Author: b_igi_adm1n

Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo have agreed to strengthen their collaboration in fighting epidemics in the region.

In a three day retreat involving health practitioners in Gisenyi town, the participants agreed on sharing resources at the same time improving primary health.

Uzziel Ndagijimana, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of health (MINISANTE) emphasized that a lot of efforts are being put in place to ensure quality healthcare in the rural areas.

The Belgian Development Cooperation (BTC) through its health projects has been equipping rural hospitals with medical equipments.

He further revealed that Korean government is about to donate two mobile clinics which will operate like an ambulance but with more sophisticated tools and services.

“The aim is to deliver better medical services in the rural areas, on top of that we intend to construct more health centers since our target is ensuring that patients walk for less than an hour to receive treatment,” he explained.

The Permanent secretary further pointed out that ministry of health intends to buy more ambulances, the target being at least five ambulances in every district.

“We’re not far from achieving this since most districts have four ambulances,” Ndagijimana said.

Karel Gyselink, the president of Because-Health who was also one of the retreat’s sponsors stressed the need of implementing quality health services at the grass root level.

Here he meant that, health centers for instance ought to be in a capacity to offer basic medical services like minor surgeries, psychotherapy and other emergency healthcare services.

He also commended the retreat especially on experience sharing whereby best practices are expected to be integrated.

“I’m so fascinated with Rwanda’s health insurance mutuelle de santé but I recommend that there should me more counselors in local dispensaries,” he remarked.

He emphasized that as far as Rwanda is progressing in offering curative and preventive medication literally meaning healing patients physically, mental health on the other part is also important.

He referred to DRC for instance, where a society meets and discusses openly some of the issues they facing such domestic violence, drug abuse or even economic issues, indeed this has helped improve the mental health of a community and has reduced cases of depression and trauma.

In terms of collaboration, Dr. Ferrand Katembe from DRC’s Kasai district noted that joint effort was timely, especially now when there’s outbreak of chicken pox disease in minors.

“This disease is believed to come from Burundi and it has spread through movements at the borders,” said Katembe.

The government through MINAGRI will contribute 50% of the organic fertilizers to the three main crops, Maize, Wheat and Beans to the farmers growing such crops to assist them increase the productivity.

This was announced during a press briefing held in the morning of Sept. 16, at MINAGRI head offices chaired by the Permanent Secretary Ernest Ruzindaza that was intended to announce season ‘A’ annual preparations to the farmers.

According to Ruzindaza, major factors that will make the season successful include consolidating of land use by farmers, applying productivity inputs to the gardens like fertilizers, and entering into cooperatives in order to work as a team which will increase production.

Due to the proper usage of organic fertilizers, the Permanent Secretary says one of the priority crops, maize increased from 1 ton per hector due to 6 tons.

Innocent Musabyimana, the Deputy Director General RAB-Agriculture Extension at the meeting said, “We are giving 50% organic fertilizers and link the farmers of priority crops who are organized into cooperatives with consolidated lands to the market centers.”

He added that government is also promoting storage facilities to avoid fluctuation of prices to the market and that others are also linked to the schools for supplies.

According to Musabyimana, for the season ‘A’ to be successful, a lot is required from farmers like consolidating the land at the village, sector and cell levels, with intention to increase production upon the agreed crops to be grown.

This he explained will make it easy for the government to provide assistance like searching for the market of the crop harvests.

“We are in the peak period of our season ‘A’ preparation which is the main important annual season that we expect more production in agriculture because it is the season that has enough rain.

“We are therefore mobilizing our stakeholders (farmers) to pray important role for it(season) to be successful.” said Musabyimana.

MINAGRI also calls for local government authorities down to the village, cell, sector and district level to get involved in the campaign of consolidating land use by the farmers in order to increase crop production and ensure food security.

Land use consolidation in this regard mean bringing together of different parcels owned by different people intended to grow and benefit on one crop agreed by these people. The plot therefore, remains in the hands of the owner.

An extensive world development report on Gender will be launched during the scheduled World Bank meeting to take place in Washington DC late this month.

The report which will be titled ‘Gender equality and development’ is expected to avail findings on how really Gender equality matters and a key development issue.

“The data in the forthcoming Gender report is going to boldly ascertain that Gender equality does really matter and a key development issue and what we are trying to do now is to come up with data that would at least put those things that we have all believed.”

“Development communities have believed that Gender equality matters, we always have the action plans but we never come up with a proof of why really this is important,” . Omomunmi Mimi Lapido, the World Bank Country Manager in Kigali said in interview with Igihe.com.

Ladipo said that the report is expected to address the kind of assets that women have which can make them productive.

She said that the report would really avail data which will help governments to create opportunities for women and increasing women’s opportunity in agribusiness, giving them access to technology market information, and make them access to mobile phones.

The World Bank technocrat also said it was important to help women have access to finance and governments to have laws in place to enable them have rights to inherit lands.

According to Ladipo, the report will give data which will make governments determine how to reduce female mortality in Africa generally.

“In the African region and Rwanda in terms of women endowment, the focus should be the need to work on reducing female mortality, there are far too many women still dying at child birth,” she said.

“We believe by focusing on all those areas, we will see the returns to growth and development. We would like to see how governments adopt the pro-Gender friendly policies and how do they streamline that into their development programmes,” Ladipo emphasized.

The regional Rusumo Hydroelectric Falls and Multipurpose Project is expected to increase power production in Burundi, Rwanda, and Tanzania by developing a common hydropower facility of 90 MW in the Kagera River Basin along with the associated transmission lines.

According reliable information availed to igihe.com, the project will also contribute to the community development near the project area through related social and environmental programs that might include watershed management, and improved access to electricity.

This was revealed during the 13th Project Implementation Committee (PIC) meeting that ended September 14, here in Kigali. The meeting had attracted experts from the three countries that will benefit in the project.

The investment costs for both generation plant and transmission lines is estimated to cost about U.S$340 million excluding compensation of families evicted and the project study will run until December this year.

Subsequent implementation and financing takes effect in 2012 while project implementation will set off in 2013 up to 2016.

The implementation committee (PIC) was preceded by the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting which was held between September 12th -13th.

The advisory committee (TAC) assists the PIC in advising and supervising the preparation and implementation of the Rusumo project which is in essence, a Transboudary project, cooperatively developed and run by the three member countries within the Nile Basin Initiative framework.

While at the meeting, the implementation committee (PIC) discussed the progress made on the preparation of the Rusumo project and approved recommendations made by the TAC with regards to the development of project at Intermediate Development Scheme at 1323.5 meters above sea level.

On the Institutional and Financial arrangements, the PIC approved the strengthening of the project management unit at Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Plan (NELSAP) and gave a go ahead with the finalization of various project-related documentation.

Project Implementation Committee also announced the rotation in the chairmanship of the PIC and Burundi, which was holding the chairmanship handed over to Rwanda effective September 2011 for one year.

It is a tradition within NBI to rotate this position on an annual basis among Member States in alphabetical order.

The power plant that includes the construction of the dam is estimated to consume 1,100 hectares of Burundi’s land, 1,500 hectares on Rwanda, and 600 hectares of land in Tanzania.

Thousands of people will be evicted from the above chunks of land and will be resettled in other areas.