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Kagame made the revelation today as he participated in a conversation with the Founder of African Leadership Group, Fred Swaniker and students from different universities in Rwanda.

As he featured in the talk show dubbed ‘In The Room’ initiated by Swaniker , Kagame responded different questions.

Fred Swaniker asked Kagame why he chooses to do hard things which many people fear to confront, pointing out an example of Rwanda’s plan to manufacture vaccines.

Kagame told him that complicated work can be done depending on one’s approaches.

The President said that it has never been part of his plans to dodge hard things.

He went on explaining that, sometimes, hard things result from the combination of simple things achieved at different times that adds up to the situations that require doing hard things.

“You can make the work of doing hard things much easier by paying attention to the simple smaller things on time. […] the pathway can be very simple or difficult depending on the way you paid attention to the simple and hard things,” he said.

Swaniker asked Kagame to give an example of something which started small but currently perceived as a great achievement.

The President pointed out an example of Kigali City saying it has undergone huge transformations compared to its situation in the past 20 years ago.

These include infrastructure development, maintaining high standard of hygiene and red lights among others.

Kagame said that the journey started 20 years ago by doing what is within the country’s means with utmost efficiency .

The President recalled the time when he spoke to cabinet members when the countrywide initiative to maintain cleanliness began.

As he explained, Kagame asked them if the country would require donors to maintain hygiene and pushed forward the idea to dump garbage in the right place.

The President stressed that there are works within people’s capacity that can be done without external support.

“Sometimes when that exercise started, I would be driving in the city. When I saw the litter around, plastic bags, papers from all over; I would literary go and stop my car, convoy, and that also tended to stop the traffic. […] I would get out with my escort guards who are paid to do different things […] we would pick that litter around and say, why would I pass and leave that litter?” he said.

“That has an effect even starting with my entourage. They started thinking ‘well, we shouldn’t leave these things here’. First of all, why do people go throwing litter around? And the same time, the traffic that has come to your halt start saying, what is wrong with him. When they have seen you do that, they start thinking about it and say ‘why would the president stop and do this’. Then you say, I should also take note and do the same. These are simple things. You don’t need to pay a lot of money, you don’t need to be paid a lot of money to do that,” added Kagame.

Kigali is among cleanest cities in the world. Recently in August 2021, the Skytrax World Airport, the coveted quality accolades for airports across the world, and a global benchmark of excellence ranked Kigali International Airport among the best and cleanest airports in East African Community (EAC) and Africa for 2021.

It was ranked 8th best airport in EAC and 7th cleanest on the continent.

The event will be covered by Rwanda Television and livestreamed on YouTube.

This year’s namers will include notable partners, conservationists, international celebrities, dignitaries and friends of Rwanda but their names have not yet been disclosed.

Ahead of the event, organizers of Kwita Izina ceremony launched an online contest during which participating youth had to select one of two provided names for a baby gorilla.

During the contest launched on 16th September 2021 via Kwita Izina Twitter handle, the youth were requested to pick one of two names for a baby gorilla. The two names include ‘Kabeho’ (Live Long) and ‘Mudasumbwa’ (Outstanding).

Winners will receive jerseys of Arsenal and Paris Saint Germain, two teams on the European that entered partnership with Rwanda Development Board (RDB) to market Rwanda’s tourism.

The contest was closed in the night of Friday 17th September 2021 around 11:59.

IGIHE has learnt that 30 participants were selected and started receiving their jerseys on Monday 20th September 2021.

During Kwita Izina ceremony , Rwanda will join the rest of the world to mark World Gorilla Day, the day renowned gorilla conservationist Dian Fossey established the Karisoke Research Center in Rwanda in 1967. It is a day that encourages people around the globe to celebrate conservation of the mountain gorillas and honour those who protect them daily in their habitat.

The virtual ceremony will feature updates on Rwanda’s conservation efforts including the population growth of the mountain gorillas and the need to expand their habitat, and community support to improve community livelihoods while enabling wildlife conservation.

The Kwita Izina gorilla naming ceremony reflects centuries-old tradition in which Rwandans name their children in the presence of family and friends. For three decades before the first official gorilla naming ceremony, park rangers and researchers named Rwanda’s mountain gorilla babies to monitor each gorilla in their family and habitat.

In 2005, Rwanda began officially naming mountain gorillas in what has become a global celebration of nature. By giving a name to these majestic animals, they are given the value they undoubtedly deserve.

The ceremony is also an opportunity to thank the communities that live around the gorilla habitat, Volcanoes National Park, research partners, vets and the dedicated conservationists, rangers and trackers who protect the gorillas daily.

Since 2005, a total of Rwf6.5 billion have been pumped into 780 projects in the areas of agriculture, infrastructure, education, provision of decent shelters for vulnerable residents, building health centers, promoting livestock farming, beekeeping and crafts among others.

Despite unprecedented effects occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic, Rwf700 million were invested in 30 projects in the areas of infrastructure and agriculture this year.
Rwanda’s tourism sector earned US$121 million in 2020 down from US$498 of 2019.

Over the last sixteen years, 328 mountain gorillas have been named. Today, Kwita Izina forms part of an ambitious strategy to preserve Rwanda’s natural heritage and further expand the role of tourism in the country’s transformation. As a result of the naming ceremony, Rwandans from all walks of life understand the intrinsic value of gorillas and their contribution to the country’s development.

{{Below is the list of baby gorillas to be named during the upcoming event:}}

{{1. Africa’s Son (Isimbi Family)}}

This male baby gorilla was born on 3th January 2021 to mother Africa from the Isimbi family of mountain gorillas.

{{2.Ejoheza’s Son (Isimbi Family)}}

This male baby gorilla was born on 6 January 2021 to mother Ejoheza from the Isimbi family of mountain gorillas.

{{3. Ijambo’s Son (Igisha Family)}}

This male baby gorilla was born on 11 December 2020 to mother Ijambo from the Igisha family of mountain gorillas.

{{4. Ikaze’s Daughter (Musilikale Family)}}

This female baby gorilla was born on 6 February 2021 to mother Ikaze from the Musilikale family of mountain gorillas.

{{5. Impano’s Son (Igisha Family)}}

This male baby gorilla was born on 8 January 2021 to mother Impano from the Igisha family of mountain gorillas.

{{6. Inkubito’s Son (Muhoza Family)}}

This male baby gorilla was born on 7 January 2021 to mother Inkubito from the Muhoza family of mountain gorillas.

{{7. Ishema’s Son (Pablo Family)}}

This male baby gorilla was born on 12 July 2021 to mother Ishema from the Pablo family of mountain gorillas.

{{8. Kubana’s Daughter (Kureba Family)}}

This female baby gorilla was born on 12 December 2020 to mother Kubana from the Kureba family of mountain gorillas.

{{9. Kurudi’s Daughter (Titus Family)}}

This female baby gorilla was born on 18 April 2021 to mother Kurudi from the Titus family of mountain gorillas.

{{10. Magayane’s Son (Hirwa Family)}}

This male baby gorilla was born on 27 June 2021 to mother Magayane from the Hirwa family of mountain gorillas.

{{11.Munezero’s Son (Agashya Family)}}

This male baby gorilla was born on 14 June 2021 to mother Munezero from the Agashya family of mountain gorillas.

{{12. Nchili’s Daughter (Kwitonda Family)}}

This female baby gorilla was born on 29 August 2020 to mother Nchili from the Kwitonda family of mountain gorillas.

{{13. Ndimubanzi’s Daughter (Kwitonda Family)}}

This female baby gorilla was born on 20 August 2020 to mother Ndimubanzi from the Kwitonda family of mountain gorillas.

{{14. Nezerwa’s Daughter (Amahoro Family)}}

This female baby gorilla was born on 18 June 2021 to mother Nezerwa from the Amahoro family of mountain gorillas.

{{15. Nzeli’s Son (Kureba Family)}}

This male baby gorilla was born on 13 November 2020 to mother Nzeli from the Kureba family of mountain gorillas.

{{16. Okapi’s Daughter (Kwitonda Family)}}

This female baby gorilla was born on 1 January 2020 to mother Okapi from the Kwitonda family of mountain gorillas.

{{17. Rugira’s Son (Musilikale Family)}}

This male baby gorilla was born on 30 July 2020 to mother Rugira from the Musilikare family of mountain gorillas.

{{18. Tegereza’s Son (Ntambara Family)}}

This male baby gorilla was born on 24 December 2020 to mother Tegereza from the Ntambara family of mountain gorillas.

{{19. Turiho’s Son (Muhoza Family)}}

This male baby gorilla was born on 26 February 2021 to mother Turiho from the Muhoza family of mountain gorillas.

{{20. Umoja’s Daughter (Hirwa Family)}}

This female baby gorilla was born on 18 December 2020 to mother Umoja from the Hirwa family of mountain gorillas.

{{21. Umujyanama’s Daughter (Pablo Family)}}

This female baby gorilla was born on 9 February 2021 to mother Umujyanama from the Pablo family of mountain gorillas.

{{22. Ururabo’s Son ( Igisha Family)}}

This male baby gorilla was born on 6 July 2021 to mother Ururabo from the Igisha family of mountain gorillas.

{{23. Karema’s Son (Sabyinyo Family)}}

This male baby gorilla was born on 25 January 2021 to mother Karema from the Sabyinyo family of mountain gorillas.

He made the observation on Sunday 19th September 2021 as he chaired the annual meeting of the Broadband Commission.

The virtual meeting was also attended by the co-chair of the commission, Carlos Slim along with co-vice chairs Houlin Zhao and Audrey Azoulay.

This year’s meeting is themed ‘People-centered Approaches to Universal Broadband’.

Kagame who is also the chairperson of the commission stressed that digital cooperation should not be limited to broadband access.

“Before we begin, let me just make brief comments. The first is that digital cooperation needs to go beyond access to broadband. We also need to close the gap in the adoption and use of affordable devices and services, in accessible content, and in digital literacy,” he said.

“The second is to note the value in multi-stakeholder platforms that complement the work of the Broadband Commission, such as the Edison Alliance. Harmonizing these initiatives would create useful synergies,” added Kagame.

The President also recalled that ‘the strength of the Broadband Commission lies in the diversity of the perspectives that our Commissioners bring to the table’.

He concluded his remarks highlighting that the Broadband Commission should continue to be a forum to find consensus and speed up progress towards digital transformation.

The Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development was established in May 2010 as a joint initiative by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) with the aim of boosting the importance of broadband on the international policy agenda, and expanding broadband access in every country as key to accelerating progress towards national and international development targets.

The Commission was renamed the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, following the adoption of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in September 2015.

Led by President Paul Kagame and Carlos Slim Helù of Mexico, it is co-chaired by ITU’s Secretary-General Houlin Zhao and UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.

It is comprised of over 50 Commissioners who represent a cross-cutting group of top CEO and industry leaders, senior policy-makers and government representatives, and experts from international agencies, academia and organizations concerned with development.

Upon arrival at Mocimboa da Praia on Saturday, the ACOS was welcomed by the Joint Force Commander, Maj Gen Innocent Kabandana who briefed him about the progress of military operations against terror groups in Cabo Delgado.

Lt Gen Muganga met Rwandan troops and commended them for the good work done since their arrival in Mozambique.

He further conveyed a message of appreciation from the RDF Commander-in-Chief, President Paul Kagame, for the security achievements gained since the force’s arrival in Cabo Delgado.

The ACOS urged the forces to keep the momentum and continue to be good ambassadors of Rwanda.

Rwandan troops in collaboration with Mozambican Forces fought and dislodged the terror groups from several towns including their main bases in MOCIMBOA DA PRAIA and other localities that include among others AWASSE, PALMA, QUIONGA, CHINDA, MBAU, MAPALANGANHA, TETE, NJAMA, QUELIMANE and most recently SIRI I and SIRI II considered to be their strongholds.

The statement released today reads that NEC has started updating voters’ register and related activities.

Local leaders’ elections scheduled in September and October 2021 will cost Rwf3 billion. It is the first similar elections held during COVID-19 pandemic and will be hosted in compliance with health guidelines.

The elections initially scheduled in February 2021 were postponed due to COVID-19 related restrictions.

The posts awaiting new personnel include committees at village, cell, sector and district level (except for districts in Kigali), and members of councils for special interest groups namely women and youth councils, and the council of people living with disabilities.

NEC recently revealed that there are 340,000 seats in local leadership that will receive new leaders.

Grassroots leaders including mayors down to the village level have a five-year term with a maximum of two terms.

The last term kicked off in 2016 and was expected to end in February 2021.

NEC figures show that a total of 6, 469, 037 voters participated in 2016 local leaders elections while 2018 parliamentary elections attracted 7, 172,612 voters.

The appointment has been announced today in a Communiqué released by the Office of the Prime Minister.

Dr. Ugirashebuja replaces Johnston Busingye who was recently named Rwanda’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.

He previously served as the 4th President of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ).

Dr. Ugirashebuja was appointed Judge of Appeal by the Summit of the EAC Heads of State in November 2013 and subsequently, appointed the Judge President of the EACJ in June 2014. His lordship was appointed for seven years tenure.

He also served as the Dean of the Law School, University of Rwanda; Member of the Superior Council of Judiciary; Member of the Supreme Council of Prosecution; Senior Lecturer at the National University of Rwanda; Member of Team of Experts in the East African Community on Fears, Challenges and Concerns towards the East African Political Federation; Legal Advisor at the Rwanda Environment Authority; and Legal Advisor at the Rwandan Constitution Commission.

He has given lectures at the University of Edinburgh, the University of Dar es Salaam, to the Rwanda Senior Command and Staff and at the Rwanda National Police College.

The satellite was launched into space on 25th September 2019. It is equipped with a small technology device that can test the quantity of water, warmth, humidity among other climate measurements.

The satellite has the capacity to monitor different directions using its two cameras that can capture pictures on Rwanda’s earth.

The Minister of ICT and Innovation, Paula Ingabire has said that Rwasat-1 has been sending data useful for the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources to design policies aimed at increasing agricultural yields.

“Most of transmitted data helps to identify productive land, the size and appropriate crops to grow. These indications are used along with other data collected using other technologies,” she said.

“These include satellites, drones, sensors which help us, particularly, the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources to improve monitoring and leverage the power of technology to increase agricultural produce,” added Ingabire.

With 30cm of height and 10 cm of width, Rwasat weighs 3.8 Kgs. Other satellites of the same size are replaced between two and three years to ensure they provide reliable data.

Rwasat-1 was the second satellite Rwanda launched into the space following the launch of ‘Icyerekezo’ satellite on 28th February 2019 to expand internet access in rural areas.

It was launched by the Government of Rwanda in collaboration with OneWeb.

Rwanda continues to promote the use of technology to transform the agriculture sector which accounts for 31 percent of Gross domestic Product (GDP).

In March 2021, Rwanda’s parliament passed the law establishing Rwanda Space Agency (RSA).

As provided by the law establishing RSA, some of its responsibilities include advising the Government on creating and developing national and international space policies.

It also has the responsibility of providing geospatial services for development activities in various domains such as agriculture, urban planning, emergency response & weather forecasts.

Kagame made the revelation on Thursday 16th September 2021 as he virtually attended the ‘Stern Stewart Institute Summit’ where he spoke on transformation and leadership in Africa in a conversation moderated by John Defterios, CNN Business Emerging Markets Editor and Anchor.

Kagame said that leadership should be perceived as the relationship between leaders and citizens which is a crucial aspect leading to great achievements.

“First, leadership has to be understood in terms of the relationship between leaders and citizens. It is not just about the characteristics of the individual who happens to be a leader,” he noted.

Kagame explained that there are two specific things to be considered in leadership which include trust that people have that the leadership is working in the best interests of the country and a mechanism for being accountable for delivering the results that citizens expect and deserve.

The President further stated that people often judge leaders considering circumstances under which they took and quit power yet there are other key considerations to take stock of.

“Too often, the legitimacy of leaders is judged by the process through which they arrived in office or their manner of leaving office. What happens in between is given less attention. And yet, the good or bad results that leaders actually deliver on the ground are how citizens judge them. So you often find a mismatch between internal and external perceptions of the performance of various leaders,” he said.

Kagame also stressed the need for leaders to put citizens’ interests at the forefront if they are to deliver on expectations.

“A leadership that consistently delivers tangible results for the well-being of citizens is going to be resilient and successful,” he affirmed.

Kagame said that Rwanda attaches great relevance to citizens’ participation to promote inclusive leadership and development.

“The second and final thought I have is the importance of changing mindsets. Leaders cannot lead countries alone. They can only set the tempo and raise the level of ambition by involving the public directly. This is a key reason why, in Rwanda, we spend a great deal of time investing in, and engaging with young people. The goal is to make them more self-reliant, confident, and innovative than previous generations. Otherwise, there is no way to secure the gains that our country has made in the past 27 years,” he noted.

The revelations came out on Wednesday 15th September 2021 as FARG appeared before the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to respond to mismanagement issues reported during implementation of the aforementioned project.

During the session, it emerged that the funds provided to four group beneficiaries sheltered in One-dollar campaign complex were poorly managed.

The Auditor General (AG)’s report indicated that FARG provided Rwf81,000,000 funding to four groups comprised of 81 beneficiaries sheltered in the housing unit built under One-dollar campaign project (ODCP).

ODCP is a charity initiative started by members of the Rwandan Diaspora in 2008 to mobilise a symbolic one dollar each to raise money to provide shelter for Genocide survivors.

Initially, beneficiaries received Rwf48, 600,000 with a promise to receive more funds after presenting how best the first installment was utilized.

The previous inspection held in February 2021, indicated that two groups received Rwf12, 600,000 and 12,000,000 respectively but did not operate.

There was also a delay in implementation of projects worth Rwf12, 000,000 for one of the four groups that received funding. It is reported that the group started implementation eight months later after receiving funds.

The AG’s report revealed that beneficiaries in one of the four groups shared received funds worth Rwf12, 000,000 instead of using them for intended purpose.

The Director General of FARG, Julienne Uwacu explained that individuals who shared the money had pitched ideas of selling of agricultural produce.

FARG entered agreement with the Association of Graduate Genocide Survivors (GAERG) to follow up their project.

Uwacu said that details of sharing funds emerged when an inspection was carried out following beneficiaries’ request to get the second installment.

“They kept telling us that businesses are still operational. We visited them and refrained from releasing the remaining 40% after realizing that their businesses are not sustainable. The group did not yield intended results because it was split that every member went his/her own way to live in desired favorite places,” she revealed.

Parliamentarian Germaine Mukabalisa said that there should have been proactive measures to prevent the loss and monitor beneficiaries on daily basis.

Emmanuel Munyangondo, the Director of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation at FARG explained that they followed up beneficiaries but failed to reach out to some of them.

“One of them submitted identifications that he stays in Ntongwe sector of Ruhango district. He gave us contacts that we planned field visits which failed at different times because the beneficiary used to switch off his phone upon arrival in the area,” he said.

The Chairperson of PAC, Valens Muhakwa questioned the response wondering how assigned team failed to reach out to a person living in Rwanda.

“Failing to reach out to people in Rwanda…how come? Does it mean that you delegated someone and came back telling you that he /she didn’t find beneficiaries?”

Mukabalisa also said that it is not reasonable ‘to provide 60% of the total funds without knowing where the beneficiaries are located’.

“How come that a beneficiary disappears when there is an inspection to follow up project implementation. Doesn’t the case involve funds embezzlement?”

The AG’s report indicated that FARG allocated Rwf1, 076,000.000 in 2012/2013 to different districts to support 1065 cooperatives involved in income generating activities.

The implementation has however been characterized by irregularities due to lacking reports on the project’s progress.

The majority of funded projects encountered losses. For instance, 393 projects worth Rwf325, 400,000 an equivalent to 37 percent of all funded projects were not successfully implemented while 35 of them worth Rwf27, 700,000 failed with no clear reasons.

FARG also allocated Rwf49, 500,000 to support 99 small income generating projects.

Each of these projects was supposed to receive Rwf500, 000 but 25 of 73 visited projects halted activities due to various reasons including sickness and use of funds to cater for household needs among others.

Among others, auditors established that 15 beneficiary groups that received Rwf7, 500,000 changed their business models without go ahead from FARG.

{{Unrecovered funds }}

The audit carried out in 2019 indicated that Rwf358, 434,000 that FARG had allocated for lucrative projects were misused and had to be recovered.

Another audit held in March 2021 showed that the funds had not yet been recovered despite ongoing efforts in collaboration with Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB).

The Director General of FARG, Uwacu explained that funds allocated to support projects owned by vulnerable survivors of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi were released following a viable study.

Some beneficiaries implemented businesses different from initially pitched ones. Part of the funds was recovered waiting for the rest to return the money.

Parliamentarian Jean Rene Niyorurema said that beneficiaries used to receive funds without prior training which might have triggered inefficiency.

Uwacu explained that beneficiaries were trained before and received funds in their respective groups through collaboration with grassroots leaders.

MP Germaine Mukabalisa said that the ineffective execution should not only be attributed to beneficiaries but also the committee assigned to oversee these projects that did not fulfill their duties.

The Vice Chairperson of PAC, Beline Uwineza also raised queries to understand stakeholders behind the failure and their actions triggering inefficiency.

Uwacu admitted that FARG is also involved ‘because we would have achieved goals for which the fund was established, had we implemented projects smoothly to transform beneficiaries’ lives. We are responsible for this along with partners.