Uzabumwana was admitted in Cyanika dispensary after being severely beaten and injured by assaillants he failed to identify as he was traveling home from Uganda.
The 30-year-old victim who was born in Cyanika sector, Burera district was dumped at Cyanika border post by Uganda Military on January 20th, 2020 with open wounds from the beatings he was subjected to in Uganda.
The death of Uzabumwana was confirmed by the Northern Province Governor, Jean Marie Vianney Gatabazi who reported that the victim resided in Kyankwanzi, a town in Central Uganda since July 16th, 2016. He said that the victim legally went to Uganda through the Cyanika border post.
As he traveled back to Rwanda, the Jaguar coaster he came in dropped him in Kisoro where he boarded a motorcycle but midway he was mugged by three Ugandan assailants who also beat him mercilessly.
Governor Gatabazi said that the victim could not identify the assaulters but confirmed they were Ugandan. Despite several talks between Rwanda and Uganda where the two countries came to common terms to solve tensions, Rwandans continue to be tortured, beaten and killed in Uganda. The government of Rwanda continuously pleaded for Uganda to respect the Luanda agreements to no avail.
Recent reports revealed top Ugandan government officials being behind attacks although they actively denied any implication. To this day, Rwanda has respected its part of the agreement and haven’t received any accusation from Uganda.
Buravan has to his belt the Prix Découvertes RFI 2018, a prize that helped him perform in different Francophone African countries. Same year, 2018, he launched his first album titled The Love Lab.
As a child, he grew up singing in a church choir. In 2009, he participated in Rwandatel’s singing competition and came third among 70 chosen finalists.
He has come to prominence with such songs as “Majunda”, “Injyana” ft Umutare Gaby, “Urwo Ngukunda” ft Uncle Austin, “Bindimo”, “Garagaza”, “Malaika”, “Oya”, and “Just a Dance”.
Through her Twitter account, Ambassador Kirabo vowed to promote good diplomatic relations between Rwanda and Ghana and fulfill the duties she was entrusted with by President Paul Kagame.
Prior to being appointed High Commissioner of Rwanda to Ghana, Dr. Kirabo was Deputy Executive Director and Assistant Secretary-General of UN-Habitat.
She was appointed as ambassador by President Kagame, on July 15th, 2019 along with 15 other High Commissioners.
Dr. Kirabo replaced Mutsindashyaka Théoneste as the Mayor of Kigali from 2006 to 2011. Prior to her tenure as Mayor of Kigali, she was a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Land Use and Management, Settlement and Environment.
She replaces Stanislas Kamanzi who was the Ambassador of Rwanda to Ghana since July 2nd, 2017.
The embassy of Rwanda in Ghana was opened as a result of talks between President Kagame and President Nana Akufo.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN), National Strategy for Transformation (NST1) outlines foreign investment as a major source of income and a great contribution to the development of the Rwandan economy.
In a bid to encourage exchange between the two countries, RwandAir, the national carrier of Rwanda started Kigali-Accra flight on July 2nd, 2013.
RwandAir flights promoted trade between the two countries and availed many investment opportunities.
In 2014, the Private Sector Federation (PSF) signed partnership agreements with Ghana’s Ministry of Trade and Industry with the aim of promoting modern agriculture, tourism, clothes industries as well as investment in construction and mining activities.
Rwanda aspires to become an upper middle-income country by 2035 and higher income by 2050 where Income per capita is expected to be $12476 annually. It is a highly ambitious goal that will require effective land use to be achieved as Rwanda’s economy partially relies on agriculture.
The 2011 land cover scheme was developed for use until 2020 but its objectives were unfortunately not reached.
In November 2019, the Ministry of Environment through Rwanda Land Management and Use Authority (RLMUA) entered a partnership with Tzamir Architects and Planners Ltd from Israel and Horwath Htl Intercosult to develop a new land cover scheme that will replace the one of 2011. RLMUA announced the scheme was in its completion phase and will be in line with the ‘Vision2050’ goal as it will analyze trends in the use of land and other resources.
Regarding population settlements, the new land use scheme will provide details about types of cities according to the density of population and development activities contributing to the livelihoods of residents.
The government of Rwanda predicts an improvement in the urban share of population by 70% in 2050 from 20% recorded in 2019.
Although the City of Kigali will remain the capital city of Rwanda, the land use scheme predicts the potential for neighboring cities to develop. Those cities include Muhanga, Nyamata, and Rwamagana as well as cities close to border posts including Nyagatare, Musanze, Rubavu, Karongi, Rusizi, Huye, Kirehe and Kayonza. For developing the remaining cities, the government will invest in agriculture and trade activities.
The land use scheme also presents an area increment chart where some cities will be expanded by 16% of their total area. The number of villages in Rwanda will reduce from 13,000 to only 4000 villages.
RUTAGENGWA Alexis, Head of Surveying, Land Use and Mapping Department at RLMUA told IGIHE that the new land scheme will be a consolidated source of data that will allow Rwandans to settle in cities according to their financial capacity.
‘The land scheme will help the government of Rwanda to monitor its limited resources of land, add value to its development planning and will be used by citizens to register land ownership.”
More high-rise building will be built in Kigali while in rural areas, the scheme predicts more public housing facilities with access to water, electricity, sewage and other infrastructures. In addition, land parcels and their ownership will be readjusted to allow effective land consolidation.
The land use scheme also incorporates transport routes including railways.
60% of Rwandans are in agriculture but agriculture only contributes to 30% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The government of Rwanda plans on improving agriculture to meet the needs of an estimated 22 million population in 2050. Currently, agricultural land is 48% of the country’s total area.
To achieve this, the land scheme will allocate a large part of the Eastern and South-Eastern to agriculture due to the abundance of arable land fit for irrigation and crop rotation.
Rutagengwa said the only way the new land use scheme will be effective is to promote land consolidation. “land consolidation will facilitate the adoption of new agricultural technologies leading to a more prosperous and efficient agricultural sector.”
Currently, 30.4% of Rwanda’s total area is allocated to agroforestry. The scheme encourages continuous forest conservation.
Amid reports of dense fog blanketing the area at the time, experts say federal investigators will likely focus on the weather as a factor in the crash.
“Everyone is in shock,” said one team insider. Bryant was 41 years old.
Having led the Lakers to five NBA championships, the 18-time All Star — who retired in 2016 after 20 seasons with the team — will be remembered as a hard-working player who was equally celebrated off the court as a “brand-builder” and mentor.
Rwanda Education Board (REB) reported that so far 274,073 XO laptops have been distributed. There are also 1578 laptops in stock waiting to be distributed.
REB did not publish specific numbers for the number of laptops which were damaged since the start of the program but in the past, schools reported that some laptops had technical issues and were returned to be repaired while others were stolen.
In 2019, Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) reported that 939 laptops which were distributed in schools across the country were stolen in 2018 including 774 Positivo, 107 XO which were given as part of the OLPC program as well as 58 other laptops of different brands.
In March 2018, 2667 laptops were reported stolen but 973 were recovered.
Dr. Ndayambaje Irénée, the Director General of REB told IGIHE that the laptops increased the engagement and productivity of young pupils in lessons in their classrooms.
“Through the use of technology, teachers have access to more innovative and improved teaching methods that allow them to promote learning and create an active learning environment for children. In the future, we are planning competitions where pupils will demonstrate the skills they have acquired through various projects.”
Dr. Ndayambaje said that the OLPC program came in handy for instruction, documentation, assessment and communication support enabling a more effective teaching environment.
To assess the effectiveness of the OLPC program, IGIHE visited APPEK Kamuhoza Primary School in Nyarugenge district where 120 laptops were distributed. In the school’s computer lab, the pupils were learning to use Microsoft Excel for creating spreadsheets, calculations, graphing tools and pivot tables.
Hitimana Moise, a form five pupil said that he started learning using a computer a year ago and that he has acquired many skills including using Microsoft Word and all its features.
His classmate, Utamuriza Kenia also said that since she started using a computer in class, she has acquired technical skills that will be useful in her studies.
Kantetere Perusie, a teacher at APPEK Kamuhoza Primary school said that the OLPC program changed education from the traditional chalk and black board method to a more interactive and responsive way.
“The OLPC program encourages children to be creative and develop important abilities such as critical thinking, problem-solving and logic.”
Kantetere said that despite the benefits of the program, there still are issues of poor internet connectivity which impede learning.
Rusanganwa Fidele, APPEK Kamuhoza Director said that apart from acquiring computer skills, the OLPC program allows pupils to cultivate their own interests and gives them ownership in their learning. The pupils are also capable of conducting research and gain knowledge beyond what the teacher gives out.
To allow teachers to keep up with technology trends, REB plans on introducing a monthly training program where teachers will be equipped with skills aligning with current technology advances and be able to apply them in the classroom.
UZURI K&Y is an eco-friendly shoe brand which goes by the mantra “Changing lives one shoe at a time”. It was established in 2013 with the aim of “creating sustainable products and improve more people’s lives especially for women and youth.”
As a business which had modest beginnings, UZURI K&Y is nothing short of a success story. The business currently has two stores at Kigali International Airport and Kigali Heights complex.
Kagirimpundu says that UZURI K&Y currently employs at least 65 workers. The business not only helped curb unemployment but also inspires the youth to develop a self-reliant spirit.
“Our contribution is giving hope to young entrepreneurs that you can grow and that you can evolve along the people who share the same vision with you.”
She says that one of their objectives is reopening minds when it comes to working with small businesses. “Of course, the wage is not high but there is more to working with us than a monthly salary. Since 2014, we have been training people and arming them with the skills to create their own micro-businesses.”
UZURI K&Y partners with Workforce Development Authority (WDA) through their National Employment Program (NEP) and provides training or apprenticeship platform to youth aspiring for a career in the shoe-making industry.
{{Tackling the disruptive nature of technology}}
Long-term employment, however, remains a question given the fact that Rwanda is quickly transitioning into a technology-oriented economy. Many workers worry that in the next 5 to 10 years, their skills might be obsolete in the market.
Employers are opening up many new positions to compete for this economic growth but most of those are positions in software, service, sales, engineering, design, and other digitally-enabled roles. They demand more than just technical skills.
As a business that is evolving in a digital-oriented economy, Kagirimpundu says that they keep in mind to constantly train and improve skills of their human capital so that they remain flexible in the workplace and grow out of their comfort zone.
“We keep up with the digital realm and we have always been open-minded to flowing along with digital trends. We aim at developing a workforce which is familiar with the current technology tools.”
{{The ‘Made in Rwanda’ policy}}
The ‘Made in Rwanda’ policy was introduced to address trade deficit and drive private sector development in Rwanda. However, as it took shape, it proved to be a multi-purpose policy and could help solve unemployment especially among the youth.
Since the introduction of Made in Rwanda, small scale businesses have evolved to control a fair share of the Rwandan market including brands such as Moshions, House of Tayo, Inzuki, Urwibutso Enterprise, Africa Lubricant Manufacturing, and UZURI K&Y to mention a few.
The Made in Rwanda Policy is aligned with Rwanda’s aspiration to become an upper middle-income country by 2035 and higher income by 2050.
“If unemployment is so low, why is my wallet still empty?”
Young people are ranting daily online saying “If unemployment is so low, why is my wallet still empty?” well, the answer is, wages are stagnant and don’t match the increasing cost of living.
Enabling the Made in Rwanda policy is a game changer though since most jobs which require using technical skills are paid by the hour and hence will give workers leverage when it comes to negotiating wages. Hopefully, in the near future, that will bridge the wage-cost of living gap.
Another portion of working-age adults are still not formally employed and have no apparent interest in sending out a resume because a university degree is to many a guarantee to land in a highly paying job.
They are simply not willing to stoop lower than their academic level or do menial jobs and that drowns the entire purpose of Made in Rwanda of creating jobs since most offers demand technical skills.
For another smaller portion, being stuck inside a loop of low-paying, low-prospect jobs can be as mentally and emotionally draining as being unemployed.
In August 2019, the working age population in Rwanda (16 years and above) was around 7.2 million. The National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) reported an increasing trend of unemployment rate from 14.5 percent in February 2019 to 15.5 and rose again to 16.0 percent in August 2019.
Over the years, the government of Rwanda strived to curb unemployment by investing in agriculture projects, hotels, and restaurants, construction, trade as well as wholesale and retail sale as sectors that provide the job opportunities. However, a few other national and state policy changes had to be made particularly to encourage self-employment or entrepreneurship.
{{The role of the Government of Rwanda}}
In August 2019, the working-age population in Rwanda (16 years and above) was around 7.2 million. The National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) reported an increasing trend of unemployment rate from 14.5 percent in February 2019 to 15.5 and rose again to 16.0 percent in August 2019.
Over the years, the government of Rwanda strived to curb unemployment by investing in agriculture projects, hotels, and restaurants, construction, trade as well as wholesale and retail sale as sectors that provide the job opportunities.
However, a few other national and state policy changes had to be made particularly to encourage self-employment or entrepreneurship.
The fight against unemployment remains a big challenge especially among the youth as Rwanda strives to create a socially and financially inclusive community.
Supporting the entrepreneurial development of young people is key to seeding a successful future.
To back the Made in Rwanda movement, the government of Rwanda invests in schools which inculcate technical and entrepreneurial skills among youth including TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) centers, Integrated Polytechnic Regional College (IPRC) and created the Workforce Development Authority (WDA) to provide a strategic response to the skills development challenges facing the country across all sectors of the economy.
Through all those efforts, there is hope that in the future the Made in Rwanda policy might lower unemployment.
Some guests will, of course, take a stride outside Kigali, including visits to museums, panoramic sites, and Rwanda’s forte, our unique crafts.
The country is getting ready. The Government, through Ministry of Infrastructure [MININFRA], has upped the game, allocating over Rwf10 billion for upgrading a number of peripheral roads so that when the traffic flow at the center of CHOGM activities is diverted, alternative routes can easily be put to use to ease the jam and avoid the unnecessary delays of nationals and guests.
The new Mulindi Road, Kabeza-Alpha Palace Road, Rwandex Network Road, Nyabisindu-Nyarutarama Road and Migina Network Road connecting Gasabo district headquarters to Sports View Hotel, are such will serve a great deal in decongesting traffic.
Kigali International Airport is also undergoing several modifications to increase parking space for aircraft and passenger lounge at the terminal.
As the government is doing all this, members of the public should as well get involved in the pre-preparations. Are we having cooperatives of farmers that will be supplying food-stuffs to the hotels and restaurants in Kigali during the time? Or we shall let that opportunity slip out of their hands and we instead let the international hotels import stuffs?
Are we having our entertainers-traditional and hip-hops included in the party?
Are we polishing the skills and best practices of our hospitality and protocol staff so that as they interact with the over 10,000 guests they leave an impression of impeccable professionalism and turn those guests into tourism ambassadors of Rwanda? We need to.
Creating ambassadorship through eloquent services is quite inevitable as the guests will come from 53 countries with a combined population of about 2.4 billion, many of who are potential tourists. Using the opportunity to position Rwanda as a competitive MICE power must be mustered so that we get the world thinking more of Rwanda, attracting more and keeping the flag high.
And in all this, where are the youth in the CHOGM equation? Where are the school and university debates on topical issues as will be discussed in the main event by the Heads of Government–fundamental political values; gender equality and inclusion; peace promotion, among others? Are we leaving the youth out or just on the margins of this significant and historical meeting?
This is a very salient question because during the 2018 CHOGM: “Heads agreed to mainstream youth priorities into national development policies and plans, and to promote the participation of young people at all levels of decision making.”
It is therefore not preposterous to say that at least the youth in the academic world, in business and governance should have, by now, been drawn into a number of pre-preparatory activities, and be seen to be active and passionate.
We are hosting a historical event. The government is ready and doing all that is necessary for a successful CHOGM, but it is better we get a majority of Rwandans in the loop? And it is important we plan for the benefits to be reaped from CHOGM to permeate to the ordinary person, both in the short and the long run.
Here in Rwanda, especially, known for supporting youth-led mechanisms that enable meaningful participation of young people in building social cohesion processes in communities, we should give youth a high-table position in the CHOGM arrangements.
The idea of the campaign against tuberculosis came to him after attending a conference against tuberculosis that took place in 2019 in Rwanda.
He said, “In this conference, I was astonished by the fact that this disease is among the ones that kill a lot of people in Rwanda and around the world, yet when treated it heals.”
Mico The Best told IGIHE that at the end of the conference, he set a goal of raising awareness of the effects of tuberculosis, prevention and to call those already affected to seek medical attention.
“I thought, as a person who already works on projects and makes them known, now I can do all my best and make people know more about tuberculosis, how to prevent it, its symptoms and how it is treated,” he said.
He said that upon leaving the conference, he started speaking about tuberculosis in the media. That is the time when the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) reached out to him, pledging support for his ongoing campaign against the disease.
The campaign is at a level he called “Friend to Friend Campaign against TB”. Different individuals took pictures of signs that call people for fighting tuberculosis and were asked to share them on their social media.
Mico The Best said that after this level of using the social media to spread a word against tuberculosis, he will engage the public through music tour around the country to bring the campaign nearer to every Rwandan.
In this press conference, Mico The Best was with the manager of KIKAC Music the record label he works with, and Dr. Migambi Patrick, the Division Manager Tuberculosis and Other Respiratory Diseases.
Dr. Migambi said that RBC received well Mico The Best’s idea and chose to help him realize his goal.
On the night of January 22nd, Nsabiyera assaulted 7 people including 5 of his own family and two neighbors who came to their rescue. Nyirabatezi Sarah, one of the neighbors immediately succumbed to the attack.
Among the remaining 6 victims, 100-year-old Nzayirwanda Isabel who was gravely injured during the attack and her grand-daughter passed on at CHUK where they were being treated.
On Thursday, January 23rd, 2020, Uwabera Alice, the Executive Secretary of Cyuve sector confirmed the news to IGIHE.
“Two other victims of the attack passed on as well. We are organizing their burial.”
The remaining 4 victims who were also injured during the attack are receiving treatment at Ruhengeri hospital while Nsabiyera Emmanuel, the assaulter is held at Muhoza Police Station in Musanze as further investigation is being conducted to know how the unfortunate incident transpired.
