The President of Zmbia, Mnangagwa witnessed the signing of the agreement at State House on Friday 29th July 2022.
During the event, Zimbabwe was represented by two Cabinet Ministers while Rwanda was represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Vincent Biruta who was on a visit to the country.
According to The Herald media house, pacts signed include the extradition treaty, a memorandum on understanding on immigration cooperation and another memorandum on cooperation when investigating civil aircraft accidents and serious incidents.
For Zimbabwe, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister, Amb. Frederick Shava signed the MoU on cooperation for investigating civil aircraft accidents and serious incidents, while the other two agreements were signed by Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Kazembe Kazembe.
After the signing ceremony, the representative of the Government of Rwanda said that the partnership with Zimbabwe is mainly to deal with trade and investment for the benefit of their peoples.
“There are many sectors, I talked about trade and investment, which is a huge area which comprises agriculture, energy and many other sectors,” said Minister Biruta.
“We have MoUs in place. So, we just need to implement them and start working,” he added.
President Mnangagwa early this year opened the Zimbabwe-Rwanda Trade and Investment Conference in Harare, where he stressed need for the two countries to boost trade and cooperation as a way of improving livelihoods.
“Zimbabwe and Rwanda enjoy an excellent relationship, and we have other MoUs, 19 of them,” said Minister Biruta.
“Some have started being implemented, and these ones also need to be implemented and we need to come up with action plans between both governments to implement the MoUs and the agreements that we have signed.
All these MoUs, the agreements that we are signing are just a framework to be able to work on various issues. We signed an extradition treaty, and this is a very important instrument to be able to deal with criminals who could be here or in Rwanda,” he added
This year, Rwanda has started recruiting Zimbabweans to fill critical skill gaps in the education sector, exploiting the good bilateral relations that exist between the two countries.
The hiring of the Zimbabweans is a consummation of the professional memorandum of understanding signed last year that allows the two republics to exchange education personnel and expertise.
Amb. Bellomo was received for a farewell meeting at Urugwiro Village on Friday 29th July 2022.
During his tour of duty, Amb. Bellomo worked hard to strengthen cooperation between the EU and Rwanda.
At the celebration of European Day in May 2022, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Vincent Biruta commended Amb. Bellomo for his commitment to promote excellent relationships and partnerships between the European Union and Rwanda and pledged continued government efforts to elevate the cooperation to new heights.
Minister Biruta also wished him well in his future endeavours.
At the time, Amb. Bellomo also commended warm hospitality extended to him during his stay in Rwanda.
The envoy had presented credentials to President Kagame on 18th January 2018.
The artiste accompanied by members of his management team was welcomed by organizers of the concert at Kigali International Airport around 11 p.m. before heading to his accommodation.
He did not however speak to members of the press.
Tayc, 25, is a Cameroonian-French singer and songwriter who started his music career in 2012.
He released his first Mixtape dubbed ‘Alchemy’ in 2017, followed by H.E.L.I.O.S in 2018. Tayc’s first album dubbed ‘NYXIA’ was released in 2019 followed by ‘Fleur froide’ in 2020.
He has mostly gained popularity for various songs including Le Temps, N’y pense plus, Dis moi comment and DODO among others.
The history of Kamegeri Rock reflects his unique approach of conflicts resolution with which he was credited for astute wisdom and impartiality when his favourite servant was subjected to an excessive punishment he had proposed for other people.
As per oral traditions and written sources, Kamegeri was a local chief in Ruhango at the reign of Mibambwe II Gisanura nearly in 1600.
As the sources indicate, Kamegeri was once assigned to follow up the construction of a king’s palace in Ruhango which he did successfully.
His work won the king’s heart that he became a favourite servant who would advise him on serious matters. However, he took advantage of his powers and made a cruel recommendation against those who trespassed the kingdom.
One day, the man approached the king to impress him and proposed a harsh punishment for wicked members of the society.
The punishment was none other than burning a nearby rock and throw enemies on it when it turns red-hot.
Famous for his generosity to support the needy, King Mibambwe II Gisanura was given a nickname of ‘Rugabishabirenge’ translated as ‘a person who unconditionally donates to the poor’.
The king is also renowned for his wisdom and impartiality.
After thorough considerations about the punishment, the King who seemed to have welcomed the idea, asked Kamegeri to collect woods and burn the rock as recommended.
Realizing that his work was done, Kamegeri informed the king that the baked rock that had turned red hot was ready for wicked individuals to serve their sentence.
In return, the plan backfired that the king identified Kamegeri as the most wicked person in his kingdom and ordered his people to tie and throw him on the rock to burn.
The king’s order was obeyed and Kamegeri was burnt alive. His death sent a warning to cruel members of the society to change their attitudes lest they fall in their own traps.
Preparations to elect his successor are underway in Kenya. It is expected that the next leader will be announced following presidential polls due on 9th August 2022.
On Thursday 28th July 2022, President Kagame and Uhuru Kenyatta attended in the 2nd Special Summit of the African Peer Review Forum of Heads of State and Government.
The virtual summit was chaired by the President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio.
As he delivered remarks, Kagame commended Kenya for completing the peer review process, noting that it demonstrates its relevance (APRM) as a toll to support each other to improve governance and economic opportunity on the continent.
The head of State stated that the reports analysis of the vibrancy, potential of Kenya’s pharmaceutical industry is particularly interesting ‘given the African Union’s growing focus on pandemic resilience and domestic health financing’ and applauded his counterpart of Kenya whose mandate draws to the end.
“Let me also take this opportunity and moment to congratulate President Uhuru Kenyatta as he concludes his mandate. Dear brother, thank you for your distinguished service, not only to Kenya but also to East Africa and Africa as a whole. We look forward to many more years of fruitful collaboration,” he said.
During the leadership of Kenyatta, Rwanda and Kenya maintained collaboration in different areas.
Kenyatta also played a role in the mediation of Rwanda and Uganda where he visited both countries on the same day on 11th March 2019.
At the time, President welcomed President Uhuru Kenyatta to the RDF Combat Training Centre in Gabiro on the sidelines of the 16th annual National Leadership Retreat (Umwiherero).
Rwanda and Kenya enjoy cooperation in the areas of justice, trade, agriculture, education, technology and telecommunication as well as security among others.
Before the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic, 30% of Rwanda’s imports were transited through Kenya.
The two leaders held a tête a tête meeting, before President Kenyatta passed by to greet participants at the Umwiherero.
In his message to the retreat participants, President Kenyatta commended existing relations between Rwanda and Kenya and expressed commitment to make the relations even more stronger.
“Let me say that the relationship between our two countries is probably one of the best relations that we have, as Kenya. The things that we have been able to do together, in terms of easing movement of our people, in terms of the linkages and what we did especially in the ICT sector, telecommunications sector.
We have many Kenyans living and working here in Rwanda and feeling very much at home. We have many Rwandans living and working in Kenya, really showing that we are brothers and sisters, bound at the hip. And ours as leaders is to continue to see how we can deepen that integration,” President Kenyatta said.
He further hailed Rwanda’s progress, 25 years after the Genocide against the Tutsi which he said could be replicated elsewhere.
“We are very proud of the manner in which Rwanda has turned around, from a country that was heavily, heavily hit, especially during the Genocide period, a country that was on its knees, to one of the brightest stars on the African continent in a very short space of time.
Really showing clear direction and clarity from the top, all the way to all of you who have been part and parcel of making this Rwandan dream a reality. Lives have changed, the progress you have made in healthcare, the progress you have made in ICT, look at Kigali today… I keep telling my brother here, that I am fighting very hard to overtake him in terms of ease of doing business, and he keeps telling me: ‘Do your best’,” Kenyatta added.
Rwanda and Kenya enjoy cooperation in the areas of justice, trade, agriculture, education, technology and telecommunication as well as security among others.
Before the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic, 30% of Rwanda’s imports were transited through Kenya.
The struggle launched by Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) began on 1st October 1990.
It was hard to fight the struggle as RPA soldiers were not familiar with the terrain.
Besides, fighters came from foreign countries where they had fled with different backgrounds. However, their courage, determination, discipline and other values that characterized them led to victory.
On 1st October 1990, RPA soldiers attacked Kagitumba border, marking the beginning of the Liberation Struggle which lasted for four years after failure of diplomatic processes which prompted members of RPF Inkotanyi to free the country by means of war.
Initially, RPA – the military wing of RPF Inkotanyi was commanded by Maj Gen Fred Gisa Rwigema who was killed in early days of the struggle by soldiers of the former regime of Habyarimana on the support of mercenaries.
For the first 14 days of the battle, some of top commanders of RPA were killed. This left loopholes in the leadership of RPA and lowered the morale of soldiers.
President Paul Kagame who had the rank of Major at the time took over as the commander and introduced new tactics among other reforms.
He gave them a clear guidance, introduced tactics to launch attacks from the hills of Northern Province and volcanoes, instilled the spirit of working together for a common goal and discipline among other values.
After introducing the reforms, the fight took shape. RPA soldiers captured areas of Mulindi and Gikoba in Gicumbi where they established a strong base with trenches that provided protection against rockets shelled by the then government forces (FAR) and mercenaries including French soldiers that had come to their support.
At the time, soldiers’ morale went high because they would communicate and receive orders helping them to repel back attacks by FAR soldiers.
Commenting on the battle, the Senior Presidential Advisor on security matters, Gen James Kabarebe says that attacking Byumba town on 5th June 1991 helped them to expand the area under their control and pushed the regime of Habyarimana to accept peace accords that never materialized.
Gen Kabarebe says that some of commanders initially resisted the decision to attack Byumba lest their loose captured areas providing protection against enemies. As he says, Maj Gen Kagame convinced them and went with soldiers to attack Byumba town.
FAR soldiers were reinforced by foreigners and recaptured Byumba town.
However, RPA continued to control other captured areas which exerted pressure on Habyarimana to sign Arusha Peace Accords.
On the second day of the fight, Maj Gen Kagame asked his forces to withdraw from Byumba town and dig trenches in few kilometers.
It is said that the withdrawal was a tactic that confused the then government forces who thought the attackers had been defeated yet they were still in the surroundings and standby to capture the town.
At the time, RPA soldiers had added Mukarange and Bubande to existing areas under their control including Mulindi and Gikoba.
The expansion of controlled areas motivated RPF politicians to come to Mulindi base which also served as their political headquarters.
FAR continued to shell the new base but efforts remained futile as RPA soldiers were sheltered in strong trenches.
This prompted Habyarimana to sign Arusha Peace Accords, which he considered papers that could be destroyed anytime.
Meanwhile, the then government continued preparations and execution of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi until it was stopped by RPA soldiers who liberated the country.
IGIHE has learnt from credible sources that Blinken will arrive in Kigali next month.
Dates for his visit have not yet been disclosed but it is said that he might arrive in the country in the first two weeks of August.
Sources reveal that he plans to visit Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
We could not verify the agenda of his visit to Rwanda and DRC but sources indicate that it is in context of tensions between Rwanda and DRC over the resurgence of M23 rebel group.
Top on the agenda of discussions with DRC officials include presidential elections scheduled next year and mining activities.
Blinken is set to visit Rwanda at a time when the country’s ambassadorial post in Rwanda has been vacant since February this year when Amb. Peter H. Vrooman who represented US interests in Kigali was posted to Mozambique.
Since then, US interests in Rwanda are overseen by Chargé d’Affaires, Deborah MacLean.
Rwanda and US enjoy cordial relations but some of its officials have been exerting pressure on Rwanda over the arrest of Paul Rusesabagina, the former President of MRCD-FLN terrorist group who was handed 25-year jail term.
Some US lawmakers proposed sanctions against Rwanda accusing the country of having kidnapped Paul Rusesabagina.
On Monday this week, the spokesperson for the United States Department of State, Ned Price told the media that negotiations between Rwanda and DRC should be given priority to calm tensions.
US are great development partners of Rwanda where it provided US$141 million funding in 2021. The funding doesn’t include medical equipment and over vaccine doses donated to Rwanda to fight COVID-19.
In 2016, Rwanda received US$268 million funding from US.
The request has been made by the Acting Director General of RURA, Eng. Deo Muvunyi appearing in RTV talk show.
The development comes at a time when passengers using public transport continue to decry poor services over long queues and delays of buses.
Muvunyi explained that there is a shortage of buses among public transport companies including KBS, RFTC and Royal Express which have been facing criticisms for poor services.
“We want to reduce the long time it takes for buses to pick passengers,” he said.
Muvunyi also said individuals with buses suitable for public transport can register them so that the desired number of buses can be reached.
“Those who are ready will join public transport gradually. Whoever owning a bus cannot miss a public transport route,” he noted.
“We are all concerned with this situation. We need to fight together and have common understanding that efforts are underway to address the shortage of buses which affects all of us,” added Muvunyi.
He disclosed that regulations for those seeking to join the public transport sector are clear where whoever with means can compete to carry passengers.
“We have so far received a request from individuals to register 25 vehicles,” Muvunyi revealed.
He however stressed that newly registered individuals will have to operate under the umbrella of public transport companies licensed to operate in Kigali City. These include Royal Express, KBS and RFTC.
Muvunyi explained that the directive is meant to avoid persistent anomalies in public transport over individuals who might use the registered buses for other businesses.
“We need buses in Kigali City. Individuals are urged to bring them to be assigned routes,” he noted.
Nowadays, transport companies sign three-year contract. It is said that they have failed to increase the number of buses to a desired extent due to difficult times occasioned by COVID-19.
Hypertension is a major cause of premature deaths globally. People living with hypertension have persistently elevated blood pressure, which results in damage to the heart if not controlled and managed. The disease is also referred to as the ‘silent killer’ because it does not present with symptoms and people with high blood pressure are often unaware of it unless diagnosed.
According to WHO estimates from 2016, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) accounted for 44 percent of total annual deaths in Rwanda. The Rwanda nationwide non-communicable diseases STEPwise survey revealed that 15.9 percent of participants had elevated blood pressure. RBC further estimates that out of over one million people with hypertension, only 80,000 are enrolled at clinics , revealing a gap between diagnosis and treatment.
Commenting on the development, Dr. Francois Uwinkindi, Non-Communicable Diseases Division Manager at Rwanda Biomedical Centre said: “It is not difficult to diagnose hypertension, and it can be treated with low-cost medicines and lifestyle changes, nevertheless there are significant gaps in the diagnosis and management of high blood pressure in Rwanda which needs to be addressed to reduce the burden of NCDs on our health systems.
We welcome partnerships such as the Healthy Heart Africa programme which is committed to providing education and awareness of the disease for better prevention and control. It also embodies the principles of our National NCD strategy that encourages community action to increase early identification of ailments, and multisector collaboration to address illnesses such as hypertension. ”
Strategies put in place by the Ministry of Health, the RBC and other stakeholders in Rwanda are meant to take all the steps needed to prevent an avoidable burden of NCDs in the country.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Daniel Ngamije, the Minister of Health revealed that Rwanda’s current investment in preventing NCDs is aimed at saving future costs in treating advanced stages of diseases such as hypertension.
“We have continued to keep our NCD policies updated, setting in place plans such as the 2020-2025 National Strategy and Costed Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases. This plan’s main objective is to reduce NCD-related premature mortality by 25% by 2025. It aims to implement an inclusive, equality-based access to healthcare strategy for the benefit of all people,” he noted.
HHA is a multi-country programme currently implemented in nine countries including Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Ghana, Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Rwanda, and most recently, Nigeria.
Ashling Mulvaney, Vice President, Global Sustainability, Access to Healthcare, at AstraZeneca expressed delight for the official launch of the Healthy Heart Africa programme in Rwanda in collaboration with the Rwanda Biomedical Centre and PATH.
“It builds on the remarkable effort that the Ministry of Health and RBC have invested to address the growing challenge of non-communicable diseases. HHA is an access to healthcare initiative that contributes to building resilient sustainable healthcare systems by training healthcare providers, providing education and awareness for NCD risk factors and equipping healthcare systems with the resources needed to diagnose and manage hypertension,” she said.
In the effort to halt and reverse the prevalence of hypertension, collecting accurate data from countries is vital since it helps to build a true picture of the problem and informs stakeholders in developing counter measures.
“Our primary healthcare approach has always been people-centred and driven by data, and we will use this approach to our implementation to reach people where they live and work and link them to quality care for hypertension as part of our mission to reduce health inequalities,” said Helen McGuire, Global Programme Leader, Non-communicable Diseases at PATH.
“We are excited to collaborate with HHA to bring hypertension care services to more people, and possibly impact future decision-making on hypertension policies through data collected via the programme.”
{{About Healthy Heart Africa}}
Healthy Heart Africa (HHA) is AstraZeneca’s innovative programme committed to tackling hypertension (high blood pressure) and the increasing burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Africa. To achieve this, HHA supports local health systems by increasing awareness of the symptoms and risks of hypertension and by offering education, screening, reduced-cost treatment, and control.
Since launching in Kenya in 2014 and subsequently expanding to Ethiopia in 2016, Tanzania in 2018, Ghana in 2019, Uganda in 2020, and Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Rwanda in 2021, HHA has conducted over 27.1 million screenings, trained over 9,100 healthcare workers to provide education and awareness, screening and treatment services for hypertension; activated over 950 healthcare facilities in Africa to provide hypertension services, with the establishment of secure supply chains for low cost, high-quality branded antihypertensive medicines where applicable, and identified over 5.3 million elevated blood pressure readings.
{{About AstraZeneca}}
AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialisation of prescription medicines in Oncology, Rare Diseases and BioPharmaceuticals, including Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide.
{{About PATH}}
PATH is a global nonprofit dedicated to ending health inequity. With more than 40 years of experience forging multisector partnerships, and expertise in science, health, economics, technology, advocacy, and dozens of other specialties, PATH develops and scales innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing public health challenges.
