Author: b_igi_adm1n

Six children died and sixteen families left homeless after succumbing to a destructive heavy down pour on Sunday that caused landslides in Kinyababa, Butaro, Burera district and areas of Rusarabuge both in the northern province.

The mayor of Burera Samuel Sembagare told Igihe.com reporter that two girls in Rusumo cell in Butaro sector on Sunday night passed away as heavy rolling stones from the mountains hit their bedroom.

Another child from the same family survived the accident and is now in hospital under treatment. However, the parents of the victims luckily escaped the hit as they were in a distant room.

The deceased were aged 14 and 7 while the injured who is 15 explained the incident from Kinyababa sector. Three girls also died due to landslides the same night while their parents narrowly escaped death.

In Rusarabuge sector, a female aged 18 recently passed away when she drowned in a river as she was going for a weeding. The body of victim was found a few days later after the incident.

“It’s a disaster and disasters have no appointments with anyone. Normally we don’t experience such heavy rains but we are in a mountainous area and rock in this area is soft. Hadn’t the people cut down the trees and bamboo we planted in the past the danger wouldn’t have been immense,” The district mayor explained.”

This was confirmed by Mr. Christophe Nzabikorera in charge of finance and administration in the ministry of disaster and refugee repatriation (MIDMAR) who acknowledged that too much bamboo had been cleared and the landscape is now almost bare.

Nzabikorera said that at the moment the ministry is working hand in hand with the district administration to help survivors and those left homeless.

Journalists counted 16 houses demolished by the landslide and the homeless have so far been given shelter at Butaro Center while others are sheltering with neighbors.

The mayor assured reporters that measures are under way to completely end these disastrous incidents in the areas by emphasising on Midugudu settlements.

“Every body’s participation is needed. We shall get support from the government, local administration not forgetting the community service by the locals to help our brothers and sisters who have become victims of the landslides.

He proposed to MINAGRI to quickly deliver maize seeds to the region. “Let them help us so that we don’t fall victims of famine because we have lost more than 100 hectares of potatoes we were expecting to harvest.”

“We request the ministry of infrastructure to help us construct our bridges because they were damaged and rehabilitation requires a lot of skills we can’t afford.”

The innovative Star Construction Company Ltd has been the first company in Rwanda to make concrete windows and door frames. The company also makes ‘concrete curved blocks for building underground and above ground water tanks’.

Eng. Dedeki Papias Kazawadi(photo below) is the local proprietor and the company’s Managing Director of the two projects told igihe.com that: “I just got the idea about the projects, sat down at my workplace, initiated them and it has really worked out as I expected.”

Kazawadi said that, while initiating Concrete Blocks Water Tanks, he learnt the idea from the internet research, got in touch with a U.K based company called Parry Associate via emails to learn more about the project and he was then able to take over six months while bringing the idea into practice.

Since 2003, the concrete blocks for water tanks made of locally available resources, have been successfully installed and supplied to different parts of the country including; Kigali, Kayonza, Nyagatare, and Bugesera with the storage capacity ranging in 3 m3 and 200m3 depending on the size needed by the client.

Kazawadi also narrates that he bought the idea of concrete door frames and window frames from an Indian Lecturer at Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) who told him how it works successfully in India.

“The lecturer just told me how the project is useful in India and as a pacesetter I asked myself why not Rwanda. I therefore sat down and brought the Lecturer’s idea into action,” he pointed out.

He said that such frames that were initiated in 2009 are cheap, modernized when it comes to the fast developing Rwanda, and long lasting.

Kazawadi said that among other objectives, the company intends to offer well researched, highly pertinent technologies that are result-oriented to the clients’ long-term development project proposals.

Star Construction so far deals with two subsidiary units- Concrete products that compile culverts, curbstones, hollow and solid blocks, paving blocks, and ventilation blocks.

And Contracts that compiles building construction works, irrigation works water tanks and maintenance services.

The firm has over 50 employees with about 23 permanent workers that are well trained in their fields.

Kazawadi also said that all employees recently went through one month training by Senior Expert Services from Germany under GTZ and WDA to improve on skills.

According to Kazawadi, the general hindrance to the construction sector in Rwanda is that there is no legal framework from the government to appraise and streamline stakeholders in the sector and he advises government to look into the matter.

The company that started slowly in 1996 and improved operations in 2001 expects annual revenues of approximately Frw 400 million this year.

With much enthusiasm and untiring fortitude, Kazawadi hopes to increase the company’s annual revenues to at least Frw 1Bn.

Who is Kazawadi

He is a Construction and Management engineer with a diploma in Architecture having more than 15 years practical experience in private entrepreneurship, leadership, construction company management, concrete products production for selling, marshlands irrigation and buildings construction works.

The management experience gained ranges from project management, costing and estimating, manpower and materials planning, contract negotiations, team building and leadership with ability to motivate; guide and coach towards managing projects to achieve full lifecycle project targets within budget limitations and strict deadlines.

The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) recently opened a liaison office in Istanbul, Turkey.

The office shall facilitate RDB to efficiently attract Turkish business community that would develop interest of investing in Rwanda.

In a colorful ceremony, the opening of new office in Turkey attracted Rwandan dignitaries led by John Gara the Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Development Board.

“Turkey’s strategic location, between Europe and Asia, ensures possibility of attracting investment from the region. There has already been expression of interest in the mining, real estate and infrastructure development sectors,” Gara stated at the opening ceremony.

Gara added that other than attracting investors, the office will also help in responding to investors inquiries and identifying local companies that Turkish companies would partner with in Rwanda.

The office would also serve to facilitate Rwandan investors wishing to carry out their business operations within Turkey and in the region.

Present was also Louise Mushikiwabo Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Inanc Cifti Rwanda’s honorary Consul in Turkey.

Others were Francois Kanimba the Rwandan Minister of Trade and Industry, Albert Nsengiyumva the Minister of Infrastructure and Faustin Kananura Mbundu the Chairman of Private Sector federation.

At the opening of this new RDB office, a number of renowned companies expressed interest in investing in Rwanda including Tahincioglu and Nova, Hakan Mining and charcoal, Baycan, Petroland, among others. These companies will be visiting Rwanda before the end of the month.

In related development Rwanda’s consulate office has also been opened by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The Independent Institute of lay Adventists of Kigali (INILAK) is organizing a splendid event for the first time in history of the institution to crown the pioneer beauty queen on 25th September2011

The voting system via internet is in progress effective of Monday morning.

Out of 15 ladies that participated in the pre-selection, only six contestants have so far confirmed to battle for the crown and break the record of the Institute since it was established.

INILAK has got different branches in the country; the event comes after INATEK and KIST

Local artist Prince Kid is one of the event organisers, speaking to igihe.com said, INILAK has branches in Rwamagana and Nyanza, Miss INILAK will represent the combined campuses in general.

Apart from Miss INILAK, First and Second Run-ups the 2011Miss INILAK will vote for Miss Photogenic and Miss Popular.

“Though it is INILAK’s first time to organize such event, it will be very interesting, where we have support from the University and local investors like the Big Deal Africa and Manor Hotel which promised to cater of the Miss to keep her figure” Prince Kid explained.

“Now the doors are open for people that wish to see contestants modeling as now they are amazing and on my point of view, they are all beautiful though all can’t win for one position” Prince Kid Said.

“We did not face challenges so far as our first time to organize such an event, because contestants were proud of the event and the judges are among the best we have got in the country furthermore we still keep them a secret to avoid cheating” he said

Miss INILAK will be announced this Sunday the 25th/09/2011 and entrance fee will be Frw 5000 in VIP and Frw 1000 the rest, during the event, different artists; Jay Polly, Dream Boys, Allioni, The Brothers, Prince Kid and Kitoko will entertain the audience.

The Independent Institute of Lay Adventists of Kigali – INILAK was founded in 1997 by FAPADER, an Association of Adventist Parents for the development of Education in Rwanda.

INILAK has three campuses, notably the one housing its Head Office located at the heart of Kigali City, Gasabo District, and its branches in, Nyanza District, Southern Province, and Rwamagana in Eastern province.

For the moment, INILAK delivers Bachelor’s Degrees.

Rwanda’s powerful Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) has grown bigger following the addition into the council of Andrew Mwenda a veteran journalist,Clever Gatete the Governor of the Rwanda National Bank, and Rode Renolds the CEO of Scotia bank in Europe.

This was in New York in the US where the PAC members convened. The PAC convenes twice every year. PAC members meet to exchange on the problems facing the country and adopt strategies to push Rwanda towards further development.

Discussions at the meeting chaired by President Paul Kagame centered mainly on the European and US debt crisis, its impact on the Rwandan economy as well as harnessing social media development in the country.

Two presentations made included, the impact of the global financial crisis and the European and US debt crisis on Rwanda presented by the governor of the Rwanda National Bank and the minister of finance and economic planning while Louis Mushikiwabo Foreign Affairs and Cooperation minister talked about harnessing social media development in Rwanda.

Speaking to reporters the minister said the discussions were timely especially considering the status-quo of Rwanda’s economy.

One of the attendees Dell Dolson the director of bridge Rwanda and the chairman of the newly established E-SOKO institute said the institute has been established in line with the most of the issues raised during the meeting.

“The discussions point to the impact of the global situation especially onto Rwanda’s economy and Africa in general. If you create jobs, you create a buffer against the uncertainty of the global economy.”

The PAC also received new members during the New York meeting. They are Andrew Mwenda a veteran journalist,Clever Gatete the Governor of the Rwanda National Bank, and Rode Reynolds the CEO of Scotia bank in Europe.

The president of Rwanda Senate Dr Vincent Biruta has called upon Rwandans to follow activities of the parliament because it is their right to be informed. He urged them to regularly visit the senate.

Dr. Biruta suggested that citizens have the responsibility to propose bills to the house for review.

The remarks were made at TELECOM house while the senate president was explaining to the public achievements made by the Senate as it is almost winding up its semester that begun in 2003.

However, in 2004, the senate acquired new members whose term of office shall expire next year.

On the control and evaluation of activities Biruta noted that the different monitoring and evaluation commissions were set up including; the special commission in charge of FARG, and the special commission in charge calamities.

The senate in its mandate also conducted several researches and analysed several reports from different commissions.

However, challenging queries were raised on the imbalance, quality and corruption while applying for jobs in public institutions. Dr. Biruta explained to the audience that the senate has worked hard on the issue in relation to the law so that injustice and corruption could be eliminated.

Former Gishwati residents welfare was another issue that was posed to the speakers and honorable Speciose Ayinkamiye explained that the senate is aware and monitoring its developments closely.

Dr. Biruta however, reminded Rwandans to locally resolve their problems before approaching the senate for reactions.

Dr. Mike Amour(photo below), an American expert on leadership skills will this Thursday start offering trainings to University students, government officials and company Chief Executive Officers.

His lectures in Rwanda will be the first of the kind in Africa and will focus on management skills, trust among employees and employers, and how leaders inspire and motivate those they lead.

According to Amour also a retired US navy, good leadership applies to all aspects of life even in the army where soldiers win a battle through proper management as well as motivation from their commanders.

Amour is also founder and president of Strategic Leadership Development International (SLDI), an organization that provides leadership and development services.

He says that he was inspired by Rwanda’s governance credentials, especially on the country’s progress towards achieving developmental activities in its vision 2020 goals.

Due to this inspiration, Amour has decided to build his offices in Rwanda that will offer leadership courses to other African countries.

“At first I was convinced to open the African headquarters in Kenya’s capital Nairobi. However,after thoroughly checking Rwanda’s progress, I knew with no doubt that this was best country which should serve as example of good governance to the rest in the continent,” he remarked.

The World Bank flagship report on Gender equality and development released in Washington DC estimates an alarming figure of 3.9 million women that die every year in low and middle income countries.

According to a press release posted onto the Word Bank website, the world development report 2012 ‘Gender Equality and Development’ indicates the worst disparity of the rate at which girls and women die relative to men in developing countries.

The report suggests that about two-fifths are never born due to a preference for sons, a sixth die in early childhood, and over a third die in their reproductive years.

It calls for nations’ concerted efforts to empower women to achieve economic development indicating that Gender equality matters and also smart economics.

“Countries that create better opportunities and conditions for women and girls can raise productivity, improve outcomes for children, make institutions more representative, and advance development prospects for all,” the report reads in part.

However, the report suggest that lives of women around the world have improved dramatically making unprecedented gains in rights, education, health, and access to jobs and livelihoods.

Even though there is a notable progress in the lives of women, there are still gaps to be bridged that need policy makers’ attention, the report suggests.

According to the report, four priority areas have been identified for domestic policy action including reducing excess female mortality and closing education gaps , improving access to economic opportunities and limiting the reproduction of gender inequality across generations

While domestic policy action is crucial, the Report calls on the international community to complement efforts in the four priority areas and also support evidence-based public action through better data, impact evaluation and learning.

The analytical core of the Report focuses on the roles of economic growth, households, markets, and institutions in determining gender differences in education and health, agency, and access to economic opportunities.

According to the report, the number of female mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa increased to 1.18 million in 2008, compared to 639,000 in 1990.

So as the problem of girls who die during infancy and early childhood, the report calls for greater investments in adequate water, sanitation and waste disposal services.

It also suggest that lowering maternal mortality will require systemic improvements to the institutions that deliver medical care and services to expectant mothers.

“We need to achieve gender equality, over the past five years, the World Bank Group has provided $65 billion to support girls’ education, women’s health, and women’s access to credit, land, agricultural services, jobs, and infrastructure,” said World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick.

“The road to achieving the Millennium Development Goals in Africa can only be built on a gender inclusive agenda that unleashes the productive power of women,” said Obiageli Ezekwesili, World Bank Vice President for Africa.

“That agenda should advance women’s education and access to information, protect women’s rights, improve women’s access to agricultural inputs and security over their land, promote female entrepreneurship, and increase the participation of women in government and public life”. She added.

Christopher Bazivamo, Rwanda’s legislator at the East African Legislative Assembly has challenged ambitious youth to be patriotic, punctual and avoid selfishness to brighten their future.

Bazivamo said this during a Sunday Night live show where Tom Close and Kitoko featured as local music artists attracting a huge gathering.

“Every citizen must have a sense of duty in daily routine. You need to value your sense of duty are required and to fulfill, you first have to know what the duties are before implementing them.” He said.

The lawmaker urges youth to be smart in whatever they wish to accomplish since “you can’t pull off all your goals with no discipline.

“If it’s time for playing, reading, eating, do it at right time as it affects your mind system when you mix up things” he warned.

He lashed at the professional footballers saying some of them are more interested in minting money other than loving the career. “Rwandan football is like a lay where people conceal digging up money rather than loving the game, this pushes players to go where they can get money and sometimes they don’t play if not paid.”

“Seeking advice from different perspectives, to be acquainted with where things are wrong enables one t to improve. And to attain this you need to value and admire your workmates and the society which in turn generates positive outcomes to the society and awards you with trust at work,” he added.

The comments comes after FERWAFA officials resigned following the coach of Amavubi, apparently due to the poor performance that keeps the national team at the bottom of the continental football tournament.

Bazivamo argued Rwandan youth to develop career talents from villages, sectors, schools and districts more than recruiting from a broad.

He said that he likes local music and revealed that he a regular fan to Rugamba, Masabo and Impala due to the message their songs hold.

He lamented that the most shocking thing in his life, is when his wife and children were killed during 1994 Rwandan Tutsi Genocide “but after all that I strive to go on with my relatives to enjoy life”.

Christopher Bazivamo is presently an MP in EALA and before that, he was a Minister of land, Environment, Forestry, Water and Minerals, in 2003 and 2004 he was the Minister of Local Government, Community Development and Social Affairs.

In 2005 he was a Minister of Internal Security. In 2000, 2001 and 2002 he served as the Executive Secretary of the National Electoral Commission.

Preparations are under way to observe the annual International Day of Peace by commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples due to Sept. 21.

This is enforced by Rwanda’s National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) together with other national and international stakeholders.

The day was recommended in 1982 by the United Nation (resolutions 36/37 and 55/282), and the UN’s theme for International Day of Peace this year says ‘make your voice heard’ under the overall idea of peace and democracy.

In Rwanda, over the past two years, the International Day of Peace has been organized and celebrated under the lead of the United Nations Office in Rwanda.

This year, the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission as her mandate of coordinating all activities related to peace and unity requires, has decided to take the lead of organizing and coordinating this year’s celebrations.

According to the press statement from the NURC; Peace Day provides an important opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date.

“It is a day for all people to come together in a spirit of hope and possibility, with a unifying spirit of Peace and unity. Peace Day is beyond politics, religion, race, nationality, class and all other dividers.”

Among other Rwandan peace activists; Dieudonné Munyanshoza in the interview with igihe.com said, “This is a day for us all to celebrate because nothing can be reached upon without peace.”

He challenged the public stating; “We need each other in all activities because we share different experiences in life and we can’t reach that target without togetherness. Let’s put together for peace to prevail in our country and outside the world.”

Kizito Mihigo, Mani Martin, Sophie Nzayisenga, Kitoko Bibarwa, Eduard Bamporiki, Alpha Rwirangira, Marc Nsengiyaremye Marc and many more will be present at Amahoro Stadium for presentations, performances and testimonies.