Speaking this week while signing performance contracts with institutions working under MININFRA, Minister James Musoni said that in this fiscal year a total of 21,154 families will be relocated to model villages.
He said that model villages have been constructed in all districts and the next target is to establish them in all sectors of the country so that individual families can extract samples and construct their own.
“Last year, we constructed model villages in all districts; now, we want to build them in all sectors so that individuals can easily copy and implement the structural plans in their respective localities” Musoni said.
The Rwanda Housing Authority Director General, Augustin Kampayana said that last year, government invested Rwf22 billion in constructing model villages in all districts.
The medal decoration ceremony was held at Rwanbatt48 Headquarters in ZALINGEI, Central Darfur in Sudan.
The medals award ceremony was presided over by Maj Gen Fida Hussain Maalik, the Deputy Force Commander on behalf of UNAMID Joint Special Representative (JSR).
“Today is a remarkable day that the United Nations has set aside to express its appreciation to the Gallant Officers, Men and Women of Rwanbatt48, for their dedication to duty, high level of professionalism and above all, their contribution towards the overall success of the UNAMID mission and the Peace Keeping operation in Darfur”, he said while presenting the UN Peacekeeping Medals to Rwandan troops on behalf of the UNAMID Joint Special Representative.
Maalik who is also the Acting UNAMID Force Commander, commended Rwandan Peacekeepers for conducting humanitarian assistance and quick impact projects to the people of Darfur.
“I am proud to say that Rwanbatt48 has excelled in their role as loyal, dedicated and committed peacekeepers in the sector central of the UNAMID area of operations. I am aware that you have undertaken several quick impact projects in your areas of responsibility since your deployment, to name but few, the construction of women conference hall in Nerititi Team Site,” he said.
“emergency medical cases reported by the locals to your Level 1 Hospital were given the urgent attention it deserves,” he added
He also thanked the Government of Rwanda for its significant contribution and sustained commitment to UN Peacekeeping operations.
In his remarks, the Rwanbatt48 Commanding Officer, Lt Col Fidel Butare congratulated Rwanbatt48 Officers, for their discipline and professionalism for the last ten months on duty.
“I am pleased to note that, this medal award will be regarded extraordinary as a motivation, which will contribute greatly in executing with renewed commitment to the protection of Civilians as well as discharging other duties as required by the UNAMID mandate; we pledge to double our efforts in the remaining months before we finish our tour of duty”, Butare noted.
Butare also thanked fellow colleagues with whom they worked together in both Zalingei and Nerititi Team Sites and locals of both communities, for their support to the battalion.
He reminded the troops under his command to always uphold the UN values.
The World Tourism Award for Visionary Leadership is being presented to HE President Paul Kagame “in recognition of HE Paul Kagame’s visionary leadership through a policy of reconciliation, sustainable tourism, wildlife conservation, and economic development attracting major hotel investment, resulting in the remarkable turnaround that has led to Rwanda’s rise as one of the leading tourism destinations in Africa today.”
Under the visionary leadership of HE President Paul Kagame, Rwanda has achieved remarkable tourism success and has been established on the global stage as a leading sustainable tourism destination in Africa today.
Tourism, Rwanda’s number one foreign exchange earner, has played a crucial role in the country’s development. Revenue from tourism has doubled from US$200 million in 2010 to US$404 million in 2016 indicating an annual average increase of 10%, surpassing the National Export Strategy II target in 2016 by 13%. Over 1.3 million tourists visited Rwanda in 2016. Visitor arrivals for the same period (2010-2016) have increased by 12% annually against a backdrop of UNWTO arrivals in global emerging markets bench-marked at 3.3% for the same period. The tourism sector in Rwanda is expected to grow at 15% per annum.
As a preferred investment destination, Rwanda has instituted several initiatives to ensure a conducive environment for business. To date, Rwanda is considered as the 2nd competitive destination for business in Africa according the 2017 WEF Global Competitiveness Report, and this has encouraged even more foreign investment in the tourism sector.
Prioritizing infrastructure development within the travel and tourism sector with over $1Billion invested into significant contributors such as RwandAir, enabling it to expand its routes globally to 23 destinations as well as increase its airlift capacity with two new A330 Airbus aircraft. The next major development in this sector is the commencement of the new international Bugesera Airport.
The construction of Kigali Convention Center now positions Rwanda as an international conference and meetings destination. The addition of over 1,600 international brands four and five-star lodge and hotel rooms, including Marriott, Radisson Blu, Bisate by Wilderness Safaris and One & Only Nyungwe House, Ubumwe Grande that has been acquired by Double Tree by Hilton has resulted in the creation of over 90,000 jobs in the overall hospitality industry.
Sustainability is critical to a sound tourism policy and Rwanda has ensured that 10% of all tourism revenue is given back to the communities surrounding the Country’s four national parks. This money is used to fund local priority projects such as schools, health centers and business that promote sustainability benefiting thousands of Rwandans.
Rwanda’s Conservation efforts have made a major impact on the growth of the world-renowned mountain gorilla population by 26.3% since the last census in 2010. The Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda is now home to 305 mountain gorillas which accounts for more than half the population in the Virunga Massif.
Other conservation milestones in Rwanda took place in the Akagera National Park, where fencing of the park led to a reduction in human-wildlife conflict. Also in Akagera, there was the recent reintroduction of lions and rhinos. There is also a marked reduction in poaching throughout the country, for example in 2013, more than 2000 snares were collected from the park whereas in 2017, only 1 snare was collected. Similarly, in 2017, no arrests were made compared to back in 2013 when more than 200 poachers’ arrests were made.
Another major conservation achievement was the proclamation of Gishwati Mukura National Park bringing the total number of national parks to four with 9% of land now managed as protected national parks.
It is in line with that philosophy that the government of Rwanda, working with Energy Private Developers (EPD) organised a two-day conference to discuss renewable energy for sustainable growth.
The Conference organised under the partnership of Rwanda Development Board (RDB), ERF and The Renewable Energy Cooperation Program (RECP) attracted more than 200 participants including international, regional as well as local players in the energy sector.
The event served as a platform for key energy players to share ideas on how to increase off grid connectivity across the country and achieve 100% universal access to electricity by 2024.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer at Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Clare Akamanzi stressed the importance of the forum in promoting renewable energy in Rwanda through the contribution of the private sector.
She reminded the attendees that there are some incentives in place to facilitate investors within the energy sector.
“This forum is crucial in attracting more investments in order to increase accessibility, affordability and availability of electricity in Rwanda as per Rwanda Government seven year program. So far RDB has signed 40 Public Private Agreements within the energy sector, proving our country’s business friendly environment in providing affordable frameworks for investors.”
The Minister of Infrastructure, James Musoni said that the government is committed to working closely with the private sector in increasing off grid connectivity in remote areas of the country and scale up the current demand.
“It is important for us as government to make sure that energy is availed for all. We are currently focused on promoting off grid power connections in the country for the simple reason that it is more affordable and sustainable. This is why we also encourage more innovative economic models as we are ready to facilitate private sector developers in Rwanda.”
The Chairman Energy Private Developers, Dr. Ivan Twagirashema talked about Rwanda’s current national strategies and the need for more private sector innovations in the country.
“There are two main objectives for this forum, one, to promote inward investments and two discuss challenges in the industry and address them with a clear road map,” he said
“Thanks to the business friendly environment in Rwanda, public and private sector leaders are able to engage in dialogue and solve issues intertwined within the energy sector and ensure that products and services are more affordable to consumers,” he added.
Power generation in Rwanda stands at 210.9 MW installed capacity. Hydro power accounts 48%, thermal 32%, PV 5.7% and methane to power 14.3%. As per Rwanda Energy Group Report in August 2017, Rwanda has achieved 40.5% access rate, of which on-grid access represents 29.5% while off grid represents 11%.
Rwanda looks forward to achieving universal access of electricity (100%) by 2024, with on grid connections representing 52% and off grid 48%.
Mrs. Kagame was speaking about unity and reconciliation in the Global Citizen Forum Thursday in Montenegro, under the theme ‘Opportunities in the age of uncertainty’
She said that before 1994, the politics of division had gradually weaved its way into the everyday lives of Rwandans, culminated in one of the worst tragedies ever, genocide.
“One million lives were brutally cut short, through a hateful wave of killings that would mark the psyche of our nation for generations to come. Hundreds of thousands of women were viciously raped, and subsequently infected with HIV/AIDS; while 50,000 widows and 75,000 orphans survived the tragedy. The physical wounds have since healed, but the emotional scars still linger” she said.
She said that the 100 days of genocide marked a total failure of the concept of ‘global citizenship’ and its needed civic responsibility where international communities left people who were being killed.
She said that Tutsi, Hutu and Twa are ethnic fabric of the Rwandan society contrary to before colonial period, where they had been living together in peaceful environment.
First lady said that Rwandans embraced new mindset, which empowered them with the ability to shape their future.
“We viewed education as a powerful tool, able to drive the advancement of entire communities, so we also focused on increasing the number of primary, secondary, and tertiary education institutions to help realize the economic and social transformation, envisioned in our national development plans” she said
“As a rule, we believe in building bridges with all peoples and cultures, despite, or perhaps because of, a past marked by exclusion for many of us, who grew up in Rwanda or in exile” she noted.
She said that such reasoning led the country to work towards the repatriation of Rwandan refugees to their home country, by establishing socio-economic programmes facilitating their return, ahead of the cessation clause of Rwandan refugee status, set for the end of December 2017.
“We also believe that there is more to be gained at a human and economic level, by opening up to others. That is why we made a conscious decision to allow Rwandans to hold a double citizenship, to advocate for a no-visa policy within Africa, in line with our continental policy for Free Movement of People, Goods and Services, and more generally, to simplify travel processes for every visitor” she explained.
She said that as Rwanda was marked with terrible past, the country decided to play part, in the protection of other threatened populations across the World
“We have for instance welcomed hundreds of thousands of refugees and provided them, with access to the same education and health programmes services that our citizens benefit from, as we believe that refugees or not, they are human beings, who deserve nothing less than to be treated with dignity” she explained
She told participants to understand that ‘races’ are not biological and urged humans to make one big ‘race’, with more similarities than differences.
When we accept that in the grand scheme of things, we are more together, than the sum of each of us alone; then it becomes possible to turn fearful circumstances into great opportunities, because then fear disappears from the equation, and love and oneness takes its place, said Mrs Kagame
The Global Citizen Forum is a two day event, attended by global leaders, industry visionaries, entrepreneurs as well as celebrities
They called the government to expel the organization from the country and open a lawsuit against them as the report aimed at destabilizing Rwanda.
Lawmakers were yesterday speaking during a consultative meeting on HRW’s report dubbed ‘All Thieves Must Be Killed’ that was released in July.
The report says that 37 people were killed by Army, Police, Reserve Force and DASSO in Rubavu and Rutsiro Districts of Western Province.
However, the Rwanda Commission for Human Rights denounces the report saying that some individuals pronounced as dead in the report are still alive while others died of
natural causes.
{{Lawmakers’ Reaction}}
MP Constance Rwaka Mukayuhi said that endless HRW reports on Rwanda are aimed at weakening the development of the country which should be fought. Senator Gallican Niyongana said that it is disappointing to hear of people pronounced dead yet they are alive and carrying on with normal life, saying they have demonstrated lack of professionalism in their sham activities. HRW should demonstrate professionalism and produce evidence-based reports, he said.
“I wonder whether anouncing a living person as dead leaves any iota of merit in the organization. This is disgusting,” he said.
“The government should examine whether we should renew the working relationship with HRW when they blatantly flout terms and conditions,” he said.
MP Jean Pierre Hindura said that HRW employees are intentionally targeting the President of the Republic and Rwandan security.
“This report was released during the time we were approaching presidential election period; so, I think you understand well their targets,” he said.
The Deputy Speaker of Parliament Abbas Mukama said that HRW should be expelled from Rwanda because they have demonstrated their inability in more ways than one.
“Let’s expel them. We also expelled BBC and moved on. It is time to end working with HRW,” he insisted.
Parliament will decide on the HRW activities in Rwanda and hand their resolutions to government for action.
• Calliope Harelimana joined Sabena as assistant aircraft technician in 1979
• He was a farmer who completed primary education only
• His knowledge of French language got him a job
• He started job earning Rwf12,000 monthly, so much money considering then currency value compared to today’s value
• He was able to repair planes after eight years learning from a Belgian engineer
• Sabena was dissolved in 2001 and replaced by SN Brussels in 2002 which re-employed Harelimana as a car driver.
• He is paying university’s fees for four children, owns good house in Kigali
• Brussels Airlines covers his and children’s medical costs 100%
• 38 years working for airline companies, Harelimana has never taken flight despite offer of free flights.
• He plans to have three flights abroad, first to Brussels, before retiring.
Harelimana, then 21 years old, was tilling lands in his area of Muyunzwe, Gishweru, now in Ruhango District when his brother’s friend, Jean Damascene Mwumvaneza, asked for a replacement from Sabena technical dockets to join the staff van driving job.
“Mwumvaneza told my brother to bring him that young man (me) who was always number one in class but never got chance to continue to secondary school. I was able to speak French and that was enough to do the job of assisting the Belgian engineer by doing as instructed during the repairing of the plane,” says Harelimana.
When Sabena, former Belgian national carrier, was dissolved in November 2001, Harelimana waited for awhile before SN Brussels took over using some Sabena’s assets and Harelima was re-employed in April 2002 as a car driver. SN Brussels later changed name to Brussels Airlines, keeping Harelimana in the docket till now.
Father of four, Harelimana says he enjoyed much seeing a plane fly after his and fellow senior engineer’s work on a breakdown. “Eight years of learning from my chief engineer, I was able to work on planes’ technical problems and my supervisor would come after to check on the authenticity of my work. For over 20 years in technical job, we faced around 10 serious plane’s breakdowns which took intervention of a technical team from Belgium,” he says.
Harelimana has always found his motivation in good work environment, timely pay and pride of working for giant companies. He started at a salary of Rwf3,500, plus allowances of Rwf8,500 monthly.
“My supervisor said he would get my salary increased after my probation time but I told him the pay was good enough. Rwf12,000 was a lot of money that time and few people were paid such amount which can be equated to Rwf600,000 currently considering the value of franc in the 1970s,” he says.
{{A journey well travelled }}
Harelimana first extended pride of working with airlines to his family as he put down his father’s old houses and developed new and better ones immediately after getting into the job. He, as well, paid school fees for some family members. He later built his own house near the Kigali International Airport in Kanombe where he currently lives. He got married in 1990 and produced four children before his wife passed away 15 years ago.
Harelimana is able to pay private university’s fees for four children and provide them with all the required materials, thanks to “my good salary and cash from two rented houses.” The job also got him many friends in the country and abroad. “Belgians treat employees well. They pay good salary on time and lend me when I need money for children’s school fees,” he says.
When he started the job in 1979, Harelimana was told he is entitled to free flights for holidays abroad but he has never used the chance.
“I have never been on a plane because I found it better spending some Rwf400,000 on building houses and supporting family members than spending that on tours abroad. I have spent 38 years in this job without making any flight but I want to have at least three flights abroad before going for retirement,” he says.
Harelimana, 59, says he will have put aside all heavy responsibilities by September 2018 and will have his first flight to visit Brussels where he has many friends and former bosses.
Harelimana says the secret to retain a job lies in loving it and avoid misconduct at work and in society. He worked with many Rwandans before 1994 but he remains in the company with one, Mwumvaneza, to whom he sends his gratitude over getting him into the job.
The award is given to change makers in good governance, sciences, arts, sports and industries.
The head of state was awarded Wednesday evening at the International Achievement Summit in London.
Speaking during the summit, Kagame said that true achievement is not individual.
“Alone, none of us can accomplish much. When we apply our talents toward the common good, with those around us, we can transform our world for the better” he said.
Speaking about rebuilding the country, Kagame said; “Today, we have a country that has come together, united as never before, and which makes everyone proud”
He continued to say Rwandans believed that it was possible,despite enormous odds.
“So, we just kept going, until the vision became a reality” he added
Asked to speak about his role model, President Kagame said that he is inspired by Rwandan people.
“Only honest answer I can give is the people of Rwanda who suffered so much, yet refused to be defeated” he replied.
Kagame said that in terms of practical governance, what they did was to ensure everyone felt they were treated equally.
Under the report dubbed ‘Worlds Apart’, UNFPA says that gender inequality and inequalities in realizing sexual and reproductive health and rights is still a problem in developing countries.
The report says that the unmet demand for family planning in developing countries is generally greatest among women in the poorest 20% of households.
It says that without access to contraception, poor women, particularly those who are less educated and live in rural areas, are at heightened risk of unintended pregnancies.
According to the report, unintended pregnancies may result in health risks and lifelong economic repercussions.
It says that lack of power to decide whether, when or how often to become pregnant can limit education, delay entry into the paid labour force and reduce earnings.
The report suggests that making information and services more widely available and accessible will lead to better reproductive health outcomes.
“But this is only part of the solution. Unless we start addressing the structural and multidimensional inequalities within our societies, we will never attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health for all” the authors of the report advise.
The report says that in many developing countries, women who are poor, in the bottom 20% of the income scale, and particularly those who are in rural areas, are far less likely to have access to contraceptives and to care during pregnancy and birth than their wealthier urban counterparts.
According to the report, among adolescents, who face the extra vulnerabilities associated with being young, those in the poorest 20% of households in developing countries have about three times as many births as adolescents in the richest 20% of households. Those in rural areas have twice as many births as their counterparts in cities.
{{Rwanda made remarkable progress}}
The report says that Rwanda transformed both access and equality to contraceptive services between 2005 and 2015.
“Rwanda made the fastest progress among about 60 developing countries over a 10-year period in satisfying the demand for modern contraception. The success is attributable to government efforts to make family planning services available in each of the country’s 14,841 administrative villages through 45,000 community health workers. Measures included introduction of long-lasting contraceptive methods, and integration of family planning services in hospitals and health centres” the report reads in part.
The Director General of Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC), Dr. Condo Jeanine Umutesi said that the reason Rwanda has no disparity problems was due to inclusive health and social welfare programmes the government has introduced.
“The government of Rwanda has done its possibilities to reduce disparity gap among families, those are VUP in terms of welfare. In health sector, child mortality rate has reduced and all pregnant women have access services to medical care” she explained.
In Kigali, Carlson Rezidor manages both Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Centre Kigali and Park Inn by Radisson Kigali.
Simone is among the continent’s most successful women in the industry and was, last month, awarded in the Top Hoteliers category at the AKWAABA African Travel Market’s African Travel 100 Women Awards as part of the Women in Tourism Programme.
IGIHE talked with Simone on the sidelines of African Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF) that ended in Kigali last week and revealed her experience of being a woman in hospitality and the global hotel group’s expansion ambitions.
Simone has been making waves across Africa as a female leader in the business development sector within the tourism industry and consequently added three hotels to Carlson Rezidor’s portfolio within the last 16 months.
“I do not think there is any difference between a man and a woman in this industry. It is all about setting yourself in the right position at the right time and networking with the right people. I also think it is about trusting your gut,” she said.
Simone urged women in the industry to “have a clear goal of what you want to achieve if you are working for a company, don’t let anything turn you away from your focus. If you want to achieve a goal, you have to work hard to do so. It will not just simply be handed to you, make sure you surround yourself with the right people, trust your gut and move forward.”
{{
Group’s expansion plans
}}
Simone focuses on the expansion of four Carlson Rezidor’s brands namely Radisson Blu, Radisson Red, Park Inn and Quorvus in 10 Anglophone countries including Botswana, Ethiopia, Malawi, Zambia and Namibia, among others, where the global hotel franchise has 28 hotels among the 80 hotels with 17,200 rooms in operation and under development the group currently runs on the continent. The target is to have 125 hotels with over 23,000 rooms in Africa by 2022.
Simone says that over the last three years, the group has signed a new hotel deal in Africa every 37 days and improved its hotel openings to open a new hotel every 60 days. “We are looking at key markets like Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe… and will look into bringing new brands into the market in 2018,” she adds.
Having two hotels under Carlson Rezidor in Kigali, Simone finds Rwanda as a hub in East Africa for hospitality, saying “Every time I come here, I am amazed at the passion of the Rwandan business community. There is an opportunity to come together and grow the businesses here.”
Simone was literally born into the hotel industry as her father served as the General Manager for Sun International Hotels & Casinos under Sol Kerzner for many years. Her career in the industry started in 2000 after being enrolled in an in-house training programme at the Savoy Hotel in London and later held management positions within hotel operations in South Africa and the United Kingdom within Relais & Châteaux and Starwood.
In May 2011, Simone joined Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group which currently features a portfolio of 480 hotels with over 106,000 rooms in operation or under development in over 80 countries.
