The tour, which spans several key districts, is designed to strengthen partnerships with local leaders, gain a deeper understanding of regional business needs, and gather direct feedback from customers. Through this initiative, I&M Bank seeks to ensure its services remain responsive and relevant to the diverse economic landscape of Rwanda.
Mr. Mutimura kicked off the tour with visits to six districts: Rwamagana, Muhanga, Huye, Gicumbi, Musanze, and Rubavu. During these visits, he engaged directly with customers at their workplaces, enabling the Bank to better understand the unique challenges and opportunities faced in each region. This hands-on approach underscores the Bank’s commitment to offering tailored financial solutions that foster inclusive economic growth.
“The core purpose of these visits is to deepen our understanding of regional needs and ensure our services are aligned with local dynamics,” said Mr. Mutimura. “By engaging with customers directly, we gain invaluable insights into their businesses and challenges. This approach supports our strategy of delivering customer delight, ensuring that we are not only meeting but exceeding expectations.”
A major highlight of the tour was the unveiling of the newly expanded I&M Bank branch in Huye, now operating as a fully-fledged business center. This transformation reflects the Bank’s continued investment in enhancing service delivery and creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.
“The development of the Huye branch is a clear demonstration of how we are responding to the evolving needs of local businesses,” the CEO added. “It’s not just about expanding our footprint; it’s about creating spaces where entrepreneurs and enterprises can grow with our support.”
The stakeholder engagement tour also serves to align the Bank’s operations with Rwanda’s broader economic agenda. By adopting a customer-centric strategy, I&M Bank continues to play a key role in promoting regional development and supporting the country’s long-term goals.
As the tour progresses, additional district visits are planned in the coming weeks. Mr. Mutimura emphasized the importance of maintaining strong connections with communities to ensure the Bank’s products and services continue to evolve in line with customer expectations.
These insights were shared at the first National Symposium on Conservation Agriculture, held on March 28, 2025 at RICA campus in Bugesera.
The event was organized by the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), and the World Food Programme (WFP).
Dr. Ndambe Nzaramba Magnifique, the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Extension and Applied Research at RICA, shared the foundational principles of conservation agriculture, which include minimal tillage or no-till practices.
He emphasized that practices such as plowing, cutting stubble, or clearing the land are discouraged as they can reduce yields and degrade soil health.
“We do not encourage plowing, cutting stubble, or clearing the land as these practices harm the soil,” he said.
Conservation agriculture practices aim to enhance soil biodiversity, preserve soil integrity, store water for longer periods, and reduce erosion.
All this refers to the first principle: {{Minimizing Soil Disturbance. }} This includes using no-till or minimum-till methods to plant and control weeds without plowing the soil. Keeping the soil undisturbed helps increase soil organic matter, preserves soil structure, improves water retention, and reduces soil erosion.
The second principle is {{Permanent Soil Cover}}. This includes planting cover crops to cover the soil between seasons, leaving leftover residues like leaves and stalks in the field after harvesting, and putting down mulch where available. Covering the soil increases soil organic matter, limits erosion and nutrient run-off, and helps the soil retain moisture, which enables farmers to be more resilient in times of drought.
The third principle is {{Crop Diversification}}. This may include using crop rotation, or planting different crops in alternating seasons, or intercropping, which involves planting multiple crops in an orderly manner in the same field during the same season. Crop diversification benefits soil fertility and soil structure and is linked to higher yields. It can also help stop the spread of pests and diseases.
Dr. Ndambe highlighted that crop rotation also helps combat pests and diseases, reducing the need for chemical pesticides.
“When you continue to plant the same crops in one field, pests and diseases accumulate, but rotating crops or intercropping minimizes this risk,” he said, emphasizing that farmers using these methods benefit from higher yields without the worry of pest infestations.
The symposium was attended by government officials, academic experts, private sector representatives, development partners, and farmers’ organizations involved in agriculture.
Dr. Karangwa Patrick, Director General of Agriculture Modernization at the Ministry of Agriculture, stated that conservation agriculture is a critical pillar for building sustainable farming in Rwanda.
He revealed that currently, 1,000 hectares of land are being cultivated using conservation agriculture techniques but expressed a desire to see this number grow. The goal, as outlined in the country’s five-year agriculture development program (PSTA 5), is to expand the practice to at least 100,000 hectares.
“Our goal is to reach at least 100,000 hectares in the PSTA5 plan. We want to increase the land area using conservation methods because we view it as a crucial aspect of agricultural development,” Dr. Karangwa said.
Thomas Habanabakize, the Food and Security Coordinator at Mennonite Central Committee Rwanda (MCC), explained that MCC has dedicated resources to support and promote conservation agriculture.
One of their key programs, the “Farm Field School,” has been implemented across the country. Each farm school brings together 30 farmers for training, where they apply their learning to their own farms and train five others in their community.
“We train farmer representatives, who in turn train others. In the last 10 years, this method has yielded great results,” Habanabakize noted.
The initiative is currently active in nine districts, including Nyaruguru, Nyamagabe, Karongi, and Rutsiro, with plans to expand to Kayonza, Ruhango, Burera, and other regions. Many farmers who have participated in this program have reported increased yields due to the adoption of conservation agriculture practices.
Like other stakeholders in conservation agriculture, the World Food Programme (WFP) has recognized the importance of these farming methods in helping communities withstand natural disasters and improve crop yields.
WFP has supported projects to encourage conservation agriculture and assist farmers in managing their harvests better.
Richard Makuza, the Climate-Smart Agriculture Expert and Programme Policy Officer at WFP Rwanda, shared that in addition to providing disaster relief during droughts and floods, WFP has helped smallholder farmers in more than 400 cooperatives across the country access markets and store their produce after harvesting.
“In addition to responding to disasters like droughts and floods, we help over 127,000 smallholder farmers in 425 cooperatives across the country get access to markets and properly manage their harvests,” Makuza said.
WFP, in collaboration with the government, has also developed initiatives to help farmers improve their resilience to climate change. These initiatives are aimed at helping farmers maintain their productivity during difficult times.
As a result, WFP has realized that promoting and encouraging conservation agriculture is a proven strategy and solution for sustainable farming.
“This is why we have gathered support for projects that promote conservation agriculture,” Makuza added. “We started with pilot projects in five districts, and we are now entering a new phase where we support programs that align with the PSTA5 objectives.”
Gakuba Jonas, a farmer from Kirehe District, who has practiced conservation agriculture for over five years, shared that the results have been impressive.
” Before we practiced conservation agriculture, our maize yields were below one ton per hectare and beans were only 800 kilograms per hectare. But now, after adopting conservation agriculture, our yields have doubled. We now receive water on time, and conservation practices have restored the fertility of our soil,” Gakuba said, emphasizing the positive impact these methods have had on his farm’s productivity.
The panel will engage with all stakeholders to enhance mediation efforts and support the full implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), the AU said in a statement issued Monday.
The AU calls on all parties to uphold all the provisions of the R-ARCSS, the statement said, adding that the pan-African bloc remains actively engaged with regional and international partners, including the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the East African Community (EAC) and the United Nations, to support South Sudan’s transition to durable peace and democracy.
It said that after cordial direct talks with President Salva Kiir of South Sudan, AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf addressed the evolving political situation in South Sudan and the recent violence in Nasir County in the country’s Upper Nile State.
Dozens of people were killed, and several senior officials, including First Vice President Riek Machar, have been detained since clashes erupted in January between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces and opposition fighters.
South Sudan, which became independent in 2011, signed a peace deal in 2018 that ended a civil war between forces loyal to Kiir and Machar. Nearly 400,000 people died in the civil war.
Relations between Kiir and Machar, who have dominated South Sudan’s politics for decades, remain strained. The clashes and latest political tensions between the two leaders have unsettled many citizens and the international community.
According to a statement from the U.S. State Department, Boulos will commence his visit on Thursday, April 3, 2025, making stops in the DRC, Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda.
Accompanying him will be senior U.S. diplomat Corina Sanders. The delegation is set to engage with heads of state and business leaders to advance peace efforts in eastern DRC and encourage U.S. private sector investments in the region.
Boulos, a Lebanese-born American, has been appointed as a senior advisor for Africa in addition to his existing role as a senior advisor to Trump on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs.
He has close ties to the Trump family, particularly through his son, Michael Boulos, who is married to Trump’s daughter, Tiffany Trump.
The visit comes amid ongoing efforts to resolve the conflict in eastern DRC, which in recent months has seen M23 rebels seize large swaths of territory, including the cities of Goma and Bukavu.
Significant developments in peace negotiations have been reported, with the DRC government and M23 rebels expected to hold direct talks in Doha, Qatar, on April 9, according to sources.
Efforts toward peace also saw DRC President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame meet in Doha on March 18. The DRC and Rwanda have been at loggerheads over the conflict, with Rwanda denying allegations that it backs M23 rebels in eastern DRC.
Rwanda insists that its primary concern is the insecurity posed by the FDLR militia, which it accuses of collaborating with the Congolese army. The militia consists of remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, with Rwanda maintaining that the group poses a significant security threat due to its genocidal ideology.
The move, announced on Tuesday by the presidency’s spokesperson Tina Salama, spares the lives of Marcel Malanga, a Utah-born U.S. citizen, and two other Americans who had faced execution following their conviction by a Kinshasa military court in September 2024.
According to Salama, the death sentences have been commuted to life imprisonment, following an executive order from Tshisekedi.
“They will not be executed, as the death penalty is commuted,” she stated, confirming the reprieve for Malanga and his co-defendants.
The motive behind the pardon remains unclear. However, the decision comes at a time when Tshisekedi is seeking closer security cooperation with the United States. Recently, he proposed a deal offering minerals in exchange for U.S. military support to counter the M23 rebel group, which has seized large swaths of territory in eastern DRC.
The three Americans were among 37 alleged coup plotters who were sentenced to death last September for their role in a failed coup attempt.
The attack targeted the residence of then-Vice Prime Minister Vital Kamerhe before shifting to the Palais de la Nation, the seat of the Congolese presidency.
The coup was thwarted by security forces, resulting in the deaths of six people, including the plot’s leader, Christian Malanga, a former Utah-based car dealer who had returned to the DRC and was father to one of the convicted Americans, Marcel Malanga.
During their trial, Marcel Malanga and his high school friend, Tyler Thompson Jr., both 21, claimed they were coerced into participating in the coup under threat from Christian Malanga. Despite these statements, they, along with a Canadian, a British citizen, and a Belgian national, were convicted and sentenced alongside several Congolese defendants.
The U.S. State Department previously acknowledged the case, and Utah Senators Mike Lee and Mitt Romney had engaged with diplomatic channels over the matter.
Two people were trapped under the debris, and rescue teams from the Myanmar Fire Services Department and Turkey successfully pulled one survivor to safety, the information team said.
The operation at the hotel began at around 3:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday, and the man was rescued by approximately 00:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday, it said.
Efforts are ongoing to locate and rescue the remaining trapped individuals, it added.
As of Wednesday, April 2, 2025, the death toll in Myanmar had risen to 2,886, with 4,639 people injured and 373 still missing.
The sharp decline is attributed to the challenging economic conditions, particularly in key markets like Nigeria, where inflation has consistently exceeded 30% over the past year.
The company attributes this sharp decrease to economic difficulties, particularly in key markets like Nigeria, where inflation has remained above 30% for much of the past year. Additionally, severe power disruptions in Zambia have worsened the situation, impacting the company’s operations.
MultiChoice revealed that over 84% of the lost subscribers were from regions outside South Africa, with Nigeria being the most affected.
In a statement, the company stated, “The loss in the rest of Africa has been primarily due to the significant consumer pressure in Nigeria, where inflation has remained above 30% for the majority of the last 12 months and, more recently, due to extreme power disruptions in Zambia.”
Adding to its challenges, MultiChoice is also under regulatory scrutiny. Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) recently filed charges against the company for allegedly violating local consumer protection laws, further complicating its position in the region.
According to reports, Wellesley had been battling health issues following a stroke. He was rushed from his home in Trelawny to a hospital in Kingston, where he succumbed to his illness.
Tributes have poured in from across Jamaica, with Prime Minister Andrew Holness acknowledging Wellesley’s impact on his son’s career.
“We have all witnessed the deep love and respect you’ve always shown for your family. As you grieve this great loss, the prayers and support of an entire nation are with you. We mourn with you, we stand with you, and we honor the memory of your father alongside you,” Holness said.
Minister of Sports Olivia Grange also paid tribute to Wellesley, affectionately known as “Gideon” in his community. “Every success that Usain has achieved can be attributed to the confidence given to him by his ever-supportive mother and father. It is going to be a difficult time, but I encourage them to be comforted by the memory of a very good father,” Grange said.
Wellesley Bolt played a key role in shaping Usain’s career, steering him away from cricket and football to focus on track and field. He remained a constant presence in the stands as his son dominated global athletics, winning eight Olympic gold medals.
He is survived by his wife, Jennifer, and their three children, Usain, Sadiki, and Christine Bolt-Hylton.
The study, conducted at the TASK clinical research site in Cape Town, South Africa, is a first-in-human single ascending dose (SAD) and multiple ascending dose (MAD) trial. It is assessing the safety and pharmacokinetics of AKG-100 in both healthy volunteers and pulmonary TB patients. The study will enroll approximately 100 participants.
Dr. Daryl Drummond, Chief Science Officer at Akagera Medicines, expressed optimism about the progress. “The completion of the first cohort in this study is an important milestone as we progress a novel long-acting injectable and targeted treatment option for patients with pulmonary TB,” he said.
“AKG-100 demonstrated promising preclinical data, and we believe that its addition to drug-resistant TB treatment regimens will improve anti-TB activity and provide a favorable safety profile.”
Tuberculosis remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, disproportionately affecting low-income populations. Despite being both preventable and treatable, TB continues to claim nearly two million lives each year, with 400,000 of these deaths occurring in children.
“TB is the greatest killer in human history. One out of seven people who ever lived has died from it. Nearly two million of the poorest people in Russia, India, Africa, and China die from it every year.” said Michael Fairbanks, Executive Chairman of Akagera Medicines.
AKG-100 is a pegylated liposomal formulation of an oxazolidinone antibiotic. Liposomal drug delivery systems offer significant advantages, including improved drug stability, increased drug solubility, and reduced toxicity.
“Liposome-encapsulated drugs are a promising area of drug delivery research. This formulation enhances drug efficacy by increasing uptake and retention by target cells, allowing for higher drug concentrations at the site of action,” explained Dr. Sachin Marulkar, Chief Medical Officer of Akagera Medicines.
The study’s successful completion of its first cohort marks an important step in the development of a more effective TB treatment. AKG-100’s long-acting injectable formulation is expected to provide much-needed flexibility and improve treatment adherence, especially in resource-limited settings.
Many TB patients struggle with the lengthy and demanding treatment regimens currently available, leading to poor compliance and the rise of drug-resistant strains.
Founded in 2018 in Kigali, Akagera Medicines is dedicated to developing innovative lipid nanoparticle formulations of antibacterial drugs and mRNA vaccines. In 2022, it established a 100%-owned subsidiary in Kigali for manufacturing and clinical trials.
Among its founding and current board members are Ambassador Dr. Albrecht Conze, Dr. Paul Farmer of Harvard Medical School, Dr. Donald Kaberuka, former Chair of the Global Fund for Malaria, HIV, and TB, and Dr. Eliane Ubalijoro, CEO of CIFOR-ICRAF. UN Ambassador Valentine Rugwabiza and Philippe Watrin, Chief Investment Officer of the RSSB, also serve on the board.
Task clinical research, which is conducting the trial, is a leading multinational research institute based in Cape Town, South Africa. It has completed over 100 clinical studies focused on infectious diseases.
It is led by Professor Andreas Diacon, a recognized expert in TB research who received the 2016 Scientific Prize from the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease.
The global burden of TB extends beyond human health, with significant economic and geopolitical implications. TB-infected mothers are associated with a six-fold increase in perinatal deaths.
The World Health Organization warns that a large TB infection pool, coupled with factors such as drug resistance and inadequate case detection, continues to fuel the epidemic.
Political conflicts further complicate efforts to control TB, while the disease also poses a direct threat to wildlife. Many animal species, particularly primates, are vulnerable to TB due to increased exposure to eco-tourists.
The new digital systems, unveiled in collaboration with the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), aim to enhance transparency in cargo movement, reduce smuggling, and streamline tax collection on goods imported from East African Community (EAC) member states such as Uganda and Kenya.
With the implementation of RECTS, South Sudanese traders can now track their land cargo in real time, from port of origin to final destination with the E-permit system mandating upfront tax payment before cargo is released for transportation.
This dual approach is expected to significantly minimize delays and eliminate revenue leakages.
“These are major milestones in fostering regional integration and enhancing revenue mobilization for our sister country,” said Hajji Asadu Kigozi Kisitu, Acting Commissioner of the URA Customs Department, who represented the URA Commissioner General during the launch in Kampala.
“Back in 2002, we had to escort cargo across borders manually. Today, we embrace technology for safer, faster, and more accountable cargo movement.”
The E-permit system specifically targets high-risk goods including cigarettes, alcohol, electronics, shisha tobacco, cosmetics, and motor vehicles; commodities often linked to smuggling operations.
SSRA Commissioner General Simon Akuei Deng emphasized that the modernization of customs systems is key to improving security, regulatory compliance, and public revenue. “By implementing these systems, we are aligning with international best practices. Our commitment is to end the perception of South Sudan as a smuggling corridor,” he stated.
Both URA and SSRA believe the technology will not only improve accountability but also address long-standing concerns from regional partners such as the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), which have incurred losses due to cross-border smuggling.
As regional trade continues to expand, Kisitu highlighted the critical role of digital solutions in protecting economic integrity. “These systems will ensure that taxes are paid, cargo is monitored, and the region remains secure,” he said.
The launch marks a significant move toward deeper EAC customs integration and is seen as a model for future cooperation among member states.
