RwandAir was ranked first out of ten other African airlines all contending for the top spot.
The carrier’s staff – both on the ground and in the air – were praised by airline customers for their excellent service.
The African carrier also won the award for ‘Best Cabin Crew in Africa’ and ‘Best Airline Cabin Cleanliness in Africa’, completing the trio.
Commenting on the development on 24th September 2022, RwandAir CEO, Yvonne Makolo, said that it induces pride to have the airline’s staff recognized for their dedication by Skytrax.
“We are delighted to know that our customers choose to fly with us and distinguish the level of quality of our service,” she noted.
The World Airline Awards began in 1999 when Skytrax launched its first global, annual airline customer satisfaction survey. They are referred to as the Oscars of the aviation industry.
Based in Kigali, RwandAir is one of Africa’s most ambitious airlines with a reputation for delivering a premium service to all its customers.
RwandAir currently operates to 28 destinations across 22 countries throughout Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
{{About RwandAir}}
Operating from Kigali, RwandAir is one of the world’s fastest-growing airlines and operates one of the youngest state-of-the-art fleets on the African continent. With a reputation for delivering a premium service to all its customers, RwandAir operates 12 aircraft with an average age of just under six years. The airline currently offers services to 28 destinations across 22 countries throughout Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
The photo followed another one showing both countries’ First Ladies exchanging greetings in a friendly atmosphere.
However, the speech delivered by Tshisekedi at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday this week pointing at Rwanda as the origin of his country’s instability that existed for long and requesting the international community to take action reignited confusion among some people.
It was followed by the speech by President Kagame on Wednesday who stressed that blame games will not solve the problems highlighting that political will is much needed to address the root causes of instability in eastern DRC.
Later on, French President released a statement announcing that the three heads of state met in New York on the sidelines of the 77th UN General Assembly.
President Kagame and Tshisekedi were invited by Macron for discussions with a view to calm tensions between both countries.
The tensions rose early this year following the resurgence of M23 rebel group which resumed attacks requesting the Congolese government to implement peace accords that did not materialize.
A statement released by France indicated that Kagame and Tshisekedi expressed concerns over the resurgence of violence in eastern DRC.
France said that Kagame and Tshisekedi agreed on the need for the pullout of M23 rebels which has currently seized different areas, put an end to activities of armed groups in the Great Lakes region, including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), going hand in hand with the Nairobi Peace process and the mediation of Angola in collaboration with the African Union.
{{Intentions}}
Since he was installed French President in 2017, Emmanuel Macron has shown interest in peace and security with a focus on restoring the country’s image tarnished by its disputed reactions in problems that the world has been facing for over 100 years.
International analysts consider Macron as one of influential leaders in Europe after Angel Merkel left German chancellery.
Having Macron as a mediator is nothing of extraordinary as France is currently chairing the UN Security Council in September.
It goes with the active involvement of Macron in handling different problems facing the world where he attempted to mediate the tension between Russia and Ukraine.
A journalist and analyst, Tite Gatanazi has observed that France already enjoys cordial relations with Rwanda at the regime of Macron where serving as a mediator on the issue is something of critical significance.
Gatabazi also highlighted that France is a country with global influence that it would be easier for DRC to respect its mediation efforts.
“Tshisekedi would be lucky to have Macron getting him out of his labyrinth. Secondly, France is a powerful country whether you accept or not and has strong connections with USA. It is an influential country in the European Union and other international organizations like the World Bank, Francophonie, International Monetary Fund [IMF] and UN agencies,” he said.
France has for long been blamed by African countries over continuing to exercise colonial policy especially in its former colonies in West and Central Africa.
Macron came with new policies to admit mistakes committed by his country like its responsibility during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. He has also shown that there are other avenues for collaboration between France and Africa where companies from the European country can be given floor to contribute to Africa’s development.
Gatabazi says that France has already identified potential development opportunities in East Africa in the near future where building strong connections with countries in the region would be an ideal approach.
“France strongly wants to bridge the gap resulting from a negative reputation associated with the Genocide to forge development partnerships,” he noted.
France last enjoyed cordial relations with Congo at the regime of Mobutu Sese Seko.
After leaving power, the leadership of Kabila and his son, Joseph Kabila seem to have turned backs against Europeans and focused on deepening ties with countries in eastern part of the world.
As Felix Tshisekedi was installed, it served as an opportunity for France to approach Congo given that the current president understands well Europe where he spent many days of his life in Brussels.
Ten months after Tshisekedi took power (towards the end of 2019), France committed to strengthening relations with DRC especially in the area of security to fight armed groups.
A political analyst, Albert Rudatsimburwa has observed that France’s gesture in New York was just to calm down the wrath of Tshisekedi.
“French people have many problems that DRC issues cannot sidetrack their attention. For the time being, the major problem is in Europe. Putin cut the supply […] Congo is not on their agenda,” he said.
The statement released after the tripartite meeting does neither indicate that France replaced Angola nor Kenya but supports their mediation efforts and call for speedy implementation.
For Rudatsimburwa, the mediation of Macron on Rwanda, DRC tensions bore no fruits.
“There is no mediation. It is just about taking pictures. Tshisekedi was crying loud to be heard. In fact, there is no new development. It is a time to cool down the wrath,” he said.
“Nothing is expected to change because there are no specific commitments on each concerned side. Do you think Rwanda can accept to call Makenga over the phone and propose the withdrawal? Does the country command the rebel group [M23]?” wondered Rudatsimburwa.
He underscored that the solution will come out of Nairobi process requesting DRC to engage with armed groups and particularly respecting peace accords signed with M23 in 2013 that have not yet been implemented.
France has been supporting dialogues to solve the issue of instability in DRC but the latter has been boycotting any engagements, particularly with M23.
David Bonderman,79, is among tycoons in the USA whose net worth is estimated at $6.5 billion, according to Forbes.
He has invested in diverse businesses including TPG Capital, Boston Celtics Basketball Team and Seattle Kraken, a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle.
President Kagame held talks with the businessman on Friday 23rd September 2022 in the United States.
Their discussions on investment opportunities in Rwanda were also attended by the CEO of Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Clare Akamanzi and Francis Gatare, Senior Economic Advisor to the President.
In 2015, David Bonderman announced a plan to invest in Africa through TPG Capital in which he owns shares.
He would partner with Sudanese businessman, Mo Ibrahim to run the investment on the African continent.
Apart from being a businessman, David Bonderman is also a philanthropist running different biodiversity conservation projects in Africa.
Through Wildcat Foundation, he has massively contributed to the fight against poachers killing elephants and rhinos to sell their tusks.
“Happy to announce that I will be visiting my uncle, H.E. @PaulKagame, soon to get more tips on cattle keeping. Look forward to meeting with more friends in Kigali. God bless Uganda and Rwanda!” he tweeted on Friday 23rd September 2022.
Lt Gen Muhoozi was last in Rwanda in March 2022 for a three-day visit that was concluded with a donation of Inyambo cows from President Kagame.
The visit aimed at mending bilateral ties between the two neighbouring countries that had deteriorated since 2017.
Muhoozi later revealed that Kagame gifted him ten cows.
On the first day of his visit to Rwanda on Monday 14th March 2022, Lt Gen Muhoozi was received by Chargé d’Affaires at Uganda’s Embassy in Kigali, Anne Katusiime along with senior officers from the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) upon arrival at Kigali International Airport.
He was received by President Paul Kagame on the same day. On the second day, Lt Gen Muhoozi visited Kigali Genocide Memorial where he paid homage to victims of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi laid there and other facilities including Kigali Arena.
In Rwandan culture, cows represent a very significant symbol of friendship and are considered part of the best wealth a person can ever possess.
Cows were the only token that would be given for dowry or as a present to a friend in Rwanda. Even today, a cow is still considered the best present one can ever give a beloved one. Be it a wedding, graduation or a birthday party, cow giving makes the occasion more colourful and real.
It was not the first time Kagame was giving cows to the family of Museveni.
On 31st July 2011, President Kagame gave cows to his counterpart of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni who was on a visit to Rwanda.
At the time, Museveni was joining Rwanda for a community work to build a school for Nine Year Basic Education in Kanombe. Museveni pledged a contribution worth US$300,000 for completion of the school.
Towards the end of the same year, President Paul Kagame who was in Uganda was given 20 cows by Museveni.
This year’s donation of cows to Lt Gen Muhoozi is a great symbol evidencing that efforts to restore bilateral ties to normal are yielding good results.
Rwanda, Uganda relations worsened since 2017 where Rwanda expressed concerns over Rwandans who travel to Uganda for business purposes but are abducted, imprisoned and tortured accused of being spies.
Rwanda also accused Uganda of hosting dissidents posing threat to national security.
In 2019, the Government of Rwanda closed Gatuna border and officially advised citizens against travelling to Uganda for their security following testimonies of over 1000 Rwandans tortured and deported from Uganda.
In August 2019, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame signed a memorandum of understanding ‘Luanda Agreement’ in a bid to solve conflicts between both countries.
Negotiations did not yield expected results until efforts to mend Rwanda and Uganda relations took shape in February this year following the visits of Lt Gen Muhoozi.
Since he was involved in the process to restore relations to normal, Lt Gen Muhoozi has been warning Rwanda’s dissidents that they have no place in Uganda. He revealed that no official fighting Rwanda would retain job in Uganda.
Lt Gen Muhoozi also echoed similar message in February this year where he warned Rwanda’s dissident Kayumba Nyamwasa against using his country to threaten the neighbouring country’s security.
His first visit to Rwanda was on 22nd January 2022, a move that was followed by the reopening of Gatuna border.
Later on, Rwanda reopened all land borders on 7th March 2022.
Lt Gen Muhoozi visited Rwanda for the second time on 14th March 2022 where he held talks with President Kagame on pending issues affecting bilateral relations.
On the occasion of his birthday celebration in April this year, Lt Gen Muhoozi said that both countries currently have good relations with optimism that the situation would improve further in the future.
According to the Ministry of Health in Uganda, a person infected with Ebola was detected in Mubende District on 19th September 202 and succumbed to the virus.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Ngamije Daniel has through a statement released on Thursday 22nd September said that the health authorities continue to work with other institutions to monitor the spread of the epidemic in neighbouring countries.
“We are closely working with other institutions to monitor the spread of the epidemic in neighbouring countries , especially in Uganda where a case of Ebola Virus was confirmed in Mubende District. Both the Ministries of Health in Rwanda and Uganda are working together to strengthen prevention measures at the land borders, at the airport and internally as well,” said Minister Ngamije.
The Ministry of Health has reminded Rwandans that Ebola is preventable when one abides by hygiene standards and avoids unnecessary visits and contacts with people who have traveled to areas affected by the Ebola outbreak.
Ebola symptoms includes fever, headache, joint pain, soar throat, fatigue, diarrhea, regular vomiting several times, stomachache and bleeding through different body parts.
The Ministry of Health has put in place precautions for people to strengthen their protection, including avoiding unnecessary travels to areas where the Ebola outbreak has been reported.
Rwandans are also prohibited from receiving individuals coming from the areas that have confirmed Ebola outbreak and urged report suspected Ebola cases.
A traveler from Ebola affected is requested to undergo temperature screening.
The Ministry has also asked people to immediately inform the Rwanda National Police on the toll-free number 112, nearest authorities or the health workers or via the Ministry of Health’s toll free number 114.
The general public has been also advised to avoid contacts with blood, body fluids, items that may have come in contact with an infected person’s blood or body fluids; avoid contact with the body of an Ebola victim or dead wild animal or eating its meat; always wash hands with soap and clean water and seek medical care whenever they do not feel well.
The Head of State is in the New York, United States of America (USA) for the 77th United Nations General Assembly.
Before assuming duties as the Administrator of USAID, Samantha Power served as the 28th US Ambassador to the United Nations.
USAID provides funding to Rwanda’s agriculture and health among other sectors.
In 2021, Rwanda was the 21st African country that received large funding from the agency which stood at US$132,847,206 (over Rwf140 billion) while the country had received US$137,601,458 (Rwf146 billion) in the previous year.
In 2019, USAID supported Rwanda with US$167,252,235 (0ver Rwf177 billion) up from US$112,298,347 (almost Rwf120 billion) of 2018.
Lat year, a large portion of the funding from USAID to Rwanda (US$75 million) was allocated to the health sector.
Of them, US$31 million was allocated for primary healthcare while US$16 million was utilized to address maternal and child health needs as well as family planning.
A total of US$21 million were injected in anti-HIV/AIDS program while US$6.9 million was allocated to water distribution, hygiene and sanitation programs.
Among others, USAID supported Rwanda with US$16$ million to promote agriculture, US$8.3 million for emergency management, US$6.9 million to promote good governance and US$3.9 million to promote economic activities.
The agency’s funding to Rwanda continued in the areas of health and education among others.
The meeting held in New York and chaired by the United States President Joe Biden, was aimed at raising funds for health care efforts in the fight against diseases including AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
The goal was to collect $18 billion but only $14.25 billion has been collected. Nonetheless, there are countries that have not yet contributed, including Italy and the United Kingdom.
In addition to Rwanda’s contribution of $3.25 million, the United States of America has pledged to contribute ⅓ of the Global Fund’s budget. Initially, the country provided $2 billion out of its $6 billion pledge.
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, said that his country will contribute $1.6 billion dollars, an addition to the 300 million Euros that his country pledged recently.
Germany committed to giving $3 billion while Canada pledged $1.21 billion. Many countries around the world have pledged to increase their contribution by 30%. These include Belgium, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Spain.
The European Union has also announced that it will increase its funding by 30%, pledging 750 million Euros to help the world’s health sector.
African countries that increased their contribution by 30% include Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda.
The contributions will be allocated to health programs including the fight against AIDS.
Statistics from The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), show that the number of people infected with AIDS increased by 1.5 million last year.
Meanwhile, tuberculosis cases also increased, with 1.5 million deaths in 2020 alone, which is the highest number in more than 10 years. Malaria-related deaths have decreased by 47% between 2002 and 2020.
President Kagame and Prime Minister Amor Mottley last met in April 2022 during his visit to Barbados.
Rwanda’s Presidency has revealed that President Kagame held talks with Mia Amor Mottley on Wednesday 21st September 2022.
Discussions were also attended by Holm Keller, the Chairman of kENUP Foundation; Prof Senait Fisseha, a health expert and board member of the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE).
kENUP is a global non-profit public foundation supporting research-based innovation in the wider health industries for societal benefit.
Rwanda and Senegal are among the first African countries selected to host vaccine manufacturing facilities.
Rwanda has been undergoing preparatory phases to start producing vaccines for different diseases locally.
On 23rd June 2022, President Kagame laid the foundation stone for the construction of a vaccine manufacturing plant in Kigali Special Economic Zone located in Masoro of Gasabo District.
At the time, the CEO of BioNTech, Prof Uğur Şahin revealed that they want to enter first clinical trial of Malaria and Tuberculosis vaccines by the end of this year and beginning next year.
Africa seeks to manufacture 60% of needed vaccines in 20 years from the current 1 percent.
Kagame was delivering remarks at the 77th United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday 21st September 2022.
The President of DRC, Felix Tshisekedi who also attended the assembly accused Rwanda of being behind M23 rebel group which is pointed out as the main security threat in the country despite the presence of more than 130 armed groups.
President Kagame said that the world is in a state of turbulence, with intersecting crises growing in scale and severity, including climate change, food price inflation, conflict, and uncontrolled migration.
“These challenges all require multilateral cooperation and efforts. Yet the perception, that the international system is no longer up to the task, has only deepened, particularly where the interests of powerful members are at stake,” he said.
The Head of State also talked about security problems in eastern DRC highlighting that the current situation is not different from what happened 20 years ago when the largest and most expensive United Nations peacekeeping mission was first deployed.
“This has exposed neighbouring states, notably Rwanda, to cross-border attacks that are entirely preventable. There is an urgent need to find the political will to finally address the root causes of instability in eastern DRC. The blame game does not solve the problems. These challenges are not insurmountable, and solutions can be found. This would ultimately be much less costly in terms of both money and human lives,” he said.
As regional troops resolved to deploy troops to fight armed groups in DRC, Tanzania refused to send its troops. Meanwhile, DRC boycotted Rwandan troops from participating in joint regional operations.
Speaking at UN General Assembly, Kagame also pointed out examples demonstrating how cooperation can help countries address problems facing them.
In the area of peacebuilding and counterterrorism, the President underscored that regional initiatives can complement the important work of the United Nations.
Kagame pointed out examples where regional or bilateral initiatives have been proven to make a big difference, whether in the Central African Republic, or the successful engagement to contain violent extremism in northern Mozambique conducted by Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community.
“If this approach was tried properly in DRC, as proposed by the Nairobi Process, it would make a difference. However, to be sustainable, such efforts require consistent financial support from the international community. A lot is at stake, and time is not on our side,” he affirmed.
“We cannot anticipate or prevent every crisis. But we can be better prepared to react quickly and effectively when needed, especially if we work together,” he added.
These challenges all require multilateral cooperation and efforts. Yet the perception, that the international system is no longer up to the task, has only deepened, particularly where the interests of powerful members are at stake.
In the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, recent setbacks have served to highlight that the security situation is fundamentally no different than it was 20 years ago, when the largest and most expensive United Nations peacekeeping mission was first deployed. This has exposed neighbouring states, notably Rwanda, to cross-border attacks that are entirely preventable.
There is an urgent need to find the political will to finally address the root causes of instability in eastern DRC. The blame game does not solve the problems. These challenges are not insurmountable, and solutions can be found. This would ultimately be much less costly in terms of both money and human lives.
Despite shortcomings, there are examples to demonstrate that international cooperation can successfully address the issues that matter to all of us.
Global health is a case in point.
The Global Fund to Fight HIV, Tuberculosis, and Malaria has helped save countless lives in Africa and beyond, while also strengthening health systems. I hope that all countries will respond strongly, and sustain their commitments, at the 7th Global Fund replenishment session chaired by President Biden later today.
Africa is doing its part but must do more. For sustainability, external funding must go hand-in-hand with increased domestic financing for health. This is a priority which the African Union is tracking on an annual basis, and which I am honoured to lead on behalf of the organisation.
We are also working with partners to bring end-to-end vaccine manufacturing to our continent, notably through collaboration with BioNTech, and strong support from the European Union. This is critical to increase Africa’s resilience against future pandemics.
I commend the Secretary-General for convening the Transforming Education Summit earlier this week. The future of billions of children and young people across the world depends on overcoming the challenges of inclusion and quality of instruction, particularly as we recover from the pandemic.
Away from the headlines, the United Nations and other multilateral institutions retain the ability to set an agenda, around which we can all rally.
At the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, leaders adopted an ambitious program of action, including special instruments on Living Lands, Sustainable Urbanization, and Child Care Protection and Reform. We also agreed to prioritize public-private partnerships to create digital jobs for young people across the Commonwealth.
The future is digital and transformation is happening now, as evidenced by the ongoing work of the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development and the Smart Africa Secretariat.
High-quality digital jobs are a practical response to the underlying drivers of irregular migration by closing the human capital investment gap that separates high- and low-income countries. To ensure that the benefits are equally shared, we must continue investing equitably in emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence.
In the area of peacebuilding and counterterrorism, regional initiatives can complement the important work of the United Nations.
Regional or bilateral initiatives have been proven to make a big difference, whether in the Central African Republic, or the successful engagement to contain violent extremism in northern Mozambique conducted by Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community. If this approach were tried properly in DRC, as proposed by the Nairobi Process, it would make a difference.
However, to be sustainable, such efforts require consistent financial support from the international community.
A lot is at stake, and time is not on our side.
We cannot anticipate or prevent every crisis. But we can be better prepared to react quickly and effectively when needed, especially if we work together.
