Managing Director Thomas Kamari
Managing Editor Samson James Editor James Tasamba Contributors
Joshua Musabyimana James Gashumba Joseph Musonera James Tasamba
Design & layout Jacobs O. Seaman
PAGE 25
Kagame criticises ‘cover-up’ President Kagame has slammed countries covering up acts of the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. As Rwandans mark the 28th anniversary of its darkest history, Nation magazine brings you coverage in pictures as well as various related articles.
PAGE 05
EAC to help DRC end conflict
The East African Community, in which DR Congo belongs now, has announced that it will engage eminent personalities in the region to help resolve political crises in DR Congo
Over 29m in EA facing danger M ore than 29 million people are facing food insecurity in the Eastern African region, a regional bloc said in a new report launched in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
PAGE 15
Rwanda, Uganda join efforts Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda and his Ugandan counterpartYoweriMuseveni agreed to push for joint regional peace and stability to address the situation in DR Congo.
PAGE 16
Rwanda Covid infections drop Rwanda’s COVID-19 infection rates have dropped drastically since December when the Omicron variant drove up the figures, an official said. The government has since dropped mandatory mask in public places.
PAGE 26
Taking in migrants not new Rwanda’s decision to take in asylum seekers from the UK should hardly be surprising due to the reluctance of many countries to admit asylum seekers and refugees, analysts have said.
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In April, DR Congo became the seventh member of the East African Community that comprises Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan and Burundi.
President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Felix Tshisekedi on April 8 signed the Treaty of Accession to the East African Community (EAC), officially making his country part of the trading bloc that now becomes a 300-million people market.
Tshisekedi, who was on a two-day visit to Kenya, signed the treaty in Nairobi, at a ceremony witnessed
Historic day. President Tshisekedi signed in April, the accession treaty of the DRC to the East African Community, in the presence of his counterparts Paul Kagame, Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni, and Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta |
by his host President Uhuru Kenyatta, Uganda’s YoweriMuseveni and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame.
DRC becomes the seventh member of the East African community that comprises Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan and Burundi.
Kenyatta, who is also the chairman of the EAC Heads of State Summit, welcomed the DRC into the bloc, noting the entry of the expansive country will grow the region’s market.
“With the accession of the DRC, our community’s population now stands at about 300 million and our combined gross domestic prod-
uct will be 28.8 trillion shillings (about $250 billion),” President Kenyatta said.
President Tshisekedi said the admission of his county into the EAC was a fulfillment of dreams held by their ancestors more than 60 years ago, adding that it marked a decisive shift in the DRC’s foreign and economic policy.
“DR Congo will actively play its role within the community so that it can become stronger and more prosperous,” President Tshisekedi said.
On the other hand, President Kagame asked EAC leaders to cement the regional integration dream for the benefit of the people.
“We now have to get down to do the work. I am with you all the way to achieve the objective of deeper and wider integration of our community,” Kagame said.
President Museveni underscored the importance of the integration, noting it will accelerate prosperity through the provision of a broader market for goods and improve regional strategic security.
The Ugandan leader added that the integration of African countries is easier because they share common social infrastructure, including language.
Cavince Adhere, an international relations scholar, said DRC’s admission to the EAC raises the profile of the regional economic bloc. “The DRC’s admission into the EAC, one of the
most dynamic regional economic blocs in the continent, provides the country with a pathway to hoist its economic, social and political viability,” he said.
He added that despite its heavy natural resources, DRC had been slowed down by conflict and political instability that had dimmed its state capacity to effectively deliver the much needed public goods to the citizens.
According to him, DRC’s accession to the EAC presents a number of opportunities for the other member states. “With a population of 86 million people, and Swahili as a lingua franca of the regional economic bloc, the DRC presents a formidable market for manufactured and agricultural products from other EAC member states besides robust people-to-people exchanges,” he said.
We now have to get down to do the work. I am with you all the way to achieve the objective of deeper and wider integration of our community.
In appreciating the potential of DRC in catalyzing Africa’s economic transformation, Kenya has over the decades played construc tive roles in fostering the country’s internal stability and prosperity.
Nairobi, for instance, hosted the signing of a peace deal between the DRC government and the M23 rebel leaders in 2013. Kenya has also been the most important gateway to the international waters with Kinshasa which imports much of its cargo from the Asian markets through Kenya’s Mombasa port.
The same port has enabled DRC to ship out its minerals, timber and other products.
“For Kenya, therefore, the admis sion of the DRC in the East African Community will not only give more meaning and utility to regional connectivity projects such as the Lamu Port and Lamu-South Su dan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor, but also expand bargaining capa bility of the regional economic bloc on market basis,” he said.
The East African Community (EAC) has announced that it will engage eminent personalities in the region to help resolve repeated political crises in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The plans were announced recently by the EAC secretary general, Peter Mathuki, days after DRC was officially admitted to the regional bloc, joining Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
“The EAC is in a process of engaging eminent personalities that will help the bloc’s newest member to address peace and security issues, especially in eastern part of the country,” Mathuki told a news conference.
He said the move to engage eminent personalities to help DRC to address peace and security issues followed a directive by the EAC heads of state.
Mathuki said the lack of instability in the DRC could affect other members of the regional bloc, derailing the integration process.
Tom Transfers entered the Rwandan market with a special consideration of the challenges that were faced by Rwandan community within the real estate and transport in searching for their dream homes and automobiles as well as businesses for sale and rental purposes.
The company was built on the premises of professionalism, customer centered, reliability and accountability which have earned them a strong working relationship and trust from their customers.
The company is leading in apartments and car rentals in Rwanda and other countries.
It provides well maintained cars for rent and offers assistance to clients to have a fully furnished apartment with a full package of services such as cleaning, internet among others. It also provides tourism services for Rwandan parks.
Tom Transfers is a multidisciplinary general services company
For us winning means bringing you the exceptionally crafted and well-designed services. We aim to become the leading service provider in Rwanda and East Africa. From modest start we aim to
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that was first opened in Belgium by a Rwandan entrepreneur Tom Munyaneza, with the main goal to offer all passengers, individuals or professionals a complete set of transport services all-in-one company.
Over the years, Tom Transfers has expanded its services and created partnership with a number of European countries, including France, Switzerland, Germany and Holland. The company is also present in selected African countries like Rwanda, Kenya, and DRC among others. As the company grew, it diversified and embraced other services like Apartment sales and rental, Supermarket and Coffee shops, Garage and Car wash services, Plots sale and constructions services.
Headquartered in Kigali Rwanda, at 39 KK 21 Ave, Tom Transfers is an emerging all services Company in Rwanda that provides services such as rental and sales of cars and apartments, sales plots of land, as well as Supermarkets, Coffee Shops and bar services. Tom Transfers offers fully furnished apartments, with extra services
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Our rental cars are comfortable and luxurious, and insured to provide a high quality experience. We offer special packages for weddings and other events. We provide a wide range of other services such as Supermarket, Garage, Coffee shops, bar and Tourism services.
In pursuit to offer outstanding general services, Tom Transfers offers a wide range of services including Car Rental and Sales, Apartment Rental and Sales, Land scaling, Garage Services, Supermarket Services and Coffee shop services in Rwanda and other countries in Europe, North America, Africa and Asia.
All these business units work together for our common goal to give a unique, outstanding experience to our customers. The following are a range of services that we provide to our esteemed customers:
- a one-year warranty to all cars bought with us you’ll get a 10% commission to every client for car rental and
apartment you bring to Tom Transfers l Replacement car to our clients while waiting for theirs to be delivered.
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Car rental services with a driver at your request
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Sell cars from Europe, Asia and other various countries l Hire cars bought with us for a contract of 2 years.
Car maintenance
Sale and rental services of apartments, homes Sales plots of land, as well as Supermarkets, Coffee Shops and bar services.
Fully furnished apartments
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We operate at the highest levels of honesty, responsi-
We are dedicated to building an experience that is centered around relentless customer centricity, technology-powered operational excellence and capital efficiency.
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For us winning means bringing you the exceptionally crafted and well-designed services. We aim to become the leading service provider in Rwanda and East Africa.
From modest start we aim to portray ourselves as the go to company for Apartments and Car rental services, Plot sales, Supermarket and Coffee shop services.
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bility and trust. We conduct our business in accordance with the high est standards of work ethics and quality stan-
Naels Supermarkets located in different parts of Rwanda providing high quality products from Europe. Also for your favourite drinks visit the company’s Naels Bars located in different parts of the country. The supermarkets and bars are named after the son’s name Nael Munyaneza.
dards. Customer Services 24/7 customer support is guaranteed at Tom Transfers, which gives us an edge over others. Our assistance
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We provide maximum value for customers through efficient services, high quality products and flexible method of payments. We ensure that our customers needs are met and exceeded.
More than 29 million people are facing food insecurity in the Eastern African region, a regional bloc said in a new report launched in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) said in its April report that eastern Africa is facing the very real prospect that the rains will fail for a fourth consecutive season, placing Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia into a drought of a length not experienced in the last four decades.
WorknehGebeyehu, executive secretary of IGAD told journalists that about 16 million are in need of immediate food assistance due to the prolonged drought caused by failed rain seasons.
“The rest are facing food insecurity due to other stress factors such as conflict in both our region and in Europe, the impact of COVID-19, and macro-economic challenges,” Gebeyehu told journalists in Nairobi.
Gebeyehu said 6 to 6.5 million in Ethiopia, 3.5 million in Kenya and 6 million in Somalia have been affected by drought conditions.
He added that in the southern-central part of Somalia, the situation is catastrophic, with 81,000 people at risk of famine.
“We are facing the very real prospect that the rains will fail for a fourth consecutive season, and this is resulting in a prolonged drought,” Gebeyehu noted.
He revealed that the drought has also led to severe shortages in water and pasture leading to reduced food production, significant losses in livestock and wildlife, as well as a rise in resource-based conflict in the Eastern Africa
region.
IGAD called on member states, donors, and humanitarian partners to increase their emergency response in the affected countries immediately in order to avoid further worsening of the humanitarian crisis.
“We have to act now on the basis of a ‘no regrets’ approach,” said Gebeyehu, noting that livelihood programs must be scaled up to protect the lives and livelihoods of the farmers, agro-pastoralists, and pasto ralists.
This, he said, will help support their recovery and self-reliance in the immediate and medium-term.
Alessandra Casazza, man ager of the UNDP Resilience Hub for Africa appealed to the respective governments, humanitarian partners, and international donors to direct efforts to prevent further worsening of the humani tarian crisis in the Eastern African region.
Casazza added that the food insecurity situation is not new and is becoming cyclical with greater intensity.
“It is imperative that we develop long-term solutions that halt the crisis from coming back,” Casazza added.
World food commodity prices made a significant leap in March to reach their highest levels, as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to push up energy costs and cause supply chain slowdowns.
The monthly food prices index, released in April by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), rose 12.6% to reach 159.3 points in March, compared to a baseline of 100 points for the average in 2014-2016 (adjusted for inflation.)
This is by far the highest total in the history of the index, which was launched in its current form in 1990. All of the five sub-categories in the index rose, with prices for grains and cereals – the largest component in the index –climbing a stunning 17.1%.
The FAO said the main factor behind this rise is that Russia and Ukraine are both major producers of wheat and coarse grains, and prices for these have soared globally due to the conflict.
Concerns over crop conditions in the United States were also a factor, FAO said. Rice prices, meanwhile, were mostly unchanged compared to February.
Meanwhile, prices for vegetable oils climbed 23.2% due to rising transportation costs and reduced exports, again due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The other sub-indexes were all higher, but rose less dramatically.
Dairy prices were 2.6% higher, meat prices climbed 4.8%, and sugar prices by 6.7%. The conflict and related issues were also factors behind these price rises, said the FAO.
The FAO’s Food Price Index is based on worldwide prices for 23 food commodity categories, covering prices for 73 different products compared to a baseline year.
Pyramid set foot in Rwanda in March 2012 to fill the gap in the health sector, including the provision of reliable medical equipment and surgical solutions.
Pyramid Pharma Ltd, a leading pan-African distributor of high-quality pharmaceutical products, medical equipment and supplies is committed to maintaining customer-centric focus in order to remain the most preferred partner in the healthcare industry.
Located in Gatenga sector, Kicukiro district, in Rwanda’s capital Kigali, the company represents internationally renowned companies in medical and laboratory equipment, reagents and medical supplies.
It makes available to you highly standard Heamatology and coagulation analyzers, Biochemistry analyzers, Microbiology analyzers, Anaesthesia and surgical consumables, laboratory reagents and related consumables, pharmaceutical
products including ARVs. With a team qualified and trained professional, the company provides excellent technical and after-sales services.
It also provides surgical products in neuro-surgery, ENT, spinal surgery, orthopaedic surgery, cardiology, urology, cranio-maxillofacial surgery, general surgery, and plastic surgery.
The company prides itself in developing a motivated workforce with a sense of pride in the organization and its clients.
Pyramid set foot in Rwanda in March 2012 to fill the gap that was in the health sector, including the provision of reliable medical equipment and surgical solutions.
In an interview, Nkunzi Désiré , the sales and regulatory manager, said at Pyramid they strive to provide complete healthcare solutions to the African continent.
According to Mr Nkunzi, Pyramid is currently in seven countries across Africa and committed to meet and exceed the stakeholders needs and expectations. The company supplies products to the public and private healthcare institutions and NGOs.
It is working with big hospitals such as King Faisal to address cardiac-related surgical conditions.
As confirmation of our quest to continually improve and grow, in September 2020, Pyramid Pharma Rwanda has attained the quality management system standard ISO 9001:2015, said Nkunzi.
Our future plans include sustaining what we have achieved so far, improving and expanding our product lines to meet the evolving needs of our customers, said Nkunzi.
Rwanda’s National Prosecution Authority late April received a Rwandan man who was extradited from Sweden over genocide crimes.
Jean Paul Micomyiza, was arrested by Swedish authorities in November 2020 following an indictment by Rwandan prosecution.
Micomyiza, is accused of genocide, complicity in genocide and crimes against humanity, the Rwanda National Public Prosecution Authority said in a press statement.
Born in Huye district in southern Rwanda, Micomyiza was a student at the National University of Rwanda during the genocide.
Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda and his Ugandan counterpartYoweriMuseveni agreed to push for joint regional peace and stability to address the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Museveni said the problems affecting the region like the crisis in Congo need a collective approach from all regional members of the East African Community, which brings together Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi, South Sudan, and DRC, according to a recent State House statement.
“This time we must insist on working together because these people have suffered a lot. I told President Kenyatta that if we don’t come in as a region, Congo may become like Sudan,” Museveni said.
President Uhuru Kenyatta is Kenya’s president. He hosted a regional
heads of state meeting in Nairobi on April 21 regarding the situation in DRC.
President Kagame said leaders and all parties must talk to solve the Congolese crisis once and for all.
“They need to talk without leaving anyone behind,” Kagame said.
The regional leaders’ meeting held in Nairobi directed all armed groups in the DRC to participate unconditionally in the political process to resolve their grievances.
They also directed that a regional force be deployed to fight rebel insurgency in the country.
Kagame was in Uganda on April 24 for a private visit at the invitation of Museveni.
He said he had “productive discussions with President Museveni on bilateral, regional and global issues” during the two-day visit.Kagame had last visited Uganda in March 2018.
While at the university he allegedly belonged to a committee whose mission was to search and identify Tutsi civilians to be killed, thereby playing a big role in the genocide against Tutsi, the statement said.
The 50-year old suspect had reportedly lived in Gothenburg city in Sweden for 15 years.
More than 1,000 Rwanda genocide suspects are still at large in regional countries and overseas, according to Rwanda’s Genocide Fugitives Tracking Unit.
Since April 7, genocide commemoration activities are still on going in Rwanda to go until July 4 to mark the 100-day calamity, during which over one million people, mainly Tutsi and moderate Hutus were killed.
This time we must insist on working together because these people have suffered a lot. I told President Kenyatta that if we don’t come in as a region, Congo may become like Sudan.
Rwanda’s COVID-19 infection rates have dropped drastically since December when the highly infectious Omicron variant drove up the figures, an official said.
“We have seen new cases dropping considerably compared to December when we experienced the fourth wave due to the Omicron virus. A seven-day positivity rate has dropped from about 10% in December to about 0.02% currently,” the Ministry of Health spokesperson JulienNiyingabirasaid recently.
In 24 hours through late April 19, Rwanda saw two consecutive days of no new infection recorded from about 10,000 tests conducted countrywide. At the same time, there is no COVID-19 case in treatment centers countrywide, he said.
The transmission over the past seven days up to April 19 indicated only 10 new cases were recorded.
Niyingabira attributed the drop in infection rates to strict enforcement of preventive measures by the government and various stakeholders.
Rwanda has recorded an accumulated case log of 129,769 confirmed cases as of April 19, with 1,459 related deaths.
A total of 8,944,917 people have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines while 8,285,705 people have received the second dose as of April 19, according to daily updates of the Ministry of Health.
At least 3,691,775 people had received the booster jab by April 19.
The Ministry of Health has repeatedly warned against complacency and Niyingabira reiterated that wearing face masks remains mandatory.
“Even though we have reported zero new infections, this is drawn from tests conducted on a daily basis. It doesn’t mean that we don’t have a single patient with COVID in the country, that is why the wearing of masks remains a mandatory
measure to prevent transmission. Some people may even be unaware of their status and could continue to spread the virus to other people,” he said.
The ministry has urged the public to get frequently tested while continuing to observe preventive measures, including the proper wearing of face masks and hand hygiene. A total of 5,206,385 tests have been carried out countrywide.
The government has eased most curbs but citizens and Rwanda residents have to get fully vaccinated in order to access public places.
Niyingabira underlined that while there was a sharp rise in new infections in December due to the Omicron variant, there were no patients requiring intensive care due to vaccination.
According to the official, there is currently no pressure on health facilities, although the pressure could be on ad-
ministering more booster doses whose uptake is still low.
Rwanda is among the few countries that have been able to vaccinate more than 60 percent of its population, overcoming the vaccine hesitancy seen on the continent.
More than 7.9 million Rwandans, equivalent to 61 percent of the country’s population, were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of March 10, according to official data.
The World Health Organization (WHO) in 2021 set a target for countries to vaccinate at least 40 percent of their populations by the end of the year.
Rwanda achieved its target of fully vaccinating 40 percent of its population against COVID-19 as of Dec. 24, 2021, and remains on track to meeting a further global vaccination target of 70 percent inoculation by July 1, 2022.
Tourism ministers and officials from a number of African countries joined a tourism roundtable, highlighting green tourism, connectivity, among others, for Africa’s tourism growth.
An African ministerial roundtable with the theme of tackling challenges for future investments in Africa’s tourism industry was recently held in Cape Town International Conference Center during the three-day World Travel Market Africa, where the officials participated in-person or virtually.
There are only about 70 million travellers among Africa’s 1.3 billion people while only 26 African cities are connected to international standards, thus, African countries need to improve connectivity by air and open up
Rwanda’s Bisate Lodge is a stunning example of how to build in a natural landscape without causing harm. Constructed into an eroded volcanic cone, the pod-like villas, are surrounded by lush forest with views of the volcanic landscape. The lodge is part of an effort to honor the local culture while restoring the indigenous forest.
PHOTO | AGENCIES
their sky to establish a domestic market, said NajibBalala, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Tourism. In this way, airfare can be affordable and Africa will be able to move from an expensive destination to an affordable destination, not only for foreigners but also for domestic people, according to Balala, who also suggested relaxing visa regimes in Africa.
Ministers also spoke of the need of “going green” in the tourism sector. Botswana looks at sustainability as a key to facilitating the growth of tourism sector, said Botswana Minister of Environment, Natural Resources, Conservation and Tourism, PhildaKereng.
“We have to conserve and preserve national resources, on the base of which we are developing
and serving products,” she said, adding that the southern African country has revised its tourism policy to make it responsive and resilient to climate change.
“Going green is the way for tourism development that is based on the natural resources,” she said.
The Kenyan minister also said that Africa could utilize its vast solar energy potential and become a leader in green tourism.
The participants also talked about the need for an African coordinated COVID-19 protocol framework, digitalization in the tourism sector and a central financing institution for tourism.
World Travel Market Africa includes a business-to-business tourism exhibition and other events, to bring benefits and opportunities to travel professionals in Africa.
Located in Kigali, 2.3km from Belgian Peacekeepers Memorial, Sainte Famille Hotel has accommodations with a restaurant, free private parking, a bar and a shared lounge.
With free WiFi, this 3-star hotel offers room service and an ATM. The hotel has an indoor pool, evening entertainment and a 24-hour front desk.
All rooms include a desk and a flat-screen TV, and some rooms at the hotel have a balcony.
At Sainte Famille Hotel rooms include a seating area.
A continental breakfast is available every morning at the accommodation.
Sainte Famille Hotel has a terrace.
A business center and vending machines with drinks and snacks are available on site at the hotel.
AMORA Apartment Hotel is located at Gasabo District, Remera Sector in Nyarutarama cell. It is a five (5) storey building which is strategically located adjacent to Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and Kigali Convention Center. It is a four to five-minute drive or 15 minutes jog respectively.
On a normal traffic day, it is a 10-minute drive to/from Kigali International Airport and fifteen (15) minute drive to/ from Kigali City Centre. AMORA Apartment Hotel has a state of the art interior design with specious pathway for easy internal access. Interiorly, the apartments have excellent access through stairs or elevator.
These apartments have well-designed
U-kitchen, hot water connected bathrooms, generous sized dining rooms and sight viewing private terraced balcony form with serene Nyarutarama valley landscape elevated point of view.
AMORA Apartment Hotel has an ample private parking space and 24/7 security on-site guards as well as a CCTV surveillance cameras installed.
The interior of the building is tiled wall to wall. In addition, all rooms are installed with TV and excellent 4G wireless network. The Hotel is divided into 34 fully equipped apartments of 1, 2 & 3 bedrooms each which makes a total of 46 self-contained bedrooms with TV set. Each apartment has sitting room and kitchen cabinet.
The apartment has a bar, a restaurant, a meeting room which can accommodate up to 40 persons, it also has an external kitchen and laundry.
AMORA Apartment Hotel is playing its part in Rwanda’s meeting, incentive, conference or event activities by providing visitors in the country with alternative accommodation and get-away facilities that favour those who desire more privacy or to get to doing things for themselves using the in-service units during their stay in the country.
All of our bathrooms offer different kind of water to take shower with!
Your clothes are what makes you look better. We help you to wash your clothes for free whenever you stay with us!
All of our apartments have a set-up of a U-shape kitchen with fridge, microwave and all of kitchenware.
The interior of the building is tiled wall to wall. In addition, all rooms are installed with highspeed fiber wireless connection.
All of our apartments have a set-up of a U-shape kitchen with fridge, microwave and all of kitchenware.
We have a rest-bar place where our apartment clients can sit and enjoy a variety of food and drinks. Coffee, Tea coffee and Juices are also available with us. Upon request, we can deliver into your apartment/Room.
As the number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths continues to decline, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that the pandemic remains a public health emergency, advising countries to be prepared to scale up COVID-19 response rapidly.
“On COVID-19, there’s good news. Last week, the lowest number of COVID-19 deaths was recorded since the early days of the pandemic,” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a recent press briefing.
According to the WHO, the global number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths continued to decline during the week of April 4-10 for a third consecutive week, with over 7 million cases and over 22,000 deaths reported, a decrease of 24% and 18%, respectively, as compared to the previous week.
“However, some countries are still witnessing serious spikes in cases, which
is putting pressure on hospitals. And our ability to monitor trends is compromised as testing has significantly reduced,” Tedros said.
The WHO’s COVID-19 International Health Regulations Emergency Committee released on Wednesday its recommendations from its latest meeting, which upheld that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to constitute a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
The committee said that countries should continue to use evidence-informed and risk-based public health and social measures (PHSM) and be prepared to scale up PHSM rapidly in response to changes in the virus and the population immunity if COVID-19 hospitalizations, intensive care admissions and fatalities increase and compromise the health systems’ capacity.
As the number of severe cases has dramatically declined in many countries -- in Britain, Sweden and the United States, among others -- widespread COVID-19 testing and surveillance programs have
been widely scrapped there. This has led the WHO to call on all countries to sequence at least 5 percent of their COVID-19 samples in order to keep track of the coronavirus mutations.
According to Tedros, the WHO is currently following closely a number of Omicron sub-lineages, including BA.2, BA.4 and BA.5, and another recombinant detected, made up of BA.1 and BA.2.
In an earlier statement, the WHO said that scientists in Botswana and South Africa had detected new forms of the Omicron variant, labeled as BA.4 and BA.5. But due to the limited number of samples and sequencing, it is still not fully clear whether these might be more transmissible or dangerous.
“The best way to protect yourself is to get vaccinated and boosted when recommended. Continue wearing masks, especially in crowded indoor spaces. And for the indoors, keep the air fresh by opening windows and doors, and invest in good ventilation,” the WHO chief advised.
An international team led by Chinese scientists identified in a recent study a new risk of COVID-19: it ages you beyond your years.
Researchers from the Sixth Affiliated Hospital under Sun Yat-sen University in southern Chinese city of Guangzhou and their collaborators from Spain found that chronological age is a risk factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19.
They analyzed the DNA methylation (DNAm) of the blood samples from 232 healthy individuals and 413 COVID-19 patients, according to the study published in April in the journal Nature Communications.
DNAm is a biological process by which methyl groups are added to the DNA molecule to change the activity of a DNA segment without changing its sequence. Each individual has a DNAm age and there are strong correlations between the DNAm age and an individual’s chronological age, according to the study.
President Kagame and his counterpart Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo at the airport in Brazzaville, the Congolese capital, on April 11.
Below left, President Kagame attends birthday celebration of Uganda’s First Son Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
President Kagame and First Lady Jeannette arrive at a dinner hosted in honour of diplomats accredited to Rwanda.
Rwanda’s decision to agree to take in asylum seekers from the UK should hardly be surprising due to the reluctance of many countries to admit asylum seekers and refugees, according to analysts.
The new deal, formally called the Rwanda-UK Migration and Economic Development Partnership, was signed in the Rwandan capital Kigali on April 14 by British Home Secretary Priti Patel and Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta.
It would allow resettling in Rwanda for processing asylum seekers and refugees attempting to enter the UK via illegal means.
While some chalk it up as in line with Rwanda’s spirit of hospitality, the deal has drawn criticism from rights activists, politicians, and even the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) over concerns that there are no sufficient safeguards and standards.
The opposition Democratic Green Party of Rwanda said rich countries
including the UK should not shift their international obligation to receive refugees and transfer them to third countries “just because they have the money to influence and enforce their will.”
But negotiations with Rwanda are underway for a similar deal with Denmark, according to the government.
‘An African problem’ Lonzen Rugira, a Rwandan researcher, said if asylum seekers are fleeing their countries for safety, at least this concern is addressed by Rwanda.
“The refugee problem is first and foremost an African problem. The country offering a solution is an African country. This is something
that Africans should celebrate,” Rugira said.
“Rwanda is safe – that’s the most important thing.”
Kagame dismisses suggestion of financial element as basis
The UK has earmarked an upfront investment of $150 million to facilitate the implementation of the five-year agreement.
The funding will be injected into opportunities for the development of migrants and Rwandans in areas of secondary qualifications, vocational and skills training, language lessons, and higher education.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame, in a recent briefing to diplomats accredited to Rwanda, said the asylum seekers deal was well-intentioned and dismissed suggestions that the gov-
ernment was motivated by money.
“I have heard some people claim that the UK gave us money, wanting to dump people here. No, we don’t do that kind of thing. We are not involved in the buying and selling of people. We can’t do that because of our core values,” he said.
Kagame said that in 2019, Rwanda took a similar step with the UN Refugee Agency and the African Union to establish an emergency transit mechanism for refugees and asylum seekers stranded in Libya, whose success he said inspired the UK to contact Rwanda about their migration problem.
Under the 2019 agreement, about 824 evacuees from Libya were received in Rwanda in multiple batches.
Among them, 565 have been resettled to third countries including Canada (186), Sweden (142), Norway (113), France (66), Belgium (26), and Finland (32), according to Rwanda’s Ministry of Emergency Management.
Defended it. UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has said the relocation will help the asylum seekers to resettle and rebuild their lives. PHOTO | AGENCIES
Besides those from Libya, Rwan da hosts nearly 130,000 refugees from mainly the neighboring Dem ocratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi as well as Afghanistan.
“If you talk about how to deal with the migration problem, we are hap py to deal with that problem. There is nothing bad about this. There is nothing we can’t be transparent about. This is what it is,” Kagame added.
Ismael Buchanan, a senior lectur er at the department of political science at the University of Rwan da, said the choice of Rwanda should be hardly surprising.
“Looking at how Rwanda has managed to welcome and integrate migrants of all stripes is telling about its attitude,” he said.
“Rwanda has opened its doors to those fleeing conflict around the world. This is what Rwanda is all about,” said Buchanan.
To back up a little, the election of former US President Donald Trump on promises to build walls that would shut down Muslim immigration to the United States exemplified alienation against immigrants, according to the analysts.
Rugira said the most powerful countries in the world have been built by migrants, adding that “a closed society cannot develop and
This is positive,” he added.
In 2012, Australia held all asylum seekers entering the country using unofficial routes in offshore processing centers while their claims were being determined on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea and the island micro-state of Nauru. However, conditions were reportedly very poor on Nauru, and Amnesty International in a 2016 report described the policy of exiling asylum seekers who arrived by boat as “cruel in the extreme.”
Papua New Guinea’s supreme court was to later rule the Manus center illegal in 2017.
In 2018, the Israeli government scrapped controversial plans for mass expulsion of Sudanese and Eritrean asylum seekers to Rwanda and Uganda following legal and public pressure against the move.
But UK Home Secretary Patel has said the relocation will help the asylum seekers to resettle and rebuild their lives.
Rwanda remembered politicians killed during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, at the end of the mourning week of the 28th commemoration on April 13, with a call for collective efforts to end denial, negation and trivializing the Genocide.
The ceremony took place at the Rebero genocide memorial in Kicukiro district of the capital city Kigali, where wreaths were laid on the graves of 12 prominent fallen politicians.
The event was attended by senior government officials led by AugustinIyamuremye, President of the Senate, families of fallen politicians and members of the diplomatic corps, among others.
“The fallen politicians we are remembering and honoring today, opposed to and stood firm against the bad politics, discrimination, hatred, injustice and other atrocious acts that culminated into the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi,” said Iyamuremye during the somber ceremony.
He added that genocide perpetrators and their accomplices are using social media to deny and trivialize the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi which left more than a million people dead.
Rwandans should strengthen efforts in the fight against persistent denial and trivialization of the genocide, he said.
“Genocide against the Tutsi was planned and executed by the bad politics of divisionism and discrimination that characterized the genocidal regime,” he added.
Remains of more than 14,400 Genocide victims are buried at the Rebero Genocide Memorial.
Adrie Umuhire, spokesperson of Rwanda’s National Consultative Forum of Political Organizations, called on political parties and politicians to focus on promoting unity, peace and equality among all Rwandans.
“As political parties, we are responsible for promoting unity and good politics that advocate for good governance and peace
among Rwandans. Discrimination has no place in our politics and we shall never tolerate those politicians with divisive politics,” she added.
Umuhire said that genocide denial and trivialization among genocide perpetrators roaming freely abroad is being perpetuated through public seminars and social media channels.
Rwandans should join hands in the fight against genocide denial and trivialization, she added.
More than 1,000 Rwanda genocide suspects are still at large in regional countries and overseas, according to Rwanda’s Genocide Fugitives Tracking Unit.
After the national mourning week, genocide commemoration activities will continue until July 4 to mark the 100-day calamity, during which more than one million people, mainly Tutsi and moderate Hutus, were killed. Perpetrators included extremists from Hutu ethnic group and Interahamwe, the youth wing of the then ruling party.
Marchal Real Estate Developers in the capital Kigali is providing Rwandans with opportunities to own their dream homes at affordable prices.
It also constructs homes which are given to vulnerable persons after every three months free of charge.
“Our company constructs houses and sells them, we buy and sell plots, and provide rental houses but we aim at affordability to all Rwandans, before investing. We take consideration of the materials that can make our houses cheaper and affordable,” Emmanuel Ujekuvuka, the company’s Managing Director said in an interview.
The company has also opened a regional office in the Democratic Republic of Congo to offer similar services.
The company currently works in Kigali at Gishushu near Gasabo district, with offices at Gisozi and
Emmanuel Ujekuvuka was born in Nkombo Island-Rusizi district. He attended secondary school at St. Joseph Nyamasheke known as ‘Abadahinyuka.’ He graduated from Makerere University in Uganda in then Faculty of Civil Engineering and thereafter joined Mount Kenya University, where he studied international business. That is how he came up with a combination of construction and business.
branches in Rusizi, Rubavu, Musanze and Bugesera districts.
The overall plan is to work in all districts of the country.
We help Rwandans to get plots in an acceptable location according to city’s master plan and physical planning, said Ujekuvuka.
They use durable materials in the construction of their houses.
“We help Rwandans to own houses. As you may know, before anything else, people think of where to get food, accommodation and then think of other developmental activities. Without accommodation, it would be hard for that person to think of other projects,” he said.
When clients visit Marchal Real Estate Developers they have shown the different available options depending on their budget. They are advised on suitable location where one can get plots or houses at cheaper prices based on the Kigali UjekuvukaMasterplan.commended the government of Rwan- da for providing security and ensuring a conducive working environment for businesses to flourish.
Marchal Real Estate Developers does not only sell plots and houses, but it also offers technical advice to their clients.
In developing their project the company had in mind people like teachers or doctors for example who spend many years in rented houses.
The company advises them on how best they could own their houses and become landlords.
Marchal Real Estate Developers is one of the sister companies of Marchal Group, which was registered in 2014.
Marchal investment and Marchal foundation provides houses for vulnerable groups of people through development partners.
The company has donors who support its cause but mostly the youth who really understand the context of its interventions in addressing housing challenges for many Rwandans.
There are investors who wish to invest their money into the business but such investors must be willing to wait to earn a profit from the houses sold.
But not many can accept this arrangement because they think that they can simply earn interest on their investment even before making any profit.
“As you may know, real estate is not like selling any simple merchandise. You can
construct a house and it takes almost a year before it can be sold out, if a person gave you his money, he will be calculating profits, which is not practical in our case,” said Ujekuvuka.
The company has been working with Rwandans in the diaspora, who out of trust send money for construction of their dream houses before even meeting company officials.
This relationship is built by sending them daily updates of the progress of the construction activities from the purchase of plots, materials and elevation.
Marchal Real Estate Developers is committed to continue offering excellent services to all their clients. It aims to enable Rwandans with less than $25,000 to own own houses.
For example, a person with only Rwf5million can get a home like their counterparts with Rwf25million and above, Ujekuvuka said.
“We also aim at helping the vulnerable persons to own homes through the Marchal Foundation as explained earlier, where at least every 3 months we construct a house for one person. For the youths, we help them obtain plots by paying in instalments of about Rwf500,000 per year.”
President Paul Kagame slammed countries covering up acts of the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, as Rwandans marked the 28th anniversary of the massacres.
Kagame made the remarks on April 7 at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, the final resting place for more than 250,000 victims of the genocide, in Kigali, as Rwandans paused to pay respects to the victims of 1994 genocide against Tutsi.
Kagame said that some of the genocide perpetrators and accomplices roam freely in different countries.
“The very reasons that we suffered and endured, is the reason, they cannot give us peace, they want to cover up their responsibility, silence when the millions of people in Rwanda needed them to speak out, speak up and come to their help,” Kagame said.
At least a million people, the majority of them Tutsi, were killed during the 100 days of the Genocide between April 7 and July 4, 1994.
Kagame reminded the audience that the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) restrained itself from revenging against the Genocide perpetrators.
Kagame also told off those questioning Rwanda’s justice system the basis of which some countries are reluctant to extradite genocide suspects to Kigali.
“We are a small country but we are big on justice and some of those are big and powerful countries but they are very small on justice,” he said.
“They have no lessons to teach anyone because they are part of this history that saw over 1 million of our people perish. They are the cause and Rwandans just executed, killed their fellow Rwandans.”
More than 1,000 Rwanda genocide suspects are still at large in regional countries and overseas, according to Rwanda’s
The Rwandan leader also criticized “powerful countries” for blocking channels to voices of truth in the face of falsehood about Rwanda and the genocide.
Earlier, the president along with the first lady Jeannette Kagame as well as other dignitaries laid wreaths at the memorial, before lighting the flame of remembrance to mark the start of the genocide mourning week.
Some Rwandans said they still felt emotional while recalling the massacres, which marked the darkest page of the country’s history – and one of the worst human tragedies ever recorded globally.
“My thoughts are with our beloved ones, 1 million victims of genocide against Tutsi. Our sorrow cannot be cured. I remember the anxiety, fear, humiliation, and suffering. But our heartache is lessened by
the choice we made to raise our kids in a Rwanda free of discrimination,” said Diane Gashumba, Rwanda’s Ambassador to Sweden.
‘Genocide denial a concern’
Naphtal Ahishakiye, the executive secretary of the umbrella body of genocide survivors’ organisations (IBUKA), said Genocide denial remains a concern requiring international collaboration.
“There is a need for collaboration to stop Genocide denial through relevant legislation. Besides, all Genocide fugitives need to be prosecuted,” Ahishakiye said.
This year’s Genocide commemoration is observed under the theme, “Remember, Unite and Renew.”
Throughout the mourning week, the Rwandan flag flew at half-mast in honour of the victims.
Tragic event. Commemoration event marking 28th anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi. PHOTO | COURTESY
Rwandans gathered in their respective villages to commemorate Genocide where a wide range of discussions on national unity, reconciliation and prevention of Genocide ideology and revisionism were held.
After national mourning week, Genocide commemoration activities will continue until July 4 to mark the 100-day calamity, during which more than 1 million people, the majority of them Tutsi, and moderate Hutu were slaughtered.
Perpetrators included extremists from Hutu ethnic group and Interahamwe, the youth wing of the then ruling party.
Defence and police forces also participated and this challenged efforts of the Tutsi who, in some areas, had tried to resist traditional weapons of the killers used in the slaughter.
Rwanda is turning to alternative markets for commodities that were imported from Russia and Ukraine to contain price hikes, as the conflict between the two countries continues to impact global supply, an official said.
“The government in collaboration with the private sector has already started looking for alternative markets for products that were imported from Russia and Ukraine,” Antoine Kajangwe, director general of trade and investment at Rwanda’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, said in a recent interview.
Wheat, fertilizers and sunflower oil products dominate Rwanda’s imports from Russia and Ukraine, representing 64 percent, 14 percent and 10 percent respectively of the total imports of these products (average for the past five years), according to data from the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
The government in collaboration with the private sector is identifying and establishing links in alternative markets on wheat imports, and the country’s importers have already made contacts and have been supplying wheat to Rwanda in a bid to ensure food security, said Kajangwe.
Rwanda has two main importers of wheat and altogether imported 171,000 metric tons of wheat in 2021, according to the ministry.
Officials said fuel has affected prices of other commodities.
In early April, the prices of petrol and diesel at the pump were increased in Rwanda, amid instability in the global oil market caused by the conflict.
The Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority hiked the price of petrol by 8.2% to 1,359 Rwandan francs (about $1.32) per liter and diesel by 13.9% to 1,368 Rwandan francs ($1.33) per liter for the next two months.
The government has stabilized fuel prices through a strategy of foregoing some taxes on imports of petroleum products, according to Kajangwe.
“Taxes foregone resulted in lower price fluctuation of imported products on the end consumer,” he said.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has fueled supply concerns, and the sanctions imposed on Russia and buyers’ avoidance of Russian oil have compounded the challenge after output dropped.
While the conflict has presented a big shock on the international market, it offers lessons for countries to “avoid heavy reliance on wheat imports,” said AngelloMusinguzi, an economic analyst.
“East African countries could embark on extensive wheat farming because the conflict in Ukraine has shown that there is an abundant market for it,” he said.
Rwanda’s central bank said in February that it expected inflation to average 7.5% this year from about 0.8% in 2021, partly due to an anticipated rise in the cost of food, and the country’s economic growth to slow to about 7.2% this year from about 10.2% in 2021.
Russia-Ukraine
As Rwanda proceeds with 100 days of commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, stories of the tragedy are still fresh in the memories of eyewitnesses. They tell what they went through as if everything happened yesterday.
At the start of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, SostheneNiyitegeka, aged 43 then, was living peacefully with his neighbors in Ruhango district, Southern province of Rwanda. He was a church person who used to preach love among the neighbors and a world without conflict.
However, in early April 1994, it became obvious that extremist Hutu and Interahamwe militia wanted all the Tutsi dead. Though he was Hutu, in his heart, he resolved never to take one’s life.
On one morning in April 1994, his fellow preacher Aaron Rugerinyange who was a Tutsi sent two messengers for him.
“They told me: he (Rugerinyange) would love you to come to meet him urgently,” said Niyitegeka. Niyitegeka walked for two hours and met Rugerinyange who showed him a list that was leaked of the Tutsis whom extremist Hutu wanted to kill.
“We are around one hundred, and I am number one on the list. Please give me asylum,” Niyitegeka quoted his asylum seeker as saying.
Accepting the risk
Niyitegeka hesitated because he did not have the power to protect anyone, nor enough money to give killers so that they could accept to spare a Tutsi.
In the end, he accepted to help them even if he knew that it was risky. Protecting a Tutsi during the Genocide was challenging because killers would kill any family where they find the Tutsi.
Niyitegeka hired a motor to take his asylum seeker to his home and he managed to have him in his house without anyone noticing. This gesture marked the beginning of a great struggle. “In my village, Interahamwe intensified killings. Many Tutsis started coming to my home, and it became challenging to keep them because I knew, if Interahamwe discover them, I would die with them and my entire family,
too,” he said.
Niyitegeka then got an idea. First, he dispatched the Tutsi in his house into several homes. He would send food and milk to the families that were hiding them every day.
Secondly, he entrusted seven young men with a mission to spy on Interahamwe so as to get their daily killing schedule and inform him. They would behave as if they were also supporting the killers, which would allow the latter to speak freely about their plans.
“Whenever they heard that Interahamwe wanted to come to check a house where we hid the Tutsi, my boys would tell me in advance, and we would relocate the Tutsi to another family,” said Niyitegeka.
But the Interahamwe were determined to do anything against someone who dares to hide a Tutsi. Several Rwandans and foreigners were killed while trying to save the Tutsi.
After several weeks, Interahamwe learnt that Niyitegeka was hiding many Tutsi, but they failed to find them because whenever they searched his home, they hit blanks, and neither did they find any among his neighbouring families.
Angrily, the head of Interahamwe in his village gave him a warning and issued him
and his family a death threat.
Niyitegeka understood that he was in trouble, but he didn’t want to give up on his mission of saving souls. One of the Tutsi he was hiding offered to help. She went to inform Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) Inkotanyi who were trying to stop the Genocide.
The RPA were in Gitarama which they had seized earlier. She left Niyitegeka’s home one early morning. At Interahamwe roadblocks, she would tell the killers that she was a Hutu fleeing war zone.
In the evening, the lady came back with 40 soldiers who asked Niyitegeka to show the Tutsi he was hiding.
“I sent people to find the Tutsi whom we had hidden in different homes. They gathered in my courtyard. They were 104 Tutsi and Inkotanyi were very happy,” Niyitegeka said.
The RPA took the Tutsi with Niyitegeka and his family to a camp. Niyitegeka accepted leaving all his belongings, including cows and spent more than six months in a camp under care of RPA soldiers.
There was nothing left for Niyitegeka when he returned home late in 1994.
Never again. Youth during a commemoration event in Kigali on their role in fighting Genocide denial.
“My cows were stolen, my house and all my crops destroyed. Neighbors told me names of the people who stole from me; they were expected to pay the damages, but I forgave them; I didn’t want their children to suffer any shortage,” he said.
In 2007, Niyitegeka was awarded with the Campaign against Genocide medal: Umurinzi. It is part of national orders, which consists of symbols awarded by national authorities to persons who demonstrated useful and supreme acts. National orders are awarded to Rwandans and foreigners, civilians as well as members of the security organs, according to Chancellery for Heroes, National Orders and Decorations of Honor (CHENO).
Criteria to be chosen for this award include proven integrity, patriotism, sacrifice, vision, proven courage or bravery, to serve as an example of truthfulness, magnanimity, humanity and equity, and gender equality.
“There is no better award than walking with confidence for giving your country the best of yourself,” says Niyitegeka who has now relocated to Kigali for nearly two decades now.
According to CHENO, 293 people, including Niyitegeka, were awarded the Campaign against Genocide Medal.Xinhua
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement will boost intra-African trade by around 40% with substantial benefits to the transport sectors, according to a latest estimate by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). “If fully implemented, the AfCFTA is expected to significantly increase traffic flows on all transport modes: road, rail, maritime and air,” the UNECA said in its April report that assessed the nexus between the AfCFTA and Africa's transport sector.
The report was officially released by the UNECA's African Center for Statistics and Private Sector Development and Finance Division at a webinar that brought together African finance ministers.
While presenting the report findings, Robert Lisinge, Chief of UNECA's Energy Infrastructure and Services Section in the Private Sector Development and Finance Division, emphasized the crucial importance of fully implementing the AfCFTA so as to significantly boost intra-African trade, in which the transport sector would play a critical role.
According to the UNECA's projection, the historic continental free trade pact will increase the continent's transport equipment needs significantly for all modes of transport.
The cost of equipment required by different transport modes to cope with AfCFTA is estimated at $411 billion. However, fluctuations in transportation and construction prices may hamper renewal of Africa's transport fleet and upgrading of critical infrastructure links.
The report indicated that Africa’s aviation industry, which recorded revenue loss of 8.2 billion in 2021, requires financial support.
The report underscored that the current perception of the transportation sector as a major constraint may repel investors from African countries, while fluctuation in transport prices across the continent may also affect demand for vehicles and increase trade costs.
Oliver Chinganya, Director of Africa Center for Statistics at the UNECA, said the ongoing Ukraine crisis is likely to have an adverse effect on fuel prices across Africa, which will in turn increase the cost of transport on the continent for both people and commodities.
Based on the findings, the UNECA called on African countries to mobilize resources for the transport sector; stabilize transport services and construction prices; implement priority infrastructure projects; implement the Inter-Governmental Agreement on the Trans-African Highways; and finance road safety.
In Rwanda owning a car is no longer taken as a luxury, it is quite a dream of every individual ranging from fresh graduates, young business entrepreneur who are low income earners, middle income earners and other financially stable individuals to own their dream vehicles.
However, this dream is short lived to many auto-loving souls, not because of their lack of funds to buy their dream cars but due to the complexity involved in finding cheaper spare parts, mechanics and other technical services required to maintain these cars.
It is also known among city dwellers that South Korean brands are cheaper to buy than their counterparts from Japan and Europe, thus many have
Korean cars have many customers; they are good and cheaper than any brand, especially at this time when Rwandans know that they can get their vehicles maintained cheaply.
Korea Automobile High Technology company employs 10 experienced staff and others on training in order to be able to scale up their business. There are those that are trained and retained at the company while others join other garages to offer the same services.
resorted to buying these brands, irrespective of the mechanical and technological complexities that may be involved to maintain the vehicles.
All these challenges have been addressed by KoreaAutomobile High Technology Ltd that provides high tech services for KIA and Hyundai vehicle brands from South Korea that have become the dream drive of every Rwandan.
The company’s headquarters are located on KK 525 ST, Gikondo, Kicukiro, Kigali.
A visionary entrepreneur Elijah Ndikubwimana, the managing Director of the Korea Automobile High TechnologyLtd who also doubles as the Technical Director, speaks highly of the maintenance and training services they offer.
Ndikubwimanasays the idea was born out of the research made when the Korean car brand entered the Rwandan market.
There was a very big problem of providing technical services or mechanics for the same brand. That is why we engaged Koreans who were selling these brands, he says.
They started with a specialized garage in 2013. But the idea was born in 2009.
They began working with the Koreans who offered them training in vehicle maintenance and how to give search services.
“We have now trained people to give similar services. These cars have high tech and not any garage can offer such a service,” says Ndikubwimana.
Not long ago that Rwandans
have realized the need for technical education, many used to think that it was reserved for the uneducated, but things have changed.
“We get students from all walks of life, including those who are educated and uneducated. Those who have completed school we give them the necessary training both technical and theory to ensure they are well conversant with the mechanics related to these
Korean brands,” he added.
There was also a problem of engines that used to cause issues because these vehicles use specialized engine oil and not all mechanics and garages are able to carry out such maintenance.
The catalogue is written in Korean and not in English, therefore people visit Korea Automobile High Technology to seek explanation on what they have to do.
According toNdikubwimana, the company partnered with dealers in the brand so that they can link them to the manufacturers of Korean vehicles in order to acquaint themselves with the technology used and the language comprehension.
“After we ensure that we have trained enough students who are from various parts of the country, we plan to open up branches in provinces. Many of our clients in provinces, come to Kigali for the maintenance so opening up garage branches will help address this challenges,” he said.
Plans are also underway to purchase auto mobile hightech equipment.
Ndikubwimana is proud of Rwanda’s development trend; where they are able to do their business with guaranteed security.
“I advise our clients to bring their vehicles for inspection in the garage, not to wait for the time one fails to use the vehicle yet this simple issue could be resolved.”
Maize and other grains will also be affected. There may be a fertilizer crisis, as there would be about a 2-million metric tons deficit. And that will affect food production by about 20%.
The Russia-Ukraine war has disrupted wheat exports pushing wheat prices higher by 60% in Africa, president of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Akinwunmi Adesina said Tuesday, warning that the continent will lose up to $11 billion worth of food due to the conflict.
“Already, the price of wheat has gone up about 60%. Maize and other grains will also be affected. There may be a fertilizer crisis, as there would be about a 2 million metric tons deficit. And that will affect food production by about 20%,” Adesina said, speaking in the Nigerian capital Abuja.
Meeting with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Adesina said the war has created global problems, particularly for Africa, which imports a huge percentage of its food from the two countries.
Economists say while the Ukrainian war presented a big shock on the international market, it offers lessons for countries
to avoid heavy reliance on wheat imports.
Russia and Ukraine are major suppliers of wheat in Africa. But since the war erupted on Feb.24 supply chains were interrupted, triggering unprecedented price hikes.
Besides wheat, the global prices of sunflower or oil crude have been soaring.
The Maghreb countries alone rely on Russian and Ukrainian wheat with imports accounting for more than 50%, according to official data.
The AfDB plans to help farmers in Africa cultivate wheat, maize, rice sorghum, and soybeans to avert a food crisis on the African continent while mitigating the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Adesina said, according to a statement.
Warning that Africa will lose up to $11 billion worth of food due to the conflict, he said the AfDB has developed a $1.5-billion Africa Emergency Food Plan, which is pending approval by the bank’s top management.
Two years ago, Jovia Uwababyeyi contracted malaria and spent time getting treatment in a hospital. In the days leading up to that point, the 47-year-old mother of four had been busy working on a rice field where she earned a living.
“Unfortunately, I contracted malaria during a busy rainy season,” Uwababyeyi, a resident of Gasabo district on the outskirts of Rwanda’s capital city Kigali said ahead of the World Malaria Day that fell on April 25.
“I spent a few days in hospital in 2020. I wasn’t really feeling myself. A few days later two of my children fell sick from malaria, forcing them to miss school,” she recalled.
In the swampy areas of Gasabo district, malaria infection was common among many residents.
Uwababyeyi rolls up the sleeves of her blouse and gently shows where she was injected during treatment.
“We continued to suffer from malaria at home even when we slept under mosquito nets. I suspect mosquito nets protected us during sleep but we were not protected when we went out in the rice fields...Malaria breeds poverty,” added Uwababyeyi.
Surrounded by wetlands, a mosquito breeding ground, almost monthly one member of Uwababyeyi’s family used to be infected with malaria, causing disruption to their productive work.
Luckily, this is no more following a new government intervention.
On March 10, 2020, in Uwababyeyi’s area, the Ministry of Health launched a pilot tech-driven program to test the effectiveness of using drones in the fight against malaria in high-risk zones, and it has proven effective.
Under the program, a mapping drone is used to identify the mosquito eggs and another drone used to spray
In 2021, around 1.1 million malaria cases were registered, down from 4.8 million cases in 2017, it showed. For severe malaria, 1,900 cases were registered in 2021, down from 11,000 cases in 2017, representing a 85 percent reduction. In terms of fatalities, 69 were registered in 2021, down from 706 in 2016, a reduction of about 90 percent.
in accordance with the exact coordinate.
AimableMbituyumuremyi, malaria and other parasitic diseases division manager, at Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), said that by using drones, the ministry hopes to essentially kill mosquito larvae in their habitats before they mature into mosquitoes, and protect people from a disease that claims more than half a million lives every year, most of them in Africa.
“Drones were used as a pilot program in Jabana sector in Gasabo district to assess their effectiveness. The results showed a significant reduction in mosquitoes in the area after spraying using drones,” he said.
This year the program will be expanded to six districts to supplement other malaria preventive measures in place, and results from there will inform authorities on whether to widely roll it out.
Between 2017 and 2021 Rwanda reduced malaria cases by 76 percent, according to data released on Saturday by RBC.
In 2021, around 1.1 million malaria cases were registered, down from 4.8 million cases in 2017, it showed. For severe malaria, 1,900 cases were registered in 2021, down from 11,000 cases in 2017, representing a 85 percent reduction.
In terms of fatalities, 69 related deaths were registered in 2021, down from 706 in 2016, a reduction of about 90 percent.
Meanwhile, malaria incidents were reduced from 409 out of 1,000 people in 2017 to 86 out of 1,000 in 2021, a significant improvement meaning the “country is moving towards eradicating malaria.”
Mbituyumuremyi said the significant
reduction in malaria cases is attributable to a combination of preventive measures. These include the distribution of free mosquito bed nets, indoor residual spraying, awareness campaigns, and the use of mosquito repellants.
The ministry has also scaled up malaria treatment using community health workers.
“Currently, community health workers treat 60 percent of all malaria cases, up from 52 percent in 2017. This means patients access timely treatment which has played a key role in reducing fatalities,” he said.
Indoor residual spraying has been applied in about 15 districts of the country which are worst affected by malaria.
Malaria cases could rise in April and May because of the rainy season, Mbituyumuremyiwarned, and urged people to tighten preventive measures.
“Malaria is still with us, affecting different age groups across the country, we should all play our roles and own up to the existing preventive measures to protect ourselves and our family members,” he said.
As the world marked World Malaria Day on April 25, Rwanda used the occasion to step up awareness campaigns and indoor residual spraying, as well as distribute deworming tablets and mosquito nets.
This year, the government is set to distribute about 8 million mosquito bed nets, according to Mbituyumuremyi.
Malaria is a preventable, treatable disease but every year, malaria infects more than 200 million people and kills more than 600,000, according to the World Health Organisation.
Most of the victims are children in Africa and pregnant mothers, who are most vulnerable.
Our objective is to train more dentists, to facilitate more patients, and distribute medical equipment at affordable prices. We wish that all those trained can transfer the acquired knowledge to other generations.
ADA Dental Clinic Ltd located in Nyarutarama, a Kigali city suburb is working toward expansion to offer treatment to many patients and to distinguish itself from the rest in Kigali.
Besides dental treatment, the clinic offers training for people who want to become professional dentists. The clinic employs highly trained medical expatriates from Holland to provide all necessary training for local dentists.
the clinic’s Managing Director.
“We wish that all those trained can transfer the acquired knowledge to other generations,” he added.
The clinic, which started with only two staff years ago, now has about 20 both locals and expats. It currently works with all health insurance providers in the country.
The clinic counts four dental therapists who played significant roles in its establishment. The team of experts include: Dr Arnold Daems, founder, Dr Tom Vander Colk, the Technical Director and Trainer, Dr Alfonse Rugambarara, and Dr Joseph Mwange.
“Our objective is to train more dentists, to facilitate more patients, and distribute medical equipment at affordable prices,” Longin Rudasingwa,
The clinic has signed Memorandum of Understanding with other organizations to offer medical treatment to their employees. It has partners it works with in Holland who supply them with medical equipment. But due to Covid-19 pandemic, they were forced to work with Kenyan partners; for supply of dental equipment.
“We appreciate the government for the total security it has provided to us, we work all year around without any
During his time at the hospital, she realised that there were many people seeking dental treatment, that’s when Daems, who currently lives in Holland, solicited funding to establish a specialized dental clinic in Rwanda.
security threat,” said Rudasingwa.
The clinic has a long history having started in 1989. It started as a clinic in Nyamirambo, a Kigali suburb called “Clinic Dante au stade” that turned out to be the people’s choice, according to Rudasingwa.
But its origin can be traced to Arnold Daems, a Dutch dental specialist who had visited Rwanda and decided to practice his professional career in Gisenyi, Nyundo Hospital.
During his time at the hospital, she realised that there were many people seeking dental treatment, that’s when Daems, who currently lives in Holland, solicited funding to establish a specialized dental clinic in Rwanda.
Rudasingwa was one of the first people to be trained by Daems then. In 1998,Daems went back to the Netherlands, but before going, he had facilitated the construction of the building where the clinic was established.
After getting the current structures, the clinic initially offered free dental charges but later started charging some little money.
It was around the same time that it started looking for young people to train after securing a memorandum of understanding.
Under the memorandum with the Health Ministry, the clinic’s dental experts were responsible for training health workers in hospitalsto improve their capacity.
Ideal for service. ADA Dental Clinic Limited is well equipped with modern equipment that facilitates service delivery.
Rwanda is appealing to the international community to devise ways to stop the denial and distortion of information about the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.
In the Genocide, between April 7 and July 15, 1994, an estimated 1 million people, mainly Tutsi and moderate Hutu, were killed over the span of 100 days.
In an interview, Maurice Mugabowagahunde, the executive director of research and policy development at Rwanda’s National Unity and Civic Engagements Ministry, said the denial of the Genocide that saw the massacre of more than 1 million people traumatizes the survivors.
“Some intellectuals such as university lecturers hide behind free speech to propagate distorted information about the genocide while others use fictitious names on social media platforms to deny the genocide. This cannot be accepted. It should never be accepted,” Mugabowagahunde said.
According to genocide scholars, the denial takes different forms in the case of the 1994 genocide against Tutsi, including distorting the facts about it and its planning.
Other instances of denial acknowledge that the genocide took place, but place the blame on the Tutsi community by interpreting the genocide as self-defense, or part of the civil war.
In the lead-up to 1994, media outlets and tabloids belonging to Hutu extremists used the concept of “freedom of expression” as a weapon to incite extremists who took part
in the genocide while the world stood idly by and watched it happen, according to some survivors.
Jessica Mwiza, a Rwandan living in Belgium warns that in this “new reality where facts matter less and less,” Rwanda could lose control of the narrative about the genocide against the Tutsis.
Mwiza said she thinks that “crazy controversies” thrive, without meeting resistance in the mainstream media, in part due to the ignorance of the international public.
“Words that would appear so obviously
dishonest to anyone with a basic understanding of our history are eaten up by groups easily moved by sentimentalism.
“People crave drama more than the truth, a fact that has been recognized by deniers and their supporters, who push their agenda widely: from lecture halls to newspapers and politicians’ offices,” she said.
“The threat is getting bigger, and we are not responding appropriately. It is becoming increasingly hard for the few people still engaged against deniers and revisionists to keep up the struggle.”
Genocide deniers and revisionists, the majority of them perpertrators and their friends. always find it convenient to limit and distort facts about the pogrom
Rwanda’s strategies to tackle the genocide denial, trivialization
Mugabowagahunde highlighted the government’s strategies to better tackle revisionism and genocide denial, including raising awareness, protecting genocide memorials, and ensuring proofs of genocide against the Tutsi are not erased.
In Rwanda, a law that punishes genocide denial and revisionism is in place and stipulates imprisonment and fine upon conviction.
With the wide circulation of false or
get involved in commemorative activities so they get to know about the country’s history.
The Unity Ministry has the responsibility to preserve genocide proofs such as testimonies of survivors and perpetrators during traditional Gacaca trials detailing how the genocide was planned and implemented, and also to preserve the remains of genocide victims, including their clothes in a modern way.
Mugabowagahunde said the images from the genocide against the Tutsi ethnic community are still fresh in the minds of survivors and several countries have been working on how to teach about the horrors of genocide in their schools as a response.
He also explained that while the international community failed to protect civilians, some countries have started to extradite genocide fugitives to Rwanda to face justice, while others have set up genocide memorials.
Mugabowagahunde believes the genocide against the Tutsis could have been prevented but the international community chose not to speak or listen.
This year’s genocide commemoration is observed under the theme “Remember, Unite and Renew.” Following the national mourning week, genocide commemoration activities will continue until July 4 to mark the 100-day calamity, during which over one million people, mainly Tutsi and moderate Hutus were killed.
Perpetrators included extremist Hutu and Interahamwe, the youth wing of the then ruling party. In 2018, the UN adopted a decision on the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, replacing the previous resolution that had omitted the name Tutsi as the group targeted for extermination.
distorted information about the genocide on the internet, Mugabowagahunde said the vast amount of time the Rwandan youth spend online can be used to counter genocide deniers.
“There is a deliberate effort to make the young generation more aware of the genocide, and how its denial manifests. Youth are being equipped with facts about the genocide to be able to counter denial and distortion by reaching those consuming falsehoods,” he said.
The government encourages youth to
Also, the government is in discussion with owners of social media outlets which could see revisionists using fictitious names identified, and countered, according to the official.
France and Belgium have put in place laws on genocide denial and Rwanda wants other countries to follow suit.
Geoffrey Mushaija, a local government official said citing the shooting down of former President Juvenal Habyarimana’s plane on April 6, 1994 as the cause of the Rwanda genocide is a form of denial because, he added, the genocide had already been planned, and institutionalized prior to the plane crash.
Medicine is a process and we are in process of continuous improvement. Currently we are extending our ICU, imaging department like MRI, CT scan and many other improvements. We are well positioned to go further, remember we started ad as a clinic and now we are a hospital.
Dr Jean Nyirinkwaya
Apopular private hospital in Rwandan capital Kigali, Hopital La Croix du Sud has reiterated its commitment to maintain provision of quality healthcare to all Rwandans and visitors.
In an interview, Dr. Jean Nyirinkwaya, the hospital’s proprietor and chief executive officer said his hospital does everything possible right and quality must be at the top.
We are committed to serving Rwandans and foreigners with high quality medical services, he said.
Hopital La Croix du Sud was started in October 1995 as a small clinic “La Croix du Sud Polyclinque” in Nyamirambo in Nyarugenge district with the aim of attending to childbearing.
At the time, Nyirinkwaya recalled that many women used to go back to countries where they lived before their return to Rwanda after the
liberation struggle, to get treatment because there was no trust in local healthcare providers.
But as time went by the clinic expanded into a modern hospital.
Hopital La Croix du Sud has helped build trust in local healthcare providers whereby in many families, women seeking gynecological services, the name Nyirinkwaya pops up first, the hospital’s specialty.
The hospital not only serves people in Kigali but from different parts of the country such as Rusizi, Gisenyi, Kirehe among others.
Besides, the hospital has specialized equipment and dedicated doctors and nurses to serve visitors to Rwanda.
“Medicine is a process and we are in process of continuous improvement. Currently we are
extending our ICU, imaging department like MRI, CT scan and many other improvements. We are well positioned to go further, remember we started ad as a clinic and now we are a hospital,” said Nyirinkwaya.
In the service of obstetrics, gynecology, the hospital boasts of experienced and specialized gynecologists who are dedicated to serve patients.
In terms of equipment for deliveries, our specialty, we have a number of dedicated personnel meant to assist women during labour, with enough space for deliveries and a well-equipped operation theatre, he added.
The hospital ensures that midwives take care of the expectant mothers from the entry point and monitors her baby movements till delivery.
After birth, there is another dedicated pediatric department with qualified and dedicated nurses to take care of the new born baby.
The hospital also has partnerships with some hospitals from India which is about to be strength ened.
It also has other partnerships for capacity building and continuous development of doctors.
According to Nyirinkwaya, the hospital is currently extending some departments to fulfill the requirements by the Ministry of Health.
It is an overhaul of the entire hospital that includes not only the equipment but the medical personnel such as doctors, nurses and administrators, he said.
Nyirinkwaya appealed to other healthcare providers to always ensure quality equipment and dedicated personnel if
they wish to provide high quality medical services to patients.
“For any war to be won, one needs to have enough money to buy the equipment and fulfill their needs. It is important to always pay health workers on time in order to motivate and gain their support of the medical services you are offering,” he said.
He pointed to budgetary constraints to buy enough equipment which is expensive among the most pressing challenges.
“There is still a shortage of doctors in the country and what we do is to share them with the public hospitals and clinics,” he said
The showroom at Moshions fashion house is impeccably organized. With an array of designer outfits in different colors hanging below shelves, it’s the sort of scene which offers a good reference point for fashion trends.
Located in downtown Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, Moshions, founded in 2015, is championing premium quality, 100 percent Made-in-Africa fashion.
As the fashion industry continues to gain traction globally, designers are increasingly mixing traditional ideas to come up with unique wearable trends.
One such designer is Moses Turahirwa, 30, the creative director and founder of Moshions brand. Inspired by his own cultural roots, Turahirwa pays homage to the visual storytelling tradition found in Rwanda and across the African continent.
He opted for fashion as a passion to grow the creativity within him.
traditional dancing pattern of Intore.
Turahirwa believes Rwanda has beauty in fashion, embroidery, and patterns but interpretation in the fashion as it is in the world is still at the discovery stage.
“Our uniqueness lies in the iconic interpretation of our culture to modernity and the discovery,” he stressed.
behind our fashions. This is good not only for Rwandans but everyone around the world because it is relatable to other fashions elsewhere, thus creating curiosity and learning at the same time.”
“I started it as a hobby. It was after some time that I realized my culture and my heritage and that is how I started interpreting cultural roots into something modern using my creative talent,” said Turahirwa.
Shining light on Rwandan culture is an important part of Turahirwa’s work. The most popular of the products is the cardigan, which is renewed every year.
According to Turahirwa, the cardigan is an inspiration from a sack hood in Rwanda, where people looking after cattle would craft something out of banana leaves to cover themselves. The ornament in it is the beading that is most represented by Intore, a traditional dance performed by men in Rwanda, so the designers try to fuse the story like a covering but also with a
M. TurahirwaWhen we receive clients, we tell them about our collections and the stories behind our fashions. This is good not only for Rwandans but everyone around the world because it is relatable to other fashions elsewhere, thus creating curiosity and learning at the same time.
The patterns come with a story, for instance, originally created and developed by Kakira, son of a king who lived in eastern Rwanda, patterns locally called ‘Imigongo’ were used to decorate the walls of the interior of huts.
The designs take the form of geometrical and spiral shapes to form fashionable patterns.
“We also have the values from the natural dyeing, craftsmanship, that is really deep and mostly hand woven and an interpretation of modern embroidery, so styles are characterized by the craftsmanship,” he said.
“Our customers are always excited from their perspective, when they come to our shop, we tell them about our collections and the stories
The company now employs 32 people. It is a creative business that provides a living through creating job opportunities for people in Rwanda, ranging from administration, tailoring, marketing to many other jobs, said Turahirwa, adding that his plan is getting the brand globally recognized.
Belyse Bugingo, who joined Moshions in 2018 as an intern, now works as the company’s store manager.
The 25-year old woman is proud that the internship led her to a permanent job.
“What I like about my job is that fashion is a burgeoning industry and is endowed with a lot of creative ideas that come along with the seasons,” she said.
“It is a job that requires someone to be dynamic, meeting people and making connections. The most common feedback we get is positive, customers are appreciative of what we do.”
