stressed the importance of preserving Rwanda’s values.
“Umuganura reminds us that wherever Rwandans live, our values of unity, gratitude, hard work and shared responsibility remain with us,” he said.
He added that as Rwandans celebrate their achievements, they should also reflect on the contribution each person can make to the wider community and Rwanda’s development.
Young people were given particular attention during the celebration, with children and Rwandans who grew up in the UK given an opportunity to learn about the traditions, values and history passed down by their parents and elders.
Organisers said preserving Rwandan culture does not prevent Rwandans from integrating into the wider UK community. Instead, they said, it helps them maintain a connection with their roots and better understand their cultural identity.
Friends of Rwanda also attended the celebration, giving them an opportunity to learn more about Rwandan culture and its values while engaging with a community whose members come from diverse backgrounds but are connected by their life in the UK.
Participants learned more about Rwanda through its culture, values and the experiences of its people.
Community leaders thanked those who attended and encouraged Rwandans living in the UK to continue organising activities that bring people together and strengthen connections between generations.
The Umuganura celebration also highlighted the role of the Rwandan diaspora in strengthening ties between Rwanda and the United Kingdom.
Rwandans living in the UK continue to contribute to different sectors, including business, education, healthcare, technology, entrepreneurship and community development.
The celebration also provided an opportunity to look ahead, with participants emphasising the importance of continued cooperation, contribution and collective efforts for the benefit of future generations.
Rwandans in Oxford marked Umuganura with a celebration that highlighted culture, community and the importance of preserving connections between generations.Rwanda’s High Commissioner to the UK, Johnston Busingye, joined Rwandans in Oxford as they celebrated Umuganura and reflected on the importance of preserving the country’s cultural values.The celebration in Oxford provided an opportunity for Rwandans in the UK to come together and reflect on unity, gratitude and shared responsibility.Rwandans living in the United Kingdom gathered in Oxford to celebrate Umuganura and honour their cultural heritage.Young Rwandans growing up in the UK took part in Umuganura celebrations aimed at strengthening their connection to Rwandan culture and heritage.The Umuganura celebration brought together members of the Rwandan community in the UK, alongside friends of Rwanda.
