Amb. Habineza breathed the last recently on Friday 20th August 2021.
He succumbed to natural cause in Kenya where he was getting medical attention.
One day before taking his remains to Rwanda, Habineza’s relatives in Kenya have organized a farewell ceremony due on Thursday.
On Friday morning, his body will be taken from Montezuma mortuary in Nairobi to Jomo Kenyatta Airport for repatriation to Rwanda. Habineza’s remains are expected to arrive in Rwanda around noon.
IGIHE has learnt that the burial date has not yet been confirmed.
Joseph Habineza was born in Kamonyi district in Southern Province on 3rd October 1964.
He served in various positions where he worked with Heineken in Kinshasa between1994-1998 and headed the digital power arm of Heineken in Nigeria between1998-2000.
Habineza started his political career in 2004 after returning from Nigeria. At the time, he was appointed the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture.
In 2008, the Ministry was split into the separate institutions where Habineza continued to assume duties as the Minister of Sports and Culture until 2011 when he resigned.
He was later appointed Rwanda’s ambassador to Nigeria and Ghana.
Habineza rejoined the cabinet in 2014 following his new appointment as the Minister of Sports and Culture. He held the position for 183 days and replaced on 24th February 2015.
In November 2016, Habineza started own businesses where he was involved in the wholesale of noodles produced from Egypt based firm known as Antoniou.
He was appointed the CEO of Radiant Yacu Ltd in 2019 and left the position in August 2020.
{{Related story:}} [{{He was charming and peaceful man: Rwandans eulogize Joseph Habineza}}->http://en.igihe.com/news/article/he-was-charming-and-peaceful-man-rwandans-eulogize-joseph-habineza]
A study conducted by three agriculture researchers on strawberry value chain and market assessment in Rwanda indicates that more efforts need to be put in place to promote the crop which is identified among the high value fruits promising to yield big and transform farmers’ livelihoods.
The study carried out by Straton Nsabimana, Dr. Fidèle Niyitanga and Dr. Fabrice Musana was funded by Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV).
According to findings of the research released yesterday, at least US$1,964,000 (approximately Rwf2 billion) is needed to address challenges affecting strawberry farming related to inadequate knowledge in best farming practices, equipment for storage of produce and seeds.
The funding is also expected to cater for market expansion, extending research related to the crop and rolling out campaigns to encourage farmers to grow strawberries.
Dr. Jean Chrysostome Ngabitsinze, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources has revealed that the Government is ready to support strawberry farmers to increase productivity considering the potential of the crop at the local and international market.
“The Ministry is mandated to ensure smooth execution of projects meant to benefit farmers. Through collaboration with the Netherlands, we want to introduce quality, high yielding and disease-resistant seed varieties,” he said.
“It requires funds to train farmers, provide capital and promote strawberry farming. That is why private sector investment is of critical importance. We want to design budget plan for farming of this crop to lay the foundation for farmers willing to grow strawberries,” added Dr. Ngabitsinze.
He explained that the ministry is making possible efforts to reduce current strawberry imports which stand at 63.7 tonnes per annum.
The owner of Entreprise Urwibutso, Gérard Sina who is also engaged in strawberries farming has emphasized that the crop doesn’t take long to harvest and is promising to yield big for farmers if best practices are embraced.
“Strawberry is a good crop that can transform farmers’ livelihoods in a short period of time because it only takes three months to harvest. I have been growing strawberries since 2000. I use the produce to make juices, yoghurt and other products that require strawberry flavours. A farmer growing strawberries is assured of improved livelihoods and cannot depend on hard labour. In good conditions, farmers harvest twice a week and are assured of a reliable market because they are contracted to supply the produce to our plant,” he said.
Sina stressed the need for thorough research to identify appropriate strawberry varieties to be planted in Rwanda for farmers to yield bigger returns.
Adelphine Ingabire, a Rwandan living in the Netherlands revealed that investing in strawberry farming is an optimal choice considering the high demand of the crop which is used for different purposes.
“There are many reasons one should stick to growing strawberry. It is not a popular crop in Rwanda but is highly rich in nutrients and doesn’t take long to harvest. Three months are enough for farmers to start supplying the market at competent price,” she noted.
Rwanda has five varieties of strawberries. Two of the varieties including Bravura and Furora were introduced from the Netherlands and are producing higher yields with quality fruits.
Having kicked off on Tuesday 24th August 2021, the 30th edition of FIBA AfroBasket which runs from August 24th to September 5th at Kigali Arena brought together 16 teams.
Rwanda is participating in the tournament for the sixth time.
According to Kawowo Sports, it was a back and forth affair to start the game but Congo assumed a quick 6-point (11-5) lead midway through the quarter that forced coach Cheikh Sarr to call for time. On return, Rwanda closed out the period with a 19-4 run.
The second quarter was square with both teams scoring 19 points apiece despite Rwanda assuming double-digit leads at several intervals but DRC never backed off.
Congo trailed by as many as 15 points at some point but drew level at 50 on Jordan Sakho’s three-point play with 2:10 to play in the third quarter.
The Congolese never fell far behind early in the fourth quarter but their failure to deal with Rwanda’s 2-1-2 fullcourt press was recipe for disaster as the hosts capitalized on the turnovers forced to pull away for the win.
Shooting guard William Robeyns led all scorers with 23 points to pace Rwanda. Dieudonne Ndizeye contributed 12 points off the bench while Kenneth Gasana stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, and 4 steals.
Point guard Maxi Shamba scored 22 points for DRC, Henry Pwono added 12 points while Sakho scored 12 points to go with 9 boards.
The two sides return to action on Thursday, August 26. DRC will face Cape Verde at 4:00 pm (EAT) while Rwanda will take on the record champions Angola at 7:00 pm (EAT).
Following the approval of different types of vaccines by the World Health Organization (WHO), developing countries initially struggled to secure vaccine doses.
As days went by, some African countries started receiving COVID-19 vaccines through initiatives aimed at ensuring equitable distribution, even though the continent still lags behind the vaccination program.
Africa is using several types of vaccines, which were obtained in different ways.
African nations are both purchasing new doses and receiving them from other countries. Donations came from all over the world, such as China, the United Arab Emirates, India, and Russia.
According to Statista, a German company specializing in market and consumer data; the United Nations-led COVAX initiative already provided Oxford/AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech doses to some African countries.
Within this program, the continent is supposed to receive a total of 600 million doses by December 2021 to vaccinate 60 percent of the African population by June 2022.
Latest figures from WHO show that some countries including the United States of America (USA) have vaccinated over 50% of their population while some African countries have not yet covered 10%.
It is reported that 32.7% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 24.6% is fully vaccinated.
5 billion doses have been administered globally while 33.56 million are administered each day.
Only 1.4% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose.
On the African continent, Morocco has the highest number of vaccine recipients with 36.8% while South Africa vaccinated 8% of its population.
Rwanda is among African countries that have started administering vaccines since March this year starting with people whose line of duty puts them at risk of catching the virus.
So far, Rwanda has 432,429 fully vaccinated people since the exercise began.
On Monday 23rd August 2021, Rwanda started COVID-19 mass vaccination targeting all people aged 18 and above.
The mass vaccination campaign started with Kigali City expected to be extended countrywide later depending on available vaccine doses.
With the exercise in place, Rwanda has become the second African country following South Africa which also started mass vaccination for people aged18 years and above.
People below the age of 18 are not eligible for the vaccine as per guidelines from the World Health Organization.
According to health experts, Rwanda’s rolling out of mass vaccination is a great milestone to mitigate effects of the pandemic.
The State Minister in Charge of Primary Healthcare in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Tharcisse Mpunga has told IGIHE that the mass vaccination came after different phases targeting people in advanced ages, health workers, and people with chronic diseases among others whose duties expose them.
He explained that Rwanda has been handling the situation with unique approaches and expressed optimism for the situation to normalize in case a large segment of the population is inoculated.
“I think it is Rwanda’s unique approach considering expended efforts since the pandemic emerged in the country. A large number of positive cases was found among people in the age brackets between 25 and 39 of whom the majority live in towns,” he said.
“As a result, some parts of towns were placed under lockdown at different times which negatively affected the economy,” added Dr. Mpunga.
Kigali, which generates close to 50% of Rwanda’s national GDP, has been hit hard particularly and went into lockdown three times since the pandemic emerged in March 2020.
Dr. Mpunga has revealed that the mass vaccination program starting with the youth will pave the way for the resumption of operations given that a large number will have been immunized.
“We started vaccinating elders and the exercise is ongoing. We also found it necessary to target the youth among vaccine recipients so that we can recover the economy,” said Dr. Mpunga.
The third phase of COVID-19 mass vaccination targeting people aged 18 and above kicked off yesterday. It is expected to have covered 90% of Kigali City dwellers within two weeks.
Rwanda plans to vaccinate 30 per cent of the population by the end of 2021 and continues efforts to acquire sufficient doses through direct purchases and other arrangements, to ensure as many Rwandans as possible are protected from COVID-19.
Dr. Mutesa Leon, a lecturer of human genetics at the University of Rwanda has also welcomed the COVID-19 mass vaccination program considering it a milestone towards reducing the transmission of the virus.
The revelation follows a statement released last week by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying that 13 countries have agreed to temporarily host at-risk Afghans evacuated from Afghanistan and a dozen more have agreed to serve as transit points for evacuees, including Americans and others.
In evacuating Afghans who previously worked with its forces, the US has sought third countries to house refugees while their applications are processed.
Blinken said that potential Afghan refugees not already cleared for resettlement in the United States will be housed at facilities in countries including Rwanda, Albania, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Mexico, Poland, Qatar, Ukraine and Uganda.
Transit countries include Bahrain, Britain, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Qatar, Tajikistan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan.
The White House said Monday that the US has evacuated or helped to get approximately 48,000 people out of Afghanistan since Aug. 14, with about 10,900 of them airlifted out during 12 hours Monday.
These include workers of non-governmental organizations, public servants and others at risk depending on the nature of their jobs like journalists, interpreters and human rights activists among others.
According to CNBC, the tally represents an apparent acceleration in the military’s colossal efforts to relocate as many people as possible amid a Taliban takeover. In addition, coalition forces evacuated approximately 5,900 people over the weekend.
Since the end of July, the US has relocated approximately 53,000 people, the White House said. There are still several thousand Americans believed to be awaiting evacuation, according to the State Department.
The Pentagon said evacuees are flying from Kabul to temporary safe-haven locations across the Middle East and Europe, including US installations in Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Italy, Spain and Germany.
Afghan nationals arriving in the United States will be housed at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, Fort Lee in Virginia, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey and Fort Bliss in Texas.
As desperate Afghans were trying to escape the Taliban and board planes, during chaotic scenes at Kabul airport, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, on Monday last week, called for international unity on Afghanistan, in a briefing to an emergency session of the Security Council.
“The following days will be pivotal”, said the UN chief. “The world is watching. We cannot and must not abandon the people of Afghanistan”.
After seizing large swaths of territory in recent months, the Taliban on Sunday took control of the capital, Kabul, home to some six million people.
President Ashraf Ghani has fled the country, according to media reports, and desperate residents have been scrambling to the airport to get flights out.
Afghanistan’s UN ambassador, Ghulam M. Isaczai, recently spoke of the fear that has gripped Kabul where people displaced from other provinces had flocked to the capital, viewed as the last refuge in the country.
As Isaczai said, Kabul residents reported that Taliban forces started house to house searches in some neighborhoods in Kabul, registering names and looking for people in their target list.
“There are already reports of target killings and looting in the city,” he revealed last week.
As per RURA’s statement dated 19th August 2021, the telecom must have solved all network issues related to poor calls connections (first attempts failures), dropped calls and silent garbled-speech by the aforementioned dates.
RURA has revealed that the decision follows the hearing session held on 23rd July 2021 during which the management of MTN Rwanda acknowledged the gap between Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and the translation of these improvements into customer oriented experience.
“Should these deadlines be exceeded, further sanctions including the monetary sanction shall be applied immediately,” reads the statement in part.
The regulatory has also explained that MTN Rwanda failed to meet the initial deadline of the remediation plan to improve the quality of services in the City of Kigali and upcountry districts as submitted in the letter dated 9th April 2021.
In June 2021, MTN Rwanda explained that 40 new telecommunication towers have been installed to improve service delivery.
At the time, the telecom said that these infrastructures have been installed in different parts of Kigali city namely; Nduba, Jabana, Rusororo, Bumbogo among others to enrich customers’ with improved experience.
The recently announced upgrade followed subscribers’ complaints for network failures, dropped calls, unclear calls and slow internet.
Speaking to the media in June; Eugene Gakwerere, the Chief Technical Officer at MTN Rwanda revealed that the telecom is installing 27 more towers to be completed by August 2021 to maintain improved service delivery to over 6 million customers who subscribed to its network.
It is against this background that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Government of Japan has been helping Rwanda to mitigate effects of the pandemic.
Through UNDP, Japan has provided over US$1.2 million that helped Rwanda to mitigate effects of the pandemic in different areas.
Initially, part of the funds were allocated to strengthen the capacity of COVID-19 laboratories across the country and helped to hire over 100 health workers deployed to 11 newly established centers for COVID-19 testing.
It has resulted into increased sample tests and reduced time it would take for the release of results.
Under this framework, selected hospitals received all necessary equipment to provide oxygen for critically ill patients at intensive care units.
Among others, the funds helped to provide equipment including masks shields, face masks to 41 hospitals, train frontline workers and robots deployed to disinfect different places.
UNDP Country Representative, Maxwell Gomera has told IGIHE that they rushed to contribute to the fight against COVID-19 considering the pandemic’s nature which requires stronger collaboration than ever.
“The pandemic has awakened us to be far-sighted and concert efforts because no country can feel safe when neighbors are hit hard by the pandemic. It is under this context that UNDP and partners like the Government of Rwanda and Japan teamed up in the cumbersome situation to mitigate occasioned effects during and after the pandemic,” he said.
Gomera has also rallied foreign countries to continue providing support within their capacities to fight the pandemic.
“This time around, we should be much concerned about consolidating efforts to fight the pandemic which continues to take people’s lives instead of turning against each other. I would like to call upon developed countries for emergent support to African countries battling to access medical supplies and vaccines,” he noted.
The Ambassador of Japan to Rwanda, Imai Masahiro has also stressed the need for consolidated efforts if the world is to defeat the pandemic.
“I am convinced that the most important thing during these difficult times is concerting efforts to help developing countries access vaccines and other medical supplies,” he revealed.
Amb. Masahiro also referred to the use of technology in the project with UNDP, which is aimed at containing the spread of COVID-19 in Rwanda.
“Rwanda is a country moving fast to embrace technology on the African continent. The use of innovation in COVID-19 response should have a positive impact on the frontline healthcare facilities. Technology is not only bound to positively impact Rwanda but also neighboring countries,” he affirmed.
In February this year, UNDP handed over two Ultraviolet-C (UV-C robots) to Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC). These robots are used to disinfect treatment centers and public places to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
The acquired UV-C Robots have unique features which include the UV-C lamps that emit ultraviolet lights destroying deadly microorganisms that may be missed during the manual cleaning process, hence helping to reduce infection rates for patients and healthcare workers.
Among other capabilities these robots have is the capacity to undertake speedy cleaning and disinfecting patient and operating rooms, labor and delivery, ICU rooms, isolation discharge rooms and other indoor spaces. On average, one robot can disinfect one room in 32 minutes. They can also kill virus other than SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Dieudonné Nshimiyimana, a health worker at Nyarugenge Hospital which has been turned into COVID-19 treatment center has explained that these robots are efficient to disinfect varied items.
“A robot can perform the task that would require five persons in 30 minutes. It is fast, reliable and has the capacity to kill the virus at 99.9 percent,” he said.
Rwanda confirmed the first Coronavirus patient on 14th March 2020. Since then the government has been instituting different measures to prevent spread of the virus including lockdown imposed at different times, halting businesses, suspending movements, closing borders among others which shook the economy.
Through the funding of Japan, UNDP has helped 227 members from 13 cooperatives of persons living with disability across the country to mitigate COVID-19 effects.
Beneficiaries received food relief, enlightened on COVID-19 prevention measures while their cooperatives received funds to resume operations that had halted during lockdown.
One of these cooperatives include Union of Deaf Women Cooperative (UDWCO) involved in hand crafts, sewing and knitting in Kigali City.
The President of UDWCO, Micheline Nikuze has revealed that the cooperative encountered losses during lockdown that businesses would not resume had it not been the funding of UNDP.
“We were hit hard that time because we had no income generating business. We are however grateful for the support of UNDP which intervened with food assistance and provided funding to resume operations,” she noted.
Nikuze explained that received funds helped them to resume business promising to financially transform their lives during and after the pandemic.
The decision of scrapping transfer charges for Push and Pull services is part of new directive released by BNR and follows concerns among members of the public lamenting that transfer charges from one’s bank account to mobile money wallet and vice versa could slow down the country’s efforts to embrace cashless transactions.
In May this year, BNR announced that it was conducting a study to fix prices for digital financial services.
The directive signed by the Governor of the National Bank of Rwanda, John Rwangombwa reads that ‘Charges and fees on transfer of funds between e-money and deposit accounts belonging to the same person are prohibited’.
The Central bank has also waived 6 per cent interest rate which banks have been paying previously on the funds held in the trust account.
“Trust accounts and related individual e-money accounts are only used for the purpose of facilitating payment services. As such, interest on trust accounts and interest on individual e-money accounts are prohibited unless the latter is explicitly used as a savings account,” adds the directive.
First Lady Jeannette Kagame made the call on Friday August 20, 2021 as she co-chaired the first virtual AAB meeting of the UGHE along with Prof. Senait Fisseha, the Director of Global Programs at the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation.
The duo was named to chair UGHE African Advisory Board recently on 14th August 2021.
Speaking at the first meeting held virtually, the First Lady requested board members to continue striving for transformations of the health sector leveraging lessons learnt from COVID-19.
“I am extending to you an invitation to keep trailblazing a new and health centered path forward, because 2020 taught us many lessons on how interconnected we are as a global community. We can no longer afford to maintain the status quo,” she said.
UGHE is an institution that strives to train the next generation of global health professionals committed to providing equitable healthcare for all in Africa and beyond, with a focus on the most vulnerable. The creation of the AAB is critical to ensuring that UGHE’s work is informed by the local context vis-a-vis the wealth of knowledge and experience of African leaders on the continent.
Prof. Senait Fisseha highlighted that the opening of the university in Rwanda was an optimal choice.
“It is no accident that the University of Global Health Equity was born in Rwanda, which has for so long been a beacon of hope and an inspiration not just for those of us on the continent, but globally. This is what resilience, perseverance, and the road map to equity looks like,” he said.
During the meeting, the board members pledged to support UGHE to educate young leaders to be able to strengthen health sectors as a pillar of economic development and stability worldwide, especially in Africa. With this far-reaching mission, they are ready to accompany UGHE as it implements flexible and innovative solutions to address complex global health issues on the African continent and beyond. They will also advise on the creation of research and the needed types of professionals, as well as the collaboration required for future self-reliance based on Africa’s health needs.
Prof. Agnes Binagwaho, Vice- Chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity said that the university looks forward to continuing the dialogue expected to ‘provide invaluable recommendations to UGHE as it works to attain excellence in global health education’.
“Ultimately, we hope that this provision of quality education will improve the health of the population worldwide, especially that of the most vulnerable in Africa,” she noted.
The conversation also highlighted the importance of synergizing regional efforts and improving the quality and quantity of the healthcare workforce and delivery, to guide the way forward for the institution’s strategic development to build healthcare systems in Africa and other parts of the world.
Other participants include Prof. Paul Farmer, the Chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity who stressed the need to work hard to position UGHE as one important legacy of the Rwandan renaissance.
Inaugurated in 2018, UGHE releases graduates with Bachelor and Master’s in global health sciences.
UGHE focuses on quality, innovation and scientific-based learning and requires that students learn from and live within the communities facing the aforementioned constraints to healthcare access. By situating the university in the rural North of Rwanda, it provides proximity education that exposes our students to the challenges that they will be tasked to address on the continent.
Through a community-based learning approach that leverages community members as teachers, students are equipped with a deep understanding of the needs of the vulnerable, positioning them to adequately address them in their future professional life. By applying these principles, UGHE breaks down traditional boundaries between academic disciplines, fostering interprofessional teaching and learning.
With presence of dense forests, Mbau is located in 45 kilometers away from Mocimboa da Praia.
It was reportedly used by rebels for training of recruits. Following days of intense fighting, the joint forces seized Mbau on Friday 20th August 2021.
As they attacked Mbau, Rwandan and Mozambican troops maneuvered through Mocimboa da Praia and Mueda.
Before entering Mbau, RDF and Mozambican troops exchanged fire with approximately 100 rebels. The fight left several rebels killed while others escaped.
Eleven of killed rebels were found on the battle ground.
The joint troops also seized weapons including Submachine Guns (SMGs) among others.
The Spokesperson of Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), Col Ronald Rwivanga has told IGIHE that operations to defeat insurgencies are ongoing despite the victory in Mbua.
“We have quelled rebels and seized the region but operations are ongoing,” he said.
IGIHE has learnt that Rwandan troops started operations on Tuesday and followed tracks left by rebels as they fled with their vehicles from Mocimboa da Praia also seized recently.
The remaining regions under control of rebels include Siri I and Siri II.
During the ongoing fight, liberated regions are left under protection of Police forces as soldiers advance to chase out rebels.
Rwanda started the deployment of 1000 troops of the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and the Rwanda National Police (RNP) to Mozambique, recently on 9th July 2021, to fight rebel groups linked ISIL.
The group sometimes calls themselves al-Shabaab, although they do not have known links with the Somali al-Shabaab.
The situation started worsening in October 2017 when armed extremists linked ISIL launched an insurgency in the Cabo Delgado region of Mozambique.
Since then, Mozambique Defence Armed Forces have been battling the extremists while many civilians were displaced by the fighting.
The joint operations between Rwandan and Mozambican troops have started yielding where different regions including Palma, Awasse, Mocímboa Da Praia, Quionga, Tete, Zambia, Maputo, Nhica Do Rovuma, Quelimane, Chinda and Mumu have been seized from rebels.
