During a one-on-one conversation with CNN’s News Anchor Eleni Giokos at the 11th World Governments Summit in Dubai, UAE, Kagame emphasized the importance of understanding the root causes behind these incidents.
According to Kagame, the persistence of coups is linked to leadership that fails to serve the interests of the people and ensure prosperity. He identified bad governance as a contributing factor, highlighting instances where leaders neglect their responsibilities.
The summit, attended by leaders, experts, and senior officials from over 150 countries, aimed to address global trends and shifts, fostering collaboration at both regional and global levels.
Reflecting on the world’s failure to learn from tragic histories, Kagame noted that there is no new call to influence different global operations. Drawing attention to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, he underscored the lack of international mobilization to prevent or stop the tragedy. Kagame questioned the responsibility of countries, regions, and international institutions in ensuring the capacity to prevent such catastrophic events.
Despite ongoing conflicts globally, Kagame observed that certain individuals with resources and power often refrain from taking action, signaling a lack of progress in learning from past mistakes.
When asked about his call to the world regarding ongoing conflicts, Kagame expressed uncertainty about influencing global operations. However, he emphasized the crucial lesson learned – the need for countries to build their capacities, as they may find themselves alone even when deserving of support in challenging circumstances.
In a proactive move toward affordability, the government now covers 30% of transport fares for individuals. This approach ensures that travel expenses remain reasonable and accessible to the general public. For instance, a trip from Kigali to Musanze, originally costing Rwf3000, now only requires passengers to pay Rwf2000, with the government covering the remaining Rwf1000.
Speaking to RBA, Dr. Gasore emphasized that despite the seemingly modest amounts, the cumulative impact on the country is significant. Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, over Rwf87.5 billion has been invested in supporting public transport.
Furthermore, the government has allocated an additional Rwf6 billion to aid public transport users, while actively seeking ways to reevaluate and enhance assistance. Acquiring buses at a reduced cost of Rwf120 million, compared to the initial Rwf150 million, aims to alleviate the financial strain on Rwandans.
As part of ongoing reforms, the government is moving towards destination-based pricing instead of charging for the entire trip. Between March and August 2023, a subsidy of Rwf21.8 billion benefited over 63 million passengers, involving 12,559 buses. During this period, 223,120,808 liters of petroleum products were utilized in Rwanda, comprising 136,947,053 liters of diesel and 86,173,755 liters of petrol.
President Andrzej Sebastian Duda embarked on a three-day working visit to Rwanda, spanning from February 6 to February 8, 2024.
During this visit, the two nations inked agreements across various sectors, including trade and economic cooperation, environmental protection, geology, and energy.
These new agreements complement the existing ones in the field of education, which have already begun yielding positive results. Presently, over 1500 Rwandan students are pursuing their studies in Polish universities.
Dr. Francis Habumugisha, CEO of MEGA Global Link, the agency facilitating opportunities for people to work in Europe, expressed optimism about the impact of President Duda’s visit on the endeavor to bring individuals to work in Poland.
He stated, “For us, it is a great blessing as Mega Global Link. We have been operational in Poland for some time, especially in our services of sending people to work there. Among others, we sent students for studies, individuals in need of medical care, and those exploring the country in general.”
Dr. Habumugisha emphasized that the President of Poland’s visit instills confidence that the Polish Embassy will soon open in Rwanda, eliminating the need for individuals assisted by the agency to travel to Tanzania for visa interviews.
He highlighted, “We have signed an agreement with a major Polish company, collaborating with various private and public entities to facilitate employment opportunities. Those we have sent there, equipped with work contracts and visas, are provided accommodation, access to medical services, and comprehensive support, excluding their sustenance, with competitive salaries.”
The agency aids individuals in securing employment in countries such as Romania, Lithuania, and Hungary, where employees enjoy full rights in their designated work.
Dr. Habumugisha outlined the unique advantage of obtaining a visa for Poland, which extends to other Schengen countries like France, Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland. This flexibility enables individuals to work during designated hours while also pursuing studies or traveling within the Schengen region.
Highlighting the ease of obtaining study documents for European countries, Dr. Habumugisha mentioned that the agency provides support for students, including assistance in reaching the school and necessary visits.
Expanding their services globally, Dr. Habumugisha revealed that the agency now aids individuals in traveling to Central America, offering assistance in obtaining visas, finding accommodation, and securing plane tickets at affordable rates. Similar services are extended to those desiring to travel to Australia.
He remarked, “There are instances they inquire about other countries visited while applying for a US or Canadian visa. Having traveled to Central America makes obtaining visas for the USA, Canada, and elsewhere much easier.”
He made this disclosure on Monday, 12th February 2023, while attending a session organized on the first day of The World Governments Summit held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The conversation was moderated by CNN’s News Anchor and Correspondent, Eleni Giokos.
During the session, President Kagame was asked to share his stance on winning elections slated for 15th July 2024, considering he had already announced his candidacy.
In response, Kagame emphasized that the choice of who should lead the country is in the hands of Rwandans, based on their experiences.
“Elections are for people to decide whether the people they are electing are qualified for the job, we will see. Voters’ part counts, history counts, and the proof of the pudding is in the eating,” he said.
The upcoming presidential polls in Rwanda will be merged with parliamentary elections to streamline related budgets. This will mark Rwanda’s fourth presidential election since the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Campaigns for candidates in both parliamentary and presidential polls are set to commence on Saturday, 22nd June 2024, concluding on 13th July 2024. The previous presidential elections took place on 3rd and 4th August 2017, while the latest polls for deputies were held on 2nd and 3rd September 2023.
According to Elgeyo Marakwet Police Commander Peter Mulinge, the incident, which occurred around 11 p.m. at Kpatagat area, involved Kiptum, 23, driving a Toyota Premio with two passengers, including his coach and a woman named Sharon Kosgey, en route to Eldoret.
Sharon sustained serious injuries and was taken to Racecourse Hospital, while the bodies of Kiptum and Hakizimana were transported to the Racecourse hospital mortuary. The vehicle, extensively damaged, was towed to Kaptagat Police Station.
The accident was described as a self-involved incident, with Kiptum losing control of the vehicle.
The car veered off the road, collided with a large tree, and landed in a ditch approximately 60 meters away.
Kiptum, who had recently achieved a marathon record in Chicago, was on track to participate in the Rotterdam Marathon on April 14 and had secured a place in the Kenyan provisional team for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.
The remark came during the 20th African Fine Coffees Conference and Exhibition and the First African Coffee Week that took place from Feb. 6 to 10 in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, with the aim of advocating the export of value-added coffee from Africa.
The event has brought together more than 800 regional and international coffee roasters, traders, producers, buyers and professionals to discuss policies, sustainability, access to finance and international market regarding coffee industry.
Amir Hamza, chairperson of the AFCA, said coffee exporting African countries need to concentrate on value addition and apply better marketing strategies to boost their earnings from the coffee export.
“The biggest problem Africa is facing is poor marketing approaches and export of unprocessed coffee, something the AFCA is trying to solve. Africa has the best coffees, but they are not marketed as they should be,” Hamza told Xinhua in an interview.
He encouraged African coffee exporting companies to intensify trade promotions, broaden markets while concentrating on quality raising and processing to meet the demands of importing markets and to establish brands for sustainable exports.
“After the green beans are exported from Africa, they will be blended and roasted by companies outside the continent, particularly by those companies in Europe and the United States and then they will be sold in the Middle and Far East as coffee products from other origins,” he said.
According to data obtained from AFCA, coffee exports from Africa were valued at over 3.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. Ethiopia was the leading exporter, earning around 1.5 billion U.S. dollars, followed by Uganda with an export value of nearly 813 million U.S. dollar during the same year.
The chairperson urged the coffee industry in Africa to shift its focus to improving product quality and aligning with market taste trends, especially in the major coffee consumption markets, which account for around half of global coffee imports, including the EU and the U.S.
Hamza said the expanding inter-Africa trade would give one of the best opportunities for African coffee producing countries to fetch better income from their coffee exports in the coming years.
According to AFCA, non-coffee producing African countries such as Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Algeria and Morocco as well as Nigeria and South Africa will be the most important destinations for the coffee market in Africa.
Speaking about forthcoming European Union’s Deforestation Regulations (EUDR), a move that threatens a significant portion of coffee exports to the economic bloc, Hamza said Africa imports more volume of coffee than it exports and he believes that the regulation would little affect Africa’s coffee export.
AFCA’s Executive Director Gilbert Gatali told Xinhua that the majority of coffee growers in Africa are not getting the right price for their products due to poor marketing strategies and agricultural practices.
“Coffee growers in Africa lack the necessary knowledge and technology to produce high quality coffee,” said the executive director, encouraging traders in the continent to collaborate and establish production chains, making it more feasible to adopt modern technology and promote the shift from raw to processed coffee export.
He further said Africa’s coffee production and export have been influenced by rising inflation, geopolitical impacts and increasing fertilizer costs, urging coffee exporting companies to closely monitor the market for suitable business and production strategies.
Gatali urged coffee buyers and governments to support farmers in increasing their knowledge and skills of coffee agronomical practices besides helping them get the right prices for their products at the international market.
“Climate change, access to inputs, intermediaries which negatively affect the final income of coffee growers, low volume yields and access to market remain to be challenges for coffee producing countries in Africa,” he added.
The ministry said the disease is spread through touching the eyes of infected persons or contaminated surfaces.
In an advisory to the public on the measures to be taken to avoid infection, the ministry urged those infected to avoid going to crowded places, hugging and shaking hands.
It also cautioned those infected to avoid swimming in public water pools and sharing sanitation and other materials.
Sharing of beddings for family members infected with the disease is also discouraged.
“The disease presents with red watery eyes,” the ministry said.
It advised those with severe symptoms including redness, swelling and blurred vision to urgently seek medical attention to avoid the risk of sight impairment.
This came after regional countries Kenya and Tanzania reported the outbreak of red eye disease.
The disease is suspected to be caused by a virus, adenovirus, according to health officials.
The blast occurred in Nkambe, a town in the region, as school children were taking part in activities to mark National Youth Day, which has been celebrated in the country on Feb. 11 since 1966.
Many of those affected were school children.
Health workers were “working very hard” to treat many of the children who sustained “very serious” injuries, a security source in the region told Xinhua.
“The death toll could increase. It is a disturbing situation but our brave soldiers have beefed up security to track down the terrorists who committed this abominable act,” the source said.
Authorities were yet to make an official statement.
Separatists had imposed a three-day lockdown to disrupt the activities in the regions where they have been clashing with government forces since 2017 in a bid to create an independent nation they call “Ambazonia.”
The call for march has been given by farmer unions to increase pressure on the federal government to meet their demands including the enactment of a law guaranteeing a minimum support price (MSP) for crops.
Approximately 200 farmer organizations are part of the protest plan.
Authorities have announced prohibitory orders under Section 144 (a government order). The order prohibits gathering of more than four people in public places.
This gathering will bring together leaders, experts, and high-ranking officials from over 150 countries to delve into emerging global trends, anticipate shifts on a worldwide scale, and strategize ways to enhance collaboration both regionally and globally.
The following day, on February 12, President Kagame is slated to engage in a one-on-one conversation with CNN’s News Anchor and Correspondent, Eleni Giokos.
This exclusive interview promises to shed light on crucial topics shaping the global landscape.
The World Governments Summit serves as an inclusive platform dedicated to shaping and exploring the future of governments.
It seeks to contribute to building a better future for humanity by establishing international partnerships rooted in the ideals of inspiring future governance.
