In a statement released last night, RwandAir announced that the decision takes effect from 10th June 2021.
“Due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in Uganda, RwandAir announces the suspension of its flights to Entebbe effective 10 June 2021, until further notice. RwandAir sincerely apologizes for the inconvenience caused,” reads part of the statement.
“Affected customers can rebook and fly at a later date, once flights resume at no additional cost-or request refund,” adds the statement.
Uganda is among regional countries that have been registering surge in COVID-19 cases towards the end of May 2021 which prompted the suspension of schools and inter-district lockdown.
Uganda has recorded 56,949 new COVID-19 cases while 402 people succumbed to the virus since the pandemic emerged in the country. The prevalence of positivity rate is at 17%.
RwandAir has been operating six weekly flights from and to Uganda. During COVID-19 pandemic, passengers were required to have COVID-19 negative test results within the past 72 hours.
At the time, Musanze was among other parts of the country shaken by the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi that underwent a period of uncertainty between 1997 and 1997 during insurgency attacks.
Bajeni has recounted how residents in the area went through difficult times until close collaboration with the Government bore fruits to bring the situation to normal.
Bajeni who once served as a Parliamentarian between 2003 and 2008 resides in Byimana village, Ruhengeri cell in Musanze sector where he bought a plot of land in 1999 in which he built a house in 2000.
His home is located in the vicinity of Rwebeya water drainage channel (Ruhurura) that used to be flooded by water from the Volcanoes National Park, claiming lives and destroying properties.
During rainy season, the water drainage channel would put many things on standstill obstructing movements.
As a parliamentarian, Bajeni advocated for residents requesting a bridge that would facilitate movements.
“There was no bridge over the drainage channel. It was a steep slope that required one to lean on strong persons to cross,” he said.
During rainy season, it was impossible to cross as a result of widespread flooding occasioned by water flowing from Volcanoes National Park.
Bajeni has recalled the time when he saw four women from Gisenyi with their children whom he helped to find other routes paths to reach the destination after failing to cross the flooded drainage channel.
“I was moved by the unpleasant situation residents were going through and conducted advocacy. It was before the year 2008. We later got relief with construction of the bridge and a tarmac road as well,” he said.
Rwebeya water drainage channel is stretched along 720 meters and flows from Kinigi sector into River Mukungwa. It was built during the first phase of the project to provide roads and water drainage systems in secondary cities.
The project saw the construction of 4,577 Km roads completed at over Rwf 4.2 billion in Musanze district while water drainage channels stretched along 922 meters cost Rwf 949.9.
Bajeni has explained that such infrastructures have eased movements and connectivity in surrounding communities that residents safely reach markets and health facilities among others.
“For instance, thieves would loot residents’ belongings and escape to the drainage channel. Today, related theft cases have reduced because lights are installed along the road. The development is among other infrastructures made possible under the visionary leadership of President Paul Kagame which continuously induce pride among residents,” he revealed.
Residents have also revealed that infrastructure development has made them smart residents with optimism for new opportunities.
“After raining, roads turned muddy and became almost unmotorable. So, you can image how frustrating it was for someone cross the muddy road with his/her clean shoes and clothes. Today, we are grateful because we move freely be it in rainy season or dry spell,” said Jean d’Amour Ntakirutimana, a motorcyclist.
Antoinette Mukampirwa, a vendor of vegetables in Giramahoro village, Muhoza sector is among residents benefiting from infrastructures made available.
She explained that new roads facilitated transport that they currently run businesses smoothly.
The mayor of Musanze district, Jeannine Nuwumuremyi has said that new roads have facilitated movements and connectivity and paved the way for development in other areas.
“Our district is prone to frequent rains. The situation worsens when flowing water has no properly constructed drainage channels. Having strong bridges facilitates movements and connectivity,” she noted.
“People visiting our town can move freely. It also impacts tourism positively as it gives a memorable experience to tourists visiting Virunga National Parks pushing them to prolong their stay,” added Nuwumuremyi.
She explained that Musanze district has other projects in the pipeline expected to attract tourists visiting gorillas in Virunga National Park to prolong their stay.
“We want tourists to stay longer. When there are infrastructures, it gives them courage to explore more areas. Visiting different parts to witness settlements, and citizens’ development might be part of their adventures. Besides, there are new coffee shops in Rusagara and Ibereshi among others where tourists from Volcanoes National Park can pass by,” stressed Nuwumuremyi.
At least a 6.428 kilometer road under construction in the second phase of infrastrure development in Musanze district has reached 94.2%.
He held talks with Kagame after meeting with Rwanda’s entrepreneurs including those registered to benefit from its programs.
Norrsken Foundation is currently building East Africa’s largest hub for entrepreneurship and innovation in the old premises of the Ecole Belge in Kigali which is set to offer business incubation programs to over 1,000 entrepreneurs and provide funding to grow their businesses.
When Norrsken purchased the site in 2019, it had been vacant since the school’s relocation in 2017. Norrsken seeks, among other things, to revive one of the most important landmarks in Kigali and turn it into a place where education, innovation and entrepreneurship will join to generate solutions for scalable growth and development in Kigali and throughout the region.
Before heading to Village Urugwiro, Adalberth met with the Minister of Trade and Industry, Béata Habyarimana; the Minister of Technology and Innovation, Paula Ingabire and the CEO of Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Clare Akamanzi.
Adalberth co-founded the company with colleagues Victor Jacobsson and Sebastian Siemiatkowski from Stockholm School of Economics.
Currently, the company has estimated assets of over US$30 billion and netted US$700 million profit last year.
In 2015 Niklas left Klarna with the aim to give back to the world. Adalberth founded Norrsken Foundation, a Swedish non-profit foundation supporting and investing in impactful start-ups with the potential to radically improve the world. He has, so far, injected US$126 million in the foundation.
In 2020, Norrsken Foundation worked with 450 entrepreneurs from 130 companies.
Norrsken Foundation plans to establish 20 hubs worldwide.
This transformational commitment is part of Hansjorg Wyss’s visionary Wyss Campaign for Nature, a $1 billion investment in helping nations, NGO’s and indigenous communities conserve 30 percent of the planet by 2030 and is one of the largest single gifts ever made to the conservation of Protected Areas in Africa.
The statement released yesterday shows that the Foundation’s commitment will be made over an initial five-year period to support up to half of the annual budgets of nine existing parks currently under African Parks’ management in Angola, Benin, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe; as well as support the addition of five new parks (which are yet to be identified) and up to two-thirds of their annual budgets.
African Parks manages Akagera National Park in Rwanda.
The funding for these new parks will come with a matching requirement with the goal of enticing new and diversified funders to provide needed stability for these landscapes. The grant overall serves a critical need in long-term and sustainable, multi-year financing, providing critical support for a park’s operating budget, which can vary between $1.5M to $4M per year.
“We are in a race against time to save Africa’s wildlife and wild places,” said Hansjörg Wyss, Founder and Chairman of The Wyss Foundation.
“Multiple and compounding threats, including deforestation, illegal mining, poaching, and wildlife trafficking among others have imperiled Africa’s lands, waters, and wildlife – some of the most awe-inspiring on Earth. Only by working with governments and local people can we protect natural areas for the benefit of people and wildlife across the African continent. By supporting African Parks, I know that funding is being used effectively to help nations and communities protect nature and their economy now, not tomorrow.”
African Parks, a conservation organization founded in 2000, takes on the direct, long-term management responsibility of national parks and protected areas in partnership with governments to protect wildlife, restore landscapes and ensure sustainable livelihoods for local communities. With 19 parks in 11 countries under African Parks management, their conservation footprint spans over 14.7 million hectares which is the largest amount of area under conservation for any one NGO on the continent. Their goal is to directly manage 30 parks by 2030, measuring 30 million hectares, safeguarding globally significant biodiversity and ensuring that vast ecosystems function in order to sequester carbon, deliver clean air, water and food security, provide stability, and economic, socio-political and ecological benefits for millions of people.
“It’s hopeful and inspiring to see the impact one individual can have, with intent and clarity of purpose in wanting to help protect the planet,” said Peter Fearnhead, the CEO of African Parks.
“The partnership forged with the Wyss Foundation is helping secure some of the most threatened but globally significant landscapes on Earth. What is not being managed will be lost, and once lost, these areas and their ecological functions are essentially impossible to restore. What Mr. Wyss’s commitment does is help secure these threatened areas now, it inspires other actors to get involved, and paves the way for a green and sustainable future for humans and wildlife alike”.
The philanthropic commitment announced yesterday comes on top of the Wyss Foundation’s existing support to African Parks from 2016 for nine parks currently under their management, including three parks in Malawi where the Foundation supported one of the largest elephant translocations in human history.
The Wyss Foundation has a more than two decades long track record of working with local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and nations in their efforts to accelerate the pace and scale of conservation, supporting locally-driven projects in Africa, Australia, North America, South America, Europe, and central Asia.
By partnering with communities to create and expand protected areas, by encouraging more ambitious international conservation targets, by investing in science, and by inspiring conservation action around the world, the Wyss Foundation is working to slow the loss of nature and safeguard the planet’s biodiversity.
Kagame made the call on Tuesday 8th June 2021 during the United Nations General Assembly High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS.
The meeting taking place from 8th to 10th June 2021, was organized to undertake a comprehensive review of the progress on the commitments made in the 2016 Political Declaration towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030, and how the response, in its social, economic and political dimensions, continues to contribute to progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the global health goal.
The high-level meeting is expected to provide recommendations to guide and monitor the HIV/AIDS response beyond 2021, including new concrete commitments to accelerate action to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as well as to promote the renewed commitment and engagement of leaders, countries, communities and partners to accelerate and implement a comprehensive universal and integrated response to HIV/AIDS.
As he delivered remarks, Kagame explained Rwanda’s efforts towards defeating HIV/AIDS where the country has achieved nearly all of the 90-90-90 targets indicating that 90% of all people living with HIV should know their HIV status, 90% of all people with diagnosed HIV infection receive sustained antiretroviral therapy while 90% of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression.
The President also revealed that HIV prevalence rate in Rwanda has been stable at 3 percent since 2005 noting that more efforts are still needed.
“But it is not yet time to celebrate. There is still 95 to be achieved, and then 100. That is the reason why a new Political Declaration is needed, to end the HIV pandemic by 2030,” he said.
Kagame stressed HIV/AIDS and Covid-19 are both pandemics that should leave common lessons.
“HIV/AIDS and Covid-19 are both pandemics. One is 40 years old, while the other has been with us for only a year-and-a-half. But there are common lessons and shortcomings to address. First, the quality and speed of response is still mostly determined by wealth and poverty. Waiting to respond to HIV in Africa was a mistake, because the virus was spreading, even though it was treatable,” he stated.
“Some even believed that Africans would not be able take their medicine on time. A decade was lost, and many lives as well. The turning point in the fight against HIV in Africa was the consensus to invest heavily in national health systems, through key programs such as PEPFAR, the Global Fund, and others,” added Kagame.
He revealed that the health systems that Africa has depended on to fight the COVID-19 pandemic were largely built with HIV funding.
“For example, Rwanda’s National Reference Laboratory has performed thousands of Covid tests per day during the pandemic. And it was originally built as an HIV lab. Even within the framework of combatting a specific pandemic, we can work together as partners to disburse funds in a flexible manner, with the goal of continuing to strengthen health systems,” he noted.
Kagame highlighted that established health systems to defeat particular pandemic might be used to contain emerging crisis requiring prompt interventions to save people’s lives.
He pointed out an example where ‘a maternity wing that treats HIV-positive mothers, may also save the life of a mother with malaria’.
“We must also seize this moment to increase scientific research collaboration with Africa, and to invest in drug and vaccine manufacturing capacity on our continent,” stressed Kagame.
UNAIDS 2021 epidemiological estimates shows that 37.6 million people globally were living with HIV in 2020 including 1.5 million people infected in 2020 while 690, 000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses in the same year.
Kagame received Ahmed after meeting with Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr. Vincent Biruta where the two ministers held discussions on strengthening bilateral relations and signed a General Cooperation Agreement.
Ahmed Kattan becomes the first Saudi official to visit Rwanda.
On Monday, Ambassador Jamal M.H Al-Madani presented credentials to Kagame has to represent the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Rwanda with residence in Kampala, Uganda.
He was approved by the cabinet meeting held on 14th December 2020.
Rwanda and Saudi Arabia have enjoyed cordial relations and cooperation in different areas since 2006. In 2018, both countries signed the establishment of diplomatic relations.
Saudi Arabia was among Rwanda’s top 10 import markets last year with imports valued at US$5,83 million in December 2020 from US$6,50 million in 2019.
Kagame made the recommendation today at the official launch of the partnership between MasterCard Foundation and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
The three-year partnership will leave US$1.3 billion deployed to save the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in Africa and hasten the economic recovery of the continent.
The Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative will acquire vaccines for at least 50 million people, support the delivery of vaccinations to millions more across the continent, lay the groundwork for vaccine manufacturing in Africa through a focus on human capital development, and strengthen the Africa CDC.
President Kagame said that MasterCard Foundation has been making real difference on the continent in the areas of education and youth empowerment since 2009 and highlighted three critical areas the newly launched partnership should prioritize.
“First, it is practical and immediate. Lives are going to be changed vaccine purchases. Second, there is a commitment to work directly with our public health institution and make them stronger. Creating pararrel systems has not been effective or sustainable. Third, there is a long-term vision to build Africa’s capacity to produce high quality medicines and vaccines right here on our continent,” he said.
Kagame also stressed the need for urgent interventions to get out of the crisis.
“As Africa, we have to do our part with a sense of urgency and excellence. We won’t get out of this crisis with a business-as-usual mindset. That means, investing much more of our own domestic health resources in our national systems,” he noted.
The African Union’s goal as set out in the African COVID-19 Vaccine Development and Access Strategy is to vaccinate at least 60 percent of its population – approximately 750 million people or the entire adult population of the continent – by the end of 2022. To date, less than two percent of Africans have received at least one vaccine dose.
The new partnership builds on the efforts of the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access facility (COVAX), the COVID-19 African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT), and the global community to expand access to vaccines across Africa. The number of vaccines available to Africa represents a small portion of the global supply and the financial costs to purchase, deliver, and administer vaccines remain significant. The Africa CDC has called on governments, global funders, the private sector, and others to help meet this goal.
“Ensuring inclusivity in vaccine access, and building Africa’s capacity to manufacture its own vaccines, is not just good for the continent, it’s the only sustainable path out of the pandemic and into a health-secure future,” said Dr. John Nkengasong, Director of the Africa CDC.
“This partnership with the Mastercard Foundation is a bold step towards establishing a New Public Health Order for Africa, and we welcome other actors to join this historic journey.”
In 2020, Africa faced its first economic recession in 25 years due to the pandemic.
The African Development Bank has warned that COVID-19 could reverse hard-won gains in poverty reduction over the past two decades and drive 39 million people into extreme poverty in 2021. Widespread vaccination is recognized as being critical to the economic recovery of African countries.
The initiative builds on an earlier collaboration between the Mastercard Foundation and the Africa CDC to expand access to testing kits and enhance surveillance capacity in Africa. Through the Foundation’s support, the Africa CDC’s Partnership to Accelerate COVID-19 Testing (PACT) deployed nearly two million COVID-19 tests and more than 12,000 trained health care workers and rapid responders across Africa.
In total, the PACT has enabled over 47 million COVID-19 tests across the continent.
In 2019, Rwanda earned over US$ 500 million from tourism and provided job opportunities to approximately 164,000.
In a bid to promote tourism sector, the country has expended substantial resources for development of infrastructures facilitating tourists to enjoy memorable experiences during their stay in Rwanda.
Such infrastructures include luxurious state-of-the art hotels to promote the country’s flagship programme known Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) to market the country as conferences’ hub.
The programme is set to get boost with Four Points by Sheraton, a new hotel brand entering Rwanda’s market.
Being under final phases of construction, the four-star facility is located in Nyarugenge district, Kigali City nearby Kigali Serena and Marriott hotels.
The hotel expected to have been completed within 30 days, is the first of its kind run by Four Points by Sheraton hotel brand in Rwanda. The hotel has 154 rooms of different categories including a Presidential Suite.
Four Points by Sheraton is a multinational hotel brand operated by Marriott International that targets business travelers and small conventions. As of June 30, 2020, Marriott operated 291 properties in 45 countries worldwide under the Four Points by Sheraton brand, with 53,054 rooms.
The new facility to be launched in Kigali will be an addition to its presence in East Africa with footprints in Tanzania and Kenya.
The company was founded in 1995 operated by Sheraton Hotels and Resorts.
It was later in 1998 acquired by Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc and underwent a rebrand in 2000.
In 2016, Marriott International acquires Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc. bringing Four Points by Sheraton to existing 32 operated brands.
Four Points by Sheraton in Kigali will be a four-star hotel with 154 rooms.
The basement of the 10-floor building has storeroom, staff training room and will also accommodate a restaurant, bar and kitchens.
Among others, the hotel will feature displays of traditional decorations and has four elevators, two being for clients, one for staff and another one to lift foods and other items.
The first floor has three rooms dedicated for meetings and can be converged to host 60 people.
The second floor has six rooms for meetings. The hotel also has a pool with a segment for elders and children respectively.
Next to the pool, is a gym with glass walls. The hotel also has eight cold rooms for meat, vegetables and other fresh fruits.
Four Points by Sheraton will have own bakery and dedicated space for meat processing.
Four Points by Sheraton in Rwanda was built by Canon Construction Ltd, led by Jack Arslanian.
According to the contractor, most of materials were sourced in Rwanda while the rest were imported at completion phase.
Jack Arslanian has told IGIHE that the hotel was built in compliance with international standards.
“The hotel’s brand is very much concerned about meeting standards and draws attention to all details to ensure clients are satisfied with delivered services,” he said.
The hotel has 20 ordinary rooms, some of which have own kitchens and one Presidential Suite as well.
During the remaining 30 days, developers are making final touches and putting everything right to ensure air conditioners, electricity and water supply systems among others are properly installed.
The contractor, Jack Arslanian has also took part in the construction of other hotels in Rwanda including Bisate Lodge in Northern Province, Ubumwe Grande Hotel, Marriott Hotel and renovation of One & Only Nyungwe House.
Before meeting with Kagame yesterday, Al-Madani presented copies of credentials to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Vincent Biruta.
He was approved to represent Saudi Arabia to Rwanda with residence in Kampala, Uganda by the cabinet meeting held on 14th December 2020.
Rwanda and Saudi Arabia have enjoyed cordial relations and cooperation in different areas since 2006. In 2018, both countries signed the establishment of diplomatic relations.
Saudi Arabia was among Rwanda’s top 10 import markets last year with imports valued at US$5,83 million in December 2020 from US$6,50 million in 2019.
He made the call on Sunday 6th June 2021 during a live conversation on the fight against genocide denial with the Rwandan community abroad aired aired on RBA.
The talk was held at a time when Rwanda is commemorating the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi for the 27th time which took lives of over 1 million innocent Tutsi killed for innate personality.
Despite the fact that different measures have been put in place to depict the truth, propagandists continue to fuel Genocide ideology, misinterpret history and distort facts claiming that Genocide took lives of 800,000.
They also claim that the shooting of the plane of former President Juvenal Babyarimana was the trigger of Genocide yet there are evidences proving that it was a result of long-term plan to exterminate Tutsi.
The situation raises alarm considering the fact that propagandists are currently using social media to mislead and spread destructive ideologies among the youth constituting 70% of Rwanda’s population.
Appearing in RBA talk show, Minister Biruta called for concerted efforts to shun all forms of Genocide ideology.
“We should raise voices and counteract them whatever platforms they are using,” he said.
“Genocide ideology still exists and might continue in the days to come. However, it can be devised if we concert efforts and make it our concern. Everyone has a part to play along the journey. The Government, different organizations will also play their part,” added Dr. Biruta.
He urged Rwandans to use all possible platforms to tell the truth of what happened and take legal action where necessary.
The State Minister in the Ministry of Youth and Culture, Edouard Bamporiki stressed that the journey of stopping Genocide and rebuilding the country is a good legacy to the youth and urged them to consolidate gains.
