Tag: MainSlideNews

{A Chinese company that was given the contract of constructing a mega architectural complex that will house Prime Minister’s Office has reached advanced stages and will be completed by the end of 2018.}

On 23rd Mars, 2016, the former prime minister Anastase Murekezi and Chairman of the National People’s Congress of China Zhang Dejiang, launched the construction activities for the complex.

The Kimihurura-based 5-story complex will also house three ministries; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, East African Community and other government institutions.

The construction firm is working day and nights to meet the two-year deadline. A total of $37 worth Rwf29 billion was provided by Chinese government under the programme aimed at supporting infrastructure development in Rwanda.

{{How the construction is so far…
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{A total of 31 military and Police officers and civilians from seven regional countries are attending a training on Child Rights Protection during war times, in Musanze District.
The training was organised by Save the Children under the partnership of East African Standby Force (AESF), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Rwanda Peace Academy.}

The director for Children Protection Programme in Save the Children, Anthony Njoroge said that the occasion will help trainees understand and champion children’s rights and protection during the violence state.

“This training will help participants respond to problems that children face during war times and will result in putting in place possible mechanisms meant to protect them” he said.

The EASF Secretariat commandant Brig. Gen. Charles Rudakubana said that though the number of trainees is still low, the first beneficiaries will continue to train their colleagues to enable a bigger reach and protection.

“There are big numbers of children in refugee camps and out of school, without medical access, putting their rights at stake, but we hope that these trainees will help us to teach others about children rights and protection against violence,” he said.

The 31 trainees are from Kenya, Uganda, Comoros, Somalia, Seychelles, Sudan and Rwanda.

The 2016 World Bank research revealed that over 124 million children had no access to education and 62 million children were involved in agricultural activities due to violence and wars.

{The US court’s decision to dismiss Beatrice Munyenyezi’s appeal on the ten-year sentence to be served in the US jail was warmly welcomed by the Rwandan government.
}

Beatrice Munyenyezi, wife to Arsene Shalom Ntahobari, the notorious head of the Interahamwe militia in Butare arrived in UAS in 1994. Her mother-in-law is the infamous former Gender Minister, Pauline Nyiramasuhuko, convicted by the ICTR in Arusha of genocide, the only woman to have been tried and convicted by the UN court.

In February 2013, Munyenyezi accused of providing false information while applying for US citizenship. She had stated that she had never participated in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Shortly after, the Manchester City Court of the State of New Hampshire, under Judge Steven Mc Auliffe discovered that Munyenyezi played a role in the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994.

According to Dr. Jean Damascène Bizimana, executive secretary of the National Commission for the Fight against Genocide (CNLG), the decision shows that the United States is aware of its role in delivering justice and fighting impunity against geniocidaires.

“The CNLG welcomes this decision because Munyenyezi is a notorious genocidaire given her role in the murders that occured in the Town of Huye where she orchestrated murders with her husband and mother-in-law,” said Bizimana

Through numerous testimonies, Beatrice Munyenyezi was described as a high personality of the former ruling party, the MRND, which designed and executed the 1994 Tutsi genocide.

{All new ministers and state ministers – besides Ministers Claver Gatete of Finance Economic Planning, Jean Philbert Nsengimana of ICT and State Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe of Foreign Affairs and EAC – were sworn-in today at Parliament in a ceremony presided over by President Paul Kagame.}

The new cabinet swore in a few hours after they were appointed; a day after the new Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente took his oath. The reshuffle comes after Paul Kagame’s re-election and inauguration earlier this month.

Speaking at the event, President Kagame expressed confidence in the new cabinet, emphasising that he has no doubt whatsoever in their understanding of Rwandans’ expectations.

“We must strive to always do more, faster and better: that is our uniqueness – ubudasa. We owe this to our people. We are a landlocked country. We face challenges that are different from our neighbouring countries’. To solve these issues, we need to do things differently. We can’t afford to live in a ‘comfort zone’,” President Kagame said.

The President further reminded the new cabinet that comfort only serves to increase the cost of what the country wants to achieve.

“We always stress out how collaboration, communication, and coordination are key in building the Rwanda we want. I am not asking anyone to do the impossible. We need to be strategic and efficient. The opposite would be very costly,” the Head of State added.

{This afternoon, President Paul Kagame officiated at the swearing-in ceremony of the newly appointed Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente. The President had earlier today named him as the new Prime Minister, replacing Anastase Murekezi who has led the government since July 2014. }

Speaking at the swearing-in event, President Kagame thanked the new Premier for accepting to serve the country as Prime Minister.

“Our way of working is about working together and complementing each other. I trust in his ability, will, and determination to serve and achieve what Rwandans expect of him,” President Kagame said.

The Head of State commended the outgoing government headed by Anastase Murekezi for their contribution in moving the country forward. He announced that a new cabinet will be announced tonight. The President appoints cabinet members after consultation with the Prime Minister.

{President Paul Kagame has, Wednesday, appointed Mr. Edouard Ngirente as the new Prime Minister, replacing Anastase Murekezi who has been in the office since July 2014.}

“In reference to the Constitution of Rwanda of 2003 as amended in 2015 especially in article 116, President of the Republic has appointed Mr. Edouard Ngirente as Prime Minister, today August 30, 2017,” reads the announcement from Rwanda’s presidency.

Ngirente keeps low profile in Rwanda’s politics as he just served as the economic advisor to the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning before being deposed by the Cabinet on March 30, 2011.

He has been serving as Senior Advisor to Executive Director of World Bank, based in Washington, D.C, US.

He did Economics related studies at University of Rwanda right after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and served there as a lecturer

He also served in the university’s project of controlling the country’s inflation.

It is believed that he left the university’s job going to pursue studies in Belgium.

The swearing in of the new Prime Minister is taking place this Wednesday, afternoon.

{Rwanda Minister of Defence Gen James Kabarebe has urged United Nations to review the specific challenges in the early warning system; early rapid deployment as well as the challenges associated with protecting those at risk.}

The Minister made the remarks during the a official opening of a two-day UN Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial Preparatory meeting held from 29-30, August 2017 at Kigali Convention Centre.

Kabarebe said that the world continues to witness violent conflicts and emerging security threats that affect mainly the civilians women and children as well as other vulnerable members of the society.

He added that one of the problems is that of poor information gathering and the will to put that information together is sometimes lacking, sometimes it is poorly analyzed or deliberately distorted.

“There is need therefore to review the specific challenges in the whole early warning process and rapid deployment as well as challenges associated with protecting those at risk.”

He pointed out that these can be addressed through institutional reforms, change of mindset, as well as drawing lessons from past mistakes and in actions.“There is also a need to learn from good practices while at the same time ensuring that ideological and political differences do not compromise the security and lives of innocent people,” he added.

The preparatory meeting in Kigali brought together over 100 participants from UN Peacekeeping Operations Troops/Police Contributing Countries and Financial Contributing Countries.

The preparatory meetings to be held in Bangladesh, Japan and Rwanda are set to prepare the ground for the 2017 UN Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial Conference due to take place in Vancouver, Canada from 14 to 15 November this year.

The two-day meeting will build the foundation of the forthcoming Vancouver Defence Ministerial by installing in it the key outcomes of our deliberations on protecting those risk an early warning and rapid deployment.

The discussions will be centered on how strengthening performance accountability for Protection of Civilians (POC) and how the Kigali Principles enhance the protection of Civilian mandate.

{As the National Harvest Day was being celebrated over the weekend, Rwandans in Sacramento, California, USA also marked the day on Saturday, August 26th, 2017.}

Umuganura is a traditional feast of the first harvest that was widely observed in ancient Rwanda, a celebration that is resurfacing in Rwanda’s customs today. The goal for this celebration was to assess the harvest and encourage social cohesion in communities through hard work.

This year’s Umuganura festivities were held under the theme “Umuganura, a source of unity and foundation of self-reliance.”

During the celebrations in Sacramento, California, H.E. Ambassador MathildeMukantabana explained the historical context of Umuganura and talked about its significance in Rwanda’s nation building, unity, and reconciliation. “Umuganura goes beyond economic aspiration, it is also a moment to reflect on what we have to invest as Rwandans in our daily lives, to ensure that we are a dignified people, striving to always be better today than we were yesterday,” said Ambassador Mukantabana.

In a symbolic gesture, Ambassador Mukantabana and the Sacramento community leader YehoyadaMbangukira gave milk to children and shared traditional Rwandan foods with those present. In true Rwandan fashion, the evening was also graced with traditional music and poetry.

{
President Paul Kagame has said that harnessing the full potential of the tourism industry will require continued focus as well as investments on several fronts.}

The Head of State made the remarks this morning as he gave a key-note address during the official opening of the 41st Annual World Tourism Conference that opened August 28, running up to 31st , 2017 at Kigali Convention Centre.

Hosted by the Africa Travel Association (ATA), a division of the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA), and the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), the conference is aimed at highlighting the economic and job opportunities being fuelled by the sector’s continued growth and job creation through innovative business models, new technologies, and strategic partnerships.

The conference is also expected to provide a platform to network and explore new tourism markets and products including the promotion and preservation of Africa’s rich cultural heritage and wildlife.

In his speech, Kagame said that Rwanda, like other countries on the African continent, is keen to convert the favorable demographics into economic growth and prosperity. Services sector, tourism in particular, provides some of the best opportunities for young people.

Kagame pointed out that; “tourism sector is Rwanda’s biggest foreign exchange earner, but we can and should do better; harnessing the full potential of the tourism industry will require continued focus on investment on several fronts.”

One way of doing that, the President said, is to strengthen good governance which enables effective management of the environment that supports tourist attractions and revenue y generation. Rwandans, especially those living around parks and other attractions, have become indispensable to conservation.

“The responsibility of government players in the industry is to continuously provide quality education and professional training. We are investing heavily in services and infrastructure to support the development of the sector. Our national carrier, RwandAir, continues to expand to destinations within Africa and beyond.”

This year is the first time ATA’s Tourism Conference is hosted in Rwanda, one of East Africa’s premier tourism destinations and one whose sector continues to grow.
According to the RDB, Rwanda’s tourism sector generated US$303 million in revenue,
in 2014 up three percent in the previous year.

Kagame explained that Rwanda will soon have a more modern, efficient base when the new airport in Bugesera is completed to strengthen collaboration within the region and across the continent.

President Kagame noted, “The single tourist visa and passport-free travel with Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda is already a reality. We need more cooperation on the continent to increase the numbers of visitors, facilitate trade and investment within Africa.”
In less than 15 years Africa’s travel and hospitality industries have quadrupled in size, and the continent remains one of the world’s fastest-growing tourist destinations, second only to Southeast Asia.

President and CEO of the Corporate Council of Africa, Florizelle Liser, says CCA aims to use the conference to encourage investments and policies that contribute to the sector’s growth.

On the sidelines of what was a packed agenda, ATA together with Facebook worked to deliver training to SMEs in Kigali.

The ‘Boost Your Business’ is a training initiative, developed by Facebook and facilitated by Digify Africa, designed to train and up-skill small business owners on how to leverage digital tools to grow their businesses. The training was held on August 26 at the Kigali Serena Hotel.

The tourism conference also aligns with Kwita Izina, Rwanda’s annual gorilla naming ceremony, a national celebration creating awareness of the country’s efforts to protect the jewel of Rwanda’s tourism crown: the mountain gorillas and their habit.