The appointment was announced on Thursday 2nd March 2023 through a communiqué released by the Office of Prime Minister.
The communiqué also announced the appointment of Dr. Telesphore Ndabamenye as the Director General of Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) and Ms. Clarisse Umutoni as the Chied Financial Officer at RAB.
Dr. Musafiri has been serving as the State Minister in MINAGRI since August 2022.
Prior to his appointment last year, Dr. Musafiri was the Executive Director of the Strategy and Policy Council (SPC) in the Office of the President of the Republic of Rwanda for 6 years.
Formerly a member of the board of directors of the National Bank of Rwanda since April 2018, he is also an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Rwanda, College of Business and Economics, where he previously served as Lecturer and Head of the Economics Department.
His research focused on development economics and policy, particularly the analysis of poverty and inequality, agricultural growth, and food policy.
Dr. Musafiri earned his Ph.D. in agricultural economics from the University of Bonn (Germany) and a M.Sc. in applied economics from the University of Rwanda.
He becomes Minister at a time when food prices continue to rise in Rwanda.
During the recently concluded National Dialogue Council (Umushyikirano), Dr. Musafiri said that increasing irrigated fields, facilitating easy access to fertilizers, appropriately handling agricultural produce, staying closer to farmers, easing access to loans and insurance schemes would help the country achieve food sufficiency.
Dr. Ndabamenye named Director General of RAB has been serving as an advisor in MINAGRI.
He replaces Dr. Alexandre Rutikanga who held the position for one month since 31st January 2023.
A trust company is a legal entity that acts as a fiduciary, agent, or trustee on behalf of a person or business for the purpose of administration, management, and the eventual transfer of assets to a beneficial party.
According to a statement released by the company’s management, MLCS has been added to the list of first approved Rwandan owned Trust and Company Service Providers in accordance to the regulation N° 52/2022 of 01/09/2022 of the National Bank of Rwanda governing Trust Company Service Providers.
The company got the approval on 6th February 2023. Apart from the licensing, MLCS has so far joined different associations including the Kigali International Financial center’s Club; European Business Chamber of Rwanda and the American Chamber of Rwanda.
MLCS operates in the financial non-banking sector targeting corporate and private clients who require a fast and professional range of corporate, fund and fiduciary services by providing administrative, accounting, taxation, legal and compliance services.
It is headed by Headed by its Founder and Managing Director, Ms. Lydie Murorunkwere and a team of experienced professionals who combine the latest technologies and data analytics with their experience in law, finance, accounting, taxation, human resources and business to ensure that investor’s organizations will run smoothly at all times.
Lydie Murorunkwere is a strategic senior executive leader with more than 20 years of experience in senior roles with a focus on business development for organizational success.
She has built a strong institutional relationship while working in the Rwandan banking system at the Commecial Bank of Rwanda (I&M) and BPR (Atlas Mara), proving an ability to resolve multiple and complex issues related to sales, legal, financial and operational administration.
Alongside setting up and incorporation of companies and structures, MLCS will also share expertise in the areas of Corporate Secretarial and Administrative services; Corporate governance, Legal and compliance Assistance, Taxation and Accounting; Private Notary services, intellectual property, Assets Management and Administration for real Estate as well as Venture Capital and Private Equity Services.
In order to support the Rwandan government efforts to establish a strong financial center in Rwanda, attracting investment funds and innovative financial services, MLCS is proposing a suite of tailored trainings for corporate, public institutions and learning partners.
The trainings will be provided in the specific sectors of Corporate and Investment Law; Risk Management, Compliance and Regulation; Marketing and Customer Care; Entrepreneurship and data protection; Accountancy and taxation; Climate Change and Renewable Energy Finance; Investment analysis, Project finance and Capital Markets.
As he interacted with the youth in December last year, Tshisekedi commented on Kagame’s previous statement that DRC crisis emanates from the country’s leadership which always seeks to externalize its problems.
Instead of proving him wrong, Tshisekedi overlooked the presence of over 120 armed groups in his country and weak army that failed to annihilate them but started blaming Rwanda.
“Rwandans are our brothers and sisters. They need our help to liberate […] They are brothers and need our support to liberate them against leaders holding them back,” he said.
During a press conference held on Wednesday 1st March 2023, following the 18th edition of National Dialogue Council (Umushyikirano), President Kagame reminisced on Congo’s problems noting that the country continues to retain FDLR under plans to threaten Rwanda’s security.
“FDLR is actually welcome in the eastern Congo. But the rest should go back to Rwanda. The reason why they retain FDLR is because they think they can build around it for so long. They have been trying to do that for a force that would come and destabilize Rwanda,” he stated.
“I think the president of Congo, at one point, it must have escaped from his thoughts. Remember when he said he was going to bring regime change in Rwanda, of course I didn’t take that seriously. He must have been joking and he is allowed to make those jokes,” noted Kagame.
The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) is a terrorist group formed by individuals responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
The Head of State said that the problem of FDLR has existed for long but was overlooked many times yet it is an armed group being supplied with more weapons.
He also recollected attacks plotted by the terrorist group on Rwandan territory in Kinigi in 2019 noting that attackers used weapons received from Congolese government.
Kagame has however disclosed that Rwanda has reinforced security at its border with the neighbouring country and assured citizens that their security is guaranteed.
He made the disclosure during a press conference with members of local, regional and international media following the conclusion of the 18th edition of National Dialogue Council (Umushyikirano).
Kagame highlighted that eastern DRC is not a country where crisis in the area is Congo’s problem, which in turn, affects neighbours.
“In my view there is nothing like eastern Congo’s problem. […] It is actually Congo’s problem and a regional problem, meaning it affects even neighbours. If we are referring to Rwanda, you wouldn’t say Northern Rwanda problem because it is neighbouring with eastern Congo and the spillovers of problems mainly come to the north of the country. That doesn’t make it a northern Rwanda problem. It makes Rwanda’s problem. I want us to understand that eastern Congo’s problem is Congo’s problem,” he said.
“This problem has a very long history in terms of the cause of that. But it also has a long history of how it has been mismanaged from the beginning. That is why it was there for over 20 years. If you look at the attention that has been paid to this so-called eastern Congo’s problem, it is so much that one would think we should have got a solution. So, it has been there for long and has been mismanaged for very long,” added Kagame.
The Head of State further said that the issue was discussed for long during meetings of the African Union, others held in Kenya, Angola and at the level of the United Nations.
“The other day we were supposed to go and meet in Qatar over the same problem. That didn’t happen but, may be, it is going to happen in the near future,” he noted.
Kagame said that the discussions are taking place because the problem was not solved while efforts to handle it were channeled through the wrong way.
“People who want shortcuts, blame it all on Rwanda. But I have not found how it becomes a shortcut because we are still there with the problem,” he stated.
Kagame disclosed that the issue in eastern Congo has roots from colonization given that Rwanda and DRC share colonial history where some people found themselves in another country.
“If there is any country in Africa that does not have people on one side of the border, similar or related to people on the other side of the country, I don’t think there is any,” he said.
Meanwhile, the President said that M23 seems to have become a scarecrow supposed to dramatize the story when people talk about Congo’s problems.
“The so-called M23 is the product of a lot of things mismanaged […] How Rwanda can be blamed for the refugees we have here for over 20 years associated with people in M23. M23 problem started in 2012, when they used some military force to try and resolve problem, some fled to Uganda and others fled here. We have them here in camps,” he noted.
Kagame recalled different agreements that were signed to resolve the problem but ended to no avail until the fighting resumed. The latter is an addition to the presence of over 120 armed groups in Congo.
“How were the 120 groups formed? They are accusing us supporting M23 but who formed over 120 groups? I would suggest to people that they simply need to focus on what should be looked at. The root cause of what we have to deal with is clear. The agreements on how to resolve that were from 2012. How could they not have been implemented? It can’t be because of Rwanda,” he stated.
The Head of State also emphasized that Rwanda was not involved when the rebel group resumed fighting.
“This fighting that started a couple of years ago, had no involvement of Rwanda at all. May be, the ones who started it or wanted it to be there, designed it in such a way that they would blame it on Rwanda. And it’s simple to do that. You just have to distort history. They are saying these are people from Rwanda, meaning the M23 and people we are having here as refugees, who have been here for over 20 years are all called Rwandans. It’s like they are sending them back to where they came from the beginning,” he revealed.
Despite the situation, the President said that what is more interesting is that the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) are being retained. FDLR is a terrorist group formed by individuals responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
“FDLR is actually welcome in the eastern Congo. But the rest should go back to Rwanda. The reason why they retain FDLR is because they think they can build around it for so long. They have been trying to do that for a force that would come and destabilize Rwanda,” he stated.
Kagame emphasized that there is no reason that can push Rwanda to storm Congo’s territory or support M23.
On March 1, 2023, University of Kigali’s Board of Directors appointed Professor David Karungu Wang’ombe as Vice- Chancellor, while Prof. Felix Maringe was appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor – Academic on October 1, 2022.
Both are not new in the academic field since they have been working with various highly-esteemed academic institutions in the region, South Africa and the UK, which sums up their readiness for the job awaiting them at UoK.
Few days ahead of the 7th graduation ceremony due to take place at the Intare Conference Arena on 3rd March 2023, both members of the university’s management team spoke to IGIHE about their prospects.
For Prof. Wang’ombe, joining University of Kigali’s leadership was a dream fulfilled in his quest to take African education to the next level.
“I have had a chance to see the plans and vision of the University of Kigali, and that motivated me to consider the possibilities of working with this university. So, I was delighted when the Board of Directors appointed me as vice chancellor, and shared in my personal vision of developing the capacity of the youth attending the university,” he said.
In his new journey, Prof Wang’ombe will be focusing on what should be four pillars of modern university namely; excellence in teaching and learning, research by building new knowledge, community engagement and making a difference in the lives of people.
“Achieving that requires excellence in our organizations, excellence in our governance and high quality procedures that enable us to achieve those goals”, he added.
Once those foundations are laid, Prof. Wang’ombe believes that it will market the university in the international arena.
“It is my hope that we are able to carry sufficient international accreditation for all the pillars whether separately or together, so that we are recognized both internally and externally, as an institution that is committed to making a difference in the lives of people,” Prof. Wang’ombe said.
This will be an addition to existing programs that are already being implemented in University of Kigali, including allocating full scholarships to vulnerable students whose talents are remarkable.
“At this stage, I invite other institutions that would want to support students that are brilliant but cannot afford university education to come and join us in making this education available,” he appealed.
{{More than 1800 students are ready to graduate }}
On 3rd March 2023, the university will put more than 1,800 graduates on global markets in various fields such as Business Management, Economics, Education, Law, Computing and Information Technology, etc.
Prof. Maringe lauded the graduands, saying that they have been equipped with skills that are relevant to the global market.
“As our motto states, we prepare “labour for the future” and one of the things that characterizes our University is that all our students have to work hard to earn their grades, diplomas and degrees. That is a very important part of our training for the students and it has been held by employers as a great achievement. It is one of the things that we are very proud about,” he said.
Prof. Wangombe added that the graduands have been prepared for the world that is ahead of them.
“We have prepared these students to face the world that is ahead of them. They have not only passed the exams, but also have gone through the process of interaction, counseling, guiding them to know what life is all about, not just about the engagement in money-making exercises but being good citizens who can make a difference in the lives of people” he said.
The University of Kigali is one of the top-five universities in Rwanda. It is appreciated for its efforts in scaling up education, especially through research.
Having started operations in 2013, the university currently has two campuses; one in Kigali and the other in Musanze.
His dismissal was announced through a statement released by the Office of Prime Minister released on Wednesday 1st March 2023 which did not disclose details about alleged gross misconduct and indiscipline.
The 2020/2021 Auditor General’s report indicated that the school was mired by funds mismanagement issues including the purchase of sewing machines for Nyabihu TVET at higher prices above usual market prices.
Had the school bought the machines at normal price, it would have saved Rwf57.6 million. The latter is an addition to purchased sub-standard equipment whose price was not proportional to their value.
Other pointed out issues include the delayed construction of premises for Hospitality Management Institute- Kigali.
The project’s implementation was transferred from WDA to Rwanda Polytechnic in May 2021. It was initially expected to begin in 2016.
In April 2022, construction of the institute was ongoing where the government had already spent Rwf3.1 billion on it.
Equipment worth Rwf790 million used during the construction had been kept in store for 15 months raising fears that they would get damaged.
The suspect was arrested shortly after the rightful owner reported the alleged theft, said Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Sylvestre Twajamahoro, the Police spokesperson for the City of Kigali.
“The motorcycle TVS registration number RC 953T was stolen at about 9p.m, from Kagasa trading centre in Gahanga sector where it was parked.
The motorcycle was recovered shortly after the Police and Irondo personnel (local night security personnel) intervened, and the suspect arrested as he attempted to flee,” CIP Twajamahoro said.
He appealed to the public to always be quick to report any theft to facilitate swift response to recover what was stolen and to bring culprits to justice.
Article 166 of law determining offences and penalties in general states that; any person convicted of theft is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than one (1) year and not more than two (2) years and a fine of not less than Frw1 million and not more than Frw2 million, community service in a period of six (6) months or only one of these penalties.
In article 167, the penalty for theft doubles if the offender committed the crime through burglary, climbing or possession of keys other than the owner; the theft is carried out during the night or the theft is carried out by more than one (1) person.
Amb. Nkulikiyimfura made the call on 28th February 2023 as he interacted with ten Rwandan entrepreneurs participating in the trade show.
Rwanda is participating in the trade fair for the second time and received an award known as ‘Trophée des agricultures du monde’.
Amb. Nkulikiyimfura told them that investors need to expend much effort in exhibitions and bring their products in large quantities to meet the demand of diverse clientele.
Speaking to IGIHE, Amb. Nkulikiyimfura disclosed that the embassy is delighted with Rwanda’s participation noting that Rwandan companies made sales in large quantities, which gives optimism for an expanded market.
“You are showcasing today but this market will need your products in the future. France has a large market promising to help investors win clientele of the entire European market,” he noted.
“They have to make possible effort because their products gained popularity. The remaining thing is to increase the supply of products because they meet standards,” added Amb. Nkulikiyimfura.
He commended the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) for tireless efforts to market Rwanda’s visibility and promote the country’s brands at different exhibitions.
Products being showcased in Paris include coffee, avocadoes, honey, French beans, chili and vegetables of different varieties among others.
One of Rwandans participating in the exhibition, Nadege Uwamahoro representing coffee processing company dubbed Brampire Ltd, said that her participation is of great significance because she learnt a lot of best practices that will help her business to thrive.
“I got chance to interact with entrepreneurs from different countries involved in the same business and learnt from their innovations. It was an amazing experience to share each other’s expertise,” she disclosed.
Uwamahoro explained that the sharing of expertise is an addition to interactions with customers in the country where they were taken through market conditions and tipped on needed efforts to upgrade Rwanda’s market to the international level.
The Paris International Agricultural Show will run for eight days from 25th February to 5th March 2023.
The trade fair attracts players from the agriculture sector across the world to showcase their products and share expertise.
Other Rwandans participating in the trade show include Guershom Niyondorera from Aubin Produce International, Maggie Kagimbanyi Uwimbabazi representing COOPAC Ltd, Latifah Umugwaneza from High and Lum, Solange Murekezi Geantox, Uwingabiye from Aux Délices Honey Ltd, Ritha Umutoni from CGB ltd/Raphi coffee and zulaih Gatera representing zatoms.
