Igihe

Category: News

  • Site Visits to Ashoka Fellows

    Ashoka, a civil society organization that identifies and supports the largest network of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs, will be hosting a “Social Entrepreneurship Safari” during Rwanda’s Global Entrepreneurship Week, from 12 to 18 November 2012.

    Ashoka’s Social Entrepreneurship Safari will include site visits with business, civil society and government leaders in Rwanda to four transformational social entrepreneurs Ashoka has identified in Rwanda—two of whom have already joined the global network of Ashoka Fellows.

    The systems-changing solutions these men and women have developed address some of Rwanda’s most urgent social problems in four important fields— health and nutrition, women’s empowerment, dairy quality assurance and agriculture.

    Julie Carney (Ashoka Fellow) tackles the problem of malnutrition in Rwanda by leveraging synergies between two sectors that have traditionally operated independently of each other—agriculture and healthcare.

    Her organization, Gardens for Health, is transforming healthcare centers so that they are able to provide agricultural extension services and psychosocial support to mothers affected by malnutrition, in addition to medical services.

    Felicite Rwemarika (Ashoka Fellow) is engaging women in Rwanda in the typically male-dominated sport of football as a way to enable them to gain full social and economic citizenship.

    By participating in sports, they are making a statement about what women can and will insist on doing to improve their lives and develop their communities.

    Through her organization, Association of Kigali Women in Sports (AKWOS), Felicite has also influenced policy and structural reform in government to further entrench sports for women and girls in and outside of formal education institutions.

    She is now focused on turning the teams of women into farming cooperatives so they can start engaging in group agri-business.

    David Mupenzi is boosting the productivity and competitiveness of Rwanda’s dairy sector by establishing the architecture for the promotion and application of regionally and nationally recognized quality standards of milk.

    His company, Dairy Quality Assurance Limited, has a lab based in Kigali that is providing milk testing services for collection centers and farmers at an incredibly low price that is less than 10% of the going market rate.

    Nicholas Hitimana is creating a new agricultural value chain in Rwanda that will be more competitive and based on sound social and environmental principles.

    Through his company, Ikirezi, Nicholas has introduced a new, though indigenous, type of cash crop to commercial farming in Rwanda—essential oils, such as geranium, patchouli and lemon grass. These generate more revenue and are less expensive to transport than colonial cash crops.

    He is also teaching organic farming so farmers can earn a price premium. Since 2006, Ikirezi has worked with 300 farmers and plans to work with an additional 1,200 in the next three to five years.

    “The objective of Ashoka’s Social Entrepreneurship Safari is to create an opportunity for people and institutions interested in social entrepreneurship to see great examples in action as well as to meet, interact with and learn from Rwanda’s most inspiring and visionary systems-changing social entrepreneurs,” said Nassir Katuramu, the Venture Program Manager at Ashoka in East Africa.

    Ashoka has elected and supported more than 3,000 social entrepreneurs in more than 70 countries to date.

    To learn more about Ashoka, watch the video below or visit our website at ashoka.org/eastafrica.

  • Ngororero Residents want Satinsyi Bridge Fixed

    The collapse of a major Bridge connecting sectors in Ngororero and Nyabihu districts has been a cause of concern among residents in the area.

    Residents say they are carried on peoples backs to cross river Satinsyi.

    The sick have to be carried across the river because the ambulance can access some areas across.

    The affected residents include those of Ngororero sector, Matyazo Sector and other parts of districts of Nyabihu and Musanze.

    School students are also finding it difficult to cross over the river to attend their studies.

    Residents want the Bridge fixed and seeking compensation caused by the collapse of the bridge which led to destruction of houses nearby.

  • M23 to Resume Fighting

    Uganda has requested M23 rebels in DRC not to resume fighting.

    The rebels had last week threatened to resume fighting against the DRC army.

    Okello Oryem, Uganda’s State minister for Foreign Affairs said, “I would urge the M23 to remain calm and collected because the peace process is still going. Let them cease fire as President Yoweri Museveni had told them.”

    The rebels stopped fighting in August after President Museveni met them in Kampala and told them to talk with the Kinshasa government.

    However, the leader of M23, Bishop Runiga Lugerero, told a press conference at the weeekend in Bunagana that Congolese President Joseph Kabila was not willing to talk peace.

    The rebel commander said his group was also opposed to the deployment of an international neutral force proposed after a series of meetings between leaders of countries which form the International Conference for Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) chaired by President Museveni.

  • Hong Kong Seizes $3.4m ivory From East Africa

    Hong Kong authorities have confiscated two shipping containers from Tanzania and Kenya loaded with jumbo tusks worth $3.4 million (about Sh5.4billion).

    This incident involving ivory weighing more than 3,628kg, could affect the country’s attempt to release into the international market its huge stock.

    Hong Kong customs officials as saying the containers arrived from Tanzania and Kenya. The agency seized a total of 1,209 pieces of ivory tusks and three pounds of ornaments from the two containers.

    The Hong Kong Customs department was kept on alert after a tip-off from Guangdong officials in China. On October 16, Hong Kong officers inspected a container from Tanzania purporting to contain plastic scrap and found $1.7 million worth of ivory.

    A day later, a second container from Kenya was seized with ivory valued at $1.7 million, according to Hong Kong Customs.

    Seven people, including one Hong Kong resident, have been arrested by Chinese authorities in connection with the cases, said a customs spokeswoman.

    Hong Kong is viewed as a transit point for the illegal ivory trade, feeding into increasing demands in China, according to an article published this week.

    Elephants are being killed in Africa at an alarming rate as international demand for ivory soars. Much of the demand comes from increasingly affluent Asian countries, particularly China and Thailand.

  • Korea Expands Development AID to Africa

    Korea and African nations sent relations to new highs as they wrapped up the 3rd Korea-Africa Forum in Seoul on Thursday, highlighting the East Asian nation’s pledge to contribute fresh military personnel to peacekeeping efforts in the restive Darfur region and South Sudan.

    The 3rd Korea-Africa Forum is the largest yet ― the marquee event of a week of “Korea-Africa Cooperation,” which brought together 150 delegates from 19 African nations and the African Union, including heads of state and foreign ministers.

    Nigerian Ambassador to Korea Desmond Akawor said that Korea’s pledge to peacekeeping in South Sudan is good, but “actions speak louder than words,” adding that it is important for Korea to engage in projects that have a regional impact, signaling out areas of agriculture and infrastructure, as well as peacekeeping operations.

    Korea had been mulling involvement in the Darfur peacekeeping effort, the United Nations Mission in Darfur, since as far back as 2008.

    Korea agreed on Thursday to dispatch 300 military personnel to Bor, a small town north of the South Sudan capital of Juba.

    “Progress has been made but more can be done,” Akawor said.

    He said that Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan promised he would look into complaints of unfair treatment faced by Nigerians working and living in Korea during a one-on-one meeting with Nigerian Foreign Minister Olugbenga Ayodeji Ashiru, who delivered a keynote speech at the forum.

    Nigeria is the second-largest oil exporter in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, last year surpassing Iran, and is the most populous country in Africa with 170 million. It opened diplomatic relations with South Korea in 1980, and it is the only African nation to have a full embassy in North Korea.

    “(Kim) promised to look into normalizing the visa situation faced by about 1,000 Nigerians,” Akawor said. There are 2,000 Nigerians in South Korea.

    “Korea’s approach to Africa is the right one,” said Angolan Ambassador to Korea Albino Malungo. “Korea is a genuine partner on developing Africa as a continent.” Angola opened its embassy in Korea in 2008.

    Korean development assistance in the region doubled twice in six years, with about $42 million in 2006, $100 million in 2009 and more than $200 million so far this year.

    “It was a good conference,” said Rwandan Ambassador to Korea Eugene S. Kayihura. “Of course, we want to attract more investment from Korea, but the relationship between Korea and Africa is a complex one. It involves agriculture, ICT, health and much more.” Like Angola, Rwanda opened its embassy here in 2008.

    This coincides with a jump in Korean involvement in global affairs broadly, including notable involvement in United Nations peacekeeping operations around the world.

    “Some 1,500 Korean personnel are deployed to 15 nations and 17 regions to actively participate in global problem solving, such as armistice observation and reconstruction support,” said Lee Young-geol, vice minister of Defense, in a speech during the forum’s peace and security session Wednesday.

    In addition to its new pledge of troops for the U.N. Mission in Darfur, Korea has troops deployed with peacekeeping missions off the coast of Somalia.

    The government’s troop deployment announcement comes just days after yet another soldier was killed there, this time a South African, in an ambush in which peace keepers returned fire.

    It’s the second fatal attack this month, after the killing of four Nigerian troopers on Oct. 2. A total of 43 U.N. personnel have been killed since the peacekeeping force was deployed at the end of 2007.

    Some 300,000 people have been killed in Darfur, Sudan’s westernmost province, since 2003, according to U.N. figures. Sudan’s government puts the death toll at 10,000.

    The Roh Mu-hyun administration in 2006 initiated Korea’s robust engagement with Africa, whose economic growth is fastest in the world.

    Korea’s piqued interest in Africa has generated enthusiasm in Africa for Korea, too. The number of embassies of African nations in Korea has jumped in recent years, most recently by Ethiopia. Seventeen of the 55 African nations now have full embassies here.

    Seven of the 10 fastest-growing economies in the world are in Africa and, despite the global financial crisis, Africa is expected to grow 4.5 percent this year, well above the world average.

    Korea struck a deal during the forum to dramatically increase development assistance in Africa and to establish a technology training center in Ethiopia.

    “We have an excellent relationship with Korea,” Ethiopian Ambassador to Korea Dibaba Abdeta said.

    “Korea’s engagement in Africa has seen a tremendous improvement since 2006,” said Kenyan Ambassador to Korea Ngovi Kitau. “Just look at the figures: trade growing by 60 percent in six years, investment by 80 percent and ODA by more than 260 percent.”

    “We’re moving in the right direction,” Kitau said.

    Korea’s African engagment is still playing catch up with China, which has long been a major investment player there, and Western nations like the United States, France and the United Kingdom.

    “With its limitless potential and growth, Africa has emerged as the last growth engine of the global economy,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Kim Sung-hwan in a welcome speech delivered at the beginning of the forum.

    KH

  • Akagera Aviation Wants to Be Regions Best

    Rwanda’s Leading private Aviation company Akagera Aviation has launched a campaign to showcase its products and services to the general public saying it intends to become a leading aviation company in the region.

    Akagera aviation showcased its helicopters normally used by tourists visiting Rwanda.

    The company also trains aviation engineers and also repairs fautly planes among other services.

    Akagera aviation says its not well known in the region because it has not invested in promotions..but has now embarked on a vigorous promotion campaign targeting the region.

  • France Says Ready to Work With Rwanda at UN

    France has announced, its ready to work with Rwanda after joining the Security Council of the UN as a non-permanent member.

    “We hope that Rwanda, as a new member of the Security Council, will fully contribute to the maintenance of peace and international security, in accordance with the role that is assigned to this chamber by the UN Charter,” said Philippe Lalliot, spokesman of the Quai d’Orsay, in a press briefing.

    Outside Rwanda, four other countries (Argentina, Australia, South Korea and Luxembourg) were elected as non-permanent members of the Security Council of the UN.

    France welcomed the five states of their election and congratulate them for non-permanent position to serve on the Council from 1 January 2013.

  • M23 Rebels Renamed ‘Congolese Revolutionary Army’

    M23 rebel movement leader Jean-Marie Runiga said M23 has changed its name and is preparing to fend off expected new attacks by the government army.

    “The M23 army… is now named the Congolese Revolutionary Army (ARC),” the group’s leader Jean-Marie Runiga said in a statement issued after a press conference on Saturday.

    Runiga accused the FARDC army of collaborating with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).

    DR Congo’s army has itself accused the M23 of collaborating with the FDLR in the east, a chronically unstable region that is home to numerous armed groups with murky allegiances and motives.

  • UNFPA Sued For Allowing Supply of Substandard Condoms

    A Ugandan businessman has dragged the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to court for allowing the importation of millions of substandard condoms currently in circulation.

    The Government of Uganda is also co-accused.

    Mr. Joseph Sseremba served the Ugandan Attorney General and UNFPA with a notice of intention to sue and demanded that condoms manufactured by five Asian companies be recalled within 45 days from the date he filed the notice (August 17).

    Sseremba named Indus Medicare from India and Karex Industries from Malaysia to have supplied the condoms. Other companies are Guilin Latex Factory, Qingdao Double Butterfly Group and Tianjin Human care Latex Corporation; all from China.

    In the notice, Sseremba said many of the condoms in circulation are substandard and do not meet the acceptable quality level set by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards.

    He said the condoms have a bad odour, do not have a manufacturer’s name for traceability, while others are improperly labelled and packaged.

    “The consumer packages do not contain information in at least one of the official languages of the country of destination, if possible supplemented by pictorial representations of the major steps involved in proper condom use,” the notice reads.

    Sseremba alleges that the inner boxes of the substandard condoms containing 114 pieces were not constructed of board plasticised on their in-surface and are not of sufficient strength and rigidity to retain their shape through every stage of distribution as required.

  • What’s Behind Instability in Mali?

    Once hailed as a model of democracy in Africa, a coup and an uprising of Islamist militants in the north threatens to create an arc of instability for the continent.

    The militants have destroyed ancient shrines, once a major draw for Islamic scholars from around the world. They have banned music.
    And reports of human rights abuses grow daily, including the public stoning death of a couple accused of having an affair.

    International leaders, concerned that al Qaeda will capitalize on the chaos and set up a haven there, are considering sending troops to Mali soon to reclaim a large portion of the north from extremists.

    What’s the story behind the instability?

    Mali gained independence from France in 1960. The landlocked West African nation went through growing pains after independence, including droughts, rebellions and years of military dictatorship.

    It held its first democratic elections in 1992, and had a strong democracy for the most part.

    That was until March, when a group of soldiers toppled the government, undermining the nation’s growing economy and relative social stability.

    What led to the coup?

    A group of outraged soldiers accused the government of not providing adequate equipment to battle ethnic Tuareg rebels roaming the vast desert in the north.

    On March 22, a riot erupted at a military camp a few miles from the presidential palace in the capital of Bamako. Disgruntled soldiers marched to the palace.

    A few hours later, a soldier appeared on state television and said the military was in control of the nation. The president was nowhere to be found.

    The Tuareg rebels took advantage of the power vacuum and seized some parts of the north. They have always wanted independence, and have staged several rebellions since the 1960s.

    After Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi was killed and Libya plunged into chaos, his weapons became available. The Tuareg — many of whom fought for him — seized them and took up arms against the Malian government.

    How the north end up in the hands of Islamist militants

    After Tuareg rebels seized it, a power struggle erupted with local Islamist radicals. The Islamist extremists toppled the tribe and seized control of two-thirds of northern Mali, an area the size of France.

    Various factions of al Qaeda-linked militants are reportedly in the area, including Ansar Dine.

    The international community is also worried that al Qaeda’s north African wing is expanding into Mali.

    U.S. officials have said that the wing, the al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, is linked to the deadly Benghazi attack that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three others.