Rwanda’s Presidency has revealed that the delegation of three Senators and three Congress Representatives are in Rwanda for a 3-day visit to strengthen bilateral relations between Rwanda and the United States.
As he hosted the delegation, Kagame was along with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Vincent Biruta; CEO of Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Clare Akamanzi and the Secretary General of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS), Maj Gen Joseph Nzabamwita.
The senators come to Rwanda following the visit of US State Secretary, Antony Blinken aimed at enhancing bilateral relations, discuss the security situation in eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the arrest of Paul Rusesabagina who was handed 25-year sentence last year over terrorism charges.
Kagama last received a US Congretional delegation in 2019.
Speaking at the unveiling of the roadmap for activities aligning with preparations of the annual baby gorilla naming ceremony known as ‘Kwita Izina’; the Chief Tourism Officer at RDB, Ariella Kageruka has said that the increase in conferences hosted in Rwanda goes hand in hand with higher number of participants.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken tourism where revenues dropped by more than 70%. However, current figures give us optimism for recovery. Last year’s revenues increased by 25% compared to the previous year from us$131 million to US$164 million,” she stated.
Kageruka explained that Rwanda continued to host several events and conferences including Basketball Africa League (BAL), the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and Ironman competition held recently in Rubavu.
“These aforementioned events and others attracted a large number of participants and generated millions to national economy. Particularly, CHOGM generated US$17 million to our economy,” she said.
The meeting which took place between 20th and 26th June 2022, brought together over 4000 participants.
The baby gorillas were born between August 2021 and July 2022 in Kinigi Sector of Musanze District in Northern Province.
The ceremony known as ‘Kwita Izina’ will coincide with the inauguration of different development projects for residents in the outskirts of Virunga National Park where the species dwell.
The annual baby gorilla naming ceremony attracts various participants including Rwandans, sports personalities, members of the diplomatic corps, foreign dignitaries, philanthropists and conservation enthusiasts from across the world among others.
The Chief Tourism Officer at RDB, Ariella Kageruka has said that Kwita Izina is a fruit of Rwanda’s efforts to promote conservation and tourism whose revenues have increased steadily.
This follows the drop by 70% owing to effects of COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year, Rwanda registered an increase by 25% in tourism revenues reaching US$164 million up from US$131 million of 2020.
In 2019, the country generated US$498 million from tourism.
Kwita Izina will be held at a time when the world continues to recover from effects of COVID-19.
The ceremony will bring together high profile personalities whose names will be announced effective from next week.
The Governor of Northern Province, Dancille Nyirarugero has disclosed that residents in the foothills of Virunga National Park appreciate fruitful conservation efforts of gorillas and biodiversity.
Since 2005, Nyirarugero said, the residents have benefitted from Rwf3 billion allocated for different infrastructures including schools and health facilities among others.
“Organizing the Kwita Izina annual ceremony in Northern Province induces pride to residents. It is also an opportunity to receive visitors from different walks of life,” she noted.
Nyirarugero also highlighted that the event to be held next month evidences economic recovery following the ease of COVID-19 related restrictions.
A total of 354 baby mountain gorillas have been named since the ceremony was launched in 2005.
It is set to be held in-person for the first time after the emergence of COVID-19.
Individuals who participated in similar ceremony virtually are expected to visit the baby gorillas named over the past two years.
Of these, Kenya is among the most visited where where he traveled six times. The visits are obvious given that Kenya is a neighbouring country while both countries belong to the East African Community (EAC). Besides, Kenya has been acting as a mediator on tensions between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
President Kagame arrived in Kenya for the first time on 28th November 2017 to attend the inauguration of President Uhuru Kenyatta for the second term.
The Head of State also visited Germany five times among which he attended Rwanda Day held in Bonn in 2019.
Among others, Kagame held four visits to Angola, majority of which linked to dialogues to mend relations between Rwanda and Uganda. The Head of State also travelled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) four times.
France is among other countries where Kagame held four visits since 2017. The first was held on 23rd May 2018 when he held a two-day visit to Paris, the capital of France.
At the time, he met with French President, Emmanuel Macron at Palais de l’Élysée where both leaders discussed various bilateral relations topics.
After inauguration, Kagame held the first visit in the United States of America (USA) on 17th September 2017.
At the time, the Head of State delivered a talk at the Nantucket Project, an annual conference held in Massachusetts. On the next day, he met with members of his Advisory Council in New York. All these activities were held on the sidelines of the 72nd General Assembly of the United Nations which was attending.
Kagame later visited the United Kingdom on 18th October 2017 where he attended an international conference bringing together young leaders who received lecturers on governance.
He held the first African visit to Congo Brazaville on 19th October 2017. At the time, he was attending the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) Heads of State Summit.
President Kagame arrived in UAE for the first time on 1st November 2017 to attend Africa Global Business Forum held in Dubai.
In 2022, Kagame held 17 visits in countries including Kenya, Germany, Belgium, Senegal, Mauritania, Jordan, Egypt, Zambia, Congo, Jamaica, Barbados, Uganda, Switzerland and Angola.
As efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 started yielding fruits in 2021, President Kagame visited countries including Angola, France, DRC, Germany, Mozambique, UAE, Qatar, Japan and Tanzania.
Meanwhile, the Head of State held visits in six countries in 2020. These include UAE, Mozambique, the United Kingdom, Ethiopia and Kenya.
In 2019, Kagame made 21 visits to different countries across the world namely; Japan, Qatar, Angola, Ethiopia, Switzerland, USA, Tanzania, Kenya, Dubai, Germany, Egypt, France, South Africa, Niger, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Mozambique, Namibia, Central African Republic, Morocco and Russia.
In 2018, President Kagame made 23 visits to countries including Tanzania, Switzerland, Ethiopia, Germany, India, UK, USA, Congo Brazaville, Switzerland, France, Russia, Ghana, Kenya, Djibouti, South Africa, Mauritania, China, Armenia, Qatar, Egypt, Uganda, Argentina, Canada, Jordan, Austria and Ivory Coast.
From September 2017, the Head of State held 11 visits to countries including Sudan, Ghana, Egyot, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Senegal, UK, Congo Brazzaville, USA and Dubai.
Regarding citizen outreach programs inside the country, President Kagame visited 13 districts including Rubavu, Musanze, Muhanga, Kicukiro, Karongi, Nyamasheke, Rutsiro, Burera, Huye, Nyamagabe, Nyarugenge, Nyabihu and Nyagatare.
The first was on 28th October 2017 as he attended a monthly community work and officiated the inauguration of cricket Stadium.
For the past two years, President Kagame attended different meetings virtually due to COVID-19 related restrictions.
They arrived at Kigali International Airport in the evening of Thursday 18th August 2022 from where they were taken to Gashora Emergency Transit Mechanism located in Bugesera District.
Upon arrival at the airport around 8:48 p.m, the refugees and asylum seekers were received by officials from the Ministry of Emergency Management (MINEMA) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR.
The 10th batch is composed of 68 Eritreans, 33 Sudanese, 1 South Sudanese and 1 Ethiopian.
According to MINEMA, Gashora Emergency Transit Mechanism has been accommodating 421 refugees and asylum seekers evacuated before.
Rwanda signed agreements to host refugees stranded in Libya on 10th September 2019 with the African Union (AU) and UNHCR.
The country made the commitment to host refugees from Libya in 2017 following revelations that thousands of people from across Africa were stranded in the country after their failure to reach Europe and subjected to slavery.
Rwanda committed to receiving 500 refugees at the head first of whom a group of 66 African refugees and asylum-seekers from Libya arrived in Rwanda at the end of September 2019 in the first batch aboard the airplane of Buraq Air.
on 14th October 2021; Rwanda, the African Union and UNHCR and the UN Refugee Agency signed the First Addendum and extension to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) dated 10th September 2019 between Rwanda, the AU, and UNHCR establishing an Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM) from the State of Libya to the Republic of Rwanda.
This addendum which took immediate effect will ensure that the established ETM in Gashora, Rwanda continues until 31st December 2023, and increases its capacity from the initial 500 to 700 persons at anyone time.
Under this agreement, the Government of Rwanda will continue to receive and provide protection to refugees and asylum-seekers, as well as others identified as particularly vulnerable and at-risk, who are currently being held in detention centres in Libya.
They will be transferred to safety in Rwanda on a voluntary basis. While some may benefit from resettlement to third countries, others will be helped to return to countries where asylum had previously been granted, or to return to their home countries if it is safe to do so. Some may be given permission to remain in Rwanda subject to agreement by the competent authorities.
This comes to support Girinka Program also known as ‘One Cow Per Poor Family’.
The program initiated in 2016 by the Government of Rwanda, seeks to among other things, tackle poverty and malnutrition by giving cows to the poorest families in the community.
While handing-over the cows, Ambassador of Israel to Rwanda, Dr. Ron Adam applauded the good and special relations between Israel and Rwanda, and went on to say that the initiative of donating cows aims at improving the welfare of the most vulnerable.
“The State of Israel is happy to support this good program of Girinka, initiated by the Government of Rwanda. Burera is the fourth District where we have donated 20 cows respectively, and we are glad that these cows are helping beneficiaries to improve their standards of living,” he said.
He added: “This is a good and sustainable way of eradicating poverty among the less privileged, because the benefits of these cows are cross-cutting. Moreover, many other families end up benefitting as well.”
According to Girinka Program, a poor family receives a heifer, raises it and when she gives birth, the first female calf is given to another poor family and the process continues.
So far, the Embassy of Israel in Rwanda has donated a total of 80 cows in four districts, namely Nyamasheke, Gisagara, Rulindo and Burera districts.
Meanwhile, according to Marie Chantal Uwanyirigira, the Mayor of Burera District, the 20 cows come to complement to existing government efforts to improve citizens’ social welfare.
“We appreciate this support from Israel. This complements different initiatives we have put in place to eradicate poverty and fight malnutrition among children. We shall make sure that the beneficiaries take good care of the cows, and give first female calves to their neighbors who are also in need of them,” she explained.
Burera District is one of the districts whose economy mainly relies on agriculture. So far, under the Girinka Program, around 18,000 families in Burera district received cows.
{{Beneficiaries hail the support}}
Yvonne Dukuzumuremyi, a mother of two children who is among the 20 families that benefitted from the donation, appreciated the support.
“I am very grateful for this cow. Going forward, my two children will get milk whenever they want, and I will also have manure and therefore increase my harvest,” she said.
This was also emphasized by one Emmanuel Mfukuye, a father of five.
He said: “I was struggling to pay health insurance and school fees for my children, but with this cow I will get milk for my family and sell part of it to get money that will help me and my family to make a better living.”
GasMeth Energy Ltd is a local Rwandan company which will run the gas extraction and processing project worth US$530 million.
It was awarded a 25-year Concession Agreement by the Government of Rwanda to extract methane gas from the deep, Methane-rich waters of Lake Kivu in Karongi district, Western Province.
The plant will be built in Bwishyura Sector of Karongi District, Eastern Province.
The groundbreaking ceremony held on Thursday 18th August 2022, was also attended by the CEO of GasMeth Ltd, Stephen Tierney along with government officials including the Minister of Infrastructure, Dr. Ernest Nsabimana; the Minister of Local Government, Jean Marie Vianney Gatabazi and the CEO of Rwanda Development Board (RDB) among others.
The plant is expected to address shortages of cooking gas which has become an issue of global concern.
The project which kicked off today aims to provide a long-term, environmentally friendly, affordable source of domestically produced gas.
It includes producing the gas (held in solution in the water), processing it on barges tethered in the lake, piping it to shore, compressing it, and distributing it as Compressed Natural Gas (“CNG”) within Rwanda.
The CNG will replace other fuels on the market such as; gasoline, diesel fuel, peat, coal, wood and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). The gas will be used primarily in Rwanda’s transportation, industrial, household, and power generation sectors and, eventually, for export.
Commenting on the start of the construction phase, Gasmeth CEO Stephen Tierney said expressed delight for the project’s progress and considered the ground-breaking ceremony as a step closer to realizing the company’s plans ‘for supply of a cleaner self-sufficient energy source for Rwandans’.
In his remarks, Premier Ngirente commended Gasmeth for partnering with the Government of Rwanda in undertaking the important project for Rwanda.
In order to get the value stored in the methane gas, Premier Ngirente revealed, the Government of Rwanda welcomed Gasmeth project aimed at extracting natural gas directly from Lake Kivu, process and distribute it throughout Rwanda.
He underscored that the ‘strategic project’ will create a level of energy independence for Rwanda removing the dependency on imported energy sources.
“Indeed, projects and partnerships like these play an important role in our journey towards domestic energy security,” he noted.
In Rwanda, the total access to electricity stands at 71.92%, whereby 50.61% of all households are connected to the national grid, as of May 2022.
This plant is expected to provide a new energy source for domestic use, which will bring Rwanda closer to the goal of 100% access to energy by 2024.
Among others, Premier Ngirente revealed that the use of natural gas will contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by releasing less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than other fossil fuels, in line with the country’s Green Growth and Climate Resilience Programme.
“This new source of energy will help reduce usage of firewood where national dependency level is over 85% despite strong efforts to reduce this. It will also improve the health and safety dangers related to possible gas eruptions,” he stated.
“The Government of Rwanda welcomes the fact that developers of this project wish to use the gas to replace fuel in vehicles, cooking in schools and other government institutions. This will address the issue of availability and affordability of gas in Rwanda,” added Dr. Ngirente.
The groundbreaking is seen as a testament to the enabling environment, the Government of Rwanda has put in place to encourage investments and private sector participation.
The latter includes incentives and encouraging initiatives put in place to promote investment in the renewable energies.
Premier Ngirente has also thanked all of the people who played a role in putting the project together from the Gasmeth side, the local communities, public sector among others and reiterated Rwanda’s commitment to collaborating with Gasmeth for implementation of the project.
Speaking at the event, RDB CEO Clare Akamanzi said that Rwanda is on a journey of transformation and prosperity ‘and looking for investments that are inclusive, sustainable and of good quality’.
She also welcomed the launch of the project expected to fulfil all these objectives.
{{About Gasmeth Energy Ltd}}
Gasmeth Energy Ltd is a Rwandan company focused on the processing and delivery of the Lake Kivu compressed natural gas(CNG) project. This project is expected to provide an abundant source of domestically produced gas to transform the Rwandan economy, breaking the dependence on importation of fuels. It will form the basis for attracting all new inward investment and a large step towards a green affordable future.
His death has been confirmed to IGIHE by Junior, the brother of the deceased who is also a movie interpreter. “He died around 11:30 a.m. in South Africa where he has been receiving treatment,” he said.
His death is announced in less than a day following the demise of singer Yvan Buravan who breathed the last in India.
Yanga went to South Africa in April this year. At the time, he was accompanying his children to visit their mother who works there.
Arriving in the country, he caught a disease that his life deteriorated until he breathed the last on 17th August 2022.
Yanga started his career as a film interpreter at the age of 17 while he was a secondary school student.
He once told IGIHE that he drew inspiration at early age from neighbours who forced their meal upon the job when his family lived in Uganda.
Interpreting movies into Kinyarwanda earned him huge returns and popularity.
He however retired from the business between 2012-2013 realizing that movie interpretation was no longer lucrative enough.
Yanga will be remembered as one of pioneers of film interpretation in Rwanda.
In 2018, Yanga was diagnosed with a stomach abscess which resulted into cancer. After learning about his critical condition, Yanga felt shocked and leaned on God.
He sought assistance from pastors to pray for him and later announced that he miraculously healed from stomach cancer without undergoing surgery.
Since then, he committed to serve God for the rest of his life. Yanga had established a movie hall dubbed ‘The One Film Production’.
Research shows that River Nyabarongo washes away over 400 tons of soil from Rwanda every year to other countries along its water courses.
In areas with large-scale mining projects like Muhanga, at least 51 kilograms of soil are washed away every second as per figures from Rwanda Water Resources Board (RWB).
The degradation of River Nyabarongo which is the longest in Rwanda, and its banks incurs a huge loss to the country considering its relevance to the agriculture, biodiversity, national economy through electricity generated from dams built over the river and water supplied to Kigali City among others.
Speaking to IGIHE, the Director General of RWB, Dr. Emmanuel Rukundo has revealed that the country suffers big losses over the degradation of River Nyabarongo which flows into Nile River.
Nyabarongo water is always dark-brown due to erosion and illegal mining activities.
Dr. Rukundo Emmanuel has said that this degradation affects the country and citizens as well.
“Erosion firstly washes away the arable and fertile land. This reduces agricultural yields for farmers, hence causing adverse effects in daily lives where expected outcomes to the country and the individual is low,” he said.
Farmers account for 60% of Rwandan population where a large segment of farmers are only assured of good yields in wetlands and rivers’ edges.
Nyabarongo is home to diverse animal species including crocodiles and fishes among others.
Dr. Rukundo has revealed that the polluted water flowing through the river and erosion pose threat to these species where some of them can be subjected to the risk of extinction.
“Polluted water puts life on a standstill. We use water to generate electricity or for daily consumption. For instance, Nzove Plant uses water from River Nyabarongo which undergoes treatment processes before being released into communities for daily use. When water is contaminated, the cost of treatment goes high,” he noted.
Considering the complex process of highly contaminated water, Nzove Plant has sought alternatives to use underground water in case River Nyabarongo is very muddy during the rainy season.
“When water containing much mud gathers in dams built at a hydropower plant, it reduces the output,” said Dr. Rukundo.
Several conservation efforts for River Nyabarongo were implemented over the past years but did not lead to a durable solution.
Experts expressed concerns that the issue lies in scattering efforts among relevant partners or lack of strong policy.
Dr. Rukundo has told IGIHE that new polices devised to prevent erosion across the country are expected to start bearing fruits this year.
“80% of the land designated for heightened erosion prevention are fit for terracing or other erosion control techniques. All these activities are within citizens’ capacities,” he said.
“There is an ongoing sensitization that started in April being conducted in collaboration with local leaders reminding citizens to prevent erosion in own land. The average size for a land owned by a citizen is nearly a half hectare. We believe it is possible to control erosion on that land,” added Dr. Rukundo.
Since 2012, the Government of Rwanda has allocated almost Rwf3.5 billion for erosion control starting with the most affected districts.
Dr. Rukundo has disclosed that there is a plan to build terraces on 24,948 hectares of land. They will be an addition to more 21,000 hectares terraced over the past four years.
He explained that planting crop-friendly trees, and planting trees along river banks are among other measures being devised to control soil erosion.
Plans are also underway to sensitize companies carrying out mining activities to recycle used water before releasing them into rivers.
Dr. Rukundo has further stressed the need for concerted efforts between different stakeholders considering the complex work it requires for efficient conservation of River Nyabarongo.
Other pointed out pollutants include garbage discharged from households and factories which put at risks the lives of consumers.
Research carried out by the Democratic Green Party in October 2021 indicated that some bird species in the nature along Nyabarongo watercourse disappeared owing to contamination of the river’s water.
Sources reveal that the singer died in India where he had been flown for medical attention.
The statement released by his management team reads that Yvan Buravan has succumbed to pancreatic cancer.
The singer fell critically ill after releasing his latest song dubbed ‘Big time’. He started seeking treatment on 2nd July this year.
He returned home after spending a week at King Faisal Hospital. At the time, Buravan revealed that he was recovering but it was later reported that he went to Kenya for further treatment.
Since then, Buravan’s life continued to deteriorate that his family urged the general public to pray for him instead of bringing his sickness to attention through the media.
After spending few days in Kenya, Buravan returned to Rwanda before he was flown to India early August 2022.
Yvan Buravan was born in Gikondo on 27th May 1995. His demise has been announced in the wee hours of 17th August 2022.
“It is with great unimaginable sadness that we announce to you the untimely passing of our beloved Yvan Buravan, which occurred tonight in India, where he was undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer,” reads the statement in part.
The management has also described Yvan Buravan as a genuine soul that radiated happiness to everyone around him where he motivated people to love their country and culture.
“His loss will be immensely felt by his family and friends and throughout our industry. We are certain that our community will remain united, as we go through this unspeakable tragedy,” adds the statement.
Buravan was an R&B, Soul and Afrobeat musician. Some of his hit songs include ‘Si Belle’, ‘Garagaza’, ‘Oya’ and Just a dance among others. He started his music career in 2009 until 2015 when he had a major breakout in 2016.
Buravan is the winner of the Prix Découvertes RFI 2018 contest, an annual competition involving artistes from across Africa.
He is the last child born to Michael Burabyo and Elizabeth Uwikunda. Buravan attended primary studies at Le Petit Prince before pursuing secondary education at Amis des Enfants and La Colombière before joining the College of Business and Economics- University of Rwanda, to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Business Information and Technology.
