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Dr. Donald Kaberuka the President of the African Development Bank has remarked that a prosperous, growing Africa is good for the global economy.

“This is a win-win proposition. A prosperous, growing Africa is good for the global economy. This is a collective endeavour involving governments, the private sector and public investment to spur economic growth on the continent. The African Development Bank is ready to play its part by ensuring conditions such as reliable infrastructure is in place,”said AfDB President.

Dr. Kaberuka made the remarks Saturday at the G8 Summit in Washington during a special session focused on agriculture policy in Africa, and in particular, a fresh initiative called the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition.

U.S. President Barack Obama at Camp David near Washington hosted the meeting, where this year’s G8 Summit of the world’s largest economies took place.

“With so much for the G8 leaders to discuss,” said AfDB President Kaberuka, “I commend President Obama for putting agriculture investment in Africa on the agenda.”

One of the main objectives of the new initiative is to encourage the private sector to invest more in the continent’s agriculture sector.

Dr. Kaberuka told participants, “Although African agriculture has underperformed for many years, that’s beginning to change as many governments put market policies and conditions in place.”

Through improved infrastructure, transportation and trade, Africa can make significant headway, he said.

Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Louise Mushikiwabo arrived in Beijing on Monday where she was received by Wang Tongqing,Counselor at Africa Department at China Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) with a Group of African Ambassadors represented by their Dean.

In the evening around 6hPm , Minister Mushikiwabo visited the Embassy of Rwanda to China and shared dinner with the staff of the Embassy of Rwanda in Beijing.

Tuesday 22 May,Minister Mushikiwabo met with Her Counterpart His Excellency Yang Jiechi. Mushikiwabo will later today visit the Ministry of Commerce (Mofcom) and meet the Vice Minister Li Jinzao.

Prime Minister Dr. Pierre Damien Habumuremyi has said Rwanda was propelled into peacekeeping operations around the world following the failure of UN peacekeeping mission of 1994, when the country was going through the genocide against Tutsi.

The Prime minister made the remarks today while opening a Course for UN Senior Mission Leaders and managers of peacekeeping missions across the world.

The 2 weeks course, the second of its kind on the African continent, is conducted by the Rwanda Peace Academy (RPA), in collaboration with the UN Integrated Training Service, and the Government of Australia.

Dr. Habumuremyi noted that Rwanda’s commitment to restoration of peace in the world is partly due the pain caused by the failure of UN Peace mission of the 1994, leaving Rwandans succumb to the brutal killings in the latest history-the genocide against the Tutsi.

Ettore Di Benedetto, the coordinator of the training, said participants will discuss about challenges facing peace keepers and subsequently come up with counter solutions.

The RDF spokesman, Brig. Gen. Joseph Nzabamwita, noted that Rwanda, and security institutions under UN Peace keeping missions, have continued to play a significant role in maintaining security in different countries across the world, such as Liberia, Haiti, Sierra Leone, Cote d’ ivoire, Sudan’s region of Darfur, and Comoros Islands.

The training is organized jointly with the government of Rwanda and United Nations, funded by the Australian government.

Judges from ICTR are in the country for five days where they will tour crime sites in the case involving former minister of planning Augustin Ngirabatware.

Ngirabatware is accused of involvement in the killings at former Gisenyi prefecture, during the 1994 genocide against ethnic Tutsis.

Three judges and representatives of prosecution and defence will visit 28 sites in Kigali and its environs, Gitarama (Muhanga) in the Southern Province and Gisenyi (Rubavu) in the Western Province.

During Ngirabatware’s case at ICTR trial chamber 1, witnesses asked court to tour the scene of crime in Rwanda. Court granted the request.

The court also granted prosecution permission to bring in another prosecution witness additional to the six who had testified against Ngirabatware, but rejected the defence’s request to get an extra defence witness, to testify that their client was not in the country during the genocide.

The trial chamber 1 defended its decision for allowing the prosecution get another witness, because the defence had denied that Ngirabatware was not in the country during the genocide.

Court says additional witness was going to testify that Ngirabatware was indeed in Rwanda, during the genocide.

The court however argued that the basis to reject the defence request was that all 35 defence witnesses never mentioned about Ngirabatware’s absence in the country during the genocide.

During the trial Ngirabatware had said that had travelled to Senegal and Swaziland during the genocide, specifically on the dates; between 23 April and 23 May 1994.

On the request of ICTR, prosecutor Massamba Ndiaye conducted an investigation to identify whether Ngirabatware was in Senegal.

After the investigation Massamba Ndiaye told the court that the office of president of Senegal denied ever receiving Ngirabatware during the said dates.

Ndiaye explained that he personally met twice with former Senegalese foreign affairs minister Moustapha Niasse who affirmed that he doesn’t know a person known by that name, let alone receiving him.

Among other evidences presented by the prosecution are documents from the director of Radio and Television indicating that they have never hosted Ngirabatware, on which Ngirabatware himself says he was hosted.

Ngirabatware, 52, is charged with nine counts which include; Genocide, Conspiracy to Commit Genocide; Complicity in Genocide and Direct and Public Incitement to Commit Genocide.

Others are; Crimes against Humanity for Murder, Extermination, Rape, Inhumane Acts and Serious Violations of the Geneva Conventions and of Additional Protocol II.

Ngirabatware was arrested in Germany in 2007 and transferred to the ICTR detention facility in Arusha, Tanzania in 2008. The former minister, whose trial kicked off in 2009, has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. Ends

Aimed at dealing with Gender Based Violence, 50 police officers are currently undergoing five day training on GBV crime prevention, response and case handling.

The workshop supplements other seminars, trainings and workshops that women Police officers have had since the inception of Gender Promotion at Rwanda National Police.

The intention of these trainings is to equip female police officers and Men for Change (a group of men who work hand in hand with female Police officers to promote gender) with skills and knowledge that can enhance their carrier development.

According to the acting director for gender promotion at Rwanda Police, Assistant Inspector Police (AIP) Josiane Mukamulisa, the training is part of a partnership with United Nation Development Program (UNDP) which started in 2008 and has so far trained 200 police officers.

“The training will facilitate Police officers to deal with GBV related crimes, domestic violence and also promote gender within their areas of work,” Mukamulisa said.

Police Constable (PC) Liliane Umutoni from Gikomero sector, Gasabo district noted that with the new skills she would be able to handle crimes such as domestic violence professionally.

“I am looking forward to absorb everything as it will facilitate my career,” PC Umutoni said.

Trainees will cover several themes including crime prevention and the role of community policing, gender concept, gender and related concept, force discipline among others.

The training is sponsored by United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in collaboration with Rwanda National Police.

To own a BlackBerry smart phone has been eased for Rwandan clients.

MTN Rwanda has entered into a joint partnership with KCB Rwanda to offer a facility that can allow their customers to own a BlackBerry® smart phone on loan.

The partnership allows MTN customers and KCB eligible account holders to purchase a BlackBerry® handset including one year subscription and pay in 12 instalments.

Customers can visit any MTN Service center to pick an invoice for the BlackBerry® device of his/her choice, apply for a KCB loan and thereafter enjoy BlackBerry® services.

KhaledMikkawi, MTN Rwanda’s Chief Executive Officer said that, “We are proud to be working in strategic partnership with KCB Rwanda and we feel that the combination of the innovation offered by BlackBerry® services and the KCB Rwanda customer focus will be a unique and successful partnership.”

He added that the partnership is also in line with MTN Rwanda’s commitment to support the development of Rwanda’s knowledge-based economy, by offering relevant innovations in ICT.

According to KCB Rwanda’s Managing Director Maurice K. Toroitich, since Rwanda’s banking industry is at a competitive crossroad, building partnerships with a company like MTN Rwanda as a new contender in the financial industry would facilitate a new form of competition.

“Consumer banking will only accelerate if services offered by financial institutions like KCB converge with services and products offered by leading telecom players like MTN Rwanda. Telecom companies are now offering services like Mobile Money, which are contenders in our industry. So in order to create meaningful competition we prefer to build partnerships,” he said.

BlackBerry® is a brand of mobile smartphone devices developed and designed by the Canadian based Research In Motion (RIM). They are built to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, Internet browsers, gaming devices, and much more.

They are primarily known for their ability to send and receive push email and instant messages while maintaining a high level of security through on-device message encryption.

MTN is the only provider of BlackBerry® devices and service in the country.

As the international climate negotiations are moving at a slow pace, developing countries are creating new policies to deal with climate change; a new report by a coalition of NGOs demonstrates that civil society is critical to policy processes that aim to tackle climate change and protect the poorest and most vulnerable communities from its impacts.

Civil society plays key roles in pushing for new laws, programmes, policies or strategies on climate change, in holding governments to account on their commitments; in identifying the lack of joined-up government responses to climate change; and in ensuring that national policy making does not forget the poor and vulnerable.

These are the findings of a report launched at the UN climate talks in Bonn by a coalition of more than 20 civil society networks in developing countries, with support from the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and CARE through the Climate Capacity Consortium.

“Many of even the world’s poorest countries now have active civil society coalitions that work on climate change, and they are increasingly influential,” says the report’s editor Dr Hannah Reid of IIED.

“These coalitions can play an important role as bridges between vulnerable communities and those with the power to enact policies that can protect people from the impacts of climate change. This report will help these coalitions learn from each other as many operate in isolation.”

William Chadza from the Civil Society Network on Climate Change in Malawi says: “It is interesting for us to see how colleagues in countries as distant as Vietnam work with vulnerable communities as they adapt to climate change and strive to ensure their government can address these people’s concerns.”

“While some governments in industrialised nations seem to ignore climate change, this report shows how in the global Southern civil society organisations are working hard to promote solutions and climate justice for those affected.”

The report also describes some of the challenges experienced by these coalitions. Many acknowledge that they lack the skills and resources they need to meet their advocacy objectives. And where relations between government and civil society are weak, civil society involvement in key policy making arenas has not been adequate.

The report includes contributions from more than 20 climate networks and their member organisations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific.

The networks work together in the Southern Voices on Climate Change programme, which is funded by the Government of Denmark through the Climate Capacity Consortium, comprised of four Danish NGOs, Climate Action Network International and IIED, with CARE Danmark as the lead agency.

The report is to be launched today at a press conference at the intergovernmental negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The press conference will be broadcast live on the Internet.

President Kagame today at Urugwiro Village received senior DRC officials participating in the ongoing 5th Rwanda-DRC Joint Permanent Commission (JPC) where he reasserted the importance of continued engagement between Rwandan and Congolese officials on issues of mutual interest.

“This engagement is critical for our two countries and the region. There is a lot more within our means that we can make use of. Looking at our situation in the wider context of our continent, where Africa needs to be, it is clear that we all need peace and stability in order to turn our focus fully on business, trade and the kind of cooperation that will bring wealth and prosperity for Africans who have been poor for far too long. It is important to keep working together to get there. It is never too late.”

President Kagame emphasised the importance of joint work in overcoming common problems by the people of the region pointing out that those affected had clearer insights into the challenges, were better equipped to find durable solutions and had the most interest in achieving tangible results.

Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Louise Mushikiwabo briefed President Kagame on the bilateral discussions held which included development of infrastructure with a focus on energy and air transport; as well as the current security and refugee situation.

Minister Mushikiwabo also pointed out that an agreement had been reached to advance cooperation on border management, trade and joint economic projects.

Minister of International and Regional Cooperation and Francophonie, Raymond Tshibanda N’Tunga Mulongo who led the DRC delegation conveyed greetings from President Joseph Kabila and noted that relations between Rwanda and DRC were excellent and cooperation was developing.

Minister N’Tunga Mulongo noted that the DRC remained committed to fighting all negative forces operating in their country, including the FDLR, and was pleased to see the same determination by Rwandan authorities.

He also emphasised the need to overcome the challenge of establishing stability in order to move faster in economic cooperation and better lives for the citizens of the region, saying that the two teams were bound by a joint obligation to be efficient and produce results.

The 11-member DRC delegation also included the Ministers responsible for Internal Security, Energy, and Justice; the Prosecutor General, the head of Intelligence Services, the Governors of North Kivu and South Kivu, and the Ambassador of DRC to Rwanda.