Kagame was this morning speaking in Kigali while co-chairing the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development alongside Co-chair, Carlos Slim and Co-Vice Chair and ITU Secretary General, Houlin Zhao.
The broadband commission brings together leaders from the private sector, policy makers, government representatives, international agencies and academia to provide a variety of perspectives with the aim of developing a joint approach to promote broadband for public benefit.
Speaking at the opening of the commission’s working group meeting, Kagame noted that Africa’s economic transformation requires broadband infrastructure with an emphasis on both access and affordability.
“The reality is that all other digital services whether in commerce or education or healthcare run on top of broadband. Africa’s size, geography and settlement patterns mean that we must rely on a variety of different technologies to deliver broadband including satellite, fibre optic and mobile. It is up to us to lead the way in driving innovation both in policy and business models in order to speed up the provision of broadband where it has been slowest to reach,” Kagame said.
Kagame will also deliver a keynote address at the opening of the Transform Africa Economic Forum which will deliberate on the vision for a smart Continental Free Trade Area.
The Economic Forum is expected to highlight potential cross- border initiatives for investment and partnership opportunities relevant to African Continental Free Trade Area. The Agreement was signed by 44 African countries during the 10th Extraordinary Summit of the African Union held in Kigali on 21 March 2018.
The Transform Africa Economic Forum will precede Transform Africa Summit 2018, which runs from 8-9 May 2018.
In its fourth edition, Transform Africa Summit is a leading annual continental forum that convenes global and regional leaders from government, business and international organizations to collaborate on new ways of shaping, accelerating and sustaining Africa’s on-going digital revolution.
Diane Rwigara was represented by Lawyer Célestin Buhuru and her mother Mukangemanyi Counsel Gatera Gashabana.
Before the hearing started, Gashabana requested the presiding judge to adjourn the hearing as he had another hearing at the same time in Supreme Court, and Lawyer Buhuru Okayed the request saying that he has no worry with the adjournment.
Prosecution, represented by Rugambwa Ndibwami , did not oppose the adjournment. The presiding judge decided to adjourn the hearing to May 22nd 2018.
Diane Rwigara is accused of forgery related charges, a crime she allegedly committed when she was seeking signatures to endorse her candidacy to run in last year’s presidential elections. Her mother Mukangemanyi is accused of divisionism and discrimination. The duo jointly face charges related to inciting insurrection.
The duo had been accused with Anne Rwigara who was granted bail in October last year by Nyarugenge Intermediate Court saying that there was no evidence connecting her to the accusations.
The plan to dedicate some routes to public transport buses was announced last year and city officials said that the move would have been in place at the beginning of this year.
The idea was to dedicate these routes to public buses starting from 6:00am to 8:30am.
Speaking to National Broadcaster, RBA yesterday, the City Engineer, Dr Alphonse Nkurunziza said that there are different activities which they are still putting in place before the programme starts.
“The most fundamental activity we are still implementing is roads expansion, after expansion activities, we will then start dedicated bus routes,” he said.
“After having dedicated bus lanes, the flow of traffic will become easy. We are conducting a feasibility study on how bus stops would have ways to communicate passengers on the time of the bus arrival and time it would spend there. That exercise would be possible when the bus has no hindrances along the roads,” he added.
Speaking to IGIHE, Nkurunziza said that he is optimistic that the programme will have started by August 2018.
“We expect that this programme will go in place when the roads which are under construction are completed. We expected that they would be completed by the end of June but, due to heavy rains, roads construction works have been suspended, so, that is a challenge and roads can’t be completed in June. We expect that it will not go beyond August and then start dedicated bus lanes programme,” he explained.
Nkurunziza said that they will use advanced technology in traffic lights so that they will ease traffic flow for public buses.
“Traffic lights will be able to sensor public bus and speed up so that the bus will not spend time,” he added.
Among the roads being expanded to meet dedicated bus lanes standards include the Rwandex-Sonatube section and Sonatube-Remera road.
The road from City Centre to Nyabugogo bus terminal has been completed and Nyabugogo-Gatsata, among others is still underway.
Under the theme ‘Accelerating Africa’s Single Digital Market’, the four-day meeting will bring together over 4,000 participants including Heads of State and Government, First Ladies, UN Broadband Commissioners, Ministers, Public and Private Sector, international organisations, industry leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, Young innovators, Civil Society and Academia.
Transform Africa Summit 2018 has been designed to foster constructive conversation towards building a Smart Africa and facilitate meetings of like minds seeking policy and opportunities to accelerate the continent towards socio economic transformation.
In the meeting, delegates will have a high level platform ‘Transform Africa Economic Forum’ for discussing the disruptive but also the enabling and strategic role of ICT for the rapid transformation of Africa by Smart Africa, the Government of Rwanda, African Development Bank, Econet Wireless, Afro Champions and UNDP.
The summit will also be an opportunity for captains of industry and leading entrepreneurs to make business deals.
There will also be a high level dialogue between Heads of State, private sector business leaders and executives of international organizations on creating a single digital market for Africa.
The meeting will explore, how Africa will adopt and harness the technology driven innovation that is already disrupting healthcare across the globe by increasing capabilities and improving experiences between medical professionals and patients.
In the meeting, Robotics, drones, artificial intelligence, IoT, big data will be explored in detail with presentations and roundtable discussions.
There will also be an exhibition where exhibitors will showcase their innovations and technologies that will transform governments and business in Africa into a digital economy and society.
The seminar with a theme; ‘Shattering the glass ceiling: – why and how?’ was held on the 3rd of May 2018 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. It sought to spur a conversation on strategies and commitments that are necessary to meet the United Nations goal of increasing by 15% female staff officers and military observers and 20% female police officers by the end of 2018.
In her remarks, the Permanent Representative of Rwanda, Ambassador Valentine Rugwabiza, outlined suggestions on how to increase women’s meaningful participation in peacekeeping such as identifying and eliminating the inequalities that reinforce prejudice towards women, employing a gender perspective and instilling a mechanism for accountability while respecting women and prioritizing their dignity and equality.
As a peacekeeper in the Central African Republic (CAR), Captain Lausanne Nsengimana shared her experiences, saying that her work in peacekeeping was not only about securing a cease-fire, but also a matter of education and sharing experiences between women in a normal day setting.
“As female peacekeepers, they can build stronger relationships with communities and gain more access to information than all-male contingents”, she said.
“Younger Rwandan women, those born after the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, are increasingly joining the officer corps, but more mobilization is needed to be done to increase the numbers of women joining the armed forces”, she noted while sharing her observations on the recruitment of women in Rwanda Defence Forces.
Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani from Indonesia, asserted that there were many reasons to increase women’s participation in peacekeeping and pointed out the fact that ‘not a single woman peacekeeper has been accused of sexual exploitation and abuse in any peacekeeping mission’.
Ambassador Tore Hattrem from Norway, recommended that ‘member states can learn from each other and work together to reach the goal of having more female peacekeepers in UN operations. For the simple reason that it makes UN Peacekeeping Operations more effective’.
In her closing remarks, Ambassador Rugwabiza stressed on the centrality of transformative leadership in the promotion of women’s participation in peacekeeping, she said ‘good leaders change bad attitudes, and open up opportunities’.
She also recommended that countries with high numbers of peacekeeping forces such as Rwanda, should collaborate and share best practices and strategies.
‘After all, Success stories can only bring more success stories’, Rugwabiza said
Numbers show that from April 20th to May 3rd different people across the country received different medical services in a yearly activity that will take three months.
Among those operated are; 1639 who were operated on respiratory disease, 717 were operated on female-specific diseases, 1163 were operated on bones, 1340 were operated on internal diseases, 399 received dermatology services; a total of 11,191 were circumcised and 795 were tested on HIV/AIDS.
Yesterday, RDF officials visited the sites of activities in Rulindo and Bugesera Districts. People who spoke to IGIHE hailed the activities by Rwandan army saying that they were not able to afford the cost of operation.
The 62-year-old Cassien Karekezi from Rweru Sector of Bugesera District said that they operated him a pimple on his genital organs.
“I had a pimple on my genital organs which I suffered for five years. They operated it, and I hope to get better. I am blessed because I didn’t expect to get such services,” he said.
“Every single coin our family used to earn was spent in hospitals seeking medication which did not bear fruit. Today the situation is going to change, we will use our earning in family development activities,” he added.
RDF’s Maj. Dr. John Bukuru, an ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon said that in Bugesera District, they have operated 1300 people.
He said that the majority had teeth disease and called people to take care of their hygiene and medical check-up once they feel pain.
In other activities like agriculture, RDF partnered with people to cultivate Irish Potatoes on 137,6 hectares and Sweet Potatoes on 57,3 hectares; vegetables on 26,6 hectares and fought against banana bacterial wilt commonly known as Kirabiranya on a total of 61,39 hectares.
Rulindo District Mayor, Emmanuel Kayiranga hailed the activities saying that when soldiers go beyond security provision and partner with people, it helps spur the development of the country and welfare of the communities.
With the hugest number ever implemented in such a span of time compared to 52 reforms that were previously implemented in the last 15 years, Rwanda can only expect to improve in the next World Bank Doing Business ranking 2019 from the current 41st globally and second in Africa.
Speaking at a press briefing on Friday, RDB’s Chief Operations Officer Emmanuel Hategeka said the major reforms have reduced bureaucracy in construction, amount of time for electricity provision for investors, time exporters spend at customs and legal backlog, among other issues affecting the business climate.
“Ten years ago, the Government embarked on a strong agenda to transform our business environment in order to boost investment and private sector growth. One of the key tools that we relied on to guide this transformation is the World Bank Doing Business global report. Through strong leadership and consistent commitment to reforming the business environment, Rwanda implemented numerous business reforms over the last ten years”, said Hategeka.
The Doing Business report is a flagship World Bank publication which measures the relative ease of doing business across 190 economies, using a set of 10 indicators that track the entire lifecycle of a business such as what it takes to start, run and grow a business in a given country through the lens of business operators.
Reaffirming Rwanda’s vision to become competitive among the best globally, Minister of Trade and Industry, Vincent Munyeshyaka committed the Government of Rwanda to more reforms to make business environment increasingly competitive for local businesses and foreign investors alike.
“We must remain engaged with our private sector, understand the reforms needed for further growth and dynamism in the sector and uncover opportunities that will unleash the full potential of our private sector,” he said.
Munyeshyaka urged all institutions mainly RDB to double efforts for further improvements in business sector, saying that Rwanda has high ambitions as do many other economies, making the space of global trade and investment extremely competitive.
“As such, we must always ensure that our nation is able to compete among the best,” said the Minister.
Areas that require improvement include dealing with construction permit and getting electricity where Rwanda was ranked 122nd and 117th globally in Doing Business 2018. The power outage exceeding five minutes was also raised as an issue but as part of the solution, Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority has adopted a regulation to administer fines for power outages exceeding 10 minutes.
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Noting that all the reforms are crucial, Hategeka said that some are more notable and those include a software application that can be installed on any electronic device to replace the electronic billing machine (EBM) in processing value added tax (VAT) invoices. This system will eliminate the cost implications of buying an EBM that has often ignited outcry among business community.
In dealing with construction permits, buildings are now categorized according to the nature and magnitude of the anticipated risk and this therefore determines which projects must undergo a full or partial Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Geotechnical studies for buildings that fall in category DB as not exceeding 200 square meters and two floors has been eliminated, as well as topographic surveys for all types of buildings.
Another reform in dealing with construction permits is the removal of the requirement to fill a form notifying the One Stop Center at RDB of the commencement date of the project. Water connection now also takes two weeks, down from the previous 30 days.
Getting electricity connection has also improved, reducing the number of days from 34 to 20. The recently launched automated system also records and monitors power outages, improving transparency in the reliability of supply of energy in Rwanda.
In paying taxes, it now takes five hours to file for VAT since the introduction of the automatic VAT reconciliation online process. This advancement comes with the reduction of tax audit procedures and the opportunity to correct erroneous information entered after the deadline date.
As the Government of Rwanda is also focused on reducing the trade deficit by increasing exports, certain reforms such as the issuance of an online certificate of origin, the introduction of a risk based approach in inspection of exports, joint inspection of both exports and imports by agencies, and extension of working hours at Gatuna and Rusumo borders were introduced to reduce time and cost implications for investors.
In enforcing contracts, a new law on civil, commercial, labor and administrative procedures was passed with a provision for small claims procedures. Another reform includes a law limiting the grounds for adjournment for unforeseen and exceptional circumstances. On resolving insolvency, a new law particularly in relation to out of court voluntary mechanisms and individual bankruptcy was passed.
RDB also announced more key reforms in the offing including online auctions through a platform on which properties under auction can be viewed, bids entered and payments made; electronic titling to upgrade of the land administration system, just to mention but a few.
Wenger’s departure at the end of the season triggered sadness among Arsenal’s fans world-wide, as he had gone on too long and not been able to deliver another title or finally win the Champions League that he craved so badly.
Diego Costa killed Arsene Wenger’s last hope of a glorious Arsenal farewell as his goal sent Atletico Madrid through to the Europa League final 2-1 on aggregate on Thursday.
The 68-year-old Arsene Wenger admitted that he was “very, very sad” to be leaving Arsenal on the back of a Europa League semi-final defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid.
As fans took to twitter their disappointment, President Kagame among others gave his take on the departure of the coach who had been Arsenal’s coach for 22 good years.
“My take on my beloved Club Arsenal- a very good one at the game and a very good coach like A.Wenger, this should not have been the kind of ending of an era. The coach is leaving and club trophy-less it was long coming! I am still a committed fan going forward. Blame the owners”, reads President Kagame’s tweet.
“As I had said way back and just as a good observer…Something fundamental needed to change at/about the club. But if anything changed it was not the right one. All the best to all involved! We still need Arsenal to go back where it belongs- up there among the best in the game!” He added.
In 2007, when President Kagame who is a devoted Arsenal fan since 1996 was celebrating his 50th anniversary, Coach Arsene Wenger gave him Arsenal Emirates’ Flag with signatures of all players at the time.
Also in 2013, President Kagame was spotted in Arsenal’s stadium, where the team scored 2-0 against Napoli in UEFA Champions league.
The statement by UNHCR also calls Rwandan Authorities to avoid tensions that could lead to further loss of life.
The call follows Wednesday death of one refugee who succumbed to injuries due to confrontation with Police Officers.
UNHCR says that Police patrols are reportedly facing provocations by refugees and calls for clarification.
UNHCR’s Country Representative, Ahmed Baba Fall said that during confrontations, one refugee was injured and died upon arrival at Kibuye Hospital. He said that the circumstances surrounding the incident are to be clarified.
“UNHCR is deeply saddened and concerned by this tragedy and share its empathy with the family and other members of the refugee community,” says Ahmed.
“UNHCR urged at several occasions the refugees to respect local laws and express grievances through dialogue, while calling on authorities to handle the situation with calm and restraint” he says.
UNHCR says that on April 20th, UNHCR was made aware of the deployment of a large number of Police officers in and around Kiziba camp.
The Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (MIDIMAR) informed UNCHR that the increase in the number of police officers is due to the rise of tensions in the camp and they are there to ensure security and safety of refugees, staff and host communities
MIDIMAR reiterated that there is no operation and that the Government of Rwanda will continue to promote the rule of law, law enforcement and justice for all.
The statement says that UNHCR recognizes that the RNP has the right to patrol on all the territory of Rwanda and is calling upon the refugees to stay calm.
As the demonstrations started in February, where refugees were claiming insufficient food rations and being denied other rights, UNHCR says that is advocating with donors to address the gaps in humanitarian funding and urgent needs of refugees.
To date, UNHCR’s 2018 appeal for USD 98.8 million to support refugees in Rwanda is only funded at 13%.
Among properties damaged are houses, over 4000 hectares of crops, bridges, roads among other infrastructures.
Speaking in a post-Cabinet Meeting press conference yesterday in Kigali, the Minister of Local Governance, Francis Kaboneka said that the government has committed to support families who were affected by disasters.
He said that the government continues to call upon those living in high-risk zones to relocate before they are affected by disasters.
“We encourage Rwandans to relocate, where it is necessary we can use other means; when we do this it doesn’t imply that the government hates its people, it is a way to save their lives,” he said.
Using an example, Kaboneka urged people to understand why leaders ask them to relocate.
“On April 2nd night, ten families in Ngororero District were asked to relocate. The day they relocated, all the houses in the area were destroyed by floods,” he explained.
He said that in Western Province, a total of 500 houses were registered and leaders requested their owners to relocate. Until April 4th, 115 houses of them had been destroyed.
“When leaders come telling you that there is a problem, people should understand, they should implement because it is in their benefits,” he said.
“As leaders who have the responsibilities to protect our people, sometimes, we do it by force so that we save lives,” he noted.
He said that they registered houses which can put lives of people in danger and a number of them were relocated. He said that if the exercise had not been conducted, the problem would have taken another level.
The Minister of Environment, Dr. Vincent Biruta said that the heavy rains continue in North-West and South-West of the country until May 10th. In other parts of the country, he said the rain will be moderate.
“My message is that as the rain continues, we encourage people to follow the weather forecast,” he said.
“More measures are needed to be put in place in partnership with people, but mostly we urge them to abide by leaders’ advice,” he added.
He urged people to put in place measures like water harvesting, planting trees and parents take care of their children so that they will not be victims of the floods.
The Cabinet Meeting on Wednesday discussed strategies and mechanisms that will continue to support those affected by disasters and to fast-track repair of damaged properties.
The Cabinet Meeting resolved to strengthen efforts to mitigate natural disasters in the long term with special emphasis on environmental protection, infrastructure development and maintenance, organized settlement as well as improved agriculture practices.
According to MIDIMAR, among the disasters that claimed many lives include thunderstorm which claimed 36 and landslides which claimed 42.
