Author: b_igi_adm1n

After decades of accommodation shortages at NUR, a sustainable solution is yet to be reached as the university in collaboration with Social Security Fund and Real Constractors is building new hostels with a capacity to accommodate 1200 students.

These three new buildings are situated next to the new ICT laboratory that was recently inaugurated by president Kagame and each bloc will have capacity to accommodate 400 students.

“These hostels have come at the right time owing to the fact that the University is accommodating beyond its capacity and students are sharing a bed. But once the new hostels are in place we hope the pressure to reduce on both students and the university,” MUHIMA Christopher the NUR guild president said.

He further said that the facilities will help students improve on their research as they will be staying near the library, classrooms and laboratories.

“It is projected education performance will improve as students who have been staying outside the campus will now be on campus near all academic facilities like the ICT laboratory, classrooms- Batima central, the NUR library and other recreation facilities on campus”.

Nambajimana Marien a final year student in the faculty of Arts, Media and Social Science expressed appreciation to the university management, government and donors for their efforts in putting up the complex saying:

“These hostels have come as a solution to the problem that has for years been experienced by the university community.

“Accommodation costs outside the campus are expensive ranging from Frw10, 000-Frw60, 000 which most of us can’t afford. We hope that the cost will be fair and moderate for all students to afford.”

She told our reporter that these hostels will at large end the insecurity problems encountered by students who stay outside the campus, “Theft is rampant outside the university as thieves regularly break into students “Ghetto” during class hours and in the night when students are in the auditorium or in the library.

“ Also for the girls who stay outside are always at a security risk when living the campus late in the night from their study and these hostels will solve all these inconveniencies” he observed.

The difference these hostels have is that they will have supermarkets, a medium entertainment hall, and cafeterias as told by Mr. Sinzi Tharcisse NUR director of estates at the university.

“According to plans, these hotels should be handed to the NUR by the constructors on 15th October this year to be availed to students this coming academic year due to start on 31st October.”

“Negotiations are underway between NUR and SSFR to equip the complex with all necessary beddings and furniture in the rooms,” Sinzi told our reporter in a telephone interview.

Rwandan government will this week host a national roundtable workshop to discuss the main findings that were raised during the Country Program that was conducted by the International Fund Agriculture Development( IFAD.

The workshop is scheduled on Sept. 29, at Lemigo Hotel with MINAGRI as the main organizer. It is preceded by a field visit on Sept. 27 and 28, in all provinces.

Foste Uwumuremyi, a Finance Management Specialist in MINAGRI told igihe.com that the workshop is intended to validate the report compiled by CPE and devise the way forward thereafter.

Prior to the workshop, there will be the signing of an agreement between MINICOFIN and IFAD

Since 1981, IFAD has financed 13 rural development programs and projects in Rwanda for a total amount of US$149.9 million.

The financing provided by IFAD consists of loans on highly concessional terms and since 2008, full grant funding has been based on the Debt Sustainability Framework.

There are currently two generations of IFAD-financed programs and projects. The first, designed during the 1980s and 1990s, included integrated rural development programs and projects.

The programs and projects’ aim to develop the agricultural sector in specific parts of the country by identifying all related elements and linking them together.

Among others, the project that is still active in this regard is the Umutara Community Resource and Infrastructure Development Project (PDRCIU).

Projects of the second generation, in place since the mid-1990s, call for activities that have an impact beyond the local level.

They focus on a single aspect of rural development, such as market access or agricultural production and its relation to government policy-setting or other national initiatives already in place, to favor their replication in the rural environment.

According to Uwumuremyi, the IFAD also supports different Rwandan initiatives including Support Project for the Strategic Transformation of Agriculture (PAPSTA), and Kirehe Community Based Watershed Management Project (KWAMP) among others.

IFAD is also hosting the Second Global AgriKnowledge Share Fair that set off today Sept. 26, in Rome.

This is intended to provide a forum for participants to learn and share knowledge, experience and innovations on emerging trends relating to agriculture, climate change, food security, mobile technology, social media and influence future rural development activities.

It attracted the UN food and agriculture agencies and other partners and will run up to Sept. 29.

The Indian-based telecommunication company that were earlier this month granted license to launch 2G and 3G mobile services in Rwand September 23 announced the appointment of the Country Manager, Marcellin Paluku.

Paluka, with over 15 years field familiarity at FMCG and telecom companies including Coca-Cola and Celtel, worked across the continent, has been the Commercial Director at Airtel DR Congo where he played a role in ensuring Airtel’s position in send largest country in Africa.

Jayant Khosla, CEO Anglophone Africa said of Paluka’s appointment: “Rwanda is a market with great growth potential. As with all our operations, the leadership team in Airtel Rwanda will be made up of passionate and experienced Rwandans who are committed to our goal of providing world class mobile broadband services.”

The Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Airtel Limited Sunil Mittal had previously observed that Rwanda is a key telecom market in the Region.
He said that Rwanda’s market has immense growth potential noting that it will strengthen Bharti airtel’s footprint in East Africa.

“We are pleased to be part of the vision of the government of Rwanda to take telecommunications forward as a priority,” Mittal told the press after being awarded the license in Kigali.

Bharti Airtel becomes the third mobile telecommunication operator after MTN Rwanda, said to be with 2,824,874 subscribers and TIGO Rwanda with 1,300,159 subscribers in an over 10 million population.

One of the top world’s telecommunication services provider acquired Kuwait-based Zain Telecom for about US $10.7 billion.

Approximately Frw 59Bn is up to be invested for operations to set off.

This comes soon after commercial court of Nyarugenge ruled that Rwandatel should liquidate its assets in order to pay debts amounting to US$ 88.9 million.

This came after Rwanda’s Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA) withdrew Rwandatel’s GSM Mobile license in April this year, where within weeks, the Office of the Registrar General had instituted insolvency proceedings against the company.

Theobald Mporanyi, the chairman of parliamentary commission in-charge of fighting HIV/AIDS has started a campaign to equip all schools with condoms including primary schools.

“As far as we’re targeting those in high school the awareness should also be spread to those in primary level since there are some who have reached their puberty stage and might be tempted to engage in unsafe sex,” the MP insisted.

He adds that, despite the fact that some are against his idea, the awareness should be harnessed in religious institutions and households.

In this campaign he’s not alone, a few NGO’s in charge of teaching the youth sexual and reproductive education are supportive, and they include Health Development Initiative-Rwanda (HDI), Amir Ihorere Munyarwanda and Rwanda’s NGO’s Forum on AIDS.

Christine Calouro from HDI noted that the teachings will focus more on abstinence, how to avoid unwanted pregnancies as well as Sexual Transmitted Diseases (STD’s).

“All these impediments can be avoided by the use of condoms and there’s no shame in encouraging the youth to take the precautions, and since most of them start having sex at a younger age, it’s a high time we stand as a community to emphasize the use of condoms”.

Mporanyi was also quick to point out that, children ought to be taught the importance of a condom at a younger age, even those who have not reached their puberty since it will improve their understanding on unsafe sex.

“Primary teachers who mostly are objective to the idea should include the use of condoms in their curriculum, like all my kids, some in primary school are aware of it and sometimes I give them the packets of condom to educate their peers,” he pointed out.

The team intends to meet with various leaders and policy makers, especially in the education sector to find relevant mechanisms to implement their agenda.

This follows the high rate of secondary students and a few in primary pupils contracting HIV while some drop out of school due to unwanted pregnancies.

“Statistics of 2005 show that only 13% of young women and 10% of young men aged 15-19 reported condom use, but now the figures have worsen due to inaccessibility of condoms.

Subject to provisions of the Rwandan Constitution, Article 82 of the 2003 Constitution, former heads of state are permitted to be members of the senate for a term of 8years however this is not in favor of the 5th Rwandan president Pasteur Bizimungu who lead the country from 19th July 1994 to 23rd march 2000 when he resigned.

Shortly after his resignation, Pasteur Bizimungu was convicted of serious crimes that threatened National Security and in July 2004 was sentenced to 15years in jail by the Supreme Court.

These crimes are what striped off his rights to join the Rwandan senate any time as told by the chairman of the Rwandan Electro Commission Prof.

Karangwa Chrysologue who said that Bizimungu was charged with serious offenses to the extent that he cannot be allowed a sit in the senate.

In a press conference with journalists this Friday Prof. Karangwa said “Our National Constitution permits former presidents to sit in the senate only if their term in office is not accused of grievances. But it’s not a guarantee that they will serve in the senate because they have to publicly request for it.”

Our constitution obliges former presidents who wish to join the senate to submit his candidature to the Supreme Court which will then decide on whether to give a green light to the candidate.

In 2007 Pasteur Bizimungu was released on presidential pardon after serving 3years.

On the other side, the commission noted that the campaigns for the senatorial aspirants in general went as planned and well with 58 candidates contesting for the 14 seats in the senate.

The election event is scheduled today Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th September 2011 with 12 candidates from their respective Provinces and the rest from public and private universities.

The Ugandan born initiative, Inspire Africa, that recently launched its operations in Rwanda and Burundi Sunday September 25, visited Kigali Genocide Memorial Center-Gisozi paying tribute to victims of the 1994 Tutsi genocide.

The initiative after the visit called for the African states to draw from Rwandan genocide and ensure that genocide never explodes elsewhere.

The co-founder and Chief Executive officer of Inspire Africa Nelson Tugume that led the youth delegation noted, “Personally what I have seen is groaning only and I don’t know the reason behind the cause because as Africans we are one.”

“As Africans I don’t see why genocide should be inevitable. We have to stand up together, stop riots like those in Tripoli and the rest as the root cause to genocide,” he added.

Tugume also said that all are caused by the poor leadership and that as Africans there is a need for good leadership that won’t take people back to the worst history.

The Inspire Africa principally targets young and successful entrepreneurs in Africa, whose desire is to enthuse other young people willing to make it to the summit of the business world.

Inspire Africa is a human capital development organization with the sole goal of engineering successful entrepreneurship in Africa through identifying the best business minds and supporting their entrepreneurial cause.

Nobel Peace prize winner Wangari Maathai of Kenya has died after a long battle with cancer. The first African woman Nobel Peace laureate passed away in Nairobi on Sunday, September 25 at 10:00 P.M. local time.

Youth Scouts at Kanombe in Kicukiro district are dedicated to environmental protection through nature gardening and tree planting in schools and other areas.

The scouts seek to leave the world with more beautiful sceneries like it was naturally created.

Over100 Scouts grouped in what they called Groupe Buffre courage, they say the initiative fits well in their main objectives as said by the leader Maulidi Nyandwi during the voluntary communal service that was done Sunday morning at Kasanze secondary school at Kanombe.

Nyandwi noted; “We participate in the program to create awareness about environmental protection and to provide more protection about it.”

Among other members; Yves Mugiraneza commonly known as Bonheur Okapi Docile as a Scout name said, “I am used to the program of planting trees because its among our objectives as Scouts to beautify the world better than we found it.”

Djuma Nsanzimana in charge of mobilizing Rwandans about the environment said that the campaign is for all Rwandans at all levels.

He said that REMA works with the MINEDUC on environmental protection in a government program; Green School. “The program will create awareness among the young people to understand the importance of environment.”

Scouts were formed together with Guides in 1907 by Lt. Gen Robert Baden Powell.

Carl Wilkens an American citizen who witnessed the Rwandan Tutsi genocide of 1994 will share his experience at Bellarmine University on Tuesday, September 27 at the Amy Cralle Theater.

Carl Wilkens is the former head of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA) in Rwanda that chose to remain in the country during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

Wilkens sent his wife and children away and remained to help prevent the massacre of 400 Rwandan orphans at the hands of the Hutu militia.

He is the author of I’m Not Leaving (2011), a memoir about his experience while in Rwanda in 1994, and was featured in Frontline’s “Ghosts of Rwanda”.

His humanitarian work has been recognized with a 2005 Medal of Valor from the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Wilkens’ visit is cosponsored by the QEP and the Bellarmine chapter of STAND, a student anti-genocide coalition.

Jean de Dieu Mucyo, the Executive Secretary of Rwanda National Commission against Genocide had recently in an interview with igihe.com recommended on Wilkens’s genocide testimonies and documentation.

Mucyo said, “wilkens came to Rwanda during the 15th genocide commemoration and gave us testimony about his life in Rwanda during the genocide. His speeches and writings are really based on the truth about the 1994 mayhem”.

Bellarmine University is an independent, private, Catholic university in Louisville Kentucky. The liberal-arts institution opened on October 3, 1950, as Bellarmine College, established by Archbishop John A. Floersh of the Archdiocese of Louisville and named after the Cardinal Saint Robert Bellarmine.

Rwanda has always been ready to welcome home all Rwandan refugees living in Cameroon.

Ambassador Gerard Ntwari (below)requested the Rwandan community in Cameroon to return back home assuring them that there was no need of fleeing the country because no Rwandan should remain a refugee.

Rwandan refugees in Cameroon presented their problems to the government delegation headed by Rwandan Ambassador to Senegal; Gerard Ntwali.

“Since 2003 the government of Rwanda has been ready to welcome you back home.Till now government is willing to welcome back all Rwandan refugees all over the world,” said Ambassador Ntwali.

Rwanda in partnership with the UNHCR agreed to process the returning of Rwandan refugees to Rwanda.

Ntwali added that since 2003, 2004, 2005 until now refugees are still coming back home safely.

Rwandan refugees in Cameroon suggested that the UNHCR should send to Rwanda a team to check whether what the Ambassador said is real.

The Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (MIDIMAR) says that no Rwandan should remain a refugee effective January 2012.