The Secretary-General was joined by Commonwealth leaders, Ministers and youth representatives to raise the specially-designed flag, created as part of efforts to promote 2023 as the Commonwealth Year of Peace across the family of nations.
Speaking at the ceremony, at Marlborough House, London – the headquarters of the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Secretary-General said: “We join every city across the United Kingdom, and young people in capitals across the Commonwealth, in proudly raising this Flag for Peace towards the heavens.”
“As we celebrate the tenth anniversary of our Charter, in this Commonwealth Year of Youth and Peace, we raise the Peace Flag as a fitting emblem to our commitment to each other, and to the world. Peace is precious. It is not guaranteed. It takes work, patience and courage.
And in the task of building and protecting peace everywhere, for everyone, our Commonwealth values are our guide. Thank you all for sharing in this moment, and for renewing our shared commitment to our values and to each other,” she added.
To enable them to observe and contribute towards Commonwealth Day, the Peace Flags were given to young people across Commonwealth countries to help represent the 1.5 billion under-30s living in the 56 countries.
They helped raise the flags, helping to reaffirm the Commonwealth’s commitment to the Commonwealth Charter – which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year – and prioritise and include young people in the building of a peaceful and sustainable future.
This year also marks the Year of Youth, as mandated by the Commonwealth Heads of Government.
The Commonwealth Flag for Peace initiative is supported by the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, the Royal Commonwealth Society and Bruno Peek, Pageantmaster, in tribute to late Queen Elizabeth II. This is the first Commonwealth Day since her passing.
The flag features a white dove of peace in the bottom right-hand corner of the Commonwealth flag, symbolising the shared values and principles of the Commonwealth, including co-operation on economic and social development, diversity, respect, friendship and the promotion of peace around the world.
Dr. Vincent Biruta, Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, gave a speech as outgoing Chair-in-Office of the Commonwealth.
Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa, Prime Minister of Samoa, also gave a speech as the future Chair-in-Office of the Commonwealth. The next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting will be held in Apia, Samoa in 2024.
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent and equal sovereign states.
Its combined population is 2.5 billion, of which more than 60 per cent is aged 29 or under.
The Commonwealth Secretariat supports member countries to build democratic and inclusive institutions, strengthen governance and promote justice and human rights.
Its work helps to grow economies and boost trade, deliver national resilience, empower young people, and address threats such as climate change, debt, and inequality.
The interesting part of this platform, it is the quest to bring together young innovators with ideas that can generate profits and meet with investors who are looking for opportunities.
IGIHE has caught up with Shyaka Michael Nyarwaya, one of the brains behind Afri Global Cooperation programme. He revealed the idea behind this initiative and how they aim to change the narrative about investing in African great minds.
{{Tell us more about Afri Global, what is it?}}
{{Shyaka:}} Afri Global we are a bridge, a vehicle between investors and entrepreneurs. We are bringing a solution to connect investors and start-ups.
We want to bring those parties, investors and bring them on the board. People are struggling to access information.
We have capital ventures, people who can buy shares in your companies, people who can buy your company […] but people don’t have information and connection.
So, at Afri Global, we are really committed to connect these people, the investors and start-ups, so that everyone can gain.
People have ideas and don’t have money, people have money and don’t have ideas. How can you bring those two parties on the board?
{{But we still have other institutions which do the same…}}
{{Shyaka:}} We are beyond that. We do capacity building, because We want to train people to know how to pay taxes . You need to have a lawyer as company, an office, staff etc.
We are bringing something special, because some of the companies are not interested in the capacity building, they just bring a staff from there, they train them one or two days and start working without knowing what you are doing.
We mentor them so that they can do business in a professional way.
{{How will you reach people?}}
{{Shyaka: }} There are incubators and hubs that we want to build so that we will be bringing investors to find these people on the village, not just coming to Kigali, because not all people have access to come in Kigali.
We have to meet these people on the district level and sector. We are targeting 50,000 start-ups in five years. We want to do this in other African countries, because Afri Global is Africa on the global market.
{{How do you benefit from this?}}
{{Shyaka:}} When someone pitch and get interest, at least we will have a contract with that person in the future , and we will tell them that ‘someone invested money in your company, you got information from Afri Global. We are giving it to you for two years freely, in the next three years at least you need to give something to Afri global’. But we will do it for free in the beginning.
People are struggling to get money at the beginning. What you need to do is to impact people. When you impact people, the return will come.
The facility will bank on mRNA technology to produce vaccines for Malaria, COVID-19 and Tuberculosis.
It will be built on 30,000 square kilometers in Kigali Special Economic Zone. It will have two BioNTainers made up of assembled containers.
The six BioNTainers arrived in Kigali in the afternoon of Monday 13th March 2023.
They were received by government officials including the Minister of Health, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana; Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana and the Director General of Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA, Dr. Emile Bienvenu among others.
Also present at the event was Biopharmaceutical New Technologies (BioNTech) Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Sierk Poetting and diplomats accredited to Rwanda from Germany, France and the European Union.
Rwanda was the first African country to host such facility.
Minister Nsanzimana has said that reaching the milestone is a fruit of good leadership and developed partnership between Rwanda and other countries.
He explained that the project is relevant for the country to bring solutions expected to tackle emerging diseases.
Dr. Nsanzimana said that the vaccine manufacturing facility is expected to contribute to education and research where students will be capacitated to bring solutions in the area of vaccine manufacturing in Africa.
He expressed optimism that the partnership will help Africa to increase its contribution in scientific output from 2% to 10% globally.
Dr. Sierk Poetting said that the facility being set up in Rwanda will have the capacity to produce 50 million vaccine doses per year but the production will be based on demand.
BioNTech is a next generation immunotherapy company pioneering novel therapies for cancer and other serious diseases.
The company exploits a wide array of computational discovery and therapeutic drug platforms for the rapid development of novel biopharmaceuticals.
Its broad portfolio of oncology product candidates includes individualized and off-the-shelf mRNA-based therapies, innovative chimeric antigen receptor T cells, bi-specific checkpoint immuno-modulators, targeted cancer antibodies and small molecules.
Based on its deep expertise in mRNA vaccine development and in-house manufacturing capabilities, BioNTech and its collaborators are developing multiple mRNA vaccine candidates for a range of infectious diseases alongside its diverse oncology pipeline.
BioNTech has established a broad set of relationships with multiple global pharmaceutical collaborators, including Genmab, Sanofi, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, Regeneron, Genevant, Fosun Pharma, and Pfizer.
Gen Kabarebe made the disclosure as he delivered a talk on values the youth can pull from the Liberation Struggle.
He was addressing over 600 young people representing their colleagues in the City of Kigali during dialogues dubbed ‘’Rubyiruko Menya Amateka yawe’ aimed at helping them to get deep understanding of the country’s history and learn how they can learn from it to build the nation.
The youth visited Kigali Genocide Memorial in Gisozi and the Campaign Against Genocide Museum in Kimihurura.
These include porters, commercial cyclists and motorcyclists, bartenders, hotel employees, airtime vendors and banks’ agents among others.
Gen Kabarebe told the youth that tragic history witnessed at the memorial and the Campaign Against Genocide Museum in Kimihurura is a product of bad leadership.
“You may have learnt a lot beyond what you already knew in this country. There are people, Rwandans in this country whose actions led to the dreadful history you have witnessed,” he said.
“The tragic history pushed RPF Inkotanyi to take action to change the situation for Rwandans to live in peace and rest assured of in their country,” added Gen Kabarebe,” added Gen Kabarebe.
29 years after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi was stopped, Gen Kabarebe said, the country is safe and Rwandans live in harmony.
“All these achievements stem from the youth’s values instilled during the struggle to liberate our country. […] Military action was not enough. It required values and foundational principles,” he disclosed.
“Today, the country still banks on values instilled among Inkotanyi soldiers during the Liberation Struggle to make progress,” he added Gen Kabarebe.
{{Values instilled by President Paul Kagame}}
When Maj Gen Paul Kagame (current President of Rwanda) joined RPA soldiers during the Liberation Struggle, Gen Kabarebe disclosed, they were tired and had withdrawn from captured areas.
As he explained, Maj Gen Paul Kagame took over as the commander and advised them not to give up until they claimed victory because they were fighting for a noble cause.
“The situation was difficult to manage by the time he joined. He realized that the fighting against the enemy, former government which committed the wrongdoings, was not enough. He found it necessary to introduce new tactics,” said Gen Kabarebe.
Values that characterized RPA soldiers played a critical role during the Liberation Struggle and the country continues to build on them to meet its development aspirations.
Gen Kabarebe said that the first value is ‘patriotism’.
“The first value was about patriotism and pay sacrifice so that, when you succumb to gunshots, the other survivor will recognize that you died fighting for the right cause,” he noted.
“When you love a country you die for it. The opposite is betrayal. So, he instilled the value of patriotism among Inkotanyi soldiers who understood him well,” added Gen Kabarebe.
He revealed that RPA soldiers were in a small number at the onset of the Liberation Struggle with inadequate resources.
“Soldiers of the government which committed the wrongdoings were strong. A government has an established army and is backed by partners. That is why partner countries of Rwanda came for reinforcement at the time. These include Belgians, French soldiers and others from Zaire who came and attacked Inkotanyi,” noted Gen Kabarebe.
“Inkotanyi soldiers would not win the battle alone. They drew strength from core values. When the President of the Republic came, Inkotanyi soldiers were exhausted. They had withdrawn and abandoned captured areas.
When he arrived, he said that it is not possible. He told us that the enemy cannot defeat us because we are fighting for a noble cause to liberate the country, change history, and regime in Rwanda, eliminate refugee status, oppression, promote Rwandans’ unity and national development. These reasons do not qualify us for a defeat. We have to fight until we win the battle,” he added.
Gen Kabarebe disclosed that selflessness was another helpful value that characterized soldiers.
“There is no consideration of individual gains. He also instilled among soldiers the spirit of sacrifice and selflessness where you understand that you are fighting for something beyond individual benefits,” he said.
The other value is heroism. According to Gen Kabarebe, someone can be trained on heroism as is the case for cowardice.
“Everyone can become a hero. A well-trained individual can become a hero and another trained to be coward can be so. Those who committed what you witnessed, killing babies, children […] and more, exhibited cowardice and they were trained for that,” he noted.
“Leaders sat in front on the youth like we are seated here, brought machetes and gave them instructions on what to do. The youth digested the ideology and put into action. So, patriotism, sacrifice and heroism were instilled. Inkotanyi soldiers were trained on heroism. Those who joined the Liberation Struggle were people like you,” he stated.
Hadn’t it been the heroism, Gen Kabarebe disclosed, young people would not have left their families to join the battle.
“It was a mix of people with diverse backgrounds including commercial cyclists, students, casual workers harvesting tea and coffee and herdsmen. It was not an easy task to bring together those people and convince them that they have to embrace patriotism and sacrifice themselves,” he affirmed.
Endurance was another important value because the struggle lasted long from 1st October 1990 to July 1994.
“Four years on battle are very long counting Christmas festivities passing, living in a forest, trenches, eating cons, vulnerability to attacks, getting sick and enduring rain among others,” he said.
“All these challenges required the value of endurance, day and night and to remain dedicated to goals despite spending many restless days. Somebody with those attributes is assured that he/she is stronger than those with ammunition and large number of soldiers,” added Gen Kabarebe.
He highlighted that they would spend three to four days without food but never gave up and kept soldiering on.
“Everything is about mindsets. Endurance goes hand in hand with the value of perseverance and developing patience for whatever happening to you. Those values can be helpful throughout your life. […] You also need them today,” advised Gen Kabarebe.
He also told the youth that RPA soldiers were characterized by the value of consistency.
“Spending the first and second year on battle should not change your mindsets. You have to remain committed to your goals. If you are committed to a noble cause, do not give up,” he noted.
Gen Kabarebe said that there are other values the youth can learn from the Liberation Struggle including making the right choice, setting goals, developing positive mindsets and discipline among others.
He made the disclosure during a youth climate consultation in Kigali on 6th March 2023.
“The reality of an uncertain future driven by climate change also translates into a disproportionate impact on youth and future generations. Therefore, youth everywhere deserve to be at the forefront of negotiations where decisions are made about protecting their future and preventing an irreversible climate crisis,” AlQahtani stated.
The event was aimed at providing young African leaders and other relevant stakeholders a platform to share their most significant challenges and opportunities for climate action and to integrate their inputs and policy proposals into the COP28 agenda.
Organized by Shamma Al Mazrui, UAE Minister of Community Development and the UAE’s Youth Climate Champion for COP28, the consultation was facilitated in collaboration with the Food Action Alliance and held on the margins of the Resilient Health Systems for Africa Conference in Kigali.
The consultation focused on determining opportunities for young people at COP28 and sought feedback on three emerging COP28 platform priorities for the region in the context of climate change: gender, environment, and food systems.
It brought together 24 young people and stakeholders, including Tony Nsanganira, former Minister of State in charge of Agriculture and current Deputy Country Director for the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. The dialogue included youth representatives from the African Leadership University, as well as organizations involved in environmental conservation and food systems.
The event also gathered key partners and stakeholders who were invited to ensure they could listen to the concerns and recommendations of young people.
In his remarks, Ambassador AlQahtani thanked youth leaders for the instrumental role they have played in addressing ‘this defining challenge of our time.’ Specifically, he recognized the role of youth in communicating grassroots concerns around climate change and associated crises and proposing solutions to these challenges.
Looking ahead to COP28, which will be hosted in the UAE from 30 November – 12 December 2023 Ambassador AlQahtani noted that the first Global Stocktake (GST) since the Paris Agreement will conclude during COP28, a milestone moment for the world
The Global Stocktake will assess the world’s collective progress towards achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and importantly, identify the gaps.
Amb. AlQahtani commented: “It must be about the solutions to closing those gaps between now and 2030 across all four pillars of the Paris Agreement
– mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, and finance – through a process that demonstrates greater inclusivity, transparency, and accountability than ever before.”
“We are committed to ensuring that COP28 in the UAE is inclusive of all, especially those at the frontlines of climate change, including civil society, indigenous peoples, and other minority groups,” he added.
With its strong diversity, youth leadership, and innovation, Amb. AlQahtani said, the UAE understands the need for concerted youth engagement. This is reflected by the appointment of Shamma Al Mazrui, UAE Minister of Community Development, as the COP28 Youth Climate Champion.
Al Mazrui will be the first-ever Youth Climate Champion with a ministerial role. The position will serve as a bridge-builder between youth, governments, the COP28 Presidency, and UNFCCC. It will help to mainstream youth participation throughout the COP28 process and mobilize substantive policy and programmatic outcomes for young people in climate implementation.
“We hope this will lead towards finding more recognition and support for your climate work in Rwanda and beyond, and the team here will be taking thorough notes to ensure your experiences and policy visions are carried back to Her Excellency, the Youth Climate Champion, and in turn to the highest-level decision-makers for COP28,” noted Amb. AlQahtani.
He added that a few initiatives will be announced throughout the year by the COP Presidency, creating greater accessibility for young people to engage in the negotiation process.
These cows were impounded grazing in the precincts of Gabiro military barracks on 10th March 2023.
Consultations from three districts in the neighborhood of the barracks including Nyagatare, Gatsibo, and Kayonza came up with the decision of impounding cattle grazing in the precincts of Gabiro military barracks and resolved on charging a fine worth Rwf200, 000 per cow to prevent the spread of Rift Valley Fever disease.
A statement released by Nyagatare District reads that the owner should rush to pay the fines before taking them to an abattoir.
It further indicates that the district will auction these cows if the owner fails to process the payments within three days.
With ‘Forging a Sustainable and Peaceful Common Future’ as its theme, the day aims to unite 2.5 billion Commonwealth citizens in celebration of their shared values and principles, and in pursuit of a common future, centred on sustainability and peace.
This will be the first Commonwealth Day presided over by King Charles III as King and Head of the Commonwealth. The day will also mark the tenth anniversary of the signing of the Commonwealth Charter, which outlines the values and principles that unify the 56 Commonwealth countries, representing one-third of humanity.
In her Commonwealth Day Message, the Commonwealth Secretary-General,Patricia Scotland, paid tribute to Her late Majesty The Queen for her seven decades of service and welcomed The King for his first Commonwealth Day as the new Head of the Commonwealth.
Speaking on the role of the Commonwealth in her message, she said: “We stand together now to face the challenges of the moment and seize the opportunities of tomorrow. Where there is violence and conflict, we work for peace. Where there is insecurity, we protect the culture, process and institutions of democracy. Where there is poverty, we tackle it. Where there is injustice, we challenge it.
“Where our brothers and sisters have their lives threatened and disrupted by the impacts of climate change, we stand with them, working tirelessly for climate action and a more sustainable world. I believe profoundly that our family of 56 nations and 2.5 billion people is stronger, more vibrant, more connected and more purposeful than ever.”
Drawing attention to the growing co-operation within the Commonwealth at a time of polarisation, Secretary-General Scotland added: “Our unique qualities and advantages mean that the Commonwealth in 2023 is not simply a part of the international system, it is a beacon within it. These qualities shine in the fact that, with a multilateral system under strain, the Commonwealth is growing, precisely because of what we stand for and what we can deliver.”
She continued: “So, on this tenth anniversary of our [Commonwealth] Charter, as we renew our commitment to its values and to each other, let us resolve together to ensure that in the years to come, we make the peaceful and sustainable common future we all strive for a reality for the whole Commonwealth.”
Around the Commonwealth, cities will host inter-faith, multi-cultural observances to mark the day. One of the largest gatherings will be the traditional service at Westminster Abbey in London and will be attended by The King, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, senior government officials, other dignitaries and hundreds of young people.
At the service, the theme will be expressed through musical performances, testimonies and readings from individuals representing several Commonwealth countries, including ‘Amalgamation Choir’, an all-female choir from Cyprus.
Commonwealth Day has been celebrated on the second Monday in March every year since 1977. In recent years, there has been a shift away from a single-day observance towards a full-week celebration, with Commonwealth Day as its focal point.
This year, as part of the Commonwealth of Nations Flag for Peace initiative, each Commonwealth country and every UK city will receive a flag, which they can raise on Commonwealth Day in celebration of the values of the Commonwealth Charter, including democracy, human rights, sustainable development, equality and respect.
Parliamentarians, mayors and high commissioners in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Americas, the Pacific and Europe will also mark the day with various activities, including speeches and cultural events.
The Commonwealth Secretariat has also produced a special quiz for students to learn more about the modern Commonwealth and its diverse membership. Schools around the Commonwealth can download and use the quiz free of charge.
Rwanda’s Minister of Defence, Maj Gen Albert Murasira, Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) General, senior officers and family members received the body at Kigali International Airport on Sunday 12th March 2023.
RDF has via Twitter handle revealed that burial arrangements will be communicated later.
Gen (Rtd) Marcel Gatsinzi breathed the last on Monday 6th March 2023. He succumbed to natural at a hospital in Belgium where he was receiving treatment.
Gen Marcel Gatsinzi served in various leadership roles for the army and the country including serving as Rwanda’s Minister of Defence from 2002 to 2010, and as the Minister of Disaster Preparedness and Refugee Affairs from 2010 to 2013.
Following his death, a source told IGIHE ‘that Gatsinzi was not critically ill’ but felt unhealthy and went to a hospital where he died shortly after arrival as doctors prepared to attend to him.
He has been living in Rwanda but traveled to Belgium for medical attention.
Gen Marcel Gatsinzi was born in Muhima, Nyarugenge District in 1948.
He attended Primary School at Sainte Famille and pursued secondary education at Saint André where he studied Latin and Science courses.
He later joined the military at the age of 20.
Gatsinzi spent two years undergoing military training at “Ecole Supérieure d’Officiers Militaires (ESM)” where he graduated with the rank of Lieutenant in 1970.
He served as an instructor, and attended different professional training in Belgium between 1971 and 1976 at “Institut Royale Supérieure de Défense”.
During the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Gtsinzi was at the rank of Colonel and was the commander of Non-Commissioned Officers School in Ngoma Commune, current Huye District.
Following the shooting down of former President Juvénal Habyarimana’s airplane on 6th April 1994, Gen Gatsinzi was named Defence Chief Staff replacing Gen Maj Augustin Nsabimana who died with Habyarimana.
He assumed the duties for ten days before dismissal by the then interim government and was replaced by Col Augustin Bizimungu.
By the time RPA soldiers captured Kigali, Gatsinzi had the rank of Brigadier General and was living in Kigeme camp along with other soldiers.
He left the camp for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through Rusizi.
Gatsinzi stayed in DRC for one month before returning to Rwanda where he joined RDF. Upon joining the army, he was given the rank of Colonel.
Gatsinzi served as the Deputy Army Chief of Staff, Commander of Military Police and Headed the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS).
He held the rank of Major General at the time.
In 2004, Gatsinzi was promoted to General and became the first soldier to rise to to the rank.
He served as the Minister of Defence between 2022 and 2010.
In October 2013, Gen Gatsinzi was sent to retirement along with five other generals.
The truck, plate number RAE 724Y, was intercepted in Rwambariro village, Rusovu cell en-route to Kigali from Rusizi District.
The driver was arrested and the vehicle impounded to Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) branch in Muhanga.
Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Emmanuel Habiyaremye, the Police spokesperson for the Southern region, said that the second-hand clothes were sneaked into Rwanda from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“The RPU had mounted a checkpoint in Rwambariro where the truck was stopped at about 8p.m, searched and recovered 12 bales of smuggled second-hand, which the driver was delivering to a client in Kigali,” CIP Habiyaremye said.
The driver said that he was paid Rwf200,000 by a trader in Rusizi to deliver the bales to his client in Kigali, with a balance of Rwf100,000 to be paid after successfully delivering the clothes.
“The alleged smugglers and suppliers and of the bales of clothes will also be arrested over fraud and smuggling,” CIP Habiyaremye said.
By law, a vehicle impounded over smuggling as well as smuggled goods, are auctioned and the driver slapped a fine of US$5000.
Article 87 of the law on tax procedures provides an imprisonment of between 2 and 5 years, for tax evasion.
Lance Hurly hailing from South Africa arrived in Rwanda for the first time in 2020.
He is not a new figure in the hospitality sector as he assumed related duties in different countries in West Africa and Southern Africa
The man who started working in hotels in South Africa at the age of 14 has disclosed that he worked in the hospitality sector in 15 countries noting that acquired experience, coupled with a spirit of teamwork will help him discharge his duties diligently.
Speaking with IGIHE, Hurly shared more about his journey as a hotelier, what should be done to overhaul the hospitality sector and his projections as the new General Manager.
{{Would you please give us a brief overview of your professional background? }}
{{Hurly: }} My name is Lance Hurly. I’m the newly appointed General Manager at Mythos Hotel in Kigali in Kiyovu. I’m from South Africa, although I’ve worked in a number of African countries in West Africa and Southern Africa. Before coming to Mythos, I spent two years at Akagera Game Lodge in the National Park
{{What attracted you to this position and what are your initial goals?}}
{{Hurly:}} Well, interestingly enough, a colleague of mine who was employed here as General Manager, was offered a different opportunity, which he decided to take, and he asked me if I would be interested in coming on board. At the time, I was very interested in moving to a new role, and so, I accepted the offer to come to Mythos. In terms of initial goals, my first is to get to understand the hotel’s operations and the team that currently works here, and also to understand the market in Kigali.
And then obviously moving forward, we’re looking at making some changes to enhance the business and guest experience.
{{What are your previous roles and experiences in the hospitality industry, and how have they prepared you for this new position?}}
Hurly: I started off working in hotels at the age of 14 during my school holidays. I had an uncle who owned a restaurant, and an aunt who owned a hotel where I used to go and work during my school holidays.
My uncle put me to work washing pots and dishes for the first year I worked for him. When I finished school, I went to hotel school and earned a national diploma in Hotel Management in South Africa.
My career started working around South Africa initially, and I then branched out into several neighbouring countries. I also spent some time working a number of different countries in West Africa.
When I arrived in Rwanda in 2020, to take up my role at Akagera, it was the first time I’d actually worked in East Africa. And it’s quite different to my previous experiences.
{{What was your familiarity with the hotel and its brand before joining Mythos Boutique Hotel?}}
I knew of and had seen the property while travelling in Kigali, but honestly, didn’t know much about it.
{{What initially sparked your interest in pursuing a career in the hospitality industry, and what steps did you take to enter this field?}}
{{Hurly:}} During my early years in secondary school, I used to watch a television series called ‘Hotel’, and I fell in love with the excitement and glamour of the industry.
{{Hurly:}} It showed all the good bits. From then on, it’s was something I always wanted.
The best aspect of this industry is that it is constantly changing and evolving, and so it’s an ongoing challenge to try and stay on top of things, to manage processes that might have not gone according to plan while you were out on a sales trip, or having taken a few days off.
One of the challenges Mythos Hotel faces is that it’s a standalone. It’s not part of one of the internationally-branded chains, and that comes with benefits and downsides.
One of the more challenging aspect of operating a standalone property, is to develop market loyalty. It takes time and effort to find your place in the market, and build a successful business.
There are a handful of successful, privately-owned properties in Kigali. They have been in the market for a reasonable period of time, and they have developed a loyal following through offering great service to their guests.
{{For those who may not be familiar with Mythos Boutique Hotel, could you please give a brief introduction to the hotel and its services?}}
{{Hurly:}} I think one of one the benefits of being a Boutique Hotel is that you are small enough to be able to give each guest personal attention. It’s about the way we manage our relationship with our guests. A boutique is a style of service that is much more personal, and it gives you the opportunity to build relationships, not just as a manager, but also the staff members, the team on the ground that are actually dealing with the guests far more frequently than management generally does.
Mythos has 24 rooms, 12 of which are executive suites and 12 of which are deluxe rooms. The executive suites have a separate lounge area and en-suite, and the deluxe are rooms with an en-suite but no separate lounge.
One of the more unique aspect of the Mythos Hotel is that each of our rooms has a kitchenette. This is especially appreciated by our longer-staying guests who like to do their own cooking from time to time.
We offer airport shuttle transfers from the airport, which are in our own vehicles. We have a conference facility and obviously, as I said, we have a restaurant.
One of the other things that we do, which is fairly unique for a boutique hotel, is that we offer 24-hour room service. So, if a guest comes in at 1:30 on a flight in the morning, we can pick them up at the airport, bring them here and they can still order something to eat.
Also, we’re in a wonderful area. Kiyovu is safe and secure. It’s beautiful. I go running and walking almost every evening. I’m continually discovering new things that I think are really nice.
Atmosphere restaurant has amazing views of the Kimihurura valley, as do all of the first and second floor bedrooms, and so a lot of our guests that come here will come and have drinks on the terrace in the evening.
{{What strategies do you have in mind to improve the hotel’s operations and enhance the guest experience, and how would you implement them?}}
{{Hurly:}} Well, there are a number of strategies. And bear in mind, I’ve been here for a month and a half, and so I am still very much in a learning phase.
The team has discussed some ideas in terms of what we want to do.
One thing we plan on doing towards the end of March is to re-launch the restaurant with its own brand in the marketplace, with a new menu, quite different to the existing fare that we offer.
We also have to standardize service levels across the hotel. In order to do that, we are creating standard operating procedures which try to address every possible interaction with a guest, whether good or bad. We have procedures in place that manage the way we react and behave towards our guests, and we use those procedures to train our staff so that they react in the same way every time.
When I’m guest in an hotel, there is nothing more satisfying that telling say, a server in the restaurant, that I have a challenge, and that person addresses it. They don’t call a supervisor, they don’t call a manager. They say “I’m going to fix that for you”, and they take ownership to ensure that its done. That, for me, is a sign of an empowered team who understand the value of the customer to their business.
All team members must be able to think on their feet and make decisions, and management must in turn then interrogate those decisions in a way that allows the staff members to feel comfortable in making and better decisions in the future.
Training staff to be thoughtful is very different to training technical skills.
We are also doing a lot of work on our online presence, and hopefully the fruit of that will begin to show in the short term.
{{How do you keep up-to-date with industry trends and best practices, and what measures will you take to ensure the hotel remains competitive in the market?}}
{{Hurly:}} I read a lot, and also discuss challenges with colleagues. Hotel managers are always prepared to share their solutions and ideas.
New trends and ideas abound, especially after the mental gymnastics we had to perform during COVID to keep our business afloat, and relevant. Hospitality is a highly-innovative space to work in, which is what makes it such an exciting industry.
{{In your opinion, how do you see the role of a hotel manager evolving in the future, and what steps do you plan to take to stay ahead of these changes?}}
{{Hurly:}} The wonderful thing is that hoteliers are used to changing because the industry is continuously evolving.
We have a marketplace that tells us what they want from us, and we continually adapt to the needs of our guests.
As an example, most modern day tourists don’t just want to go on holiday. They want to immerse themselves in the places that they visit, and to feel that they have somehow contributed to a better world through their interaction with local residents or programs. They want an experience that they will always remember, hopefully in a positive way!
Many guests today are much more environmentally aware than they were even 5 years ago. The Rwandan government has also been extremely pro-active with their interventions to help us achieve more environmentally-friendly practices.
Social media will continue to play a massive role in both the way we market ourselves and also in the way that our guests tell others about us. Tech-savvy hoteliers are very aware of this, and many are able to leverage on it.
{{Where do you see Mythos Boutique Hotel in five years to come?}}
{{Hurly: }} In the next five years, I see Mythos in good space in terms of being sustainable as a business.
I think certainly in the Kigali market, be it Rwandan citizens or foreign residents, one needs to keep re-inventing oneself, and so it is difficult to say exactly how Mythos will do this in the next 5 years.
There is so much competition and innovation happening in the city, and residents are continually exposed to more choices and options, especially in terms of dining out.
It’s vital to keep re-assessing the business and asking, how can I do this better? How can I provide the guests with higher levels of service? How can I do this more profitably? We have to critically assess our own businesses all the time in order to improve.
I think, if I look at guests’ comments and especially from the guests that I speak to, satisfaction levels are generally fairly high, but there is always room to improve, and acknowledging that we aren’t perfect and are willing to make changes, is the difference between succeeding a failing.
