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The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) recently opened a liaison office in Istanbul, Turkey.

The office shall facilitate RDB to efficiently attract Turkish business community that would develop interest of investing in Rwanda.

In a colorful ceremony, the opening of new office in Turkey attracted Rwandan dignitaries led by John Gara the Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Development Board.

“Turkey’s strategic location, between Europe and Asia, ensures possibility of attracting investment from the region. There has already been expression of interest in the mining, real estate and infrastructure development sectors,” Gara stated at the opening ceremony.

Gara added that other than attracting investors, the office will also help in responding to investors inquiries and identifying local companies that Turkish companies would partner with in Rwanda.

The office would also serve to facilitate Rwandan investors wishing to carry out their business operations within Turkey and in the region.

Present was also Louise Mushikiwabo Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Inanc Cifti Rwanda’s honorary Consul in Turkey.

Others were Francois Kanimba the Rwandan Minister of Trade and Industry, Albert Nsengiyumva the Minister of Infrastructure and Faustin Kananura Mbundu the Chairman of Private Sector federation.

At the opening of this new RDB office, a number of renowned companies expressed interest in investing in Rwanda including Tahincioglu and Nova, Hakan Mining and charcoal, Baycan, Petroland, among others. These companies will be visiting Rwanda before the end of the month.

In related development Rwanda’s consulate office has also been opened by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The Independent Institute of lay Adventists of Kigali (INILAK) is organizing a splendid event for the first time in history of the institution to crown the pioneer beauty queen on 25th September2011

The voting system via internet is in progress effective of Monday morning.

Out of 15 ladies that participated in the pre-selection, only six contestants have so far confirmed to battle for the crown and break the record of the Institute since it was established.

INILAK has got different branches in the country; the event comes after INATEK and KIST

Local artist Prince Kid is one of the event organisers, speaking to igihe.com said, INILAK has branches in Rwamagana and Nyanza, Miss INILAK will represent the combined campuses in general.

Apart from Miss INILAK, First and Second Run-ups the 2011Miss INILAK will vote for Miss Photogenic and Miss Popular.

“Though it is INILAK’s first time to organize such event, it will be very interesting, where we have support from the University and local investors like the Big Deal Africa and Manor Hotel which promised to cater of the Miss to keep her figure” Prince Kid explained.

“Now the doors are open for people that wish to see contestants modeling as now they are amazing and on my point of view, they are all beautiful though all can’t win for one position” Prince Kid Said.

“We did not face challenges so far as our first time to organize such an event, because contestants were proud of the event and the judges are among the best we have got in the country furthermore we still keep them a secret to avoid cheating” he said

Miss INILAK will be announced this Sunday the 25th/09/2011 and entrance fee will be Frw 5000 in VIP and Frw 1000 the rest, during the event, different artists; Jay Polly, Dream Boys, Allioni, The Brothers, Prince Kid and Kitoko will entertain the audience.

The Independent Institute of Lay Adventists of Kigali – INILAK was founded in 1997 by FAPADER, an Association of Adventist Parents for the development of Education in Rwanda.

INILAK has three campuses, notably the one housing its Head Office located at the heart of Kigali City, Gasabo District, and its branches in, Nyanza District, Southern Province, and Rwamagana in Eastern province.

For the moment, INILAK delivers Bachelor’s Degrees.

Rwanda’s powerful Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) has grown bigger following the addition into the council of Andrew Mwenda a veteran journalist,Clever Gatete the Governor of the Rwanda National Bank, and Rode Renolds the CEO of Scotia bank in Europe.

This was in New York in the US where the PAC members convened. The PAC convenes twice every year. PAC members meet to exchange on the problems facing the country and adopt strategies to push Rwanda towards further development.

Discussions at the meeting chaired by President Paul Kagame centered mainly on the European and US debt crisis, its impact on the Rwandan economy as well as harnessing social media development in the country.

Two presentations made included, the impact of the global financial crisis and the European and US debt crisis on Rwanda presented by the governor of the Rwanda National Bank and the minister of finance and economic planning while Louis Mushikiwabo Foreign Affairs and Cooperation minister talked about harnessing social media development in Rwanda.

Speaking to reporters the minister said the discussions were timely especially considering the status-quo of Rwanda’s economy.

One of the attendees Dell Dolson the director of bridge Rwanda and the chairman of the newly established E-SOKO institute said the institute has been established in line with the most of the issues raised during the meeting.

“The discussions point to the impact of the global situation especially onto Rwanda’s economy and Africa in general. If you create jobs, you create a buffer against the uncertainty of the global economy.”

The PAC also received new members during the New York meeting. They are Andrew Mwenda a veteran journalist,Clever Gatete the Governor of the Rwanda National Bank, and Rode Reynolds the CEO of Scotia bank in Europe.

The president of Rwanda Senate Dr Vincent Biruta has called upon Rwandans to follow activities of the parliament because it is their right to be informed. He urged them to regularly visit the senate.

Dr. Biruta suggested that citizens have the responsibility to propose bills to the house for review.

The remarks were made at TELECOM house while the senate president was explaining to the public achievements made by the Senate as it is almost winding up its semester that begun in 2003.

However, in 2004, the senate acquired new members whose term of office shall expire next year.

On the control and evaluation of activities Biruta noted that the different monitoring and evaluation commissions were set up including; the special commission in charge of FARG, and the special commission in charge calamities.

The senate in its mandate also conducted several researches and analysed several reports from different commissions.

However, challenging queries were raised on the imbalance, quality and corruption while applying for jobs in public institutions. Dr. Biruta explained to the audience that the senate has worked hard on the issue in relation to the law so that injustice and corruption could be eliminated.

Former Gishwati residents welfare was another issue that was posed to the speakers and honorable Speciose Ayinkamiye explained that the senate is aware and monitoring its developments closely.

Dr. Biruta however, reminded Rwandans to locally resolve their problems before approaching the senate for reactions.

Dr. Mike Amour(photo below), an American expert on leadership skills will this Thursday start offering trainings to University students, government officials and company Chief Executive Officers.

His lectures in Rwanda will be the first of the kind in Africa and will focus on management skills, trust among employees and employers, and how leaders inspire and motivate those they lead.

According to Amour also a retired US navy, good leadership applies to all aspects of life even in the army where soldiers win a battle through proper management as well as motivation from their commanders.

Amour is also founder and president of Strategic Leadership Development International (SLDI), an organization that provides leadership and development services.

He says that he was inspired by Rwanda’s governance credentials, especially on the country’s progress towards achieving developmental activities in its vision 2020 goals.

Due to this inspiration, Amour has decided to build his offices in Rwanda that will offer leadership courses to other African countries.

“At first I was convinced to open the African headquarters in Kenya’s capital Nairobi. However,after thoroughly checking Rwanda’s progress, I knew with no doubt that this was best country which should serve as example of good governance to the rest in the continent,” he remarked.

The World Bank flagship report on Gender equality and development released in Washington DC estimates an alarming figure of 3.9 million women that die every year in low and middle income countries.

According to a press release posted onto the Word Bank website, the world development report 2012 ‘Gender Equality and Development’ indicates the worst disparity of the rate at which girls and women die relative to men in developing countries.

The report suggests that about two-fifths are never born due to a preference for sons, a sixth die in early childhood, and over a third die in their reproductive years.

It calls for nations’ concerted efforts to empower women to achieve economic development indicating that Gender equality matters and also smart economics.

“Countries that create better opportunities and conditions for women and girls can raise productivity, improve outcomes for children, make institutions more representative, and advance development prospects for all,” the report reads in part.

However, the report suggest that lives of women around the world have improved dramatically making unprecedented gains in rights, education, health, and access to jobs and livelihoods.

Even though there is a notable progress in the lives of women, there are still gaps to be bridged that need policy makers’ attention, the report suggests.

According to the report, four priority areas have been identified for domestic policy action including reducing excess female mortality and closing education gaps , improving access to economic opportunities and limiting the reproduction of gender inequality across generations

While domestic policy action is crucial, the Report calls on the international community to complement efforts in the four priority areas and also support evidence-based public action through better data, impact evaluation and learning.

The analytical core of the Report focuses on the roles of economic growth, households, markets, and institutions in determining gender differences in education and health, agency, and access to economic opportunities.

According to the report, the number of female mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa increased to 1.18 million in 2008, compared to 639,000 in 1990.

So as the problem of girls who die during infancy and early childhood, the report calls for greater investments in adequate water, sanitation and waste disposal services.

It also suggest that lowering maternal mortality will require systemic improvements to the institutions that deliver medical care and services to expectant mothers.

“We need to achieve gender equality, over the past five years, the World Bank Group has provided $65 billion to support girls’ education, women’s health, and women’s access to credit, land, agricultural services, jobs, and infrastructure,” said World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick.

“The road to achieving the Millennium Development Goals in Africa can only be built on a gender inclusive agenda that unleashes the productive power of women,” said Obiageli Ezekwesili, World Bank Vice President for Africa.

“That agenda should advance women’s education and access to information, protect women’s rights, improve women’s access to agricultural inputs and security over their land, promote female entrepreneurship, and increase the participation of women in government and public life”. She added.

Christopher Bazivamo, Rwanda’s legislator at the East African Legislative Assembly has challenged ambitious youth to be patriotic, punctual and avoid selfishness to brighten their future.

Bazivamo said this during a Sunday Night live show where Tom Close and Kitoko featured as local music artists attracting a huge gathering.

“Every citizen must have a sense of duty in daily routine. You need to value your sense of duty are required and to fulfill, you first have to know what the duties are before implementing them.” He said.

The lawmaker urges youth to be smart in whatever they wish to accomplish since “you can’t pull off all your goals with no discipline.

“If it’s time for playing, reading, eating, do it at right time as it affects your mind system when you mix up things” he warned.

He lashed at the professional footballers saying some of them are more interested in minting money other than loving the career. “Rwandan football is like a lay where people conceal digging up money rather than loving the game, this pushes players to go where they can get money and sometimes they don’t play if not paid.”

“Seeking advice from different perspectives, to be acquainted with where things are wrong enables one t to improve. And to attain this you need to value and admire your workmates and the society which in turn generates positive outcomes to the society and awards you with trust at work,” he added.

The comments comes after FERWAFA officials resigned following the coach of Amavubi, apparently due to the poor performance that keeps the national team at the bottom of the continental football tournament.

Bazivamo argued Rwandan youth to develop career talents from villages, sectors, schools and districts more than recruiting from a broad.

He said that he likes local music and revealed that he a regular fan to Rugamba, Masabo and Impala due to the message their songs hold.

He lamented that the most shocking thing in his life, is when his wife and children were killed during 1994 Rwandan Tutsi Genocide “but after all that I strive to go on with my relatives to enjoy life”.

Christopher Bazivamo is presently an MP in EALA and before that, he was a Minister of land, Environment, Forestry, Water and Minerals, in 2003 and 2004 he was the Minister of Local Government, Community Development and Social Affairs.

In 2005 he was a Minister of Internal Security. In 2000, 2001 and 2002 he served as the Executive Secretary of the National Electoral Commission.

Preparations are under way to observe the annual International Day of Peace by commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples due to Sept. 21.

This is enforced by Rwanda’s National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) together with other national and international stakeholders.

The day was recommended in 1982 by the United Nation (resolutions 36/37 and 55/282), and the UN’s theme for International Day of Peace this year says ‘make your voice heard’ under the overall idea of peace and democracy.

In Rwanda, over the past two years, the International Day of Peace has been organized and celebrated under the lead of the United Nations Office in Rwanda.

This year, the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission as her mandate of coordinating all activities related to peace and unity requires, has decided to take the lead of organizing and coordinating this year’s celebrations.

According to the press statement from the NURC; Peace Day provides an important opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date.

“It is a day for all people to come together in a spirit of hope and possibility, with a unifying spirit of Peace and unity. Peace Day is beyond politics, religion, race, nationality, class and all other dividers.”

Among other Rwandan peace activists; Dieudonné Munyanshoza in the interview with igihe.com said, “This is a day for us all to celebrate because nothing can be reached upon without peace.”

He challenged the public stating; “We need each other in all activities because we share different experiences in life and we can’t reach that target without togetherness. Let’s put together for peace to prevail in our country and outside the world.”

Kizito Mihigo, Mani Martin, Sophie Nzayisenga, Kitoko Bibarwa, Eduard Bamporiki, Alpha Rwirangira, Marc Nsengiyaremye Marc and many more will be present at Amahoro Stadium for presentations, performances and testimonies.

There have been unconfirmed reports about Lillian Kabaganza’s music career and her connections with Rehoboth choir which she once sung in. However, choir officials say there’s nothing wrong, to the extent that she is one of the artists Rehoboth loves and bestow support as she does to the choir.

In an interview with the gospel Time Show the choir leader says, despite the fact that kabaganza(above) organized some of her shows three times and Rehoboth ministries had prepared different concerts, Rehoboth did not do it intentionally, the grounds for that was no “appropriate communication flanked by them”

The choir leader assured kabaganza’s fans not to be anxious since Rehoboth is pleased to help Kabaganza throughout her album launch.

The choir has got some sources of income like a bus (coaster) which facilitates them in transportation but also the members work and are paid wages and this facilitates them.

Rehoboth ministries articulate, though they have a lot of plans and God willing, the goals will be fulfilled in a long-term; they have a strength of character in the name of lord that everything will go well.

Recently, Lillian Kabaganza, said she’s in good work relations with the choir she once sung in though it was personal reasons to quit.

Kabaganza is organizing a concert on 16 October this year in Serena Hotel
Kabaganza is Christian and a singer, but apart from that, she helps young Rwandan people who come from poor families from her cell (Akagari) and brought them together to love their country.

She says it was her own Initiative based on the vulnerable situations she saw the youth in their daily lives and start the program to prepare them for their future as leaders.

The government of Rwanda will create a new graduate engineering program in conjunction with a major U.S. university, a step toward building itself into an African technology hub 17 years after a genocidal conflict claimed nearly a million lives.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Jared L. Cohon, president of Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Mellon University, signed the agreement Friday in Pittsburgh to establish and operate the program from Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, where a new campus is to be built.

The African Development Fund is supporting the project with US$13 million in funding, according to the fund’s parent, the African Development Bank.

The tie-up says as much about the ambitions of the tiny landlocked African country as it does the U.S. engineering powerhouse, which wants to bring into its folds a new generation of tech-savvy African leaders.

Unlike China and India—two other billion-person markets—Africa generally lacks the top-flight universities to feed young talent to companies that are now investing on the continent.

“You can’t leave a billion persons behind and make this a better world,” said Pradeep K. Khosla, the head of Carnegie Mellon’s College of Engineering. “Our goal is to educate people who will have influence.”

The partnership will mark the first time a major U.S. university offering a graduate engineering degree program in Rwanda. Carnegie Mellon will initially offer a Master of Science in information technology.

Separately, Carnegie Mellon will work with the Rwandan government to start training programs for technology entrepreneurs.

The program aims to admit 40 students for the fall 2012 class and increase to about 150 by 2017. It will target students in east Africa—giving preference to those in Rwanda—but will be open to applicants world-wide, according to a statement from Carnegie Mellon.

In the second year, Mr. Khosla said, Carnegie Mellon will offer an additional Master of Science in electrical and computer engineering.

Some business executives in Rwanda caution that Carnegie Mellon could struggle to lift the program to U.S. standards. Rwanda has only about 11 million people and its university system is seen as lagging behind those of neighbors including Kenya.

Carnegie Mellon faculty may also face a steep learning curve teaching in a place where national aspirations typically outstrip reality on the ground.

“This is a country that dreams big,” said Carter Crockett, a management consultant in Rwanda for Karisimbi Business Partners. “But the program will need to be a long-term play.”

Under President Kagame, Rwanda has emerged as one of the continent’s most dynamic economies. It has styled itself as the Singapore of Africa, cutting away bureaucratic red tape and drawing in telecommunication companies, banks and other investors.

In a report this month, the World Economic Forum ranked Rwanda after South Africa and Mauritius as the most economically competitive countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Rwandan president, a former guerrilla commander, helped rescue Rwanda from a 1994 genocide that killed an estimated 800,000 ethnic Tutsi, as well as some Hutu. But in his 17 years in power, Mr. Kagame has also been criticized by human-rights groups for stifling dissent.

Carnegie Mellon’s Mr. Khosla said the university isn’t worried about major political unrest upending the program. He said the university conducted a risk analysis and judged that probability “extremely low.”

Write to Peter Wonacott at peter.wonacott@wsj.com