The Varsity’s presence in Rwanda offers a platform where people can engage in Africa’s most significant opportunities and challenges through education and contextually-relevant research.
CMU-Africa is currently hosted at Telecom House but is set to relocate soon to a Rwf9 billion newly constructed campus located in the government newly designed Innovation City, in Kigali Special Economic Zone (KSEZ).
The University launched its operations in 2012, with the aim of training more than 400 students within five years, but has so far graduated 145.
The Chief Operating Officer at Rwanda Development Board, Emmanuel Hategeka, in October 2017, told Parliament that there had been slight complications in joining the campus with the University of Rwanda.
According to the Auditor General’s 2016/17 report, Rwanda invested $43 Million, approximately Rwf36 Billion.
As for the 2016/17 Nation Budget, the Government attributed Rwf7 Million for the construction of Carnegie Mellon’s new campus located in the Kigali Special Economic Zone (KSEZ), in a bid to enhance better education for students.
Speaking with IGIHE, Rwanda’s Minister for Information Technology and Communications, Jean de Dieu Rurangirwa lauded the university’s campus presence in Rwanda, and said it presented opportunities for Africans.
Rwanda is currently the only African country hosting the branch of Carnegie Mellon University.
“The University enrolls students from over 20 countries across the African continent. The knowledge there is of great advantage as the campus offers an American-worthy Education,” Rurangirwa observed.
“With the campus in Rwanda, the country benefits a lot because it develops a great relationship with the students hosted and you will find that most of these students decide to stay in Rwanda when they complete their studies,” he added.
“Other benefits involve being united as Africa; we gain new brains that are in search of a place where they can develop their potential,” Rurangirwa said.
In May 2017, the university signed agreements with Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) aiming to cooperate in the making of devices for e-tax payment, and finding other kinds of online methods of tax payment.
The new CMU-Africa campus is being constructed in a place designated by the government as the Kigali Innovation City, a future hub aimed at leveling up the country’s digital transformation.
Africans studying in Rwanda’s CMU-Africa campus pay a fee of $16,000, an estimation of Rwf13 Million per year. As for East-African students, they receive a discount of 50% from the fee.
Born out of a partnership between CMU and the Government of Rwanda, CMU-Africa is addressing the critical shortage of high quality engineering talent required to accelerate development in Africa—home to the fastest growing workforce in the world.
The progress has put the incumbent Minister Louise Mushikiwabo among the most 50 influential women in Africa.
The fame has also made her stand a chance to head General Secretariat of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), generally known as La Francophonie.
Mushikiwabo has gathered support from France and 29 African countries, making her likely to win the top OIF position as the French speaking countries’ organisation counts 54 members.
She is now campaigning against the Canadian OIF incumbent Secretary General, Michaëlle Jean, for the elections slated for October 12 in Armenia.
If Mushikiwabo wins at OIF, she will have put end on her 10-year dockets in Rwanda’s Government. The 57-year was appointed Minister of Information in 2008 and took up the foreign affairs docket in December 2009.
However, seven other foreign ministers preceded Mushikiwabo in the docket. IGIHE has looked back and compiled the contribution of each into the country’s foreign affairs over the last 24 years.
The compilation starts July 19, 1994 when the Government of Unity was instituted.
{{1994: Jean Marie Vianney Ndagijimana
}}
Jean Marie Vianney Ndagijimana was the first Foreign Minister in the interim government. He served for four months, running from July to October, before resigning and going into self-imposed exile.
President Paul Kagame once said part of the funds raised for liberation struggle was used to help leaders of the country to fulfil their duties after stopping the genocide.
The Head of State said Ndagijimana stole $200,000 that he had to use for opening embassies in different countries.
{{1994–1999: Anastase Gasana
}}
Dr Anastase Gasana was a lecturer of the University of Rwanda, served as Foreign Minister in 1993 and played role in Arusha Peace Accord between then Rwanda’s Government and Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF).
Dr Gasana was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs in November 1994.
At the time, Rwanda was struggling to step out of the genocide lens through which the world was looking at it. Building a working and firm system looked a dream at the time.
It was a very hard time for Rwanda’s diplomats. Regional and international media had all attention on what was going on in the country. Some were trying to shed light on the genocide while those with interest in genocide denial were trying to hide the truth.
For instance, Radio Agatashya that was broadcasting from then Zaire (now DRC), and then Human Right Watch Chief, Alison Des Forges, were fighting to have double genocide approved.
Minister Gasana served for four months at the time Rwanda was trying to bring back home over 3,000,000 refugees from Zaire. The tough diplomacy times continued to the time of the second Congo War.
{{1999-2008: Amri Sued, Dr Iyamuremye, André Bumaya and Dr Charles Muligande
}}
Amri Sued Ismail followed in the docket. Nothing much was said about the man who had first served as Ambassador to Egypt during the rule of President Pasteur Bizimungu.
He was succeeded by Agustin Iyamuremye who was Minister for Information before moving to foreign affairs.
In 2000, Iyamuremye was succeeded by André Bumaya who lasted longer than his predecessors. He led the country’s diplomacy until November 2002 when President Kagame appointed Dr Charles Murigande in the docket.
The three served during the second Congo War which spanned from 1998 to 2003 in which Rwanda was fighting rebels in the Eastern DRC.
During Dr Muligande tenure, media was probing if Rwandan troops were fighting in DRC. He was succeeded by Rosemary Museminari in March 2008.
{{2008-2009: Rosemary Museminari
}}
Museminari was in the docket when Rwanda got admission to Commonwealth in October 2008. The membership awoke France that was for long indifferent on Rwanda’s affairs.
Museminari was succeeded by Mushikiwabo on October 4, 2009.
{{2009-: Louise Mushikiwabo
}}
The hard times that Rwanda has faced in the time of Mushikiwabo has earned her with enormous fame for having dealt with the issues successfully.
She often faced tough questions about the war in DRC and the arrest of Gen. Laurent Nkunda in Rwanda.
She got into the docket after four years of frozen relations between Rwanda and France. The tensions started when French Judge Jean Louis Bourguière issued warrant for Rwanda’s top leaders.
In 2008, the relations seemed re-emerging when the Secretary in the French presidency, Claude Guéant, visited Rwanda.
In January 2009, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner also visited Rwanda. Rwanda’s diplomacy kept growing until then French President Nicolas Sarkozy came to Rwanda on February 25, 2010.
President Kagame was later received by Sarkozy in Champs Elysée, France’s presidency, on September 12, 2011.
{{Eastern DRC, a thorny problem in Rwanda’s diplomacy
}}
At the time the rebel group M23 was fighting DRC forces, Rwanda was accused of being behind the rebels.
On December 2012, the parliament summoned Mushikiwabo to explain the stand of Rwanda on what was going on in Eastern DRC. The accusations against Rwanda had made various foreign donors stop the aid.
Mushikiwabo said Rwanda wasn’t involved in the war but had decided to guard its boundaries with DRC to prevent the fighting from spreading to Rwanda.
In November 2014, Mushikiwabo expressed fury over the remarks of then French President François Hollande who used ‘father-to-children’ approach while addressing African countries’ Heads of State. Hollande was speaking at OIF meeting in Dakar, Senegal.
After the meeting, Mushikiwabo told France 24 that Paris is not entitled to dictate African politics.
She said French President would only give suggestions as African countries’ leaders but telling Africans what to do was outdated. She reminded that it was in 2014, meaning the colonial time was no more.
Over the years, Rwanda’s diplomacy has significantly grown up, earning the country with a good image on the continent and beyond. The step is reflected in the dockets Rwanda has been taking up in the international arena.
There are now 30 countries having their embassies in Kigali, nine are represented by consulate while 39 have non-resident representation.
Rwanda also has 33 embassies representing it in 147 countries and international organisations. There are more 37 representatives of Rwanda in 17 countries.
The Head of State made the remarks yesterday during the ‘Meet the President’ session at Intare Conference Arena in Kigali, where he met over 2,000 young professionals from across the country and the Diaspora.
Albinos face a number of challenges in life because of their conditions. They require sunscreen body lotions and creams to help keep their skin in good conditions.
Presenting the problem, the Representative of the Organisation for Integration and Promotion of People with Albinism (OIPPA) in Rwanda, Dieudoné Akimaniduhaye told the President that getting protective sunscreen body lotions and creams is expensive, and that many suffer from the struggle.
“All sunscreen lotions and creams that are imported are highly taxed and that makes them very expensive. We wish that these lotions and creams would be made affordable for Albinos, so that at least each and every one of us would be able to pay for it from our Mutuelle de Santé,” Akimaniduhaye said.
President Kagame immediately heeded to his request, saying that there was no reason as to why they wouldn’t be facilitated, and further tasked officials in charge to follow-up on the issue.
“I totally agree with you and it should be considered. There’s no reason why we should even ponder on the matter, there has to be a way of facilitating people living with Albinism.” Kagame said.
President Kagame further tasked Minister for Local Government, Francis Kaboneka, and his colleagues to follow up on the issue and resolve it in a very short time.
Jayden Fikiri Uwimana, the Executive Director of Amizero Group, an association that cares for people living with Albinism, told IGIHE that the cheapest sunscreen lotion costs Rwf8,000. He further remarked that every Albino cannot afford the costs.
Uwimana added that if the lotions and creams were made affordable, the risk of getting Skin cancer would be highly diminished among Albinos.
The skin-protecting products come in different categories and prices. For a period of two months, you can find a Rwf10,000 lotion for adults and Rwf6,000 for children. Albinos request that one bottle should go down to a cost of Rwf2,000.
World Health Organisation estimated in 20116 that there was one person with albinism condition in 5,000 to 15,000 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Estimates in other parts of the world were around one person in 20,000 people but data on albinism prevalence by country remain scarce.
Education Minister Dr Eugène Mutimura told the press on Thursday that the 57 were suspended for not meeting hygiene and safety standards, among other standards requirements.
The issues identified during the School Readiness Inspection conducted this week include poor buildings’ conditions, poor water systems, poor electrical installations and lack of food stocks.
Some suspended schools also lack ICT facilities while others have kept in stores the computers they received through the government’s ‘Smart Classroom’ programme.
The suspended include renowned public schools such as GS Officiel de Butare in Huye District and College Saint Andre Nyamirambo in Kigali.
Suspended private schools include College Adventiste de Rwankeri and Victorious Academy in Musanze and Kayonza districts respectively.
Dr Mutimura said the inspection was conducted in 90 schools deemed to be in bad conditions and 57 were found short of the minimum requirements to accommodate students.
“We have given these schools a period of one week to work on those issues and we shall, in collaboration with other relevant organs, punish the schools which will not have fixed the issues by the deadline,” he said.
The Minister said students will not be affected by the suspension because the concerned schools will add one week more to cover the curriculum as other schools end the academic year come November 23.
{{Schools leaders shocked
}}
Some leaders of the affected schools disagree with Mineduc and blame the ministry for not having informed them earlier.
Jean Basa Ngabo, the head teacher of ESSA Ruhengeri, said he was surprised to hear that his school is suspended due to poor kitchen chimney.
“The issues they found here should not ban us from starting the term on time as others. We usually paint the buildings and about the kitchen smokes, students are not eating from the kitchen,” he said, adding that he had earlier informed the inspectors that the school’s funder will construct a modern kitchen during the holidays starting in November.
Marie Chantal Uwera, the head teacher of ES Nyakabanda, said she was also surprised with the suspension, adding she is seeking explanations.
“They did not tell us if they found anything alarming here that can lead to school suspension,” she said.
Uwera added they have spread insecticide for bedbugs and have repaired stores for materials as was required by inspectors but the requirement for renovating old buildings requires good time.
The suspended schools include those offering general education and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) schools.
Olivier Rwamukwaya, the State Minister for TVET, told the press that other 30 TVET schools were suspended at the beginning of the current academic year and some of them haven’t yet reopened.
Mineduc reported there were 1,575 secondary schools in the country in 2016 including 460 government-owned, 862 government-aided and 253 private schools.
The seventh edition of the Africa CEO Forum is the largest international gathering of CEOs and investors from the African private sector.
With Africa swinging into action to strengthen regional integration, the choice of Rwanda— being at the intersection of East and Central Africa, matches the forum’s desire to facilitate meetings and encourage business flow between CEOs from across the continent.
Being the gateway to a regional market of more than 150 million people and a signatory of 68 trade agreements, Rwanda has many assets to host the next Africa CEO Forum, according to the Amir Ben Yahmed, the Founder and President of the Africa CEO Forum.
“This 7th edition will therefore be held at the heart of the continent, in Rwanda, a country both Francophone and Anglophone, whose economic dynamism and development model anchored in education, innovation and performance perfectly reflect the values of the Africa CEO Forum,” announced Amir Yahmed.
According to media reports based on official estimates, the last edition of the forum that took place in Geneva saw at least 1600 attendees and is expected to increase in the future.
Launched in 2012, the Forum was organised for three years in Geneva, before being relocated to Abidjan in 2016 . It was further decided that the meeting was to be alternated each year between Geneva and Africa.
The President is attending in his capacity as the Chairperson of the African Union.
The two-day Summit starting today, is held under the theme “Promoting Infrastructure Development and Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development.”
It focuses on sustainable growth through a conductive environment for industrialisation processes.
The organisation has been seized with the industrialisation agenda for the past four summits.
SADC, formerly the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC), was established on April 1, 1980. The organisation aims to facilitate regional economic integration between Member States and within the continent. It has 16 Member States including Angola, Botswana, Comoros, DRC, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, the Kingdom of eSwatini, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The ideals of SADC are towards a common future within a regional community that will ensure improvement of standards of living and quality of life, freedom and social justice, and peace and security for the people of southern Africa.
At the Summit, President Hage Geingob of Namibia will be taking over the SADC Chairmanship from President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa.
Speaking at the ceremony of closing International Exhibition (Expo 2018) in Kigali on Tuesday, the PSF Chairman Robert Bapfakurera made the request to the head of government, Prime Minister Dr Edouard Ngirente.
Bapfakurera appreciated the government’s exemption of taxes on many imported materials that local factories are using on a daily basis but said it is not clear how locally produced goods are taxed while similar imports are not, adding that the discrimination against local products is hampering the promotion of ‘Made in Rwanda’ initiative while promoting foreign products.
“This tax exemption is currently applied on imports while local products are taxed. This impedes the development of local manufacturers. Examples abound but one is the packaging materials whose importers are not paying taxes while local manufacturers of packaging materials pay taxes,” he said.
Bapfakurera added that PSF is prepared to drive the country’s economy by focusing on promoting the investors’ capacity and finding them good markets abroad.
Dr Ngirente pledged action on the taxes applied on local products and committed the government to further supporting the private sector to make it the leader of the country’s economy as it is in the Government’s seven-year transformation programme running until 2024.
“We promise, as the government, that through our usual collaboration with PSF, we shall call you to discuss issues you have raised and find solutions. We highly appreciate your contribution in creating jobs, promoting investment and the country’s development in general,” he said.
“We are committed to developing Made in Rwanda as we increase exports by 12% every year, increase tourism revenues to $800 million by 2024. We shall continue to lower electricity prices, construct roads and more infrastructures to support investment.”
Tourism revenues stood at $404 million in 2016 and the 2017 figures are yet to be released.
The Premier thanked exhibitors at Expo 2018 especially winners of exhibitors’ awards of excellence and urged private sector to improve the quantity and quality of their production.
The official closing of Expo 2018 coincided with the Golden Night, the Golden Gala Dinner, to appreciate the best investors under the ultimate business network. Eight investors in different categories received the Golden Circle Awards of Excellence. They include, Bralirwa, the Rwanda’s brewery company, and the telecom company, MTN Rwanda.
The best 10 exhibitors from different areas were also recognised while the best overall exhibitor award went to the CIMERWA PPC, the country’s sole cement producer, followed by the national carrier Rwandair and Equity Bank as the first and second runners-up respectively.
In a statement released by the regulator yesterday, residential houses with monthly consumption of between 0-15 kWh, the price remains Rwf89 per kWh, and those between 15-50kWh consumption, the price remains at Rwf182 per kWh.
RURA says that customers consuming more than 50kW, the price increased from Rwf189 to Rwf210.
For non-residential buildings with monthly consumption between 0-100kW, the price increased from Rwf189 to rwf204 per kWh, while customers consuming more than 100kWh per month, the price increased from Rwf199 to rwf222 per kWh.
A statement says that the price has been increased for telecom towers from Rwf126 to Rwf185 per kWh.
For water treatment plants and water pumping stations, the price remains the same at Rwf126 per kWh. For hotels, the price remains Rwf126 per kWh while health facilities will be charged a flat rate of Rwf192 per kWh. Broadcasters Will be charged a flat rate of Rwf184 per kWh.
RURA says that industrial consumers were categorized based on their level of consumption. They were categorized into small, medium and large industries.
According to RURA, normally, small industries will pay Rwf110 per kWh, medium industries will pay Rwf87 per kWh from Rwf90 and large industries will pay rwf80 from Rwf83 per kWh.
For small industries operating during peak hours will be charged rwf11,017 per kVA, rwf4,008 per kVA during shoulder period and rwf1,691 per kVA during off-peak period.
Medium industries operating during peak hours will pay rwf10,514 per kVA, rwf3,588 per kVA during shoulder period and rwf1,292 per kVA during off-peak hours.
For large industries operating during peak period, they will pay rwf7,184 per kVA, rwf2,004 per kVA during shoulder period and rwf886 per kVA during off-peak hours.
“The electricity tariffs for industry have been reduced in order to attract foreign investment and increase competitiveness of the Rwandan industrial sector. The lifeline tariff has been maintained to ensure affordability of electricity service for low income households,” a statement reads.
RURA says that the tariffs will be adjusted every quarter to cater for fluctuating costs which are beyond the control of the energy utility provider such as currency exchange rates and fuel cost among others.
The Head of State was speaking Thursday in Kigali at the presentation and signing of 2017/18 and 2018/2019 performance Contracts (Imihigo) respectively, and dissolving the Parliament’s Chamber of Deputies.
Kagame said that through Performance Contracts, leaders assess the way they can leverage the available means to achieve set targets, a system which helps understand the reason leaders fall short on certain goals even when they have the means.
“In 2017/18 Imihigo, we have seen how our different districts performed. Those who scored 80% and above fell short on the remaining 10%. Why did that happen? This results from lack of coordination and collaboration. For those lagging behind, the issue is even worse,” he said.
“For those who performed poorly, it’s an issue of leadership. Leaders who spend their time in unnecessary wrangles instead of fulfilling their responsibilities. Lack of communication, common understanding, and coordination results in such poor performances,” he added.
Kagame urged leaders to separate personal conflicts from the institutions they head.
“Focus your attention on resolving issues that affect your communities. Using your position to solve personal issues and for personal gain is wrong,” he said.
“What does it require for us to understand that we must work with each other? What does it take to deliver on our promises? Should we ask somebody else to teach us that too? Aren’t we human like anybody else?” Kagame questioned.
Kagame reminded leaders on citizen outreach and solving community issues.
“We are always emphasizing the need to improve on citizen outreach and understand their needs and do what is necessary to solve these issues but what we see instead is leaders who travel upcountry for a mere photo-op to prove they were there. Our development partners are better at citizen outreach than we are. Have we been adopted in our own country? Is this our philosophy? Is this our politics?” Kagame wondered.
{{Impact of poor performance}}
Kagame said that poor performance of some districts cause huge impacts on people including malnutrition among children.
“For districts that performed poorly, this has a huge impact on the lives of our citizens. This is the reason why we still find stunted and malnourished children in our villages.”
He reminded leaders to put much attention on fighting malnutrition and consider it as an urgent task.
“Most of our children are malnourished not because we don’t have nutritious food to give them but due to the fact that there is no one on their side to follow-up,” he said.
The Head of State urged leaders on exemplary work and clear vision.
“We should all aspire to become exemplary leaders. Leaders who are willing to do all that is necessary to take our country where it deserves to be. Leaders with a clear vision of what needs to be done,” he added.
{{To the Members of Parliament}}
As Rwandans prepare for Parliamentary elections next month, Kagame said that their job should not be business as usual.
“We will elect new MPs next month. This should not be ‘business as usual’. They will have to build on what their predecessors have achieved and put more efforts where we still have noticeable gaps,” he said.
The cattle handover ceremony took place yesterday. The cows were handed over to beneficiaries by Northern Province Governor, Jean Marie Vianney Gatabazi.
Mrs. Kagame donated the cows in June while she was participating in the celebration of International Day of African Child, an event that took place in Nemba Sector of Gakenke District.
The donation supports Government of Rwanda’s efforts to fight against malnutrition and stunting among children.
Speaking to IGIHE, Governor Gatabazi said that the cows will help people graduate from poverty as well as fighting malnutrition in their families.
“Those are hybrid cows which will produce enough milk, people will earn money and neighbors will benefit from them,” he said.
Speaking in Gakenke in June, First Lady called all districts to include fight against malnutrition and stunting programmes in district planning.
Beneficiaries welcomed the donation saying that they will enable them raise living standards and spur economic development.
Gakenke District comes second in high rate of stunting nationally with 46 per cent.
