Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, spoke to reporters after meeting with President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso.
When asked about how China and Africa jointly address climate change, Wang said that President Sassou’s high attention to the issue of climate change reflects the foresight of African leaders, adding that China has always supported Africa in achieving green development as the installed capacity of photovoltaic power plants built jointly has exceeded 1.5 GW, lighting up thousands of homes across the continent.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has proposed that China and Africa should jointly advance modernization that is eco-friendly, which is the common goal of both sides and one of the key tasks of this visit, Wang said.
He said that China will implement the Partnership Action for Green Development, and work with African countries to carry out clean energy projects proposed at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
China will join hands with Africa to promote international climate governance, Wang said.
Noting that fair and common but differentiated responsibilities should be adhered to, Wang called on developed countries to face up to their historical responsibilities, earnestly fulfill their obligations, and provide financial, technical and capacity-building support to developing countries, especially African countries.
This development was confirmed by Rwanda’s Presidency via its X account.
In 2021, a tripartite declaration of intent was signed between OIF, Rwanda’s Ministry of Education, and the French Development Agency (AFD) to develop a national plan for teaching French in Rwanda.
This agreement marked a significant step in improving the quality of French language teaching across various levels of education, from basic schooling to higher education and vocational training, with a focus on enhancing the professional integration of young Rwandans.
Before becoming the Secretary General of the OIF in 2018, Louise Mushikiwabo served as Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.
She was re-elected for a second term in 2022 during the 18th Summit of Francophonie Heads of State in Djerba, Tunisia.
Under her leadership, the OIF has undergone reforms to address global challenges such as security threats and environmental issues. Rwanda joined OIF in 1970.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said that the attack caused a series of explosions and a large fire at the site, leading to significant damage.
Ukrainian officials believe the strike will severely disrupt Russia’s logistics, particularly affecting its strategic bombers stationed at Engels-2, such as the Tu-95, Tu-22, and Tu-160.
These bombers are frequently used to conduct airstrikes against Ukraine as reported by local media.
In addition to the deaths in the Caribbean island country, more than 2,200 people were injured, and nearly 1,500 were kidnapped.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, expressed deep concern over the scale of the violence, calling it a severe humanitarian crisis.
He highlighted a December massacre in Port-au-Prince’s Cité Soleil area, where over 200 people were killed in a gang-led attack.
The victims, many elderly, were accused of causing the death of a gang leader’s son. The bodies were mutilated and thrown into the sea.
Other reports from OHCHR detailed 315 lynchings and 281 summary executions linked to gangs and alleged police involvement.
These incidents, coupled with widespread corruption and impunity, continue to fuel the country’s multi-dimensional crisis.
Türk emphasized the urgent need for international support, calling for strengthened efforts to restore the rule of law and accountability.
He also reiterated the need for a full implementation of the UN Security Council’s sanctions, especially regarding arms control, as illegal weapons continue to fuel the violence.
Among others, the High Commissioner urged nations to halt deportations to Haiti, where ongoing insecurity makes safe returns impossible.
The three-day meeting was officiated by Brigadier General Patrick Karuretwa, Director General of International Military Cooperation in the Ministry of Defence.
He encouraged participants to develop updated and useful documents.
“I urge you to produce refined documents that address past discrepancies” Brig Gen Karuretwa said.
According to Rwanda’s Ministry of Defence, discussions will focus on mechanisms for the occasion of the mutual defence pact, coordinating foreign affairs, defence, peace, and security policies, and mechanisms for comprehensive conflict prevention, management, and resolution.
Lt Col Francis Odhiambo Walwa from Kenya’s Defence Headquarters underscored the Northern Corridor’s role in enhancing mutual defence cooperation to promote peace and strengthen good neighborly relations among partner states.
He further highlighted the critical importance of security as a cornerstone for driving economic growth in the region.
The Northern Corridor is a regional development initiative established in 2013 during the inaugural Infrastructure Summit of the Heads of State of Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. The Republic of South Sudan became a full member of the NCIP in 2018.
Its goal was to accelerate regional growth by fostering collaboration in infrastructure, trade, and political cooperation to promote deeper regional integration.
The company announced the end of its third-party fact-checking program, introduced in 2016, and plans to replace it with a new system called “Community Notes,” akin to the feature on Elon Musk’s platform X (formerly Twitter).
CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained the move as a step toward restoring free expression.
“The recent U.S. elections felt like a cultural tipping point, and it’s time to prioritize speech again,” he said.
The Community Notes system will allow users to provide context to posts, ensuring diverse perspectives are included. Unlike traditional fact-checking, Meta will not manage these notes but will rely on contributors with varying political views to maintain balance.
The fact-checking program had drawn criticism for alleged biases and overreach. Meta’s global affairs head, Joel Kaplan, admitted that mistakes were made, particularly regarding legitimate political discourse being flagged or suppressed.
“Experts, like everyone else, have biases. These surfaced in their choices of what to fact-check and how,” Kaplan said.
The changes align with Meta’s broader strategy to focus enforcement on high-severity violations, such as terrorism, child exploitation, and scams, while relying on user reports for less severe cases. Automated systems will also be fine-tuned to reduce mistakes that may restrict free expression.
Meta’s decision comes as Donald Trump prepares for his second term as U.S. president. The company appears to be recalibrating its relationship with the administration, elevating Republican policy executive Joel Kaplan to global affairs head and adding Trump ally Dana White to its board.
Trump welcomed the changes, calling Zuckerberg “impressive” and suggesting the move might be a response to his earlier threats against the CEO.
The rollout of Community Notes will begin in the U.S. over the coming months, with plans for refinement based on user feedback.
Meta will also restore visibility to political and civic content, previously de-emphasized due to user complaints, by implementing personalized recommendations.
Critics, however, have expressed concerns. The International Fact-Checking Network challenged Zuckerberg’s characterization of its members, asserting that their role has always been to provide context rather than censor. Others, like Ross Burley from the Centre for Information Resilience, labeled the move as political appeasement amid growing misinformation challenges.
While these changes currently apply only to the U.S., Meta faces scrutiny abroad, especially in the European Union, where platforms are held to stringent content moderation standards under the Digital Services Act.
Meta’s pivot could set the tone for broader shifts in the social media landscape.
Mashami has been coaching the security forces’ team for two and a half years. His dismissal came just four days after Police FC suffered a 2-0 defeat to Rayon Sports, which left the team in fourth place at the end of the first half of the season, trailing league leaders Gikundiro by 13 points.
A source intimated to IGIHE that the club’s management had summoned the coach on Wednesday to discuss the terms of their separation.
Efforts by IGIHE to obtain a statement from Police FC management were unsuccessful, as no response was provided through any available channels.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that unresolved issues persist between the club and Mashami, who still had six months remaining on his contract. This follows his notable achievement of leading Police FC to victory in the Peace Cup in May 2024.
During the last summer transfer window, Police FC made heavy investments, acquiring several high-profile players, including internationals, with the aim of excelling in the CAF Confederation Cup. Despite the efforts, the team was eliminated in the preliminary round.
According to the NISR’s external trade report, exports to Burundi were valued at $5.18 million in Q3 2023, but fell to $3.03 million in Q3 2024.
However, there was an improvement from the second quarter of 2024, with exports increasing from $2.18 million to $3.03 million in Q3 2024.
This drop is primarily due to strained relations between the two countries, leading to Burundi closing its land borders in January 2024.
Since then, travel between the countries has been restricted to air travel via the national airline, RwandAir.
Reexports from Rwanda to Burundi experienced an even sharper decline of 59.66%, falling from $4.04 million in Q3 2023 to $1.63 million in Q3 2024.
Compared to the second quarter of 2024, the reexport value also decreased from $2.31 million.
In terms of exports to East African Community (EAC) partner states, the report shows that Burundi ranked second for Rwanda’s domestic exports in Q3 2024, following Uganda, which received exports worth $4.2 million.
These disasters claimed 135 lives, damaged over 2,100 houses, and completely destroyed 2,763 others.
Roads and other key infrastructure were also severely impacted, particularly in the Northern, Southern, and Western Provinces, leaving over 20,000 people in urgent need of assistance.
As part of the recovery efforts, 1,322 houses are being rehabilitated through the Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC) project, a collaboration between the Government of Rwanda and the World Bank.
According to a report from the Ministry of Emergency Management (MINEMA), 537 houses have been fully repaired, 566 are under rehabilitation, and 219 are scheduled for renovation soon.
However, reconstruction of the 2,763 completely destroyed houses has not yet commenced, as authorities continue identifying suitable land for rebuilding.
In addition to housing, 310 families across 14 disaster-affected districts have received various forms of assistance.
This includes construction materials such as 12,667 iron sheets, 1,574 kilograms of galvanized wire, 1,780 kilograms of roofing nails, 423 kilograms of standard nails, and 65 iron sheet caps.
Four schools damaged during the disasters have also been supported with 931 iron sheets, 129 wires, and 77 iron sheet caps for repairs.
Meanwhile, 2,001 people in 16 districts received essential supplies, including hygiene kits, kitchenware, school supplies, and clothing for students.
Road repair efforts and the rehabilitation of the Nyundo Bridge in Rubavu District are well underway.
To address recurring flooding issues, retaining walls are being constructed along the Sebeya River, which is notorious for causing floods during the rainy season.
The Rwanda Water Resources Board (RWB) has already built 1.3 kilometers of retaining walls and implemented other flood mitigation measures, including constructing a reservoir with a capacity of two million cubic meters and planting bamboo and other vegetation to slow water flow.
In October 2024, MINEMA announced $26 million in funding secured from the World Bank for rebuilding houses for disaster-affected families.
These funds will be used to rebuild or rehabilitate 6,218 houses. To date, 2,830 houses have been completed, 2,052 are under rehabilitation, and 1,335 are still to be constructed.
Rwanda continues to prioritize disaster recovery and mitigation, with MINEMA emphasizing that relief, response, and mitigation efforts receive substantial investment worth $300 million annually.
Today, young entrepreneurs are making huge investments in the sector, turning it into a competitive and thriving industry.
From offering fancy hairstyles like the undercut, pompadour, buzz cut, and quiff to recruiting top-tier barbers—much like signing star players in football—and employing innovative strategies to attract clients, barbershop owners are redefining the art of grooming.
Marsha Alain, a barber at the popular Kigali Clippers Zone barbershop, has been in the industry for 18 years and has witnessed a dramatic shift in his clientele. Once he primarily served clients seeking simple trims, but his chair is now filled with young professionals, students, and celebrities, all eager to experiment with the latest styles.
Over the same period, he has also seen a major change in the perception of his work, which has become his family’s main source of livelihood. Additionally, young women are increasingly joining the profession, offering shaving services as well.
“The first time I picked up this clipper was in 2006. Things were different then, but now it’s a very good, serious job. I’m enjoying it. I’m working like a star, as you can see. I’m a proud papa—I have a child and a wife, and we’re living well here in Kigali,” he shared during a recent visit to the barbershop in the heart of the city.
“I started shaving when it cost 50 Rwandan francs. Now, the price is 10,000 Rwandan francs, and that’s before any tip or extra charges.”
Alain, who was born in Burundi, lived briefly in Tanzania before settling back in Rwanda, where he discovered his passion for barbering.
He now serves a diverse clientele, ranging from top Rwandan celebrities like musician Mugisha Benjamin, also known as The Ben, to influential figures in Rwanda’s corporate sector and beyond.
Innocent Safari, the assistant manager at Kigali Clippers Zone, believes that the innovative strategies blending luxury with top-tier customer service have set the barbershop apart, despite the intense competition in the city.
“We serve everyone—music directors, government officials, and even children,” Safari shares. “This is where everyone feels at home, whether they’re getting ready for a music video or a corporate meeting.”
Safari’s role involves ensuring smooth operations in what he describes as a “huge factory for hair.”
Equipped with walkie-talkies to coordinate across the sprawling space, he explains the level of organization required to maintain their reputation.
“When we started in 2019, we had four barbers. Now, we have over 40, plus trainees who learn our unique style before joining the team.”
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The barbershop offers a waiting area with a mini-bar and snacks, creating an atmosphere of comfort and relaxation. Clients receive personalized consultations to ensure they get exactly what they want. After a haircut, they’re treated to a luxurious wash, ensuring every detail is perfect.
“When you leave here, you don’t just look good—you feel good,” Safari emphasizes, jesting about the beautiful ladies who wash and offer relaxation massages to clients.
For Safari, the service goes beyond aesthetics. “People are stressed nowadays. Life is hard. When someone comes here, they might be spending their last five dollars. It’s our job to make them feel at peace.”
From high-end equipment to premium products, the barbershop spares no expense. Even during power outages, the team continues to work seamlessly.
“We don’t close until the last client leaves. Sometimes, we’re here until 4 a.m., ensuring everyone gets what they need.”
Safari envisions an even brighter future for Kigali Clippers Zone and the barbershop scene in the city.
“We’re planning to make this a one-stop destination. Imagine a place where you can get a haircut, grab a coffee, and even have your kids entertained in a playground while you relax. That’s where we’re headed.”
