Igihe

Author: b_igi_adm1n

  • AfDB Annual Meeting Opens Today

    The African Development Bank (AfDB) annual meetings kick off in Arusha, Tannzania today with a host of activities, including the launching of the 2012 African Economic Outlook.

    According to the meeting programme a report about the private sector development in the continent will be inaugurated.

    AfDB President Dr Donald Kaberuka, was expected to visit the recently repaved 105-kilometre Arusha-Namanga road.

    Economic experts and financial analysts from across Africa and other parts of the world are already in Arusha for the event to discuss the opportunities and challenges of the financial crisis in the continent.

    The heads of state segment of the annual meeting of Africa’s premier bank will take place on Thursday and Friday and will be opened by President Jakaya Kikwete on Thursday.

    At least six heads of state from a number of African states have confirmed to attend the meeting.

    Among the delegates would be central bank governors, ministers, economic experts and CEOs of regional banks and financial institutions.

    Main speakers today will include the AfDB chief economist and Vice President Mthuli Ncube, Marrio Pezzini, director of the OECD development centre, the director of the regonal integration and trade division of the UN Economic .

  • EAC States Urged to Secure Health Related MDGs

    Legislation on maternal and children health should be enacted in all EAC member states in order to help curb child mortality and morbidity rates in the region.

    The regional leaders have been urged to show political will and ensure enforcement of such laws as the region strives to realise the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

    The appeal was made by the Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (Eala), Abdirahin Haithar Abdi, on Saturday while addressing Parliamentarians during a two-day seminar on improving information to secure women and children’s health and health related MDGs.

    The Speaker noted that there was huge information gap on mother and children health and called on stakeholders to put the issue on their agenda.

    He further remarked that information on women and children issues remained core and at the centre of development and urged the East African Inter-Parliamentary Forum on Health to double its effort in advocacy around the same.

    Abdi called for more endeavour to ensure information and data collection strategies were in place.

    The seminar organised by Eala, the East African Inter-Parliamentary Forum (IPF) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) attended by Eala MPs and parliamentarians from the National Assemblies of the partner states.

    The meeting hopes to ensure revival of the Maternal New Born and Child Health (MNCH) activities of the IPF and update them by incorporating certain considerations from the recently adopted IPU resolution on the role of parliaments in ensuring MNCH.

    It further wants to safeguard previous efforts by Eala/IPF to improve MNCH by developing an action plan for consideration by the incoming third assembly of the regional Parliament.

    In his remarks, the director of programmes at IPU, Martin Chugong, said the IPU would continue to work with all Parliaments in the region.

    “We hope that Parliaments would be able to access more resources, and ensure accountability so that access of health services by women and children is fully achieved,” Chugong said.

  • Rwanda National Police to Mark 12 Years

    Rwanda National Police will celebrate its birthday this June to mark 12years since the establishment of the institution.

    Police week celebrations will focus on strengthening partnership between Police and the public and to promote transparency and accountability.

    This year’s celebrations whose theme is fighting against drug abuse to end gender based violence. The commemoration also highlights Police annual activities over the past year and its plans for the future.

    Celebrations will focus on special activities that will be conducted in five districts including Burera, Gatsibo, Kicukiro, Nyamasheke and Nyanza.

    The districts signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Rwanda National Police on crime reduction and human security initiatives.

    During the sixteen-day celebrations, Rwanda National Police will participate in community oriented work including crime prevention strategies such as anti drug abuse campaign and sensitize on HIV/Aids awareness.

    The celebrations will also look forward to engage families in the fight against Gender Based Violence (GBV).

    According to Chief Inspector of Police Lynder Nkuranga, the acting director of community policing noted that Police will focus on sensitizing the Public on crime prevention by conducting several campaigns.

    The annual event will commence at Nyamasheke district on June 1, and end on June 16 at the Police headquarters where outstanding Police units as well as members of the public will be rewarded for their crime prevention initiatives.

  • Congo War Threatens Peace of Mountain Gorillas

    Mountain gorillas at Virunga Mountains are at risk following the current war in eastern DR Congo.

    According to Emmanuel de Merode the director of the Virunga Park, the mountain gorillas are the star tourist attractions “but since the fighting broke out on May 15, the tourists stopped coming”.

    The virunga mountain park is shared between Rwanda, Uganda and the DRCongo. This place is a natural habitat for the mountain gorillas.

    Most affected is the area of the Virunga mountains overlooking the towns of Jomba and Bunagana close to the Uganda border which are home to 200 of the endangered primates.

    The ongoing fighting is reportedly between DRC forces and rebels of the M23 rebel movement. Thousands of Congolese have been displaced, especially in the Rutshuru district of North Kivu province.

    The park director said three out of five patrol sectors affected by the fighting have been evacuated leaving the gorillas without care and exposed to the crossfire of the belligerents.

    The Virunga Park – formerly known as Albert national park – was created in 1925 during colonial rule and is famous worldwide as one of the very few remaining refuges of the mountain gorilla.

    However, since 1996, the park has also been home to various armed groups behind the instability in eastern DR Congo.

    Some of the human intruders have not shied off from killing the apes for commercial purposes.

  • Africa: Free Trade Zone To Be Operational in 2018

    The Chairperson of the African Union Commission Jean Ping has noted that Africa’s free trade zone is expected to become operational by the end of 2017 through the merger of all African regional trade blocks.

    “The heads of the states and government have committed to the realisation of a continent wide free trade zone.”

    Ping said in a speech read on his behalf by the AU Commission Chairperson Special Representative to Somalia Boubacar Diarra during the commemoration of the 49th anniversary of the Africa Day on Friday.

    The day celebrates the day that the Organisation of African Unity that transformed to the African Union in 2002 was founded.

  • ICC Appeals Chamber to Deliver Judgement on FDLR’s Mbarushimana

    On May 30, The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will deliver its judgment on the prosecution’s appeal challenging the refusal by the lower court to confirm charges against Callixte Mbarushimana, according to a press statement issued on Friday.

    Judges declined, by majority, to confirm the charges against Mbarushimana on December 16, 2011. Mbarushimana was released from custody a week later and taken to Paris.

    They found that there was not sufficient evidence to establish substantial grounds to believe that Mbarushimana could be held criminally responsible for the crimes.

    The Prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo, had charged Mbarushimana with five counts of crimes against humanity (murder, inhumane acts, rape, torture, and persecution) and eight counts of war crimes (attacking civilians, murder, mutilation, cruel treatment, rape, torture, destruction of property and pillaging).

    Confirmation of charges hearing was held from 16 to 21 September 2011. He was surrendered to the custody of the ICC by French authorities on January 25, 2011, in accordance with the warrant of arrest delivered against him on September 28, 2010.

    On May 14, 2012, Moreno Ocampo requested the judges to issue an arrest warrant against Rwandese rebel leader, Sylvestre Mudacumura, for crimes against humanity and war crimes, allegedly committed between 20 January 2009 and 31 August 2010, in North and South Kivu Provinces.

    Mudacumura is the field commander of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) whose leaders are believed to have taken part in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

  • Bank Populaire To Cash Cheques After 24Hours

    Clients intending to cash cheques of more than Frw300,000 at Bank Populaire will nolonger be able to do so but wait for upto 24hours after depositing the cheque.

    This announcement follows the Banks measures to deal with an increasing number of Cheque fraud at the bank says the bank’s manager Konde Bugingo.

    It is two weeks now since the bank decided to stop paying cash but this decision has taken many of their clients by surprise, most of whom learn of the sudden changes upon reaching the teller.

    Others have however welcomed the move saying it will minimize theft.
    Bugingo said that theft using counterfeit cheques had increased significantly adding that more time is needed to ascertain the authenticity of every cheque.

    The management of BPR further explained that they are gathering statistics to deduce the number of cheque frauds. The management said that the bank comes across four or five cheque frauds every two months.

    Following these cases, BPR has asked its clients to utilize other forms of payments and money transfer without necessarily using cheques.

  • African Judicial Systems Urged To Strengthen Capacity

    During the 10th Annual meeting of EAC magistrates and Judges Association, African judicial systems have been urged to strengthen their capacity in carrying out trials as opposed to Criminals being tried at The Hague based International Criminal Court.

    The President of Rwanda’s Supreme Court Prof. Sam Rugege told media that President Kagame supports fully a proper functioning judiciary and it should be supported at all fronts because it is one of the pillars of development.

    Prof. Rugege stressed that Africans who have committed crimes in African countries should be tried by African courts.

    “There is no full independence if the ICC singles out African countries and ignores war crimes committed elsewhere.”

    He recommended good governance and curbing conflicts among populations as the answer to these issues.

    He explained that in the event of continued conflict, regional courts such as the East African Court of Justice should intervene, However, their capacity needs to be driven by political will from all member states.

  • Umuganda To Be Strengthened

    President Paul Kagame on Saturday noted that Community Work (Umuganda) will continue and shall be strengthened.

    President Kagame was also participating in the monthly community work with residents of Rebero hill at Kigarama sector in Kicukiro district. Various government officials also accompanied the President.

    Kagame said, “Umuganda has gained more strength and is a good culture of uniting efforts. Umuganda is not only a sign of good deeds in Rwanda but also worldwide and this gives more value to Rwandans. this is why we have to continue with Umuganda”.

    The president urged Rwandans to be proud and accord themselves value while united to develop the country.

    Paul Jules Ndamage the Mayor of Kicukiro also noted that more attention would be given to Rebero Hill to fight against soil erosion.

  • Rulindo : Illegal Gold Mining Ditches Suspended

    Illegal Gold mining ditches in Rulindo district have been suspended and closed off by district authorities during the monthly community work that was conducted on Saturday in the district.

    District authorities argue that the illegal gold mining activities in Rukozo of Rulindo district and neighbouring Miyove of Gicumbi district have been a threat and to environment thus leading to their suspension.

    Justus Kangwange the Mayor of Rulindo district commended the move of indefinitely suspending the mining ditches in the district.

    Kangwagye noted that gold mining at Mukaka swamp had severely damaged the area and affecting the environment saying nobody will be allowed to continue with gold search at the swamp.

    He also insisted only legalized mining of precious metals will be allowed in both Rulindo and Gicumbi districts.

    The mayor also requested Miyove prison to give a helping hand in rehabilitating the dug-up swamp of Miyove by re-filling the mining ditches.

    Kangwagye promised that both Rulindo and Gicumbi districts will establish anti poverty campaigns to help former illegal miners.

    Bosenibamwe Aimé the governor of Nothern province noted that efforts are being strengthened to fight against drug abuse and narcotics.