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  • Interpol Arrests Key Rwanda Genocide Suspect

    Interpol has arrested a key suspect of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, who has been on the run for the last 18 years.

    Vedaste Banguwiha, a former prominent figure in the genocidal regime and a member of the National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development (MRND), was arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

    During and before the Genocide, Banguwiha was a famous businessman in western Rwanda and was awarded a tender to purchase and supply weapons that were used to massacre Tutsis.

    He is also alleged to have incited the Interahamwe militia to erect a roadblock in the former Cyangugu town (now Rusizi), near Hotel des Chutte with an aim of stopping and killing the Tutsi.

    Witnesses accuse Banguwiha of facilitating the Interahamwe by transporting them and rewarding them for killing the Tutsi.

    A local newspaper said that Banguwiha was arrested in Katanga and later transferred to the capital Kinshasa.

    Kigali is in contact with Kinshasa to have the fugitive transferred to Rwanda to stand trial.

  • Late Turatsinze to be Burried at Rusororo

    The Body of slain Turatsinze Theogene a Rwandan national who was kidnapped and killed by unknown people in Mozambique has arrived in Rwanda he will be burried.

    Grieving family members and friends of late thronged Kingali International Airport to recieve the casket carrying the body of Turatsinze.

    A requiem mass will Thursday October 25, be held at Regina Pacis in Remera ahead of the burial at Rusororo.

  • KIST To Host Clean Technology Business Competition

    The KIST Entrepreneurship Club in collaboration with KIST (Kigali Institute of Science and Technology) is hosting a Global Entrepreneurship Week featured event called “The CleanTech Open”.

    The Cleantech Open is the world’s largest clean technology business competition. The mission of Cleantech Open is to find, fund and foster entrepreneurs with big ideas that address today’s most urgent energy, environmental and economic challenges.

    From revolutionary ways to generate clean energy to better water filtration to ideas about how governmental policies around climate change can foster new businesses in one of the competition categories.

    For entrepreneurs with a great green idea, this is a chance to share it with the world.

    Anyone from Rwanda who want to enter this competition can use this link: http://www.cleantechopen.com/app.cgi/ideas_competition/countries/154/enter,the , the deadline is 25th October 2012.

    One winner from Rwanda will submit a five-minute video to be shown during the Cleantech Open Global Forum in San Jose, California on the 8 and 9 November, 2012. The audience of 1,000 clean technology experts, investors, and enthusiasts, and press from around the world will vote on the best idea.

    Since their founding in 2006 by Silicon Valley leaders, their organization has established itself as the leading force for accelerating clean technology entrepreneurs.

    Of the nearly 600 companies we have worked with, 80% remain viable today and they have gone on to raise external capital exceeding $660 million.

    Who can enter the competition?

    Anyone looking to turn their clean technology idea into a thriving business can apply. Entrants can be sole proprietors, teams or early-stage companies.

    All entries must be a startup with less than $1,000,000 from private third party funding (from equity investors such as angel investors and venture capital firms) at the time of entry.

    All entries must be a startup with less than $5,000,000 from all other sources of funding (grants, family and friends, and your own pocket) at the time of paying the application fee; this limit is separate from the limit on private third party funding.

  • Wednesday Market Report Update

    On the RSE market, only Bralirwa counter recorded the transactions.

    October 24, trading session recorded a turnover of Rwf 3,289,000 from 7,000 Bralirwa shares traded in 3 deals compared to October 23, trading session which recorded a turnover of Rwf 4,618,000 from 11,300 BK shares and 6,700 Bralirwa shares traded in 2 deals.

    Bralirwa shares traded between Rwf 460 and Rwf 470 and closed at Rwf 470, unchanged from yesterday’s closing price whereas BK counter was quiet and remained unchanged from yesterday’s closing price of Rwf 130.

    KCB and NMG shares last transacted at Rwf 154 and Rwf 1,200 respectively.

    At the end of formal trading hours, there were outstanding bids of 50,000 BK shares at Rwf 125 and outstanding offers of 308,800 shares between Rwf 129 and Rwf 131.

    On Bralirwa counter, there were outstanding bids of 7,000 shares between Rwf 430 and Rwf 461 and no outstanding offers.

  • First Lady Meets IKEA Foundation CEO

    The First Lady Jeannette Kagame yesterday received IKEA Foundation CEO Per Heggenes who paid a courtesy call on her.

    The purpose of Heggenes’s visit to Rwanda is to see first-hand the impact of the UN Delivering as One in terms of achieving results in support of national priorities.

    Heggenes was accompanied by the UNICEF Deputy Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Elke Wisch , UNICEF Director of Private Fundraising and Partnerships, Leila Pakkala and UNICEF Representative in Rwanda Noala Skinner.

    IKEA Foundation is UNICEF’s largest corporate partner and has been supporting UNICEF programmes in the areas of education, child survival and disaster risk reduction for over ten years.

    The Foundation, under Heggenes’ leadership is driven by a vision of ‘reversing the cycle of poverty’ to a ‘cycle of prosperity’ through a holistic and sustainable approach of shelter, health, education and financial sustainability.

    The Foundation also strongly believes in “partnerships” which it demonstrates both in its own long-lasting commitments and in urging its partners to build synergies around their respective strengths.

    IKEA Foundation is interested in sustainable change and structural reform.

    Heggenes and his delegation will be presented with the presentation of the work Imbuto Foundation does as UNICEF is one of the Imbuto’s donors for the different project currently run at Imbuto Foundation.

    Newtimes

  • Driver Arrested for Knocking Traffic Officer

    A man was on October 22, arrested in Muganza Cell, Runda Sector in Kamonyi District after he allegedly refused to comply with traffic rules when ordered to stop and knocked a traffic officer and two other people who were nearby.

    Philbert Hitimana, who was driving vehicle registration number RAB 637R, Toyota Coaster type, according to police, hit Corporal Patrick Akumuyange a traffic police officer, after the former defied traffic orders when asked to stop and tried to speed-away.

    Other victims are identified as Deo Niyonzima and a cyclist identified as Fabien Hagenimana, who were parked on the roadside.

    All the victims were evacuated to University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK).

    The suspect is currently detained at Runda Police Station.

    Two vehicles which were parked at the roadside were also crashed during the incident.

    According to police, the driver was over speeding and refused to stop when ordered to do so.

    The Rwanda Police spokesperson Supt. Theos Badege cautioned drivers against “careless driving and disregarding traffic regulations,” which he said have led to “loss of innocent lives.”

    The suspect now faces charges of assault resulting from lack of foresight and precaution as prescribed under article 158.

  • Bralirwa Share Hit New High Price

    As at October 23, On RSE, the market prices continued an upward trend as Bralirwa share hit a new high price of Rwf 470 on a fifth consecutive day.

    The total turnover for the day was Frw 4,618,000 from 11,300 BK shares and 6,700 Bralirwa shares traded in two deals compared to yesterday’s trading session which recorded a turnover of Frw 5,928,000 from 27,200 BK shares and 5,200 Bralirwa shares traded in five deals.

    BK shares traded and closed at Frw 130, unchanged from yesterday’s closing price while BRALIRWA shares traded and closed at Frw 470; registering an increase of Rwf 10 compared to yesterday’s closing price.

    KCB and NMG shares prices last transacted at Frw 154 and Rwf 1,200 respectively.

    At the end of formal trading hours, there were outstanding bids of 5,000 BK shares at Frw125 and outstanding offers of 247,300 shares between Frw 130 and Frw132.

    On Bralirwa counter, there were outstanding bids of 105,200 shares between Frw430 and Frw461 and no outstanding offers.

  • DRC Opposed to Rwanda’s Membership on UN Security Council

    The DRC government has criticized Rwanda’s elevation to the Security Council as a non permanent member saying this move amounts to condoning violence it blames on Rwanda for alleged involvement in East RDC crisis.

    Rwanda has so far not responded to the comments made by Lambert Mende the Kinshasha government spokesman.

    Mende said, “This decision is a very bad signal because it trivializes the horrific situation created by this country in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it continues to disrupt peace and security.”

    Rwanda together with Luxembourg, Argentina, South Korea and Australia was elected to the 15-member Security Council last week.

    Meanwhile officials in Goma city in DRC announced on Tuesday that two key border crossings between DR Congo and Rwanda would from now on remain closed at night, from 6:00 pm (1600 GMT) to 6:00 am (0400 GMT).

    Several thousand people cross the border every day and the local Congolese governor said in a statement that the decision stemmed “from a surge in criminal activity along the border.”

  • DRC Opposed to Rwanda’s Membership on UN Security Council

    The DRC government has criticized Rwanda’s elevation to the Security Council as a non permanent member saying this move amounts to condoning violence it blames on Rwanda for alleged involvement in East RDC crisis.

    Rwanda has so far not responded to the comments made by Lambert Mende the Kinshasha government spokesman.

    Mende said, “This decision is a very bad signal because it trivializes the horrific situation created by this country in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it continues to disrupt peace and security.”

    Rwanda together with Luxembourg, Argentina, South Korea and Australia was elected to the 15-member Security Council last week.

    Meanwhile officials in Goma city in DRC announced on Tuesday that two key border crossings between DR Congo and Rwanda would from now on remain closed at night, from 6:00 pm (1600 GMT) to 6:00 am (0400 GMT).

    Several thousand people cross the border every day and the local Congolese governor said in a statement that the decision stemmed “from a surge in criminal activity along the border.”

  • Rwanda: 3rd Easiest Economy to Do Business in Sub-Saharan Africa

    Rwanda’s performance in the Doing Business Rankings in recent years has been exemplary, drawing attention from international observers and investors alike. Improvements have been made across the board.

    The 2013 World Bank Doing Business Report has ranked Rwanda 52nd out of 185 countries. In the overall performance, Rwanda is still the best performing country in the East African region as well as 3rd easiest place to do business in Sub-Saharan Africa (1st is Mauritius which ranks 19th globally, 2nd is South Africa which ranks 39th globally, 3rd is Rwanda which ranks 52nd globally, 4th is Botswana at 59th globally and 5th is Ghana which ranks 64th globally.

    A non-Sub-Saharan African country that also performed well was Tunisia at the 50th position globally.

    According to the survey; 185 Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high rank on the ease of doing business index means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.

    The report, Doing Business 2013: Smarter Regulations for Small and Medium-Size Enterprises found that from June 2011 to June 2012, 28 of 46 governments in Sub-Saharan Africa implemented at least one regulatory reform making it easier to do business-a total of 44 reforms.

    Rwanda particularly stands out as having consistently improved since 2005. A case study in this year’s report features Rwanda, which since 2005 has implemented 26 regulatory reforms (over half of Sub-Saharan Africa’s annual reforms) as recorded by Doing Business.

    Rwanda has been recognized for making improvements in two areas of regulations: Enforcing Contracts (39th) and Getting Electricity (49th).

    The country made enforcing contracts easier by implementing an electronic filing system for initial complaints whereas the country eased getting electricity by reducing the cost of obtaining a new connection by 30%. Rwanda’s ranking per indicator has improved.

    Looking at areas where Rwanda is still strong, the Starting a Business rank has remained the 8th easiest in the world, with Company registration taking only two procedures and the whole process of incorporation is concluded in just 6 hours. In ease of Paying Taxes, Rwanda is 25th easiest place globally.

    Rwanda recognizes that the momentum to reform should be maintained if not doubled and in particular where we have challenges.

    This is precisely why Rwanda managed to improve over the last ten years. Rwanda has moved from 150th in the 2008 report to now 52nd in the 2013 report with consistent reforms every single year.

    In comparison to her neighbors in the East African region, Rwanda still leads her partner states. Uganda is the second in EAC ranked at 120th globally, Kenya the third in EAC and ranked at 121st globally, Tanzania is fourth and ranked at 134th globally whereas Burundi comes fifth in EAC and ranked at 159th globally.

    Outside the EAC, but neighboring Rwanda is the DRC ranked at 181st globally.

    Beyond the Doing Business index, Rwanda’s performance is consistent with the World Economic Forum (WEF) Competitiveness index where for the second year running, Rwanda emerged among the top countries (3rd) in Sub-Sahara Africa.

    The Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) is based on 12 indicators that include the strength of the economy, education and social welfare, innovation among others.

    The Minister of Trade and Industry, Hon. Kanimba Francois welcomed the report. “We have seen consistent improvement, both in competitiveness and ease of doing business. Rwanda continues to be one of the top places to invest in Africa,” he affirms.

    “For all these records, Rwanda’s performance in this year’s index is a sign of the country’s commitment to achieving its economic goals,” said Clare Akamanzi, the Chief Executive Officer at the Rwanda Development Board (RDB).

    “This demonstrates Rwanda’s commitment and consistency in its vision of economic development. We will work very hard to address remaining challenges to make Rwanda even more attractive as a business destination,” she added.