ICGLR is made up of twelve countries of Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Angola, South Sudan, Central African Republic, DR Congo, Republic of the Congo, Sudan and Zambia.
The previous meeting took place in October 2016 in Luanda, Angola where heads of state discussed about DR Congo’s presidential elections which continues to be an issue of concern.
The heads of states summit took place few days after foreign affairs ministers of partner states met to prepare the meeting.
Through the summit, the heads of states will discuss how they can sustain development of the region.
Diane Rwigara submitted her candidacy to the National Electoral Commission (NEC) in August election, but she did not make it to the final list over lack of some documents.
Among reasons that NEC turned down her candidacy are submitting 34 signatures for PS Imberakuri supporters.
Commenting on the case, Mukabunani said that the register was stolen and no individual on the list was contacted.
Speaking to IGIHE, Mukabunani said that they are yet to open a lawsuit on that case as they are still gathering evidence.
Mukabunani said that the general assembly of the party will decide on whether they will take Diane to court.
“We are still gathering evidence, but we plan to have a general meeting where we shall decide on it. Taking her to court will depend on meeting resolutions after collected evidence,” she said.
Lack of shared rules and regulations, cross border trade tariffs and lack of infrastructure remain major barriers to economic growth in Africa. According to the World Bank, the African market remains highly fragmented, which limits the movement of goods, services and people across borders. The United National Economic Commission for Africa has also recently highlighted the need to boost intra-African trade to deliver development across the continent and speed up Africa’s economic transformation.
{{African payments, via international banks}}
While the transport of goods and services is critical for Africa’s development, enabling the movement of capitalto support trade and development within Africa is equallyimportant. According to SWIFT data, only 12.8% of commercial payments from Africa went directly to other African countries, even though the final destination of more than 20% of these payments was within the continent. A large proportion was settled internationally, including 37.2% in the United States. This international financial intermediation is costly, and takes time.
Pan-regional payment systems operating within harmonised legal and regulatory frameworks of regional economic areas will make intra-regional payments easier, faster and cheaper. This will help to increase cross-border trade within regional communities such as the East African Community (EAC) or the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). Competitive local payment services will alsohelp to reduce the need for international financial intermediation thereby keeping African transactions within Africa. It will also help to increase access to financial services. Looking beyond high value transactions, the addition of low value intra-regional payments could also extend benefits to consumersby enabling the creation of new products and services that could increase financial inclusion.
Policy makers have recognised the role that payment systems and other infrastructures play in fostering and deepening economic development; therefore, over the last 5 years, many African countries have invested in their financial market infrastructures (FMIs). The World Bank too has prioritised the development of payment systems as a crucial component of its work to reduce poverty and boost prosperity.
Several pan-regional payment systems already exist, including SIRESS in SADC,which went live with the first four SADC countries in 2013, and the East African Payment System (EAPS), which was established by the EAC also in 2013.
{{Focus on East Africa}}
The EAC, which includes Uganda, Kenya, the United Republic of Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi, was established to strengthen economic, political, social and cultural integration in order to improve the quality of life of people in East Africa. TheEAC intends to realise thisby increasing competitiveness within the region, creating value-added products, and boosting trade and investment.
To help achieve these ambitions, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda implemented the multicurrency regional payment system, EAPS, which links the domestic payment systems in each country. This makes cross-border fund transfers much easier within the Community, supporting the free movement of goods, labour and services.
The EAPS platform, launched in November 2013, is underpinned by the high value payment systems at each country’s Central Bank (called real time gross settlement systems) which operate on the SWIFT messaging network for safe and secure delivery of payment and settlement messages. It enables banks to make or receive cross-border payments seamlessly in their respective local currencies. A key aim was to reduce the cost of financial transactions, which would in turn help to increase the trade flows that are critical for economic growth.
Over the last four years, the members of EAPS have reaped several benefits from using the platform.
The system supports all member currencies and simplifies the process of transferring funds cross-border by reducing commission and other charges. For example, previously when a Kenyan bank wanted to send funds to a bank in Tanzania, it would need to change Kenyan shillings into dollars via a foreign intermediary bank, and then into Tanzanian shillings on the other side. EAPS removes this step, allowing direct currency exchange, therefore lowering the cost of doing business across the region.
Transaction times havealso been significantlyreduced. While a payment used to take up to two days, it can now take place in only a few hours. By using SWIFT, EAPS also benefits from the highest levels of security, resiliency, standardisation and automation.
The ambition for EAPS is that it will be the platform of the future, enhancing efficiency, continuing to reduce settlement times and lower transaction costs, therebyencouraging greater levels of trade within the region and furthering economic growth.
Currently four countries are connected to EAPS, andBurundi is scheduled to join the platform later this year. The realisation of such a large regional economic bloc has great strategic and geopolitical significance. Encompassing some of the most vibrant economies in Africa with a combined population of more than 150 million people, a land area of 1.82 million square kilometres and a combined gross domestic product of $146bn, EAPS will play a key role in boosting the economies of the East Africa region.
{{The writer is the Head of Sub-Sahara Africa, SWIFT}}
The programme aims at supporting youth entrepreneurs into building competitive bankable ideas and businesses that impact development.
The founder of the organization, Justin Zoradi said they target to promote young entrepreneurs into businessmen of vitality, contributing to the meeting of national development goals. “We need entrepreneurs who are ready to acquire new skills.
The beneficiaries will get trained in four entrepreneurship components in four months. On graduation, we shall invite different investors from across the World and encourage them to invest in these projects,” he said.
He said that Rwanda is prioritizing attraction of new investments and her youths’ thirst for entrepreneurship should be quenched through innovativeness to foster job creation.
The 150 projects were selected under the programme dubbed ‘Accelerate Academy’, where 350 projects of youth aged between 18 and 32 competed.
Copin Fabrice Bien Aimé, an online-based businessman said that during first days, he has been able to understand and explain clearly his business idea to the group.
“First of all, it is important to understand your business, how you operate it, budgeting, planning and be able to explain your business to a client or investor,” he said.
The Musanze District based basket (agaseke) weaver, Souzane Murekatete said that she has been able to understand the value chain, setting prices and good resources management.
“Take an example; I didn’t know how much it costs me to put one basket on the market, but after considering invested time and raw materials I use, I realized that it costs me Rwf10,000. So, I need to know the price I should set to be able to earn a profit and pay taxes,” she explained.
The last session of this programme ended in June this year by selecting eleven projects engaged in shoe making, food processing and tourism related businesses. All business in total gained a boost of $26,000.
The statement was made on Friday during a meeting between Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and players in the tourism industry from the private sector and other government institutions working closely with the sector.
Tourism sector investors claimed that they are charged high interest rates on loans as well as inaccessibility to long-term loans, charged undocumented fees on loans and become worse when they fail to repay in the due period, getting their properties auctioned.
In reacting to investors’ concern, the vice-governor of BNR, Dr. Monique Nsanzabaganwa said it is improper for auctions of mortgaged properties to be carried out in a process that is not transparent which breeds impropriety.
“There are times when there are injustices and corruption in the auctioning process; sometimes when you pay much attention on how it all went you get confused. This is a big issue that needs to be addressed by all concerned institutions,” she said.
She said that it is wrong for bank employees to decide on how the auction should be conducted where they get some kick-backs; she cautioned that it is a problem that should be taken care of if they want to rebuild the image of the sector.
The Chief Executive Officer at RDB, Clare Akamanzi said that they are going to form a joint committee by RDB, Ministry of Finance, BNR and Private Sector Federation (PSF) that will monitor banks’ loan recovery process.
“Our government promotes investment, tourism and private sector; I think that when we propose tangible ideas, the government will embrace them,” she said.
The estimated value in losses includes houses and infrastructures that were completely destroyed, crops that were swept away and medical bills.
Speaking in a press conference this Thursday, the Director of Disaster Response and Recovery at MIDIMAR, Philippe Habinshuti said that this year alone 52 people were killed, 119 injured, 127 houses were completely destroyed and 4620 were damaged.
He said that crops on the surface of 2014 hectares were swept away as 125 domestic animals were killed.
Particularly, since this 2018 first agricultural season started, rainstorm-related disasters killed 20 people.
According to MIDIMAR, the most affected Districts are Rusizi, Nyamasheke, Ngoma, Huye and Nyagatare.
The Minister of MIDIMAR, Jeanne d’Arc DeBonheur said that, so far, the government has spent over Rwf65 million to support victims of disasters and relocating some families from high risk zones which is an ongoing exercise as the ministry continues to mobilize more resources to support other victims.
“Some individuals are yet to get the support; we are still mobilizing more resources as we use the little we have starting from the most affected regions,” she said.
In court sitting where neither audio nor visual recording gadgets were allowed to be used by journalists, who were as well cautioned against conducting interviews in the precincts of the court, the presiding judge started by asking whether the suspects admit to the accusations preferred against them to which they pleaded not guilty.
The defense Lawyer, Pierre Celestin Buhuru, thanked the court that granted him access to the dossier, though, he said, he was denied to take copies.
Buhuru told court that Adeline Rwigara declined to be represented by him and, instead, preferred a different lawyer and so he would go ahead with defending only Anne Rwigara and Diane Rwigara.
Adeline Rwigara told court that Buhuru would be overburdened as the case files he has to peruse are so thick for a single advocate. She asked for a list of lawyers from which she picked some names but none was present in the court.
Prosecution described Adeline’s concern as delaying tactics over flimsy excuses and requested the presiding judge to reject any other claim that could delay the hearing saying that all defendants are aware of the charges leveled against them.
Prosecution also informed court that they are yet to get to charge details, being the reason for not giving full dossier to the defense, but the little they were given would allow them to file defense, a claim one defendant, Adeline, rejected saying they only got the file on Tuesday.
{{New lawyer, more time}}
Adeline Rwigara requested to be defended by a new lawyer, upon which request Gatera Gashabana was identified.
She also requested more time to read the dossier and requested for money to pay the new lawyer because all the money they had was seized by Police.
The defense lawyer informed court that he still lacks access to some of the accused dossier information including audio records and whatsApp messages alleged to have been obtained from his clients.
The Judge rejected the claim saying that they decided on audio and short messages in last hearing, but agreed to Adeline’s request of a new lawyer.
Buhuru prayed to court that audio records that are not in the dossier he accessed should be disqualified from the list of exhibits.
The hearing was adjourned to Friday 13th October, 2017.
{{Tight security}}
Like during the previous hearing, court was filled to the brim, with security tightened as police conducted body checks of every person entering the court room.
During this occasion, Mrs. Jeannette Kagame has called upon parents to find time and talk to their children about education as well as adequately providing them with what they need to grow and study well.
Speaking to Kirehe residents, the First Lady said that the government of Rwanda wants a transformed country where they see notable changes in people’s lives which is why much emphasis is being made towards programs involving family promotion, governance and health.
“Today we are pleased with remarkable progress we have so far attained in the development of family promotion and good governance” she said adding to the importance of setting Early Childhood Development Centers (EDCs), supporting parents and children into early access to learning and development.
She advised parents to nourish children with foods rich in nutrients especially in the first 1000 days of the child’s life.
Mrs. Kagame reminded children and youth that their lives depend on the good and wise choices they make.
Chali who was speaking to the Media after presenting his credentials to President Paul Kagame in Village Urugwiro, Tuesday, said that Zambia has a variety of tourism attractions including the Victoria Falls and Rwanda has an Airline that flies to Lusaka, Zambia which he said could facilitate in promoting tourism between both countries when it extends flights in other parts of the country.
“I’ve been telling his Excellency Paul Kagame that we should think about RwandAir going Livingstone because you’ve got Gorillas here which are bringing many tourists and Zambia has Victoria Falls (in Livingstone) which also bring in tourists who we can share for the development of both countries,” he said.
He said that Rwanda and Zambia have strong relationship proven by different high officials including both presidents and foreign affairs ministers’ visits on both sides this year.
“We are very happy to be associated with this country and we pray for its best.”
Chali represents Zambia in Rwanda with residence in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Gashumba was speaking Friday, during the discussions that brought together the Ministry and partners to assess the results from ‘first 1,000 days of the child’s life’ campaign. The campaign was initiated in 2013 to combat malnutrition in Rwanda.
Gashumba said that the programme aimed at improving maternal and child health in the country through key behaviors such as breastfeeding, timely initiation of complementary feeding with balanced diet for pregnant women.
She noted that the negligence of those key behaviours would result into stunting, or more severe disabilities.
“Nowadays, we have a serious issue of malnutrition where children are suffering from stunted growth. This is a result of irresponsible parents with poor mentalities,” she said.
Southern and Western Province districts have the largest number of children with stunted growth.
“We still have about 38% of children with a stunting growth. This is a very serious issue, because contrary to what people think, stunting does not only affect children physically, but also it affects them mentally,” Gashumba explained.
“This further implies that the child may have delayed mental development and therefore poor school performance” she added.
UNICEF Country Director, Ted Maly commended the initiative for raising knowledge about preparation of balanced diet for children below five and pregnant women from way back in 2013.
“This initiative was of great help in our objectives because the current 38% of children with stunted growth has reduced from 44% in 2010. Based on what has been done, we believe that people will change mindsets and embrace programmes leading to feeding balanced diet for children,” Maly said
{{Way Forward}}
The recent Cabinet Meeting appointed Dr. Anita Asiimwe, the Early Childhood Development (ECD) Coordinator. ECD is expected to combat malnutrition from village level.
Gashumba said that through ECD, parents will understand their role in growth of their children through nourishing them on a well balanced diet.
“ECD will remind parents to take care on children’s growth. On the village level, poor families will be supported. We shall be able to know whether the child was nourished with well balanced diet” she added.
Gasumba is optimistic that collective efforts from different institutions would help ending malnutrition and stunting growth among children.
