Nyamagabe District Mayor Bonaventure Uwamahoro says that he has got wind of their resignation, but has not yet seen their letters.
“I have learned about it but I have not yet seen the letters,” he said.
He added that in order for a district secretary executive to resign, the process first goes through the Advisory Council to confirm or reject the request. Meanwhile, a division manager may resign after writing a letter to the District Mayor and getting feedback, he said.
The duo has resigned shortly after they were put in jail on embezzlement charges after which they were tried and found not guilty. They resumed their jobs thereafter.
Twayituriki was put in jail on June 17, 2018, for falsifying official documents with the intent to earn un-deserving per diem.
Later on July 3, 2018, Nyamagabe Intermediate Court ruled that he be released on bail for illness issues among others.
Jean Bosco Ngabonziza the district division manager, was jailed on September 6, 2018, along with two other Nyamagabe District staffs including an accountant and a development affairs officer who are also accused of embezzling government funds.
On September 21, 2018, Kagarama Court in Kicukiro District ruled that Division Manager Jean Bosco Ngabonziza and the two other staffers be released because the accusations against them were groundless.
Minister Ndagijimana said this while officiating at the ongoing 14th Africa Development Fund (ADF) midterm review in Kigali. He underscored that it was crucial for the Fund to sustain its support to Africa’s development journey.
“Africa offers more opportunities for investments than ever before,” Dr. Ndagijimana said.
Minister Ndagijimana further made a call towards increased contributions to Africa Development Fund to finance Africa’s Development Agenda.
Africa together with the rest of the world has committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), whose achievement requires significant investments, especially in Africa and other developing countries.
A recent analysis by the International Monetary Fund shows that achieving the SDGs will require spending additional $520 billion by low-income countries, many of which are in Africa, in many sectors, including infrastructure.
“It is evident that a significant replenishment of the ADF is needed more than ever before, and I call upon all the contributors to the Fund to consider this new context, and support the African development agenda, which is beneficial not only for Africa but also for the rest of the World,” Ndagijimana said.
ADF is the concessional financing window of the AfDB that provides low-income Regional Member Countries with concessional loans and grants, guarantees as well as technical assistance for studies and capacity building in support of projects and programs that spur poverty reduction and economic development. It has cumulatively invested $45 billion over its 40 years of operations on the African continent.
Since 1974, AfDB has cumulatively approved 98 loans and grants amounting to US$ 1.65 billion to Rwanda of which, 97% were financed through the concessional ADF window. The largest share of this support has been allocated to infrastructure – mainly transport and energy (31.7%), agriculture (24.9%), and the social sector (17.1%).
In the last 2 decades, Rwanda has made good progress in these sectors and ADF has its share in these achievements: In the energy sector, access to electricity increased from about 2% in 2000 to 48% today; agriculture grew by 5% on average, and the economy grew at an average of 8%.
The Rollins Cup being in its 11th edition has seen past contestants for the trophy, from the world-renowned Oxford and Cambridge universities.
On the winning Rwandan team were Mekha Rousseau Ndayisenga and Kellia Kaneze, a student at Wellspring Academy. They argued against the motion that “The US should intervene/invade in cases of Genocide”.
The team is one of two that are currently touring universities & colleges across US states as part of iDebate Rwanda’s “Voices from a Post-Genocide Generation” tour.
Jean-Michel Habineza, founder of iDebate Rwanda and the brain behind the tour which is currently in its 4th edition, says that through public lectures, presentations and debates, the tour aims at creating awareness about the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, but also at helping people understand that mass violence doesn’t happen overnight, and that everyone can play a role in making sure it doesn’t occur by recognizing early signs and working to stop them.
“The tour highlights how mass violence affects not only those directly caught in its crosshairs but also the post-conflict generation on many levels; and emphasizes how the debate in Rwanda is being used to cultivate a culture that counters some of the socio/cultural factors that allowed for the genocide to occur,” Habineza says.
Habineza added that through debate, young people understand that their voice matters and that they can use it to question harmful rhetoric and be agents of change.
This year’s tour will see the two iDebate Rwanda delegations go to 24 universities in 15 states. Jean-Michel’s team will be the first to return, arriving on November 1st, 2018.
Apart from the US Tour, iDebate Rwanda’s other programs include the year-long Kigali Debate League, the East African Debate Championship and an end-of-year camp called the Dreamers Academy.
This was revealed by the Minister of Trade and Industry, Soraya Hakuziyaremye who was speaking Thursday, in a workshop with private entities in an event to officially launch Made In Rwanda Policy and Made in Rwanda Logo where she also revealed that the increase in domestic production reduced the country’s imports by 4%.
The launch will be followed by the fourth Made in Rwanda Expo from November 28, to December 11, 2018.
Soraya said that a research conducted in 2015 indicated that an increase in domestic production will be based on promoting domestic markets.
Industrial Development Policy Specialist at MINICOM, Telesphore Mugwiza said that developing Made in Rwanda will require that people change their attitudes.
He said Rwanda exports increased from $559 million to 944 million in 2017.
The rankings were made according to national football teams’ performances in October.
Rwanda played two matches of which they lost one and drew in another. Rwanda has not won a single game from March this year.
The best place Rwanda has attained from the start of this year is 122nd which was in March.
Worldwide, Belgium is ranked top, followed by France with Brazil sitting third while Croatia is fourth.
In Africa, Tunisia is ranked first, ranked 22nd in the world, followed by Senegal (25th in the world). Nigeria is ranked third being 44th worldwide, DRC raked fourth (ranked 46th in the world) while Morocco is fifth and 47th worldwide.
In the region, Uganda leads ranked 79th worldwide followed by Kenya (105th) with Tanzania being ranked 136th while Burundi is 142nd.
The highest Rwanda was ever ranked by FIFA was 64th in March 2015 with the lowest being 178th which was in July 1999.
Rwanda’s export earnings from minerals are projected to reach $600 million this fiscal year, from $399 million in 2017/18, according to RMB, with a projection to earn $800 million in 2020 and $1.5 billion in 2024.
With most of the Rwandan mining being artisanal, poor mining and washing techniques, have seen most companies using ground washing where they recover less than 50 percent.
According to RMB, among the challenges facing Rwanda’s mining industry is exporting unprocessed minerals at low prices.
Dr. Emmanuel Munyangabe, Chief Operations Officer at RMB, says seven years from now, Rwanda will be able to fully process its minerals before exporting.
“According to our plan, it may take seven years from now when Rwanda will be able to export fully processed minerals,” he said.
Rwandan rocks are endowed with coltan, gemstones, granite, cassiterite, wolfram among other minerals.
The first Rwandan mineral processing factory was founded in 1983, processing cassiterite. Having stopped processing for some time, investors are rebuilding it to start refining and processing minerals by the end of this year.
Dr, Munyengabe said RMB has projects to process coltan in the factory based in Bugesera District. The institution is also looking for investors who would work to process the gemstones and other minerals.
“We want to be processing all minerals in Rwanda. We will be exporting only fully processed minerals to the international market,” he said.
Christine Condo, the East Africa Regional Director for SH-R expressed “It’s of great pride for Rwanda to be the first African country to host this training. We are delighted to enable NAEB [National Agricultural Export Development Board] staff as well as other trainees to receive a certificate that will permit them to transfer this knowledge to others in the coffee sector.”
Much of the coffee-growing world is limited by a lack of knowledge of coffee processing methods, which is often left to experimentation. For many producers, knowing how to process, taste, and produce quality coffee can make the difference between receiving a fair price or one below market.
CQI provides the only program that certifies competencies around coffee processing. It seeks not only to improve the quality of coffee and the lives of people who produce it, but also to standardize procedures, increase competitiveness, and reduce risks.
Since its initial launch in 2017, the Q Processing Program has been changing the way coffee is processed around the world, offering three distinct levels (Generalist, Professional and Expert) to empower the consuming side of the coffee value chain to safely and consistently process quality coffee.
Yimara Martinez, the first woman to be certified as a CQI Q Processing instructor, led the first generalist course at the Starbucks lab in Kigali. She shared “I am very proud to be in Rwanda. Being the daughter of Colombian coffee growers, I never imagined to have the opportunity to travel and share knowledge with people from other continents, wonderful people, who make the same effort and have the same love and dedication to produce coffee and improve coffee quality in the world.”
By the end of the three-day course, the participants will understand the differences among processing methods based on the anatomy of the coffee cherry as well as comprehend the subtlety and complexity of coffee processing as one of the main factors affecting coffee flavor.
Imanishimwe Gisele a participant and representative from the Abakunda kawa ya Rushashi cooperative in Gakenke district stated “as a coffee farmer, the quality of coffee translates to money because if the coffee is of poor quality, it attracts a low price or sometimes may fail to get a buyer at all. That being said, if you control the quality of coffee, in the end it will taste and smell good and in turn attract a good price on the international market. Professional farming is done with a goal to generate income and be profitable.”
According to Condo, “After this training, coffee processors will have acquired new skills that enable them to improve the quality of their coffee hence increasing the price and making Rwandan coffee more popular and appreciated on the market.”
Sustainable Harvest Rwanda started operations in Rwanda in 2018, sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies, with an aim of empowering women coffee farmers and their families by training them on coffee farming professionalism and help them network with coffee buyers.
Sustainable Harvest Rwanda now partners with 75 coffee farmers cooperatives from 13 Districts and has trained more than 30,000 women since it started its operations in Rwanda.
The awareness campaign dubbed ‘Doing Business Online’ is expected to benefit about 500 small businesses in Rwanda.
The chief executive of RITCA, Ghislain Nkeramugaba said that as an institution responsible for internet affairs, it is important that they market online business and how the internet can be harnessed to raise profits.
He added that among over 10,000 business companies registered in Rwanda, just a bunch do their business online. He said that registration through .rw could earn users more profits and make Rwanda known in the world of the Internet.
“Recent figures indicate that online business is expected to raise Rwanda’s internet use and improve the country’s image. It is also expected to allow people to do business without physical contact between parties,” he noted.
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), shows that over the last three years, online business increased by 35%.
Different institutions including the Ministry of Trade and Industries, Dutch project GIZ, UNCTAD, and online business companies continue partnering in search for better ways of utilizing the internet to give more Rwandans opportunity to exploit the internet.
Some companies that operate online in Rwanda include Jumia, Gurisha, eHaho, Kasha, but few people visit them while elsewhere, portals like Amazon, Alibaba and eBay are making huge profits.
The child was born in Kigarama Cell, Musha Sector in Gisagara District where he lives with his parents.
It is thought he is sick of the backbone as he can neither sit down nor stand up.
According to his parent, the child spends all the day lying down and when he gets tired, they carry him on the back and he can’t eat due to the bodily tissues problem. When they try to sit him down, they tie him on a chair.
His mother, says they discovered the kid has an illness at his crawling stage. They started processes to get him treated but they were challenged by financial means.
“Our child was born in 2014 and he was apparently healthy. When he reached the crawling stage, we realized he had a problem as he could not crawl. We took him to a Health Centre which transferred us to CHUB Hospital where he was diagnosed but tests could not identify his sickness,” she says.
Akimana says that her family is listed in the Ubudehe Group 3, a poor family. This made the family lose a chance to get their kid to Home de la Vierge des Pauvres, HVP Gatagara, a Centre that treats people with disabilities, based in Nyanza District, on a reduced medical fee.
They started processes to look for a sponsor whom they later found. He agreed to clear all the medical bills for the kid but unfortunately, he died before the kid was treated.
“We took the boy to Gatagara and he was received. They told us to return in November but the sponsor died before we got back to the hospital,” Akimana recounts.
Gisagara District Vice Mayor In charge of Social Affairs, Ms. Clemence Gasengayire says the District is looking for a way it can help the family.
“I gave her a recommendation that allows him to get medication for the kid and when he took him to Gatagara, she was given an appointment to take him back in November this year but he continued looking for another doctor. She says she has found one medic at Kanombe Military Hospital. What remains is for the doctor to meet the kid and see if he really can treat him,” said the Vice Mayor.
Gasengayire further says that the District has pledged to clear the bills for the kid’s treatment and that the family will be given a cow in 2019 which will help the kid get the milk to improve his nutrition.
She says that in case all the options fail, they will call for better help including seeking support from the Ministry of Health.
RMB revealed the figures today during a mining thematic working group meeting aimed at engaging all Rwanda mining sector stakeholders in policy dialogue to ensure ownership, accountability, and transparency of National Transformation Strategy implementation & monitoring process.
RMB CEO, Francis Gatare said that lives were lost in quarries located in Rutsiro, Muhanga, Kamonyi, and Gakenke.
“How can we curb these accidents? We are even uncertain about what will happen to people’s lives in the future. What measures we can take together so that we may change the way mining is practiced in our quarries?” He asked the participants.
The challenges Gatare said Mine owners need to address include risky situations such as air pollution and injuries that may happen when workers are separating minerals.
He recommended taking up of sustainable measures including shifting from traditional to modern mining
Mr. Leonidas Simpenzwe, 2nd vice chairman, Rwanda Mining Association said that ordinary miners do it for a short period of time which doesn’t allow them to adopt modern mining methods.
