The signing ceremony took place Wednesday in Kigali between the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Amb. Claver Gatete and Chinese Ambassador to Rwanda, Rao Hoingwei.
Speaking at the event, Minister Gatete said that China always support Rwanda’s programmes including education and infrastructural activities among others.
He said that among the agreement signed, $16 million will go to extension of IPRC Musanze which will result in increasing the number of students they train.
“Rwanda intends to be a knowledge based economy, therefore education is crucial. The extension of IPRC Musanze will ensure the school meets the increasing demands of diploma education while drilling of water boreholes will contribute to the alleviation of water shortage,” he said.
The State Minister for Technical Vocational Education and Training in the Ministry of Education, Olivier Rwamukwaya said that the grant will facilitate IPRC Musanze in terms of capacity.
“The grant will help to increase the number of classrooms that students will use during practice, the school will be also equipped with materials,” he said.
Upon completion, IPRC Musanze will have the capacity to enroll 1500 diploma students and 400 short-course trainees up from 560 diploma students and 180 short-course trainees.
A total of $8 million will go to the construction of 200 boreholes which will provide water to the communities in eleven districts of Eastern Province and will serve approximately 300 to 1500 people per borehole with potable water in selected area.
Both parties are still discussing where they will allocate the rest of the grant, but officials assure that they will decide on it in the near future.
Ambassador Hoingwei said that China will continue to provide assistance in supporting different sectors of economy of Rwanda.
“China will continue to provide assistance in infrastructure construction, industrialization and agricultural modernization to improve the economic and social development of Rwanda,” Hoingwei said.
Kagame was speaking at the ‘Africa Business and Investment Forum’ in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Tuesday.
He said that through the cooperation, much can be done to develop different aspects of sectors of the continent.
“There is so much more we can do, when we cooperate. First, as Africans, as we do through the African Union, and also with partners outside, some of whom we also have with us here,” he said.
“More collaboration is also needed between government and business. At the end of the day, we share the same goal of raising the well-being and prosperity of our citizens,” he noted.
He said that the success of business in Africa is critically important to the future of the continent and added that there is a need for active support from the private sector. “in fact without your voice something essential is missing,”
Kagame said that several of the African Union’s most ambitious initiatives, are designed to unshackle commercial activity and entrepreneurship. He said, it is about providing a better quality of life to the citizens.
“I am thinking about the Continental Free Trade Area and the free movement of people which we hope to conclude this year, as well as the Single African Air Transport Market which we inaugurated yesterday. I wish to remind business leaders that you can get your African passports from the AU Commission and this will facilitate you to do business smoothly around the continent,” he said.
He said the initiatives are very important for the competitiveness of African firms, and their ability to expand to new markets and hire more employees, especially young people.
According to Kagame, there are many other urgent frameworks for economic integration waiting to be finalised and applied.
He said it will happen more quickly if Africa’s business leaders keep advocating for Pan-African economic cooperation with policy-makers and the public, especially through the media.
“I am happy to see that today’s roundtables are specific and full of practical detail. This makes it more likely that new public-private partnerships can be forged. We need the private sector’s help in that regard,” he said.
By using health sector as an example, Kagame said that inadequate medical care costs companies and the public sector, a lot of money and lost productivity, through illness and disability. However he said the private sector is part of the solution.
A report from the International Finance Corporation a few years ago, found that the majority of health services consumed in Africa, are already supplied privately.
For Kagame, this doesn’t mean governments should privatise healthcare systems, but rather find ways to improve quality and access to healthcare.
{{Rwanda’s experience}}
In Rwanda, Kagame said the government has entered into an arrangement with an African company to manage the largest hospital.
“What is being done there is already showing success,” he said.
He said they are also partnering with a private firm from the United States, Zipline, to pioneer the use of drone aircraft to deliver blood and other medical supplies to rural hospitals.
Based on such experience, Kagame emphasized that there is much more can be done when governments cooperate with businesses.
With a massive investment of $60 million (about Rwf51 billion) and strict processes of doing business, AIF set new standards for both international and local investors. AIF was able to outshine over 100 companies that had applied for the Business Excellence Awards 2017. AIF was also awarded “Best Tax payer of the year 2017”.
Organized by the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), the Business Excellence awards at their 5th edition were handed to 10 companies in different categories last Friday with AIF scooping the grand prize.
In an interview with IGIHE, Africa Improved Foods’ Commercial Director Ms. Darshana Joshi revealed the secret behind the plant’s success, the award motivation and plans for greater performance in 2018. Below are the excerpts:
{{Africa Improved Foods has emerged the best investor of the year 2017. What was the secret behind your excellence?
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Apart from the Capex and Opex investments amounting to $60 million, we had clear targets we needed to deliver for 2017 and we focused on them. It took us three years planning and building this plant, we started building this plant in December 2015 and production started in November 2016. Our focus for the whole year was scaling up production in this plant to produce products that fight malnutrition in East Africa, supporting local sourcing and ensuring that all our products are nutritionally fortified and available at affordable prices. Because we delivered on our targets, we were able to compete and win as the investor of the year.
{{RDB considered the impact of investment for the awards. What was the biggest impact of your investment?
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AIF is an impact-driven social enterprise. What we do is not fully for profit, we have to deliver social impact at three levels. Our first impact is local sourcing whereby we need over 35,000 tonnes of corn and soya annually. We managed to get 5,000 tonnes out of Rwanda last year while working closely with farmers. All of last year we invested in supporting and training farmers to help them achieve even higher yields of the right quality agricultural inputs. We also support the post-harvest processes to reduce the aflatoxin level in their maize crops. With this, we expect to double the amount of local sourcing from Rwanda in 2018. Our objective is to get 50% of all agricultural sourcing from Rwanda in the next five years.
Our second impact is job creation. AIF has 300 employees with over 200 permanently employed. This is in addition to the jobs created with our suppliers, distributors and farmers.
Our third and biggest impact is on malnutrition. One of the key objectives we have through this project is to reduce the malnutrition rates in East Africa but specially Rwanda. In the next five years, Rwanda plans to half the rates of malnutrition and we are one of the key players that will help deliver this impact through the GoR feeding programme of free complementary food focused on the most vulnerable population –pregnant, breast feeding mothers and children aged from six months to two years of age –in Ubedehe Category One.
The products we send to WFP (World Food Programme) are considered as exports from Rwanda. So, we export about 25,000 tonnes of fortified flour annually and all those products go to refugee camps in South Sudan, Burundi, Uganda and Kenya. We feed about 1.5 million people with our locally made products and this has indeed impacted the economy of Rwanda.
{{What does the award mean to AIF?
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It feels great to be part of this group of companies that are delivering great results for the economy. We are in our own way supporting the development of Rwanda which is very exciting. Any recognition is always good but this award specially is a great achievement for our entire staff. We like any other new business have struggles and successes and at the end of the day an award like this shows that our work is recognised, not as work per se but as something creating a bigger social impact. Most importantly it makes us more competitive for next year; we want more awards in other categories.
{{RDB awards intend to promote competition among investors. What are your plans to do even better in 2018 and the years to come?
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This year, we want to double local sourcing. We are already working with over 9,000 farmers in Rwanda; we want to more than double that number. We have introduced Nootri Family as a new product; we are going to introduce two or three more products this year. We are building local suppliers’ capabilities and offer high quality training to our employees.
We are unique in what we do; it is not about competition, we are our own competitors and want to have a bigger impact. I actually want to congratulate everyone who was nominated at RDB awards. All of them did well in their respective categories and I really look forward to competing with them next year as well because the more we compete, the more we push each other to become bigger and do even better.
Rwanda is the easiest place to live, cleanest and structured, and this makes it convenient for us to work here though this does not stop here, we are still going regional and our next stop this year is Ethiopia.
{{Would you remind us of the products that AIF is producing?
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AIF produces relief products for WFP; it is a “super cereal” porridge which goes to the refugee camps in South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and Somali. We also produce Shisha Kibondo under the Government of Rwanda’s feeding programme which goes to the most vulnerable population in Ubudehe Category One. It is given to pregnant, breastfeeding mothers and children aged between six months and two years. This is in line with the First 1000 Days Programme which is a critical period for fighting malnutrition.
We also make commercial products: Nootri Mama for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and Nootri Toto for children older than six months. Our products are intended to be used as complementary foods and not as breastfeeding substitutes. A brand new product, Nootri Family is finally on the market and is specifically for the whole family, not only the mothers and babies but also fathers and of course everyone in general.
{{There are always challenges alongside any success. What are the challenges faced by AIF so far and how are you coping with them?
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Our biggest input is agricultural and as everywhere in the world, climate changes are creating uneasy cycles and we do not know what will be the next harvest season. It is the biggest challenge we cannot control. We also follow the highest standards and that takes time for the supporting industries to reach up to those standards. In 2017 we were working closely with the suppliers to make sure they deliver quality of products that meet our standards in food safety and with training and development, we have brought them closer to our standards and it will be easier in the years to come.
AIF is a joint venture between the Government of Rwanda and a consortium of Royal DSM, the Dutch development bank (FMO), DFID Impact Acceleration Facility managed by CDC Group plc and IFC, the investment arm of the World Bank.
It was in the morning of the 25th January 2018, that the news of the death of the seasoned politician, diplomat and academician were announced.
He passed away at 70 at a hospital in India, due to some complications after a surgery.
Patriotic to the core, he’s among the people who had the idea of founding RANU (which came to be RPF Inkotanyi) in 1979.
In April 1992, he took part in the discussions of the Arusha Accords, the peace agreement between Habyarimana’s government and the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF).
The group that represented RPF Inkotanyi in the Arusha Accords in Tanzania was Patrick Mazimhaka; Lt. Gen Charles Muhire, an Ex-AirForce General; Brig. Gen Andrew Rwigamba who came to lead the National Police of Rwanda; Pasteur Bizimungu who came to be the President of Rwanda [1994-2000] and the researcher Tom Ndahiro.
Meron has used his power and freed, reduced sentences and acquitted different people who were convicted for their role in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi by International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).
The recent controversial decisions by the judge include freeing of Ferdinand Nahimana one of founders of hate radio, Radio Television Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM) and Father Emmanuel Rukundo who was a Military Chaplain in Northern region. Both had been sentenced to 30 and 23 years respectively.
According to Meron, the decision to free both men based on the reason that they had completed 2/3 of their term in prison and exhibited good change. This led to ten people who were freed among 61 who had been convicted and sentenced by ICTR.
Besides all controversial decisions, Meron has filed for renewal of his mandate which will end in June.
Meron 88, was first appointed the president of MICT on March 1st 2012 and his term was extended to March 1st 2016 and will end in June.
MICT is made up with 25 judges elected by UN General Assembly for the four-year term; their term is extended by Secretary General after concerting UN Security Council President and the UN president of the General Assembly.
The National Commission for the Fight Against the Genocide (CNLG) has recently requested to discredit Judge Meron over different decision that seemed like the 1994 Genocide against the Tusti denial.
Also Meron acquitted different genocide planners including Protais Zigiranyirazo, Justin Mugenzi, Prosper Mugiraneza, Gen. Augustin Ndindiriyimana and Major François Xavier Nzuwonemeye.
In appeal Chamber, Meron also reduced sentences to Colonel Théoneste Bagosora who had been given life sentence by ICTR to 35 years in prison.
He reduced sentences for Colonel Anatole Nsengiyumva and Capt. Ildefonse Nizeyimana. Nsengiyumva was released after serving his term. He is considered as the mastermind of the group that led the planning and execution of genocide in former Gisenyi Prefecture.
The Umbrella for Genocide Survivors (IBUKA) has appealed to UN to conduct investigations on Meron’s decisions over genocide suspects.
Through the letter to UN in December last year, IBUKA said “The international community failed to protect Rwandans during the Genocide against the Tusti yet it had its mission present in the country, today there’s an attempt, through international justice, to minimize the gravity of the genocide by releasing its top architects,”.
The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals is mandated to perform a number of essential functions previously carried out by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
• Excellencies, Heads of State and Government, and First Ladies
• Excellency, Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission
• Excellencies, Former Heads of State, and Former Leaders of Our Organisation
• Heads of Institutions and Senior Officials
• Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
I would like to thank everyone for a successful summit, and welcome, once again, the new Heads of State and Government, participating for the first time, and wish them success in their work.
We had the opportunity before the summit to hold a conclusive and positive reform meeting, and we will continue consulting as the process unfolds.
Our time here together is a most precious moment on our annual calendar. We must therefore get the most out of our Summits. We have to start on schedule, and focus on the most important priorities. Let’s work together to do even better next time.
As we go forward, I would encourage closer collaboration with Africa’s private sector on the Union’s key initiatives. The business community is always eager to get involved, and more importantly, they are critical partners in creating opportunities and building the prosperity our continent needs.
Finally, an issue that deserves more of our attention is conservation. I wish to thank former President Benjamin Mkapa for highlighting this matter and, in his own right, continuing to champion it.
Africans need to take the lead, in partnership with like-minded global organisations, in the conservation agenda on our continent, because it affects all of us directly.
Driving conservation will allow us to get the most out of our continent’s assets, contribute to better management of our agriculture and tourism sectors, and support efforts to mitigate climate change.
As announced yesterday, we are on the cusp of creating a Continental Free Trade Area. We look forward to welcoming all of you to the summit on this issue in Kigali in the third week of March.
Once again, I thank the African Union Commission, starting with the Chairperson of the Commission, and the Secretariat, and all Commissioners, for organising this Summit as well as they have done.
I also want to thank you all for your contributions and your commitment to the ideals of the African Union. I wish everyone safe travels as you make your way back home.
Kagame was speaking in a post-AU summit press conference that took place Monday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
In the conference was also the Chairperson of African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat.
In the press conference, Kagame responded to questions on different matters regarding African Union, but, he stressed on impact expected on reforms that are being conduct in the union.
He said that from the beginning, African leaders decided it was time to consider reforms which would improve the business of leading individual countries and the continent.
“Reforms need alot of mindset change, change doesn’t come easy, it requires hard work and sometimes taking risks but the most important thing in change is driven by the need for it. If people understand that there is need for change, they will be responsive to it,” he said.
“We can generate resources from our own countries and if there is need from partners then the support will add to our own efforts. Africa isn’t going to remain as the place that depends on the rest of the world. We need to get results that we want,” he emphasized.
He said that when talking about reforms, compromise is an important principle and understanding why they undertook the reforms, “So far, there is good progress as more people join in and we will work together,”
He said that on the level of organization, they are beginning to achieve in understanding that the role of leaders is change.
“We understand there will be resistance to change but we are on a good path and we have a good cause,” he said.
Kagame said that there is a good team that has been helping with the reform process and now there is more representation of continents. He said there will be more clarity as they move forward.
“We need to work together as a continent more than ever. What matters is so much what we do and do amongst ourselves than what we keep debating with those outside our continent,” Kagame insisted.
Asked about the strategy that will help AU to deliver, Kagame said that what has been stressed is Africa pulling together its resources, be more efficient, effective, have one voice and support each other, “we have enough to take us to the level and pace we want,” he said.
On the plan to fight corruption in Africa, Kagame said that where there is a will there is a way. He said one way is through education, building rules of law and institutions and making sure that the practice attracts penalties irrespective of color or where people come from.
“Much as we are talking about corruption and fighting it, we should understand that corruption is not an African thing, it’s a global thing. We have been learning so much from everybody but we need to start doing things for ourselves through cooperation,” Kagame explained.
Kagame was speaking Monday while closing the 30th AU Summit that took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
In his remarks, Kagame thanked participants for a successful summit they had and welcomed new Heads of States and Government participated for the first time.
He said they had the opportunity before the summit to hold a conclusive and positive reform meeting and said they will continue consulting as the process unfolds.
“Our time here together is a most precious moment on our annual calendar. We must therefore get the most out of our summits. Let us work together to do even better next time,” he said.
“I would encourage closer collaboration with Africa’s private sector on the Union’s key initiatives. They are eager to get involved and are critical partners in creating opportunities and building the prosperity our continent needs,” Kagame noted.
Kagame reminded participants that an issue that deserves more of attention is conservation. He thanked former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa for highlighting this.
“Africans need to take the lead, in partnership with like-minded global organisations, in conservation because it affects us directly,” Kagame added.
He said that driving conservation will allow Africans get the most out of their continent’s assets, contribute to better management of agriculture and tourism sectors, and support efforts to mitigate climate change.
Yesterday, they announced that they will launch the ‘Continental Free Trade Area’ in a summit that will take place in Kigali in March.
Kagame invited fellow Heads of States in next summit in Kigali.
“As announced yesterday, we are on the cusp of creating a Continental Free Trade Area. We look forward to welcoming all of you, to the summit on this issue in Kigali, at the end of March,” he said.
During the summit, Kagame; African Union Commission Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat and Togo President, Faure Gnassingbé and other Heads of States launched the Single African Air Transport Market.
Alongside other African countries’ Heads of States, President Kagame; the Chairperson of African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat and Togo President, Faure Gnassingbé officiated the inauguration of the project.
This morning Kagame also chaired the day two of the African Union Summit.
{{About SAATAM}}
SAATAM is a flagship project of the African Union Agenda 2063, an initiative of the African Union to create a single unified air transport market in Africa, the liberalization of civil aviation in Africa and as an impetus to the Continent’s economic integration agenda.
The Declaration on the establishment of a Single Africa Air Transport Market, as a flagship project of the AU Agenda 2063 was adopted by the African Union (AU) Assembly in 2015.
Eleven AU Member States have made a commitment to implement the Yamoussoukro Decision of 1999 that provides for full liberalization in terms of market access between African States, the free exercise of traffic rights, the elimination of restrictions on ownership and the full liberalization of frequencies, fares and capacities.
The third meeting of the Ministerial Working Group on establishment of the SAATM took place from 5 to 8 December 2017 and a number of activities were agreed to mark the launch of the Single African Air Transport Market.
It is envisaged that airlines from the 23 SAATM countries would each be able to put up an exhibition during the launch. The theme of the fair is: “Flying the AU Agenda 2063: for an integrated, peaceful and prosperous Africa”.
To date, the number of Member States that have adhered to the Solemn Commitment has reached twenty-three (23), namely: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Togo and Zimbabwe.
The new resolution changes the designation of April 7 as “the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda” from the name of “the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda” as used by a December 2003 resolution.
In introducing the Rwandan-drafted resolution, Rwandan ambassador to the United Nations, Valentine Rugwabiza, told the General Assembly that the new text captures the historical facts of what happened in 1994, which is genocide “against the Tutsi” and leaves no room for ambiguity.
“Historical accuracy and words are vital while referring to the genocide. The tactics of genocide denial and revisionism are well-known and documented. Some people, mostly those who were involved by action or omission, promote the theory of double genocide in the futile belief that such suggestion might divert their own responsibility,” she said.
{{U.S and EU objected the decision
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The United States representative in the assembly, Kelley Currie said that changing the title of the resolution does not fully capture the magnitude of the genocide and of the violence committed against other groups.
She said Hutus and people from other groups were also murdered for their opposition to the atrocities against Tutsi.
“We will not stand in the way of changing the title of the resolution. We believe it is important to understand that our understanding of the circumstances of the genocide has not narrowed,” she said.
Eric Chaboureau, speaking for the European Union delegation, expressed that consensus had not been reached on commemorating the Hutus and others who were also killed during the genocide.
{{Israel, Africa supported the move
}}
Noa Furman from Israel said that remembrance was a responsibility of the international community. The atrocities were committed with the aim of systematically annihilating the Tutsi.
“By remembering the crimes of the past, we express our commitment to prevent them from happening in the future,” she said. As a people who had suffered the atrocities of the Holocaust, Israelis understood the global responsibility to reflect on the darkest chapters of human history.
Speaking on behalf of African Group, Equatorial Guinea’s Anatolio Ndong Mba warned that unless the world remembered the lessons learned, it would never live up to its pledge to ensure that no other country endured the pain and suffering that Rwanda had faced.
“This is the least we can do to honour the memory of the children, women and men brutally murdered 24 years ago, and remember all the victims of this tragic and dark chapter,” said Anatolio
He said that the African Union had embedded those lessons in the values of solidarity and unity, and the core principle of non-indifference enshrined in its Constitutive Act.
He said it was imperative to reject negation, revisionism and denial of the genocide against the Tutsi, either through legislation as some countries had done or through Assembly resolutions.
“Perpetrators remained at large in Europe and North America. To eradicate the culture of impunity, and bring about true reconciliation, they must be brought to justice,” he said.
Before the Assembly vote for the decision a number of countries had expressed optimism about the decision.
Those countries include; Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Tchad, DR Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Gabon.
Also include Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Israel, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Monaco, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Philippines, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Togo, Turkey, Uganda and Vietnam.
