Igihe

Author: b_igi_adm1n

  • President Mugabe Accused of Sleeping at Public Meetings

    Zimbabwe political opposition accuses President Robert Mugabe of sleeping at crucial meetings saying the 88 year old revolutionary leader has become a liability for the South African country.

    Prof Welshman Ncube one of Mugabe’s ministers who also leads of one of the two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) formations said Mugabe slept at the recent Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in Mozambique.

    The President had to be roused by Zambian President Michael Sata after he fell asleep a few minutes after the meeting that was meant to discuss the Zimbabwe crisis had began, the opposition politicians told party supporters.

    “If you are strong and young, you sleep in a dignified way but his whole body collapses when he sleeps”.

    He added, “You sleep as early as 9 am to a point that you are woken up by an equally old Sata. Who would tell other leaders to wake Mugabe while he was sleeping?

    “Do you think that person can rule Zimbabwe? We need fresh leaders with strength who you do not have to look at and check if they are still awake.”
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  • Study Shows Investors Implement Most Projects

    Investors in Rwanda have been found to have implemented most of their projects as promised before establishing in Rwanda, a study has revealed.

    It was revealed that the research targeted 122 investments established in the country.

    The Joint study was conducted by National Institute of Statistics, Private

    Sector Federation (PSF), National bank of Rwanda (BNR) and Rwanda Development Board (RDB).

    The study is aimed at showing whether Investors implement what they promise to do before they get started with their projects in Rwanda.

    The research findings will be used by government to design Investor friendly policies and planning.

    At the same occasion, the staff of Central Bank (BNR) presented to the Minister of finance and Economic planning a pledge of Frw310Million as contribution to the Agaciro Development Fund.

  • Mozambique President Arrives in Rwanda

    President Armando Guebuza of the Republic Mozambique has arrived in Rwanda.

    Guebuza also chairperson Southern African Development Community (SADC) has been mandated by the regional body to undertake a mission to Rwanda to engage the government of Rwanda on the crisis in DRC.

    SADC is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern African states.

    Following the recent state of affairs in DRC, SADC regional bloc agreed at its recent Summit in Maputo, Mozambique, that the situation in eastern DRC requires the physical presence of SADC-mandated troops.

    The SADC troops will be deployed to neutralise M23 rebels.

    The force will be made up of Angola and South Africa, while other SADC members will give material and technical support in the collaborative effort.

    SADC also agreed to work with the International Conference of Great Lakes region ‑ of which Angola, DRC, Tanzania and Zambia are members ‑ to secure the restive eastern border region.

    The regional bloc dispatched an assessment mission of defence and security experts from SADC to the DRC last month.

  • Impala Band Reborn

    Rwandans have reason to smile once again.

    Impala musical group has resurrected after several years of absence which to many Rwandans had become history and a story of the past.

    Orchestre Impala has been reborn, this time with only two of its eight original members as seen on one of their old pin-up posters.

    The Ministry of culture hailed the rebirth of the musical group which it pledged to be supportive of.

    In the hey days, the Orchestre Impala Band was popular for its Live stage performances and using nearly all available musical instruments.

    In todays Rwanda musical industry, live performances have been characterised by playbacks and miming.
    Below is a photo of the pin-up poster on the first album released by the Impala band.
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  • Rwanda to Present at International Literacy Day in Washington

    Rwanda is one of two countries selected to present at the International Literacy Day event, co-hosted by USAID, the Global Partnership for Education, and the Brookings Institute.

    The Rwanda delegation will include a Rwanda Education Board (REB) representative as well as the Literacy, Language, and Learning Initiative (L3)’s Technical Director Norma Evans and Kinyarwanda Team Leader Caroline Dusabe. The event will take place on September 7th in Washington, DC.

    Rwanda Reads, a four-year REB initiative, is among the efforts that the delegation will highlight in the presentation.

    Launched in July, Rwanda Reads brings together government organizations, publishers, Parent Teacher Committees, education NGOs, and development partners in the common interest of promoting literacy.

    The initiative aims to increase the availability of recreational reading materials, improve literacy levels, and encourage a culture of reading.

    The delegation will particularly emphasize initiatives that promote early grade reading—the focus of the event—as the early years are key for developing fundamental reading skills necessary for further learning.

    Rwanda Reads partner L3, funded by USAID, focuses on supporting the teaching and learning of reading skills in primary grades 1 through 4.

    L3 has supported REB in determining national reading standards for P3 and P5 and in specifying criteria for age-appropriate reading materials.

    The project also provides expertise for training teachers in effective literacy practices and creates learning materials to support and enrich curricula.

    According to Evans, Rwanda was selected for this honor because of its dedication.

    “There have been a lot of events in the past year, like Rwanda Reads, developing reading standards, that show a lot of commitment,” Evans says. “It’s a model for other countries.”

    Prior to this event, the delegation will visit Oyster Adams Bilingual School in Washington, DC, which uses both English and Spanish as languages of instruction.

    This visit will leave the delegation with a clearer mental image of what proven literacy techniques look like in the classroom.

    The delegation has also been invited to participate in the Mobile Education Alliance International Symposium, which aims to bring international technology specialists together to improve education through the innovative use of mobile technologies.

    The symposium will be held in Washington on September 5-6th.

    International Literacy Day was inaugurated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1967.

    In its annual observance, literacy partners around the world draw attention to the need to promote world literacy.

  • Book on First-hand Account of Bin Laden Killing Published

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    The first eye witness account by one of the US Navy SEALs in the unit that killed Osama bin Laden will be published later this year, less than two months before the US presidential election.

    The publication, due for the politically charged date of September 11, 2001, is likely to be a sensation.

    Dutton, an imprint of Penguin, said that “No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account Of The Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden” is written by one of the SEALs who entered the al Qaeda founder’s hideout in May 2011 “and was present at his death.”

    The writer, identified by the pseudonym Mark Owen, is said to have left the military and is the veteran of 13 consecutive combat deployments, culminating with the Operation Neptune Spear in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
    The book is co-written with Kevin Maurer, a US journalist.

    In the book, Owen says, he wants “to set the record straight about one of the most important missions in US military history. ‘No Easy Day’ is the story of ‘the guys,’ the human toll we pay, and the sacrifices we make to do this dirty job.”

    The cover of the book, already advertised on Amazon shows the ghostly figure of a soldier holding an assault rifle.

    The killing of bin Laden, who managed to evade US forces for a decade after ordering the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, is seen by some as Obama’s biggest achievement in office.

    However, the president has come under fire from some former CIA and special forces members who accuse him of leaking confidential details of missions in order to boost his ratings.

    Republican challenger Mitt Romney and his supporters have also repeatedly accused Obama of seeking political gain from the military’s exploits.

    With little information about what Owen’s book will reveal – including whether or not it will include the SEAL’s opinion on his former commander in chief – it was not clear whether the publication would hurt or help the Obama campaign.

    AFP

  • AU Experts To Demarcate ‘The Sudans’ Disputed Borders

    An African Union group of experts on boundary demarcation is in Khartoum for talks on border demarcation and disputed areas with South Sudan days before the resumption of talks in Addis Ababa.

    The delegation was in Juba where it held similar discussions to assess Juba’s point of view on the disputed border.

    Sudan says there are only five disputed locations on the common border but Juba added four other areas saying they belong to South Sudan.

    Al-Obeid Marawah, spokesperson of the foreign ministry in Khartoum, told reporters on Sunday that the visiting delegation will hold intensive talks with the Sudanese experts on issues of border demarcation with the South Sudan.

    He further said the upcoming talks on unresolved issues in Addis Ababa are expected to last for three weeks where the parties will discuss all the issues including border and security arrangements.

    Regarding the date of the talks he said the process may start on Thursday 30 August.

    However South Sudanese government spokesperson Barnaba Marial Benjamin told reporters in Juba he expects the discussion recommence after the funerals of the late Ethiopian Prime Minister on 2 September.

    Officials in Khartoum and Juba say they are still awaiting the position of the mediation to learn more about the exact date of talks.

    ST

  • Security Vital for EAC Integration Success

    The Secretary General of the East Africa Community (EAC), Ambassador Dr. Richard Sezibera has called for joint efforts in suppressing emerging security threats in East Africa saying the success of bloc’s integration process relies heavily on its stability.

    Presiding over the 5th meeting of Sectoral Council on Inter-State Security in Kigali on August 27, He noted that implementation of freedoms and rights enshrined in the Common Market Protocol largely depends on the sector.

    “As East Africa deepens her integration process, the people of the region expects their individual and collective security to improve.

    The expectation is that the threat of terrorism, trafficking in person and narcotics as well as other transnational security threats will be managed in a smarter way,” Sezibera said.

    Dr. Sezibera noted that as the bloc enters a Single Customs territory and also within the tripartite arrangement, it will certainly come with challenges.

    He called for increased information sharing and more pooling of national resources to deal with ever evolving global and regional security landscape.

    “Cooperation with other organizations with peace and security mandate is critical to removing artificial geographical barriers, contradictions duplication and wastage of resources and time,” he explained.

  • Uganda to Host Regional Forensic Referral Center

    Uganda has been selected to host the EAC Regional Forensic Referral Centre (RFRC).

    The ministerial session of the Sectoral Council on Inter-State Security meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, today backed Uganda to host the facility which is expected to revolutionize fighting of crime in the region by providing scientific information to investigators and courts.

    Partner States’ chiefs of Police had over the weekend in Kigali unanimously agreed for Kampala to host the RFRC.

    The EAC Secretary General, Amb. Dr. Richard Sezibera while opening the meeting underscored the importance of regional peace and security, saying that East Africans individually and collectively hoped for their security to improve as the integration process deepened.

    “The expectation is that the threat of terrorism, trafficking in persons and narcotics as well other transnational security threats will be managed better and in a smarter way,” Amb. Sezibera stated.

    He lauded the EAC Partner States Police chiefs for having already taken concrete steps to deter criminal activities, adding that the EAC Secretariat wholly supported their efforts.

    Forensic science (often shortened to forensics) is the practical application of science to matters of the law.

    In criminal law, forensic science can help prove the guilt or innocence of the defendant. In civil actions, forensics can help resolve a broad spectrum of legal issues through the identification, analysis and evaluation of physical evidence.

    The Police Chiefs expressed their support after considering a report of an EAC fact-finding mission, which visited all five Partner States in March this year.

    A detailed report of an independent forensics consultant from the United Kingdom who participated in the Assessment Mission with forensics experts from the Partner States together with technical staff from the EAC Secretariat.

    Information was gathered through physical site inspections and meetings coupled with face-to-face interviews with individuals who had a stake in the forensic facilities, the forensics staff and the Chief Government Chemists within the Partner States.

    The Centre will have regional responsibilities but will not compromise national capabilities in the provision of forensic services.

    Article 124 of the EAC Treaty recognizes the need for peace and security within the Partner States. It is further elaborated through the Strategy for Regional Peace and Security adopted by the 13th Council of Ministers meeting.

    In an effort to formulate measures to combat terrorism, Goal 10 of the Regional Strategy for Peace and Security provides for enhancement of forensic services with establishment of an RFRC.

    The EAC has already initiated the harmonization process of peace and security initiatives, common policing standards, joint investigation, exchange of information and mutual legal assistance in the Partner States, among others.

    Amb. Sezibera urged Partner States to reduce dependence on Development Partners to fund regional security programmes and informed the high-level meeting that efforts were underway to create a Directorate of Peace and Security which will help to expedite peace and security issues in the EAC Partner States.

    The Chairperson of the session Hon. Beatrice Kones from Kenya underlined that peace and security was extremely critical for the regional integration, urging that the EAC “must speak with one voice” and reiterating the need for a robust peace and security sector.

    She also called for enhanced information sharing among the Partner States to swiftly coordinate security activities.

  • 17Million Women in East Africa Use Contraceptives

    Over 17 million women in East Africa are reportedly using birth control contraceptives a study has revealed.

    The study was conducted by African Population and Health Research on the population and use of contraceptives in Africa.

    It indicates that among the married couples, the number of women who use modern methods of family planning has also risen from 20 million to 27 million.

    In 2008 only 12 million women in East Africa were using contraceptives but a continent-wide study has shown a increase to 17 million in 2012.

    According to United Nations Populations Fund report 2010, the population of East Africa is estimated at 131 million people.

    The study results were released in Kampala-Uganda during a meeting by Africa women parliamentarians to discuss issues of leadership, family planning and reproductive health.

    “Compared to other regions, East Africa is doing somehow well but more funding is needed to help more women, especially in rural areas, access the contraceptives,” said Dr. Estelle Sidze one of the facilitators.

    She noted that lack of contraceptives has led to increased school dropouts, death as a result of complicated pregnancies and increased cases of unsafe abortions.