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  • Rwanda makes more reforms to ease doing business

    Rwanda has introduced new business reforms to make company start-ups and cross border trade easier as it strives to be among the world’s top 30 places to do business by 2017, Clare Akamanzi, chief operating officer of Rwanda’s Development Board announced this week.

    Akamanzi said the new reforms were meant to make it easier for businesses to start, deal with construction permits, register property and trade across borders.

    “We have introduced free online registration and reduced registration fees from 25,000 to 15,000 francs. We have also eliminated certain requirements like the notarising of sale agreement,” Akamanzi told Reuters.

    The World Bank’s 2011 Doing Business report ranked Rwanda the second most pro-business reformer globally, and 58th in terms of ease of doing business, up from 70th a year earlier.

  • Rwandan genocide: Finnish appeal to be heard in Rwanda, Zambia

    The Helsinki Court of Appeal is to travel to Rwanda and Zambia
    to hear witnesses in the appeal of a man convicted of involvement in the Rwanda
    genocide. Francois Bazaramba, a Rwandan-born Finnish citizen, was sentenced last
    summer to life in prison for mass murder.

    The court plans to be in session in Rwanda for 18 days in September and October
    to hear testimony from 39 prosecution witnesses. The court also hopes to visit
    places where killings took place.

    The court will also go to Zambia in October to hear testimony from 15 defence
    witnesses. Most of the witnesses live in Zambia and other countries in the
    region.

    The arrangement still requires the approval of the Rwandan and Zambian
    governments.

    The defendant will follow the events via video link from Finland, as was done
    in the first trial.

    The case is being handled in Finland because the Ministry of Justice refused to
    extradite Bazaramba to Rwanda for fear that he might not get a fair trial
    there.

    The
    lower court found that Bazaramba, a resident of Porvoo, had led attacks against
    Tutsis in the south of Rwanda in 1994 and gave orders that led to their deaths.

    Bazaramba
    sought asylum in Finland, in 2003.

    He was
    convicted on two charges ; intent to destroy the Tutsi population in Maraba, and
    spreading malicious propaganda calling for their extermination, crimes for
    which he was handed a life sentence.

    He is
    said to have masterminded the killing of over 5,000 people in Nyakizu, Southern
    Province.

    Bazaramba
    allegedly organised and maintained night patrols and road blocks, forcing the
    Tutsi to leave their homes. He organised the setting on fire and destruction of
    their homes and property.

  • Tigo Rwanda launches mobile money payment service

    Tigo Rwanda, a telecom brand owned by Millicom Cellular International (MIC), recently inaugurated its mobile money services in Rwanda, targeted at subscribers with limited or no access to banking services.

    Tigo Rwanda is the second mobile company to launch such a service after its major competitor MTN Rwanda launched its mobile money product last year.

    Tigo has similar services in Ghana and Tanzania.

    Rwanda’s rural areas have limited access to financial services, with the central bank saying only 1.7 million deposit accounts had been registered by December 2010 out of a population of 9 million.

    With about 3.3 million mobile subscribers shared between MTN and Tigo as of January this year, Rwandan mobile users can utilise the technology to deposit and withdraw money and can pay electricity bills and school fees via text messages.

    “Tigo Cash is basically a wallet on your mobile phone. You don’t have to have a bank account,” said Tom Gutjahr, Tigo Rwanda’s chief executive. To sign up for the service is free but one has to be above 18 years and a Tigo subscriber with a valid identity card.

    Non Tigo subscribers will not be able to register for the service but can receive cash on their network from a Tigo Cash registered peson in any part of the country any time any day.

    “If you are not a “Tigo Cash” user, you will still be able to receive money from other Tigo Cash users,” the CEO said.

    Licensed to operate in Rwanda two years ago, MCL said Tigo Cash can send between $1 and $550.

    John Sebabi, head of payment systems at Rwanda’s central bank, said the new service would deepen financial services.

    “If the number of mobile phone exceeds that of bank accounts, then access to financial services is growing which is line with our objectives of increasing access to such services,” he said.

    The Product Manager, Tongai Maramba announced that Banque Commerciale du Rwanda (BCR) would be the host of the Tigo Cash trust account.

     

  • Interview with award winning Rwandan filmmaker Gahizi Ganza

    Rwandan filmmaker Dieu Donne Gahizi Ganza won the BIOMOVIE award which is organised annually in London by United Kingdom’s TV1 and based on environmental themes. The third born in a family of five, Ganza, 26, spared time from his busy schedule to talk to our entertainment writer Diana Mutimura. Below are the excerpts.

    Diana : Tell us much about your award ?

    Ganza : At first, I was not confident that I would win since for the last 26 years, the award has been won by foreign film producers. But at the back of my mind, I knew that my work was worth it, I’m really overwhelmed to have put my country (Rwanda) and Africa at large on the world map and I intend to sustain the success. 

     A lot of people must be wondering how you climbed all the way up to even compete with renowned filmmakers. Can you share with us the secret or is it that you have long experience in the industry ?

    I started my career four years ago after taking a six month course in Kenya and so far, I’ve worked with Jean Claude Uwiringiyimana, a renowned local film producer. I must say that hard work matters a lot, yet creativity is also important for a successful film.

     This is interesting. You are only four years in the profession ; yet you emerge a winner at a global competition. What encouraged you take part in the competition which has in the past disregarded African filmmakers ?

    I understand your concern but as I had said earlier, hard-work and creativity are the two most important things for one to thrive in the industry. It is due to this attitude that one of my two films ‘One Day of the Blind Student’ emerged the best in last year’s film festival held at the National University of Rwanda (NUR). This film brought me to the limelight and I started to interact with renowned film producers who have been taking part in the award. Ezeyi was among the filmmakers who effortlessly persuaded me to apply for the BIOMOVIE award. 

     Wow, it seems your work has been yielding success all along. So tell us more about your award winning film which has been recognised for promoting authentic Rwandan practices ?

    Creativity matters a lot, look at the title of the film, for instance, Change I Mean It. I had to find a unique aspect that was relevant to the competition’s theme which was environmental conservation and Umuganda ( a monthly communal cleaning) was my favourite since it involves every citizen in cleaning their neighbourhoods as well as planting more trees. At some point, I wished that the same practice should be replicated in other countries too, because if we want to save the world from global warming, we should double our efforts to change the situation.

     What would be your advice to upcoming filmmakers ?

    I would like to encourage my fellow producers to always aim higher and they shouldn’t be discouraged by the so called international awards or even big film festivals. I urge them to always take part in the competitions and strive to show their work to the world.

     I imagine entering the competition might have cost you a fortune given the poor returns from films in Rwanda.

    What you say is true. The film industry has not yet grown to make us millionaires like our colleagues in the neighbouring countries. I should really thank my sponsors including the National Youth Council which intervened and paid both my air ticket and accommodation in the UK after Nokia pulled out. I also can’t end without thanking the Minister of Lands and Environment together with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) who facilitated in shooting the award winning film. Surf Survivors, an association of genocide led orphans also supported me financially. I also thank all those who voted for my film especially Rwandans in the Diaspora. 

     

  • Rwanda ex-paramilitary chief jailed for genocide

    The UN court for Rwanda handed a 30-year prison sentence to former army chief Augustin Bizimungu for his role in the 1994 genocide in which around 800,000 people were killed.

    The court on Tuesday also convicted Augustin Ndindiliyimana, the former head of the paramilitary police, of genocide crimes but ordered his release as he had already spent 11 years behind bars since his arrest.

    The court ruled that while Bizimungu had complete control over the men he commanded, Ndindiliyimana had only “limited control” over his men after the start of the massacres on April 6, 1994 and was opposed to the killing.

    Two senior officers tried alongside the generals were also sentenced on Tuesday.

    Major Francois-Xavier Nzuwonemeye, the former commander of the reconnaissance battalion, was handed 20 years in jail for killing as a crime against humanity and murder as a war crime.

    His subordinate, captain Innocent Sagahutu, was also sentenced to 20 years.

    Bizimungu and Ndindiliyimana are two of the most senior figures to be tried by the Tanzania-based International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in connection with the genocide.

    Ndindiliyimana was arrested in January 2000 in Belgium and Nzuwonemeye the following month in France. Sagahutu was detained in Denmark and Bizimungu in 2002 in Angola.

    The case had been effectively adjourned since June 2009 when prosecutors requested life sentences for all four defendants while their defence lawyers asked for their acquittal.

    The long-running case is known as the Military II trial.

    In the Military I trial, Colonel Theoneste Bagosora, presented by the prosecutor as the brains behind the genocide, was sentenced to life in prison in December 2008, along with two other senior military figures.

    Bagosora appealed and the hearing ran from March 30 to April 1, but the appeal verdict has yet to be handed down.

  • Belgian mayor extols Rwanda’s achievements in reconciliation

    A Belgian mayor has lauded the country’s unity and reconciliation efforts since the 1994 genocide.

    Rik Soens, the Waregem District Mayor made the remarks, Sunday, May 15, when he led a delegation from his district to pay tribute to the victims of the 1994 genocide against Tutsi at the Kigali Genocide Memorial site, Gisozi.

    Soens expressed shock and disappointment by the events of the 1994 genocide. “I am shocked and disappointed by the massive killings that took place in Rwanda. This is beyond human nature,” Soens regretted.

    Soens observed that the unity and reconciliation in Rwanda would bring about sustainable development.

    A member of the delegation, Rita Kestier, said that the memorial site not only exhibits massive inhuman acts that occurred in Rwanda in 1994, but also demonstrates that Rwandans are rebuilding their nation and striving for a better future.

    The delegation was in the country as part of a partnership between Waregem District in Belgium with Gatsibo District of the Eastern province.

    The cooperation that began in 1987 and is intended to promote professionalism in different sectors between the two districts especially education.

  • Two Britons to cycle to Rwanda to raise funds

    Two Briton’s Pete White, 31, and Pete Goodwin, 28, will travel approximately 6,000 miles and through 12 countries in just 70 days by bike from the United Kingdom to Rwanda to raise thousands of pounds in sponsorship to make a difference to youngsters in the country.

     The two will start the ‘Cycle to Rwanda’ trek in May 2012 from West Suffolk Athletics Arena, Bury St Edmunds Leisure Centre, Suffolk, and ending in Kigali.

     The Arena has been chosen to host the Rwandan Olympic and Paralympic teams Pre-Games Training Camp as they prepare for London 2012.

    The two aim to arrive in Kigali, Rwanda, in time to accompany the Rwandan Olympic team on their journey to Bury St Edmunds.

     The Cycle to Rwanda challenge is part of the ‘Sport For Rwanda’ fundraising appeal which aims to raise £80,000 by 2012 to provide 140 schools in the country sports equipment and training materials to introduce sport to the Rwandan educational curriculum, through charity Rwandan Aid. ‘Sport For Rwanda’ was set up by the St Edmundsbury Olympic Steering Group as part of its Go Rwanda project to build a lasting legacy with Rwanda. Godwin and White are both working with the registered UK-based charity group Rwanda Aid on this project as well as sports for Rwanda and other organisations.

    The trek will take them from Bury St Edmunds to Harwich where they will cross by boat to the Hook of Holland. From there they will cycle the 700 miles through France to Marseille, taking a total of six days. They will travel from Marseille by ferry to Tunisia’s ferry port and then cycle 1,750 miles in 18 days through Tunisia and Libya to Cairo in Egypt. From Cairo they will journey 1895 miles in 18 days across Egypt and Sudan to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. The final leg of their journey will take 16 days and 1,605 miles from Ethiopia through Kenya and Uganda to Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.

    White was quoted as saying that he wants to cycle to Rwanda for various reasons such as broadening his horizons of the African continent and experience its beauty first hand but most important is that he wants to make a difference.

     Pete Godwin said he was doing this “because I have always grown up with easy access to sports equipment professional training whereas many of the young people of Rwanda don’t have that luxury in the world of sport. ” He added that he wants to try to create real life actions that symbolise the true meaning of “Everyone’s Games. ”

     

  • We need innovative citizens- Kagame tells varsity students

    President Paul Kagame has said that low financial capacity should not retard innovative ideas among students, adding that the problem is lack of proper entrepreneurial and developmental skills that matches with the modern society.

    The Head of State made the comments yesterday while addressing over 12,000 students and staff of the National University of Rwanda (NUR) at the university stadium in Huye District, Southern Province.

    Shortly before addressing the NUR community, President Kagame, officially opened a state-of-the-art ICT laboratory at the University constructed with the support of the Republic of Korea.

    Addressing the students, President Kagame said that he was pleased to discuss the role of higher education and its importance to the nation, particularly the contribution of the university community in the transformation of the Rwandan society. He further asked students to work hard since nothing is easy in life.

    “Nothing can easily come without working and sweating for it,” he challenged NUR students and staff.

    Kagame called upon the students to be innovative and self reliant and capitalise on the newly established ICT laboratory to achieve new and constructive ideas that would help the nation attain sustainable development.

    He urged the students to be job creators as the youth of 21st century observing that they should not rely only on their lecturers’ notes ; but should instead engage deeper into research.

    The President assured them that the government was behind them adding that it would work closely with the university to meet various challenges. The president said the government considers education as one of the main pillars of development and will continue to invest heavily in the sector.

    The Rector of NUR, Prof Silas Lwakabamba, said that the newly inaugurated ICT school would be important in offering ICT courses, adding that it represents a large and Important new resource for staff and students at NUR.

    He noted that the structure has 11 laboratories with 400 computers and is the best of its kind in Africa. The facility was equipped at a cost of US$4.7m with the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) donating US$4m.

    Prof. Lwakabamba commended the Korean government for the continued support, and added that more projects were yet to come, to expand the University infrastructure much needed.

    Prior to his speech, the Head of State had listened to the University’s Guild President Hildebrande Niyomungeri read out the challenges the students at the national university face.

    Niyomungeri thanked the president for the visit and further commended the head of state for boosting the bursary for Students Financing Agency of Rwanda (SFAR) sponsored students by 70 percent.

  • UNICEF welcomes Rwanda’s campaign to eliminate HIV transmission from mother to child

    UNICEF
    has welcomed the announcement of a national campaign to eliminate the vertical
    transmission of HIV from mother to child in Rwanda and confirmed its commitment
    to support the government in ensuring that all women in need will be reached
    with a new, more efficacious HIV regimen by 2015.


    The campaign was launched on Thursday last week by Rwanda’s First Lady, Mrs.
    Jeannette Kagame, in the presence of the Minister of Health and other
    government officials, UNICEF’s Regional Director for Eastern and South Africa,
    Elhadj As Sy, representatives of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS
    Relief (PEPFAR) and other bilateral partners as well as the President of the
    Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

    UNICEF
    is co-championing the call for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission
    of HIV by 2015. UNICEF Regional Director As Sy said he was confident that
    Rwanda can meet its goal of reducing the transmission rate among children born
    to women living with HIV to less than 2 per cent. “In order to achieve this
    goal, we have to make sure that all pregnant women with HIV can participate in
    prevention programmes, including adolescent girls and those living in remote
    areas. UNICEF stands ready to support the government in identifying the gaps in
    access and in removing bottlenecks that prevent women from making use of the
    existing life-saving services.” 

    As
    part of the elimination campaign, Rwanda plans to ensure that all HIV positive
    women receive the most efficacious ARV regimens through expanded coverage of
    quality services. Furthermore, the government wants to make sure that pregnant
    women access health services earlier, that HIV incidence among women of
    reproductive age is reduced, that comprehensive knowledge on HIV prevention is
    increased and that all women have access to family planning. Rwanda has a birth
    rate of 2.8 per cent with a fertility rate of 5.3 per cent. It is also
    Africa’s most densely populated country.

    The
    campaign will strengthen the links between MCH and HIV programmes and further
    enhance the already high involvement of male partners in prevention and testing
    programmes. 

    Although
    Rwanda has one of the lowest HIV prevalence rates amongst pregnant women in
    Eastern and Southern Africa – currently standing at a national average of 4.3
    per cent – rates in the capital Kigali are much higher (between 16 and 34
    per cent).

    More
    than 20,000 children below the age of 15 live with HIV in Rwanda. Over 90 per
    cent have been infected through vertical transmission. HIV positive women
    can transmit HIV to their children during pregnancy, delivery or breastfeeding.
    Without intervention, the risk of transmission is more than 30 per cent.

    The
    Government of Rwanda, through the support of international partners, including
    UNICEF, has been able to significantly increase the provision of PMTCT
    services. 

  • RwandAir adds Libreville to its growing network

    RwandAir the national carrier of Rwanda today launched flights from Kigali to Libreville the capital city of the West Central African republic of Gabon. The three weekly flights have been designed to operate a triangular schedule between Kigali, Libreville and Brazzaville with full right to ferry passengers between Libreville and Brazzaville.

    Making this announcement at a colourful ceremony hosted by the Gabon Ministry of Transport in Libreville , RwandAir CEO John Mirenge affirmed the airlines’ commitment to linking Central and West African cities with East Africa. “Earlier this year we launched flights to Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo, but that was not the end of it, we were just finalizing arrangements for Libreville which we are now proud to launch,” said Mr Mirenge. He further added that the memorandum of understanding for bilateral air services agreement signed between the representatives of governments of Rwanda and Gabon will allow the carriers of both countries fifth freedom rights. Kigali – Libreville flights will operate three times a week on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

    Libreville, located on the west coast of Africa along the banks of Komo River and overlooking the Atlantic Ocean becomes the fourth port city for RwandAir after Mombasa, Dar es Salaam and Dubai. The Brazzaville route was launched March this year and is expected to get a major boost from the planned triangular operation.

    RwandAir makes Libreville its second new destination this year with another  domestic destination, Gisenyi, set to launch May 31, 2011.

    The airline will later this year take delivery of two Boeing 737- 800 from Boeing Commercial Airplanes. These aircraft become the first on the continent to be fitted with the Boeing “Sky Interior”.