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  • MTV youth show hosts President Kagame

    Youth drawn from a number of African countries including Rwanda yesterday interviewed President Paul Kagame courtesy of the MTV Base’s “MTV Base Meets…with MTN” programme at Village Urugwiro.

    The President responded to questions from a diverse panel of African youth from Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, and South Africa.

    Khaled Mikkawi, the CEO MTN Rwanda described the initiative as a great way to reach out, inspire and connect with the youth across the continent.

    “We are extremely honoured to have President Paul Kagame involved in MTV Base Meets…with MTN,” Mikkawi pointed out.

    Interview recordings of the MTV base meets…With MTN with the President Kagame will be aired across Africa from 18 July this year as part of an eight-series show.

     Recordings will be aired on MTV base (DStv Channel 322), and on terrestrial, DTT and CATV channels including STV (Nigeria), HiTV (Nigeria), WBS (Uganda), NTV (Kenya), Canal2 (Cameroon), Muvi TV (Zambia), Zuku (Kenya), ZAP (Angola), Smart TV (Kenya) and Star Times (Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, and Burundi).

    MTV Base Meets…With MTN is a joint initiative between MTV Networks Africa and MTN Group. It is designed to inspire African youth by connecting them with some of the world’s most influential personalities.

    It is intended to provide greater understanding between the African youth and the political, business and cultural leaders who shape today’s world.

    Other eminent personalities to feature in the series later include Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Africa’s first and only elected female head of state and Julius Malema, the President of the ANC Youth League.

    The show has also featured other prominent personalities including Nelson Mandela, Tony Blair, Morgan Tsvangirai and Wyclef Jean.

    African youth are encouraged to nominate shakers and movers in society and submit their proposed questions for the programme via a dedicated MTV base Meets…with MTN website or via their mobile handset.

    To register go to www.mtvmeets.com or http://mtvmeets.mobi or follow the campaign on Twitter at #MTVMeets@MTVbaseAfrica.

  • Uncle Austin discloses reason for quitting radio

    Radio 10 presenter and musician Uncle Austin has announced his intentions to quit the broadcasting profession and concentrate on his music. His daily radio show “The Overdrive” will be pined for by his radio fans, who have revealed their concerns during his last shows.

    In the music scene, Uncle Austin is renowned for his hit songs Nzakwizirikaho and Gapapu.

    Austin’s departure from the media remains a dilemma to many since it is through radio that he gained his fame. To clear the air, the artist claimed that his music had reached a critical stage especially among his fans. He gives that as the reason he intends to resign and concentrate on better music delivery.

    “The music industry is doing well now and singing is my calling. I can feel it,” he remarks.

    He further points out that he felt the calling when his first songs received massive attention from his fans, most of them youth from both Rwanda and the region.

     Austin is quick to highlight plans for his music career. Topping the list are video shoots for his latest hits Nakuvala and Nzakwizirikaho due in two weeks.

     The artist whose music is a blend of R&B and Afro fusion is presently working on his debut album produced by Kigali based producer Lick-Lick.

     “Very soon, I’m releasing a new hit called Ndagukunda Nzapfa Ejo,” the artist says.

     Reacting on his poetic title, which translates to why fall in love with someone only to die tomorrow, Austin sighs and declines to comment until the song is out.

     He further discloses that his poetic titles are one of his tricks to capture audience attention. 

  • Rwanda makes more reforms to ease doing business

    Rwanda has introduced new business reforms to make company start-ups and cross border trade easier as it strives to be among the world’s top 30 places to do business by 2017, Clare Akamanzi, chief operating officer of Rwanda’s Development Board announced this week.

    Akamanzi said the new reforms were meant to make it easier for businesses to start, deal with construction permits, register property and trade across borders.

    “We have introduced free online registration and reduced registration fees from 25,000 to 15,000 francs. We have also eliminated certain requirements like the notarising of sale agreement,” Akamanzi told Reuters.

    The World Bank’s 2011 Doing Business report ranked Rwanda the second most pro-business reformer globally, and 58th in terms of ease of doing business, up from 70th a year earlier.

  • Rwandan genocide: Finnish appeal to be heard in Rwanda, Zambia

    The Helsinki Court of Appeal is to travel to Rwanda and Zambia
    to hear witnesses in the appeal of a man convicted of involvement in the Rwanda
    genocide. Francois Bazaramba, a Rwandan-born Finnish citizen, was sentenced last
    summer to life in prison for mass murder.

    The court plans to be in session in Rwanda for 18 days in September and October
    to hear testimony from 39 prosecution witnesses. The court also hopes to visit
    places where killings took place.

    The court will also go to Zambia in October to hear testimony from 15 defence
    witnesses. Most of the witnesses live in Zambia and other countries in the
    region.

    The arrangement still requires the approval of the Rwandan and Zambian
    governments.

    The defendant will follow the events via video link from Finland, as was done
    in the first trial.

    The case is being handled in Finland because the Ministry of Justice refused to
    extradite Bazaramba to Rwanda for fear that he might not get a fair trial
    there.

    The
    lower court found that Bazaramba, a resident of Porvoo, had led attacks against
    Tutsis in the south of Rwanda in 1994 and gave orders that led to their deaths.

    Bazaramba
    sought asylum in Finland, in 2003.

    He was
    convicted on two charges ; intent to destroy the Tutsi population in Maraba, and
    spreading malicious propaganda calling for their extermination, crimes for
    which he was handed a life sentence.

    He is
    said to have masterminded the killing of over 5,000 people in Nyakizu, Southern
    Province.

    Bazaramba
    allegedly organised and maintained night patrols and road blocks, forcing the
    Tutsi to leave their homes. He organised the setting on fire and destruction of
    their homes and property.

  • Tigo Rwanda launches mobile money payment service

    Tigo Rwanda, a telecom brand owned by Millicom Cellular International (MIC), recently inaugurated its mobile money services in Rwanda, targeted at subscribers with limited or no access to banking services.

    Tigo Rwanda is the second mobile company to launch such a service after its major competitor MTN Rwanda launched its mobile money product last year.

    Tigo has similar services in Ghana and Tanzania.

    Rwanda’s rural areas have limited access to financial services, with the central bank saying only 1.7 million deposit accounts had been registered by December 2010 out of a population of 9 million.

    With about 3.3 million mobile subscribers shared between MTN and Tigo as of January this year, Rwandan mobile users can utilise the technology to deposit and withdraw money and can pay electricity bills and school fees via text messages.

    “Tigo Cash is basically a wallet on your mobile phone. You don’t have to have a bank account,” said Tom Gutjahr, Tigo Rwanda’s chief executive. To sign up for the service is free but one has to be above 18 years and a Tigo subscriber with a valid identity card.

    Non Tigo subscribers will not be able to register for the service but can receive cash on their network from a Tigo Cash registered peson in any part of the country any time any day.

    “If you are not a “Tigo Cash” user, you will still be able to receive money from other Tigo Cash users,” the CEO said.

    Licensed to operate in Rwanda two years ago, MCL said Tigo Cash can send between $1 and $550.

    John Sebabi, head of payment systems at Rwanda’s central bank, said the new service would deepen financial services.

    “If the number of mobile phone exceeds that of bank accounts, then access to financial services is growing which is line with our objectives of increasing access to such services,” he said.

    The Product Manager, Tongai Maramba announced that Banque Commerciale du Rwanda (BCR) would be the host of the Tigo Cash trust account.

     

  • Belgian mayor extols Rwanda’s achievements in reconciliation

    A Belgian mayor has lauded the country’s unity and reconciliation efforts since the 1994 genocide.

    Rik Soens, the Waregem District Mayor made the remarks, Sunday, May 15, when he led a delegation from his district to pay tribute to the victims of the 1994 genocide against Tutsi at the Kigali Genocide Memorial site, Gisozi.

    Soens expressed shock and disappointment by the events of the 1994 genocide. “I am shocked and disappointed by the massive killings that took place in Rwanda. This is beyond human nature,” Soens regretted.

    Soens observed that the unity and reconciliation in Rwanda would bring about sustainable development.

    A member of the delegation, Rita Kestier, said that the memorial site not only exhibits massive inhuman acts that occurred in Rwanda in 1994, but also demonstrates that Rwandans are rebuilding their nation and striving for a better future.

    The delegation was in the country as part of a partnership between Waregem District in Belgium with Gatsibo District of the Eastern province.

    The cooperation that began in 1987 and is intended to promote professionalism in different sectors between the two districts especially education.

  • UNICEF welcomes Rwanda’s campaign to eliminate HIV transmission from mother to child

    UNICEF
    has welcomed the announcement of a national campaign to eliminate the vertical
    transmission of HIV from mother to child in Rwanda and confirmed its commitment
    to support the government in ensuring that all women in need will be reached
    with a new, more efficacious HIV regimen by 2015.


    The campaign was launched on Thursday last week by Rwanda’s First Lady, Mrs.
    Jeannette Kagame, in the presence of the Minister of Health and other
    government officials, UNICEF’s Regional Director for Eastern and South Africa,
    Elhadj As Sy, representatives of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS
    Relief (PEPFAR) and other bilateral partners as well as the President of the
    Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

    UNICEF
    is co-championing the call for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission
    of HIV by 2015. UNICEF Regional Director As Sy said he was confident that
    Rwanda can meet its goal of reducing the transmission rate among children born
    to women living with HIV to less than 2 per cent. “In order to achieve this
    goal, we have to make sure that all pregnant women with HIV can participate in
    prevention programmes, including adolescent girls and those living in remote
    areas. UNICEF stands ready to support the government in identifying the gaps in
    access and in removing bottlenecks that prevent women from making use of the
    existing life-saving services.” 

    As
    part of the elimination campaign, Rwanda plans to ensure that all HIV positive
    women receive the most efficacious ARV regimens through expanded coverage of
    quality services. Furthermore, the government wants to make sure that pregnant
    women access health services earlier, that HIV incidence among women of
    reproductive age is reduced, that comprehensive knowledge on HIV prevention is
    increased and that all women have access to family planning. Rwanda has a birth
    rate of 2.8 per cent with a fertility rate of 5.3 per cent. It is also
    Africa’s most densely populated country.

    The
    campaign will strengthen the links between MCH and HIV programmes and further
    enhance the already high involvement of male partners in prevention and testing
    programmes. 

    Although
    Rwanda has one of the lowest HIV prevalence rates amongst pregnant women in
    Eastern and Southern Africa – currently standing at a national average of 4.3
    per cent – rates in the capital Kigali are much higher (between 16 and 34
    per cent).

    More
    than 20,000 children below the age of 15 live with HIV in Rwanda. Over 90 per
    cent have been infected through vertical transmission. HIV positive women
    can transmit HIV to their children during pregnancy, delivery or breastfeeding.
    Without intervention, the risk of transmission is more than 30 per cent.

    The
    Government of Rwanda, through the support of international partners, including
    UNICEF, has been able to significantly increase the provision of PMTCT
    services. 

  • RwandAir adds Libreville to its growing network

    RwandAir the national carrier of Rwanda today launched flights from Kigali to Libreville the capital city of the West Central African republic of Gabon. The three weekly flights have been designed to operate a triangular schedule between Kigali, Libreville and Brazzaville with full right to ferry passengers between Libreville and Brazzaville.

    Making this announcement at a colourful ceremony hosted by the Gabon Ministry of Transport in Libreville , RwandAir CEO John Mirenge affirmed the airlines’ commitment to linking Central and West African cities with East Africa. “Earlier this year we launched flights to Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo, but that was not the end of it, we were just finalizing arrangements for Libreville which we are now proud to launch,” said Mr Mirenge. He further added that the memorandum of understanding for bilateral air services agreement signed between the representatives of governments of Rwanda and Gabon will allow the carriers of both countries fifth freedom rights. Kigali – Libreville flights will operate three times a week on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

    Libreville, located on the west coast of Africa along the banks of Komo River and overlooking the Atlantic Ocean becomes the fourth port city for RwandAir after Mombasa, Dar es Salaam and Dubai. The Brazzaville route was launched March this year and is expected to get a major boost from the planned triangular operation.

    RwandAir makes Libreville its second new destination this year with another  domestic destination, Gisenyi, set to launch May 31, 2011.

    The airline will later this year take delivery of two Boeing 737- 800 from Boeing Commercial Airplanes. These aircraft become the first on the continent to be fitted with the Boeing “Sky Interior”.

  • Actis Weighs Sale of BCR

    Actis LLP, a London-based private- equity firm investing in Africa, Asia and Latin America, may sell its Rwandan bank to Kenyan lenders.

    Banque Commerciale du Rwanda, based in Kigali, the capital, is “a natural acquisition for one of the bigger East African banks wanting to expand their footprint,” Peter Schmid, Actis’s head of Africa, said in a May 12 interview at the firm’s London office. “That’s a probable exit scenario. ”

    Actis, which has $4.6 billion under management, bought an 80 percent stake of BCR in 2004 in a deal valuing the company at $6 million. The Rwandan government kept the rest of the previously state-owned bank. Kenyan lenders including Equity Bank Ltd. (EQBNK) and Kenya Commercial Bank Ltd. (KNCB) are expanding across East Africa, opening branches in Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and southern Sudan, as the region’s economies grow.

    The Rwandan investment was Actis’s first in the country. Gross domestic product has expanded an average 7.5 percent annually from 2004 and 2009, according to the World Bank. About 30 percent of Actis’s capital is invested in Africa, Schmid said.

    The Rwandan Stock Exchange “is a bit small for now” to list for an investment exit, Schmid said.

    Rwanda held its first initial public offering in November when the state sold 25 percent of Brassieries et Lemonaderies du Rwanda SA, a unit of Heineken NV (HEIA), the world’s third-biggest brewer. The stock is the only company listed on the Rwandan Stock Exchange, which started trading on Jan. 31. Kenya Commercial Bank and Nairobi-based Nation Media Group Ltd., East Africa’s biggest media company, are listed on an over-the- counter exchange.

    BRC increased profit almost four-fold in the nine months through September on reduced costs and higher revenue, Managing Director Sanjeev Anand said in December. Net income climbed to 1.7 billion Rwandan francs ($2.8 million) from 433 million francs a year earlier as sales rose 12 percent to 8.5 billion francs, he said. The bank expects full-year net income of 2.2 billion francs, Anand said.

    In 2004, Actis was spun out of CDC Group Plc, a U.K. government-owned investor in developing markets that was originally started 60 years ago as the Colonial Development Corp., to raise money from government, insurers and pension funds to invest in African and Asian companies.

  • HUAWEI to launch smartphones in Rwandan market

    Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei through its local subsidiary is soon to launch android powered smartphones in the Rwandan market through telco operators MTN Rwanda and TIGO.

    The smartphones to be powered by the popular android operating system offer a full range of remarkable features and applications. According to the Chief Operating Officer of Huawei Rwanda Adriaane Heine, the model expected to retail via the TIGO and MTN Rwanda operators is HUAWEI U8150 IDEOS.

    “Huawei will be dealing with provision and marketing of these products and ultimately, the operators will be selling to the markets,” says Heine,.

    Hein reveals that the Huawei smartphones have been well received in many countries across the world, a factor attributed to “the phones’ new, simple and incredible technology coupled with numerous amazing features.”

     “The handsets received a good response particularly in countries like Kenya where about 100,000 units were sold in the first few months. Since its release in January until February (2011), they (Huawei Smartphones) had already taken 45.4 percent of the market share surpassing that of even other more popular established brands such as Nokia with a market share of 33.3 percent,” Heine says.

    He says that the phones fitted with a range of powerful features from hardware to software.

    “The powerful android operating system will provide the user with categorised applications they can use, which are directly accessible from the android market feature on the phone,” he observes.

    During an exclusive interview with IGIHE.com, Heine demonstrated the brilliant applicability of the phone by opening Google Maps, an application that allows a user to trace topographic directions at their disposal via satellite communication.

    The phone’s uniqueness goes beyond the software and integrated hardware, It offers elements such as a capacitative touchscreen , powerful 3G connectivity and other powerful features such as a router.

    HUAWEI is a global telecommunication company specialising in the supply of a diverse range of telecommunication equipment. With its strong and broad network of around 110,000 employees worldwide, it has partnered with more than 470 operators in more than 130 countries. The company has been operating in Rwanda since 2005 and helped local telecommuinications firms like MTN to build the network infrastructure.