IGIHE has however learnt from credible sources that Rwanda received approximately 1000 vaccine dozes that have been already used.
The WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccines were received through existing agreements with partners other than the official equitable vaccine sharing initiative known as COVAX and the African Union’s Africa Medical Supplies Platform.
Rwanda is among four African countries expected to receive the first batch of vaccines through COVAX initiative. These include Cape Verde, Tunisia and South Africa. Rwanda recently received five ultra-cold freezers with the capacity to store all types of Coronavirus vaccines.
The fridges can store vaccines at -70 and -86 degrees Celsius. It is expected that Rwanda will have received 1,098,960 vaccine dozes by February 2021 to vaccinate 549 480 people.
It is expected that health practitioners, patients with incurable diseases like blood pressure, diabetes and asthma among other respiratory diseases would be among the first group to be vaccinated in the first phase along with elders above 65 years and people whose line of duty puts them in a susceptible position.
The cost to vaccinate 60% of Rwandans is estimated at US$124 million (Rwf 121 billion).
It is reported that vaccines distributed through COVAX and African Union’s Africa Medical Supplies Platform have not yet arrived in Rwanda but delivery is expected in the near future.
The development was announced on Sunday by the Ministry of Health via Twitter account.
The Ministry also revealed that the country is using limited quantities acquired through international partnerships.
“The Ministry of Health’s National Vaccination Program has begun vaccinating high-risk groups, notably frontline healthcare staff, with WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccines acquired through international partnerships in limited quantities,” reads the statement.
The statement released yesterday also shows that the initial vaccination program will be followed by a wider roll-out in the same month.
“This initial phase will be followed by a wider roll-out this month with supplies expected from the COVAX Facility and the AU’s Africa Medical Supplies Platform. Rwanda’s COVID-19 vaccination plan is ready, with infrastructure, protocols, and personnel in place,” adds the statement.
IGIHE has learnt that King Faisal Hospital staff and players of the National Football Team, Amabuvi are among people who have been already vaccinated.
Rwanda is among four African countries expected to receive the first batch of vaccines through COVAX initiative. These include Cape Verde, Tunisia and South Africa.
The confirmation followed an assessment by World Health Organization (WHO) which established that Rwanda is prepared enough to administer vaccines.
Rwanda recently received five ultra-cold freezers with the capacity to store and freeze all types of Coronavirus vaccines.
These fridges can freeze vaccines at minus 70 and 86 degree Celsius. It is expected that Rwanda will have received 1,098,960 vaccines by February 2021 to vaccinate 549 480 people.
It was expected that health practitioners, patients with incurable diseases like blood pressure, diabetes and asthma among other respiratory diseases would be among the first group to be vaccinated in the first phase along with elders above 65 years and people whose line of duty puts them in a susceptible position.
The cost to vaccinate 60% of Rwandans is estimated at US$124 million (Rwf 121 billion).
Vuki Ltd introduced sex toys in Rwanda to enable transparent acquisition of related products that were already in use without license.
In an exclusive interview with IGIHE, the management of Vuki Ltd explained that they launched a shop in Rwanda to help people struggling to find quality sex toys.
“We knew such products were already available in Kigali, but illegally. We wanted to regularize it in order to make sure these products meet international standards for security and health of customers. We also understood that there was a demand for adult’s toys, which is why we decided to open this business and to launch Vuki Ltd,” explains one of the managers.
Following the penetration into Rwanda’s market, and getting licensed by Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Vuki Ltd expressed delight to have been welcomed smoothly.
“Since we launched Vuki Ltd, we have not received any bad feedback from the Rwandan Market. Of course, you can imagine the atmosphere when we have opened our goods at the Custom! And when communicating with people during the process of market’s approvals, they were rather smiling and assisting.”
Vuki Ltd has a wide range of products including ‘Lingerie’, or women’s underwear. They are manufactured locally and Vuki Ltd considers it a great contribution to boosting ‘Made in Rwanda’ program. Vuki Ltd has developed partnership with a company dubbed ‘IsLo Collection’ to manufacture those garments.
According to the management, Vuki Ltd has expended much effort to produce some of products in Rwanda.
“Indeed we have launched this new category in December 2020 together with our local partner Islo. We wanted to promote made in Rwanda products and this local brand that produce high quality fashion clothes. This is why we have launched a new lingerie collection. This allows us with creativity to make products with local partner. By the way, the lingerie of this collection is custom tailored. Basically once you place your order we produce the model with the required size and deliver it within 24 hours.”
As you visit the online shop, a disclaimer appears suddenly restricting visits by minors below the age of 18. The website appears in dominant black color, seemingly, a dark room with insufficient light.
Products displayed on the platform are classified into six categories: toys, lubricants, oil massage, aphrodisiac, wellness and lingerie.
As per product’s catalogue; Toys are the shop’s main market and the product’s category which is the more demanded by women and men while Lubricants are used mainly to solve frigidity and dryness problems.
Aphrodisiac is sold for the purpose of solving some problems of sexual desire; Oil massage is meant to enhance foreplay preliminaries and bring intense arousal of the couple.
Wellness products are particularly dedicated to women, among other cups which are used as a permanent solution for periods. These include products enabling women to urinate with a standing position.
Lingerie is there to bring colour in a relationship and stimulate the desire both of men and women.
{{Women are major clients at Vuki Ltd}}
Majority of clients at Vuki Ltd are women. It is not the exclusivity of Rwanda because women occupy large global clientele due to the fact that most of toys are made for them or used on their bodies.
Vuki Ltd asserts women represent at least 60% of it clientele.
“Basically, the highest proportion of our customers are women. We estimate they represent 60% of our customers even if you don’t need to precise your gender when you want to order our products. A large part of our selling is gifts for anniversary or any other occasion. For example, Valentine’s Day goes with higher demand usually.”
During Coronavirus pandemic which saw many countries imposing lockdown, the sales in sex toys increased exponentially especially between January and March last year.
For instance Italy is reported to have increased sales by 60%, France by 40%, Canada by 135%, United States by 75% while Hong Kong and Australia grew sales by 71% and 31% respectively.
Vuki has revealed that sales also flourished on Rwanda’s during lockdown.
“Indeed, we have noticed increased sells during the lock-down; sadly we had to increase the delivery rates during this lock-down but we are still operating for the happiness of our customer. It is true that being locked home can be difficult for many couples and our products can also help to maintain a good relationship,” explains the company’s management.
Vuki Ltd has highlighted that the business doesn’t dilute Rwanda’s culture noting that Rwandans have had enough sexual knowledge dating back from colonization era.
“Actually there is no really limited sexual knowledge in the Rwandan culture, but an important place for it in the traditions. This limitation has come with the colonization. The idea is not to import practices which are outside the Rwandan culture but rather promote couple’s communication, stability and flourishing,” asserts Vuki Ltd.
The management says, it is committed to respecting everyone’s privacy which prompted to dodge mass media campaign lest some clients feel offended.
To date, Vuki doesn’t have any physical office and operates exclusively through an e-commerce platform.
The company plans to explore some possibilities like having a partnership with pharmacies as dealers of its products.
The management says, the company looks forward to partner with more Rwanda companies to promote local products.
“We are looking into to increasing Made in Rwanda products, building new partnerships with Rwandan producers, in a short term, and of course, preparing Valentine’s Day.”
{{Sex and culture in contemporary Rwanda}}
Beliefs or social norms might be a constraint to openly visit the shop selling products stimulating sexual desire but interested individuals should not be condemned for their rights to visit or use them given that sexuality is a God-given passion.
Not so coincidentally, sexual relations and related practices have been areas of concern for long in Rwandan traditions. Perhaps, you might have got the wind of ‘labia stretching’ locally known as ‘Gukuna’ or ‘Gukazanura’ (a tradition involving father in law to taste how sweet the new daughter-in-law is sexually gratifying) in Rwanda’s traditional culture. Have you ever wondered why or when such traditions ended? This is a small portion of a wide range of practices transpiring from sex-related traditions in Rwanda that are rarely discussed in public but etched on many people’s hearts and implicitly or explicitly reflected through their deeds.
To this end, implicit allusion to sexual relations that also manifests in artistic works, has been a vast topic of discussion that created mixed reactions among Rwandans. Such artistic creations especially in the music industry have been attracting public attention that artistes have been actively taking heed on the topic to draw closer to public attention. For instance, ‘Rwagihuta’, is one of songs that earned Massamba Intore great fame of legendary ranking.
Releasing songs alluding to sexual relations is gradually coming of age that super star artistes are making it an optimal choice. If you are an entertainment fan, you might know them better but I recommend you to listen to ‘Saa moya’ by Bruce Melodie, ‘Ifarasi’ by Davis D, ‘Igare’ by Mico the Best to be on common ground. These songs have been brought to limelight and convey implicit message that everyone interprets her/her way. So, Vuki’s presence with products stimulating sexual desire is not an odd to Rwandans’ debated topics.
{{‘Sextoys’ turning traders into millionaires }}
At global level, sex toys have increasingly become basic products especially in developed countries in a sense that they help spouses and unmarried people to continue enjoying sexual relations in the absence of a partner.
Figures on frequently searched words, show that ‘sex toys’ are mostly searched in countries including Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Netherlands. In the meantime, China and India as the world’s most populated countries record the highest number of people using sex toys.
Tracy’s Dog, a company selling sex toys recently conducted a survey to respondents from different countries. 62% of respondents owned sex toys while 57% of the rest planned to buy sex toys in case a lockdown is imposed.
47% of respondents are from the United States of America, 32% are from Europe, 13% are from Asia, while 8% are from Australia.
In brief, several reasons have provided ground for increased users of sex toys. These include reduced price due to increased manufacturers including China producing 70% of the world’s sex toys.
Besides mass production, the quality and sophisticated technology made with these smoothened toys to help individuals reach orgasm is another reason that draw sex toys market on peak.
As a result, sex toy traders have been reaping big, and expect bigger returns in the future. For instance, the value of sex toys market was valued at over US$ 25 billion in 2018, increased to over US$ 26.6% billion in 2019 and over US$ 30$ billion in 2020. The market is estimated at US$ 48.2 billion in 2027.
There are no official sources showing the current status of sex toys trade on African continent, because many countries (excluding South Africa and few others) don’t authorize the use of sex toys due to cultural constraints and beliefs against such practices. However, sex toys are present on the continent.
Continuous use of such toys secretly might lead to several health risks and damage body parts over the application of substandard toys.
The incident took place on Thursday night in Kabahinda cell, Mururu sector when armed gangsters brought residents together and stole their money. It is said that gangsters escaped after stealing Rwf 30,000.
The vice mayor for economic affairs in Rusizi district, Kankindi Leoncie has told IGIHE that thieves shot and injured one resident who got suspicion that they are not soldiers.
“We have started activities to comfort residents. We visited residents yesterday and reminded them to provide information on time using designated official phone number. Security officials have launched investigation into the case,” she said.
“The resident who survived is getting medical attention at Gihundwe Hospital. There is hope to recover quickly because he was not severely injured,” added Kankindi.
She reassured residents that investigations are underway to hold masterminds accountable.
He revealed this yesterday as he took over from Dr. Musafiri Papias Malimba during a ceremony held at UR headquarters in Gikondo witnessed by the Ministry of Education, Dr. Dr Uwamariya Valentine.
Prof was appointed by the cabinet meeting held on 2nd February 2021, four months after the predecessor Phillip Cotton ended his tenure and temporarily replaced by Dr Musafiri Papias Malimba who once served as the Minister of Education.
During the handover ceremony, Dr. Musafiri presented several achievements of the university since established in 2013 and reminded his successor of duties ahead to manage the university faced with several challenges including hardships brought by Covid-19 pandemic and poor funds management as indicated by the Auditor General’s report.
The new Vice Chancellor, Prof Lyabanje thanked the Government of Rwanda for bestowing trust upon him.
“We are pleased that His Excellency President Paul Kagame and the Government of Rwanda trusted Rwandans to manage the university and particularly granting me, the chance to do so,” he said.
Prof Lyambabaje committed to promote quality education in close collaboration with colleagues.
“When you speak to people around, they have a negative perception that today’s graduates are not competent enough compared to the past. I am not sure if it is an exaggerated reality but we have to accept that time changes. The more technology evolves, the harder we must utilize it with all efforts so that graduates are able to leverage that technology to efficiently accomplish their duties at work,” he said.
“Continuously striving for quality education, is one of areas we should prioritize in a way that embeds research to facilitate lecturers and students to sharpen knowledge,” added Lyambabaje.
Among others, the new Vice Chancellor expressed commitment to draw emphasis on efficient funds management.
“Another area of focus is related to funds management. It is necessary to work with the Auditor General, our staff and other relevant institutions to do what is required. As I told you, when you think I am misusing funds contributed through taxes to educate students, it is your rights to file a complaint through the Auditor General inquiring into why I am not fulfilling promises,” he said.
Prof Lyambabaje also highlighted that they will streamline internal audits to ensure proper management of financial and human resources.
In a bid to advance quality education, he revealed plans to develop partnerships with private universities to training their lecturers, and work with local and regional research centers, uplift sports and cultural activities at the university as well.
The Minister of education, Dr. Uwamariya Valentine said that the Government expected Prof Lyambabaje to promote quality education at the University of Rwanda and contribute to research geared towards transforming national economy.
“The University of Rwanda has a clear vision and goals which he comes to cement. Most importantly, we want quality education to get boost at the university and carry out its mandate of transformational research positively impacting national economy,” she noted.
Prof Lyambabaje was born in 1960. He studied at the National University of Rwanda from where he went to pursue Master’s Degree in Canada.
Lyambabaje holds a Bachelors of Science Degree in Mathematics and a Doctorate in Mathematics from University de Rennes in France.
He has served in different capacities in Rwanda’s public sector. Among these, in 1999, he was appointed Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education.
In 2000 he was appointed Minister of Commerce, Tourism Industry, Investments Promotion and Cooperatives, a position he held until 2003.
He supervised the formulation of policies for the ministry and in particular Rwanda Tourism Policy.
He also contributed to the regional integration process through active participation in regional ministerial meetings, including those of the East African Community and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
From April 2014 to 2015, he served as a senior researcher at the University of Rwanda in the College of Medicine and Health Sciences.
He also served as an Associate Professor of Statistics in the Institute of Applied Sciences Ruhengeri.
Prof Lyambabaje has been recently serving as the Executive Secretary of the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA).
Lt Gen Musemakweli has been serving as the army’s Inspector General since 2019. He died last night as RDF spokesperson, Lt Col Ronald Rwivanga confirmed to IGIHE.
Following the demise, RDF has released a statement explaining that Lt Gen Musemakweli died of natural disease and expressed condolences to the bereaved family.
“The Rwanda Defence Force is deeply saddened to announce the untimely death of Lt Gen Jacques Musemakweli. He passed away on Thursday 11 February 2021 at the Rwanda Military Hospital, Kanombe following a natural death,” reads part of the statement.
“The Rwanda Defence Force extends its condolences and joins the family in grief during this sad moment. Communication regarding his funeral arrangements will be made later. Communication regarding his funeral arrangements will be made later. May his soul rest in peace,” adds the statement.
On 12th January 2018, President Paul Kagame and the Commander in Chief of RDF promoted Jacques Musemakweli from the rank of Major General to Lieutenant General.
Among others, Lt Gen Jacques Musemakweli once served as the commander of the Republican Guards prior to his appointment as Army Chief of Staff in 2016.
At the time, he was at the rank of Major General. In April 2019, Lt. Gen. Jacques Musemakweli was appointed the Commander of Reserve Forces prior to 3rd February 2019 when he became RDF Inspector General.
He also served as the Chairman of APR FC from 2013 until January 2021. Lt Gen Musemakweli had taken post from Maj Gen Alex Kagame who was leaving for studies in China.
Lt Gen Musemakweli was recently replaced by Maj Gen Mubaraka Muganga to the position in January 2021.
His demise has been confirmed by RDF spokesperson, Lt Col Ronald Rwivanga.
“It is true that he passed on last night,” he told IGIHE.
Lt. Gen. Jacques Musemakweli was among RPA soldiers that liberated the country and stopped the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
He held different senior positions in RDF leadership including; commander of Republican Guards, Army Chief of Staff and Reserve Force Chief of Staff.
On 12th January 2018, President Paul Kagame and the Commander in Chief of RDF promoted Jacques Musemakweli from the rank of Major General to Lieutenant General.
Among others, Lt Gen Jacques Musemakweli once served as the commander of the Republican Guards prior to his appointment as Army Chief of Staff in 2016.
At the time, he was at the rank of Major General. In April 2019, Lt. Gen. Jacques Musemakweli was appointed the Commander of Reserve Forces prior to 3rd February 2019 when he became RDF Inspector General.
He also served as the Chairman of APR FC from 2013 until January 2021. Lt Gen Musemakweli had taken post from Maj Gen Alex Kagame who was leaving for studies in China.
Lt Gen Musemakweli was recently replaced by Maj Gen Mubaraka Muganga to the position in January 2021.
Real estate and construction and manufacturing accounted for 68% of all investments registered at 48% and 20% respectively. Other sectors that attracted significant investments include agriculture, ICT, energy, mining and financial services.
A total of 24,703 jobs are expected to be created by the new investments with the manufacturing and construction sectors expected to create 8,661 and 6,372 new jobs, respectively. The Government aims to create 214,000 new jobs every year from investments and other employment sources.
Foreign direct investments contributed 51% of the total investments registered in 2020, while Joint ventures and local investments contributed 29%, and 20% of the investments, respectively. In comparison, foreign direct investment represented 37% of the total investment registrations in 2019, while Joint ventures and local investment represented 44% and 19% respectively.
Some of the largest investment projects registered in 2020 include; One Acre Fund, (US$193 million), Phoenix Plaza (US$179 million), Duval Great Lakes Ltd (US$69 million), Sinohydro Corporation Limited (US$66 million), Girinzu Developers (US$41 million), Petrocom Building (US$35 million) and BBOXX Africa Management Ltd (US$ 29 million).
Other key investment projects registered during the year included; US$12 million by Norrsken Rwanda Ltd to build East Africa’s largest hub for entrepreneurship and innovation, US$4.45 million by Nexus Academy to set up a professional aviation training academy and to offer licensed courses in flight training, aircraft maintenance, ground handling; and US$26.2 million by Bralirwa Ltd for the expansion of the brewery to meet the growing demand for their products in the country and for export.
Commenting on the 2020 investment registration figures, RDB Chief Executive Officer, Clare Akamanzi, said: “The year 2020 was challenging for investment and business in general. Despite the global economic slowdown resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, Rwanda registered significant investments in key sectors of our economy. This is a sign of continuous investor confidence in Rwanda by both local and foreign investors.
“We are optimistic that these investments will further accelerate economic recovery by boosting local production and creating needed jobs for our people. The Government of Rwanda is committed to supporting businesses to recover through initiatives like the Economic recovery fund- a Rwf100billion facility to support companies affected by the pandemic so that they can survive, restart work/production and safeguard employment and through the Manufacture/Build to recover program that seeks to incentivise investors in construction and manufacturing sectors,” added Akamanzi.
Through the Manufacture and Build to Recover program, the government will incentivise qualifying manufacturing and construction projects in four areas; general construction, general manufacturing, factory construction, and project performance. Incentives include Value Added Tax (VAT) waivers on imported and domestically sourced construction materials, and VAT exemptions for domestically sourced raw materials and machinery.
Despite the physical restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, RDB has continued to offer aftercare services to investors to ensure that business projects are implemented free of avoidable impediments. Investors continue to be engaged through different digital platforms and through physical site visits where necessary.
In terms of investor facilitation, RDB operates a One-Stop Centre for investors, which provides information and services to guide investors through the key steps of starting a business such as registration, licenses, immigration, land, utilities, environmental clearances and tax and mortgage registration services.
Many Rwandans regard the protagonist of a Hollywood film as a terrorist, not a hero.
In his recent Foreign Policy article on the protagonist of the popular Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda, Anjan Sundaram adds his name to the list of commentators who have chosen the court of public opinion to absolve Paul Rusesabagina—a man who stands accused of multiple counts of terrorism.
While the screenplay written by Keir Pearson and Terry George does make for compelling drama, it diverges significantly from the reality and the lived experience of the survivors of the genocide against the Tutsi who sought refuge at the Hotel des Mille Collines in 1994.
It is not my duty to litigate in these pages; I will leave that to Rwanda’s independent and internationally recognized judiciary. But it would be a betrayal of the truth to allow for uncritical, one-sided narratives pushed by several journalists—and supported by Rusesabagina’s public relations machine—to run rampant. I would therefore like to draw the attention of the media to an often neglected side of the story.
According to numerous accounts from survivors, the popular portrayal of Rusesabagina—the erstwhile manager of the Hotel des Mille Collines, or “Hotel Rwanda”—is patently false. In a Le Monde investigation, the survivor Cyrille Ntaganira told journalists how when “Rusesabagina came to tell us we had to pay,” he was only able to stay when one of his roommates “signed an IOU with him.”
Another survivor, Immaculée Mukanyonga, claimed that Rusesabagina withheld food and water to those unable to pay, forcing guests to drink chlorinated pool water. In his comprehensive book Inside the Hotel Rwanda, Edouard Kayihura—a genocide survivor who spent 100 days as a refugee in the Hotel des Mille Collines and was later the official in charge of prosecuting crimes against humanity in Rwanda—corroborates these testimonies and adds more, including the allegation that lists of hotel guests and their room numbers were passed on to Hutu Power radio stations by Rusesabagina.
Accounts from some foreign officials who were posted in Rwanda in 1994 and spent extensive time at the Hotel des Mille Collines during the genocide align with the allegations above. These include the United Nations peacekeepers Gen. Romeo Dallaire and Capt. Amadou Deme. Both have expressed disgust at the film. Dallaire has said it was “not worth looking at” because it was troops with the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda “who stayed in Rwanda … who saved the people at the Hotel Mille Collines—not the hotel manager, Paul Rusesabagina.” To Deme, the film’s portrayal of events is “repulsive for its untruthfulness.”
When confronted with these facts, Sundaram’s opinions do not stand up to scrutiny.
The article fails to discuss the facts surrounding the trial, including Rusesabagina’s admission that he helped found the National Liberation Front (FLN), which the Rwandan government regards as a terrorist group.
This makes Sundaram’s premature dismissal of the trial as a “Kafkaesque farce” irresponsible, at best.
Rusesabagina is charged with founding and supporting the FLN, which has openly claimed responsibility for murdering innocent Rwandans. Not only has Rusesabagina publicly admitted that he helped form the FLN, but he also called for FLN troops to “use any means possible … against the Kagame army.”
Sundaram sees no issue with “[a]rmed groups seeking to overthrow Kagame” being “attracted to Rusesabagina as a figurehead.” His disregard for the suffering of ordinary Rwandans, who have tragically lost their lives at the hands of terrorist groups like the FLN, is unethical and dangerous. All over the world, such groups and their leaders have been tracked down and brought to justice. There is no reason Rwanda should be an exception.
The author’s incomplete assessment of the facts is again evident in his discussion of Rwanda’s economic transformation, which has been roundly praised by economists such as Paul Collier.
Because the hard-fought nature of our nation’s unprecedented journey from devastation to development does not fit with his narrative, Sundaram goes to considerable lengths to undermine it. He cites an academic disagreement between the World Bank and a group of professors as proof that “Kagame had manipulated economic growth.”
Rather than addressing the nuanced academic debate around how to weight the consumer price index in Rwanda, Sundaram creates a fiction in which the entire World Bank is apparently under the finger of Rwanda, which is manifestly absurd.
The unprecedented growth, falling poverty, and declining inequality that we have accomplished as a nation are dismissed. Instead, Sundaram’s rewrites reality, stating that it is “tragic,” but somehow inevitable, that Rwandans allegedly “now confront the prospect of even more violence.” One hopes he is merely misguided, rather than malicious, in implicitly validating the ideologies of terrorist groups masquerading as liberation movements.
Rwanda’s government welcomes outside voices, just as we welcome strong partnerships with other nations based not on deference but on cooperation. In our commitment to national self-reliance, we accept that we will not always be perfect.
But we ask that the international perception of our history and sovereign recovery be based on objective fact, not on one-sided and selective reporting.
Even though these figures were not expected, the part registered some progress.
“While these were not the figures we were anticipating at the beginning of the year, the year did show some positive trends including longer stays and a higher spend per person,” reads part of the park’s statement.
In 2019, the park registered 49,000 visitors generating US$1.5 million.
Akagera National Park is among parks accommodating Africa’s’ big five animals after reintroduction of some species including lions and rhinos.
The park is home to lions, elephants, buffalo, rhinos and leopards.
In 2019 Akagera was 90% self-financing, and the park was on the last stretch to self-sustainability. Unfortunately, soon after, the pandemic began to impact the park, like everywhere else, resulting in the temporal closure of Akagera National Park.
The Government of Rwanda was quick to react and worked hard to contain the pandemic and after a three-month lockdown, tourism activities in Rwanda resumed.
Akagera reopened in mid-June with the aim to recover from the knock of the pandemic.
While much of the world was under total lockdown, and several workers losing their jobs, Akagera National Park continued essential conservation work and while its rangers did not miss patrols.
“It is thanks to the ongoing support of African Parks’ major donors that we have had the resilience to ensure we remained operational with all staff fully employed. We are thankful that 100% of the 271 contracted members of staff in Akagera were retained on full pay despite closure and loss of revenues from tourism,” reads the park’s statement.
