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Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame is expected to give a keynote speech at the 7th Commonwealth Business Forum.

The forum which has been officially opened by the Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, will be attended by 15 other Heads of Government and a large number of business leaders from developed and developing nations.

This becomes the first time Rwanda attended this high profile commonwealth meeting which convenes every after two years.

Previously, Louise Mushikwabo Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs said that Rwanda was going to benefit a lot both politically and social-economic in this meeting.

In her keynote address, Gillard welcomed the participants to the forum noting it was taking place at a time when the world was facing enormous challenges.

She however pointed out that the Commonwealth was enthusiastically looking at opportunities in Africa and Asia as growing markets and noted that global growth and development can only be realised if there is significant emphasis on trade and investment.

“Other parts of the world are growing significantly too, Africa is home to 1 billion and already has an extraordinary story to tell, one day, perhaps we will talk of the African century too…Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole is expected to grow by 5.3 percent this year and 5.8 percent next year. This is well over twice the pace of the developed world.” Australian Prime Minister said.

The Commonwealth Business Council has said that Commonwealth investment flows are expected to reach 220 billion dollars in 2015, more than double what was achieved in 1997, and that trade would triple in value over the same timeframe.

In his remarks, the Director of the Commonwealth Business forum, Dr. Mohan Kaul said that the Commonwealth can be a practical tool for members in building partnerships to address the challenges in the organization.

“The relevance of the model Commonwealth lies in its potential to leverage economic opportunities and to generate jobs, income and sustainable growth, we need to shift the balance of effort and the branding of the association to achieve this. “ Kaul said.

The Rwanda Development CEO, John Gara and Faustin Mbundu, Chairman of the Rwanda Private Sector Federation led the Rwanda delegation that attended the Commonwealth Business Forum.

Wednesday, the Rwanda Development Board, which has an exhibition stand at the Forum, will host the “Rwanda Breakfast” during which Rwanda investment opportunities will be showcased.

Former Prime Minister Pierre Celestine Rwigema blasted self made hero Paul Rusesabagina for his actions he termed as aiming at earning a living.

Rwigema noted that Rusesabagina’s activities with his acted Hotel Rwanda film, was not aiming at imaging the country or showcasing 1994 Genocide but rather purely earning income at the cost of 1994 Genocide survivors.

“I watched the film Hotel Rwanda in California in its premiers but he contradicts with what was acted in the film. He seemed to be aiming at political ambitions, it seems to have been acted for his political goals and business,” Rwigema said in a press briefing.

“At one time I actually advised him not to get involved in politics through this film but he didn’t listen to me.” Rwigema added.

Recently, Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice announced that Paul Rusesabagina will be the 2011 recipient of the Lantos Human Rights Prize November 16, 2011.

The foundation claim that they will award Rusesabagina providing shelter in Hotel des Mille Colline to 1,268 people both Hutus and Tutsis in efforts to save them of which Rwigema trashed as a person who also sought refuge in the same hotel.

Lantos foundation have also claimed that Rusesabagina has continued with efforts for truth, reconciliation and sustainable peace in Rwanda and the Great Lakes region through his work as a president of Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation.

Survivors’ umbrellas in Rwanda and several individuals have come up to protest against the award to be given to Rusesabagina saying it is dejecting survivors of 1994 Genocide.

Rwigema said that Rusesabagina’s activities in exile do not contribute towards unity and reconciliation to Rwanda saying that whatever he does is purely business.

He said that he was among several other people who use 1994 Genocide as business to earn a living.

Celestin Rwigema urged all Rwandans in exile to turn back in homeland and strive for the future not disparagement about nothing.

Civil Society Organizations (CSO’s) have initiated collaboration with journalists in order to hasten their campaign on educating public about their rights.

In this respect seven CSOs were elected to lead the network that includes media associations of which a Memorandum of Understanding waits to be signed next month to establish the mandate of the leadership.

Initiated by Collectif des ligues et associations de défense des droits de l’homme (CLADHO), Umbrella of Human Rights Organizations in the country.

CLADHO is an umbrella of Human Rights Organizations in Rwanda aimed at defending, protecting and promoting Human Rights and Social Justice in Rwanda.

Ngamije Guido Kirabo, the Chairperson of the umbrella said the role of media is very essential so as to inseminate information to the public.

Dominque Bicamumpaka, encouraged that it was time to fight the wrong mindset from citizens who are shy to openly demand for their rights because of fear of being associated with negative government critics.

“Recently I received a phone call from a man in Muhanga District who complained of being asked for a bribe in order to get a permit to rehabilitate his house yet he has a right to get the authorization paper,” he pointed out.

Therefore exchange of information among the media and CSO’s would improve the situation.

“As ambassadors of Rwandans, we found it necessary to have a partnership with the media fraternity so that both sides regularly share information,” he added.

He said that through effective information sharing, the media will help civil society organizations get information regarding injustice.

Agricultural experts meeting in Kigali have warned that Great Lakes region could face increased conflict and greater instability in coming decades due to available food grown to less land.

The experts convened in a four-days conference of consortium for Improving Agriculture-based Livelihoods in Central Africa (CIALCA) to examine challenges and opportunities for sustainable improvement of farm production in Central Africa.

“Unless there is widespread use of farm approaches and innovations that can grow more food with less land, countries in Central Africa’s densely populated Great Lakes region could face increased conflict and greater instability in coming decades,” Experts warned.

A press release from CIALCA has indicated that most of the agricultural land has extremely high population densities up to 400 people per square kilometer in Rwanda and Burundi and severely degraded soils.

According to the release, there is a highest rate of malnutrition and extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa.

The eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has been in a state of almost continual instability and periodic violence since 1996.

The International Rescue Committee has estimated that 5.4 million excess deaths resulted between the start of the second Congolese war in 1998 and 2007.

A decade of conflicts in Burundi and the 1994 genocide in Rwanda are responsible for widespread displacement and regional instability.

“Previous conflicts have been indirectly driven by the ability of the land to support the food needs of Central Africa’s high population densities,” said Nteranya Sanginga, a Congolese scientist and Director General of International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).

“In the future, a big question will be whether the land and the soils that underpin farm yields can support booming populations under new constraints like rapid climate change and other environmental factors,” Sanginga wondered.
“Without sustainable intensification of food production, there will be a high price. We will be going back to the situation of war and not because of ethnicity but war for food, war for space,” Sanginga warned.

The release say there is high-potential farming areas, small farm sizes, persistent civil conflicts, poor infrastructure and political instability have left the region plagued with chronic food insecurity regardless of other favorable factors.

The effects of climate change in the region have become a major concern for the already resource strained, landlocked countries of Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo.

Recent research by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) has shown that the ability of farmers to grow coffee in Rwanda is severely affected by rising temperatures, hence more vulnerable to pests and diseases.

Earlier on Hans Herren, president of the Millennium Institute and World Food Prize Laureate, had said that many current approaches to farm production are harmful to the environment and not accessible enough for farmers to adopt on a broader scale.

Participants at the CIALCA conference shared examples of sustainable farm approaches that can increase yields and alleviate land pressure in the region.

These include the widespread adoption of higher-yielding climbing beans in Rwanda that improve soils and the availability of dietary protein and intercrop high-value coffee plants with banana in Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.

Staple crops such as maize, millet, beans, sweet potato and cassava are being produced at 60 percent to 90 percent below their potential.

Rwanda is hosting a four-day international conference aimed at scrutinising challenges and opportunities for intensifying farm production in sub-Saharan Africa’s humid tropical regions.

The conference has been organised by a Consortium for improving Agriculture-based Livelihoods in central Africa(CIALCA) and Research on the Humid Tropics (CGIAR).

Nteranya Sanginga, Director General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IIATA) notes that the dense population facet portrayed especially by Rwanda and Burundi demands an immediate sustainable agricultural intensification, otherwise, a war over food and space will be inevitable.

“Rwanda is the only country in the region not confronting the food crisis,” Says Earnest Ruzindaza– Permanent Secretary in the Rwandan ministry of Agriculture and Animal resources. All of Rwanda’s districts are food secure, and the surplus is exported to neighbouring countries.

The 1995 World Food Prize winner and Director of the Millennium Institute, Dr. Hans Herren called for a Green revolution that embodies a transition to sustainable, organic and ecological agriculture.

Herren argued that scientific research has not been linked to policymaking and consequently imbalanced food productivity prevails across the globe. He invited all the agricultural experts present to invest more in research and education.

Dr. Daphrose Gahakwa revealed an overview of Agricultural research for the past ten years which elucidates Rwanda’s achievement in developing nutrient rich crop varieties to combat malnutrition and poverty at large.

The research also aimed at sensitizing Rwandans about the core value of indigenous vegetables that had not been well marketed thus less preferred to exotic vegetables.

Gahakwa also explained that Ex-Situ and In-Situ conservation of both plant and animal resources, exploitation of energy quality of some crop residues such as maize and rice, as well as the usage of Biotechnology in tissue culture and disease diagnosis have been the underpinning modes of increasing Agricultural production.

Research conducted by CIALCA revealed that Rwanda’s Agricultural limiting factor lies in the poor fertility of the soils, along with the financial and physical constraints of accessing fertilizers.

The conference will close on Thursday 27, 2011 with participants determining the way forward.

Currently, CIALCA is led by International Institute for tropical Agriculture (IITA), Biodiversity International, Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Institute of the International center for Tropical Agriculture (TSBF-CIAT).