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  • Kagame addresses World Energy Forum 2012 in Dubai

    pk-2.jpg
    President Kagame attended today the third World Energy Forum hosted in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

    Held in line with the 2012 United Nationals theme of “clean, safe and sustainable energy for all, the meeting began with the signing of the World Heads of the World Energy Day Proclamation establishing October 22nd as a day to raise awareness about energy issues and stimulate political will to support sustainable energy.

    With over 1.3 billion people yet to have access to electricity, this year’s theme is a call on world leaders to ensure equitable access to energy.

    In Africa, only a quarter of the population has access to electricity making both the region with the most pressing needs but also the highest potential for energy production.

    It is with an emphasis on the direct relationship between access to energy and socio-economic development that President Kagame began his address this morning.

    Along with attending Heads of States including President Joyce Banda President of Malawi, President of Madagascar, Prime Minister of Grenada Tillman Thomas, Prime Minister of Djibouti Dileita Mohamed Dileita and President Akil Akilov of Tajikistan, President Kagame called for the kind of global commitment that has made the Millenium Development Goals a success.

    “It has become clear that when the world acknowledges that there is a problem and acts to resolve it, the outcome is impressive,” President Kagame said.

    “We need to address imbalances of energy between developed and developing countries and raise level of consumption and utilization…the world community should treat access to energy as a basic right essential in the development process.”President Kagame added.

    Similarly, President Joyce Banda of Malawi told those present “access to sustainable energy is the difference between survival and prosperity.”

    President Kagame focused on practical solutions to address the energy shortage in Africa and Rwanda. His first proposal was the establishment of a globally accepted and respected consumption benchmark per capita.

    “This would reduce waste, increase efficiency and cut costs enabling wide access to developing countries,” President Kagame explained. Another practical solution was the need to establish a regulatory mechanism that can “curb or eliminate wasteful unsustainable consumption.

    A common point among all speakers was the need to increase investment in innovative infrastructure that have the potential of closing the gap in energy access.

    In this field, Africa has shown increased growth with a current 30% of $257 billion invested in the energy sector in Africa. However, as growing need on the ground show, the potential has yet to match the reality.

    As President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti explained: “Africa suffers from a deficit of infrastructure and accounts for only 15% of world population and 3% of world trade…changing model of growth is an issue of survival for Africa.”

    “Renewable energy will contribute to poverty alleviation,”President Ismail Omar Guelleh added.

    Joining all the leaders, President Kagame emphasized the need for investment to focus on technologies- particularly those easily available locally that can lead to a more efficient use of energy.

    Held for the first time outside the United Nations, this year’s World Energy Forum brought together over two thousands delegates from across the world including heads of states, members of civil society and private sector.

    Over the next two days, the delegates are expected to share lessons and continue the conversation on the need practical measures and innovations to meet the energy challenge currently experienced worldwide.

    The discussions planned include a renewed debate on nuclear energy, sharing on technological innovations, energy as an investment opportunity and the effect of climate change on energy policies.

  • Whose money is it?

    Few people talk about money during courtship — it’s not romantic. Even after marriage, money remains an awkward topic. In good times, it is a neglected subject. In troubled times, money can be a point of stress.

    While money itself is not often cited in divorce proceedings, it has an uncanny ability to amplify the issues plaguing a difficult relationship.
    Explicit and detailed pre-wedding money discussions are uncommon, but silent and implicit discussions in the form of family negotiations, wedding receptions and other elaborate ceremonies can be deafening and have a lasting impact.

    The financial stress of a couple’s efforts to recover from costs of the marriage ceremonies can cloud financial arrangements throughout their marriage.

    As the newlyweds recover from a lavish wedding or just learn to survive on their own incomes, they confront many questions, such as: Who pays the rent and the EWSA bills? Whose relatives can they support financially? How much can each spend on social drinks with friends? Who should pay for accommodation?

    How should they manage differences in salaries? How should domestic responsibilities be shared? How much should they set aside for aging parents? Which schools can they afford for their children? Who gets first dibs in further education expenses they pay for jointly?

    If you discussed these and similar questions before you married, you have the Wisdom of Solomon and the courage of David before Goliath. It is a difficult discussion to have because each person wants, especially then, to be seen as generous.

    If you still believe all money-related decisions are the sole responsibility of one spouse (traditionally the man), it’s time to wake up. But if dealing with money is still a work-in-progress, as it is for most couples, consider reducing the stress it can cause in your relationship by explicitly discussing the following:

    Financial baggage: No two families relate to money in exactly the same way. In one family, money matters were discussed over dinner; in another, money was the sole prerogative of one parent. One might have experienced overt arguments over money; the other absolute silence.

    You need to acknowledge your own financial baggage. You can’t change the past, but you can change negative learned behaviuors (e.g., secrecy) and build on positive influences (e.g., a healthy savings culture). Let your partner know what influences your decision-making process.

    Full disclosure: Before and during your marriage, commit to fully disclosing ALL your personal assets and liabilities. Tuition fees for a child born out of wedlock are not an off-balance sheet item. Swap bank statements.

    Full disclosure includes social insurance contracts. If your eldest siblings paid for your education in full and there is a family expectation that you will do the same for your younger sibling, include it in your disclosure discussions.

    Differences in income: Perhaps the most important potential source of stress arises when partners have significant differences in income, with the actual and perceived privileges, rights and obligations this bestows on the higher-earning spouse.

    This difference impacts decision-making for major expenses, sharing essential and discretionary costs and the style of social engagements and commitments. Some couples decide that the lesser income should be used for their joint discretionary pleasure or the sole use of the partner earning less.

    Others commit that money to a single family expense; yet others share all expenses 50:50 regardless of income. It is more efficient to focus on total household income and treat it all as joint money. Focus on the total income and prepare a single family budget — irrespective of the source of funds.

    Joint accounts: There are as many divergent views on joint accounts as there are marriages. Personally, I think that as long as a marriage has a single balance sheet and income statement, the number of accounts is only an administrative convenience.

    If a joint account makes it easier to track expenses or qualify for a mortgage, then so be it. For this reason some families choose to pool some or all of their incomes into one account. At a minimum, however, maintaining individual accounts is still important.

    Discretionary funds: Irrespective of anything else, each partner needs access to an agreed amount of discretionary funds. In the same way companies operate petty cash accounts, individuals need funds they can utilise as they please — for birthday gifts, random acts of kindness, personal hobbies and other activities that we all need to maintain our individual characters (which attracted our partners in the first place).

    Of course, the appropriate amount of discretionary funds is unique to each family, but it should not exceed the percentage of total income set aside for investments and savings. How these funds are used is a different issue.

    To what extent should irregular income from business ventures be included in the household finances? If one spouse is doing a side business out of his/her ‘discretionary funds’, where should the proceeds go?

    How to handle money within marriage is a topic with no universal rules. Each financial contract between two individuals is unique. Pick the suggestions that work for you and discard the rest.

    There is only one marriage that matters and that is yours! Don’t concern yourself with the Bandas next door who just bought their third car; the Chabotas up the road who are going to London on vacation; or the Simasikus across the road who are expanding their house for the third time. Find a formula that works for your marriage and stick with it.

    Ps… this article contains general advice about financial discussions in marriages, and is provided without any representations or warranties express or implied; it is not intended to resolve any marital disputes, financial or otherwise.

    You must not rely on the content of this article as an alternative to professional marital advice from your pastor or other professional marriage counsellor.

  • Whose money is it?

    Few people talk about money during courtship — it’s not romantic. Even after marriage, money remains an awkward topic. In good times, it is a neglected subject. In troubled times, money can be a point of stress.

    While money itself is not often cited in divorce proceedings, it has an uncanny ability to amplify the issues plaguing a difficult relationship.
    Explicit and detailed pre-wedding money discussions are uncommon, but silent and implicit discussions in the form of family negotiations, wedding receptions and other elaborate ceremonies can be deafening and have a lasting impact.

    The financial stress of a couple’s efforts to recover from costs of the marriage ceremonies can cloud financial arrangements throughout their marriage.

    As the newlyweds recover from a lavish wedding or just learn to survive on their own incomes, they confront many questions, such as: Who pays the rent and the EWSA bills? Whose relatives can they support financially? How much can each spend on social drinks with friends? Who should pay for accommodation?

    How should they manage differences in salaries? How should domestic responsibilities be shared? How much should they set aside for aging parents? Which schools can they afford for their children? Who gets first dibs in further education expenses they pay for jointly?

    If you discussed these and similar questions before you married, you have the Wisdom of Solomon and the courage of David before Goliath. It is a difficult discussion to have because each person wants, especially then, to be seen as generous.

    If you still believe all money-related decisions are the sole responsibility of one spouse (traditionally the man), it’s time to wake up. But if dealing with money is still a work-in-progress, as it is for most couples, consider reducing the stress it can cause in your relationship by explicitly discussing the following:

    Financial baggage: No two families relate to money in exactly the same way. In one family, money matters were discussed over dinner; in another, money was the sole prerogative of one parent. One might have experienced overt arguments over money; the other absolute silence.

    You need to acknowledge your own financial baggage. You can’t change the past, but you can change negative learned behaviuors (e.g., secrecy) and build on positive influences (e.g., a healthy savings culture). Let your partner know what influences your decision-making process.

    Full disclosure: Before and during your marriage, commit to fully disclosing ALL your personal assets and liabilities. Tuition fees for a child born out of wedlock are not an off-balance sheet item. Swap bank statements.

    Full disclosure includes social insurance contracts. If your eldest siblings paid for your education in full and there is a family expectation that you will do the same for your younger sibling, include it in your disclosure discussions.

    Differences in income: Perhaps the most important potential source of stress arises when partners have significant differences in income, with the actual and perceived privileges, rights and obligations this bestows on the higher-earning spouse.

    This difference impacts decision-making for major expenses, sharing essential and discretionary costs and the style of social engagements and commitments. Some couples decide that the lesser income should be used for their joint discretionary pleasure or the sole use of the partner earning less.

    Others commit that money to a single family expense; yet others share all expenses 50:50 regardless of income. It is more efficient to focus on total household income and treat it all as joint money. Focus on the total income and prepare a single family budget — irrespective of the source of funds.

    Joint accounts: There are as many divergent views on joint accounts as there are marriages. Personally, I think that as long as a marriage has a single balance sheet and income statement, the number of accounts is only an administrative convenience.

    If a joint account makes it easier to track expenses or qualify for a mortgage, then so be it. For this reason some families choose to pool some or all of their incomes into one account. At a minimum, however, maintaining individual accounts is still important.

    Discretionary funds: Irrespective of anything else, each partner needs access to an agreed amount of discretionary funds. In the same way companies operate petty cash accounts, individuals need funds they can utilise as they please — for birthday gifts, random acts of kindness, personal hobbies and other activities that we all need to maintain our individual characters (which attracted our partners in the first place).

    Of course, the appropriate amount of discretionary funds is unique to each family, but it should not exceed the percentage of total income set aside for investments and savings. How these funds are used is a different issue.

    To what extent should irregular income from business ventures be included in the household finances? If one spouse is doing a side business out of his/her ‘discretionary funds’, where should the proceeds go?

    How to handle money within marriage is a topic with no universal rules. Each financial contract between two individuals is unique. Pick the suggestions that work for you and discard the rest.

    There is only one marriage that matters and that is yours! Don’t concern yourself with the Bandas next door who just bought their third car; the Chabotas up the road who are going to London on vacation; or the Simasikus across the road who are expanding their house for the third time. Find a formula that works for your marriage and stick with it.

    Ps… this article contains general advice about financial discussions in marriages, and is provided without any representations or warranties express or implied; it is not intended to resolve any marital disputes, financial or otherwise.

    You must not rely on the content of this article as an alternative to professional marital advice from your pastor or other professional marriage counsellor.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • QPR manager: Eradicating Racism Will Be Difficult

    QPR manager Mark Hughes has warned it will be almost impossible to completely rid football of racism.

    More than 30 players from eight Premier League clubs chose not to support the annual Kick It Out campaign over the weekend by refusing to wear a T-shirt.

    Among them was QPR defender Anton Ferdinand, who was racially abused by Chelsea captain John Terry last season.

    Hughes said: “It’s very difficult to eradicate totally. Let’s hope that will happen but we will be a lot greyer.”

    Ferdinand was joined by team-mates Djibril Cisse, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Nedum Onouha and Junior Hoilett in making his protest at the perceived lack of action about racism during the warm-up before Sunday’s 1-1 draw Everton – three visiting players, Victor Anichebe, Sylvain Distin and Steven Pienaar also chose not to wear the T-shirts.

    “My understanding at the beginning of the week was that everyone was going to comply,” said Hughes.

    “But a lot of people have made stands and possibly some of our guys felt that they needed to stand shoulder to shoulder which I think you have to accept.

    “Any campaign that looks to address an ill in our game and in society needs to be supported irrespective of the fact of whether they are doing enough or not.

    “[Some] players feel it’s time to make a stand and try and affect the authorities in terms of what they’re doing, and if it does that and they are better in fighting racism in sport then it’s a good thing.”

    Everton manager David Moyes backed his trio of players, although he conceded he did not necessarily agree with them.

    “I spoke to the players and they decided it was their decision,” Moyes said.

    “I listened to their reasons and I told them my reasons why I thought they should [back the campaign by wearing a T-shirt] but ultimately it’s one of these things. They have to make that decision.”

    Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand, Anton’s brother, incurred the wrath of his manager Sir Alex Ferguson by electing not to wear a T-shirt prior to their game against Stoke on Saturday.

    Ferguson felt he had been embarrassed by Rio’s decision and that he had let the club down after having said on Friday that “everyone should be united”.

  • QPR manager: Eradicating Racism Will Be Difficult

    QPR manager Mark Hughes has warned it will be almost impossible to completely rid football of racism.

    More than 30 players from eight Premier League clubs chose not to support the annual Kick It Out campaign over the weekend by refusing to wear a T-shirt.

    Among them was QPR defender Anton Ferdinand, who was racially abused by Chelsea captain John Terry last season.

    Hughes said: “It’s very difficult to eradicate totally. Let’s hope that will happen but we will be a lot greyer.”

    Ferdinand was joined by team-mates Djibril Cisse, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Nedum Onouha and Junior Hoilett in making his protest at the perceived lack of action about racism during the warm-up before Sunday’s 1-1 draw Everton – three visiting players, Victor Anichebe, Sylvain Distin and Steven Pienaar also chose not to wear the T-shirts.

    “My understanding at the beginning of the week was that everyone was going to comply,” said Hughes.

    “But a lot of people have made stands and possibly some of our guys felt that they needed to stand shoulder to shoulder which I think you have to accept.

    “Any campaign that looks to address an ill in our game and in society needs to be supported irrespective of the fact of whether they are doing enough or not.

    “[Some] players feel it’s time to make a stand and try and affect the authorities in terms of what they’re doing, and if it does that and they are better in fighting racism in sport then it’s a good thing.”

    Everton manager David Moyes backed his trio of players, although he conceded he did not necessarily agree with them.

    “I spoke to the players and they decided it was their decision,” Moyes said.

    “I listened to their reasons and I told them my reasons why I thought they should [back the campaign by wearing a T-shirt] but ultimately it’s one of these things. They have to make that decision.”

    Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand, Anton’s brother, incurred the wrath of his manager Sir Alex Ferguson by electing not to wear a T-shirt prior to their game against Stoke on Saturday.

    Ferguson felt he had been embarrassed by Rio’s decision and that he had let the club down after having said on Friday that “everyone should be united”.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Breast Cancer Cases Increasing

    Rwanda is recording a rise in cases of breast cancer.

    According to the division in charge of fighting Non Communicable Diseases at the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), since 2009 the cases have increased.

    Dr Leonard Kayonde, Director of Cancer Diseases Unit said though the prevalence of breast cancer is still unknown, there are cases that have been reported, and documented.

    “There 66 cases in 2009, 79 cases were reported; in 2010 and 103 cases of breast cancer were recorded in 2011,” he said.

    Medics have not established the real cause of cancer but there are risk factors that cannot be prevented; aging, genetic risk factors (inherited), family history, personal history and menstrual cycle, among others.

    However, there are lifestyle risks which individuals can avoid in order to prevent breast cancer like oral contraceptive use, hormone replacement therapy, alcohol use, obesity, high fat diets, physical inactivity, and smoking among others.

    Oda Nsabimana a cancer survivor and a mother of four had the risk factor of age but up to now she is not aware of what caused breast cancer.

    “By then I was 41 years of age and I had stopped breast feeding my baby five months ago. I touched my breast and I felt a small swelling, I immediately had to visit the doctor,” she said adding the subsequent test proved she had the disease.

    The world has dedicated October as month for cancer awareness and several activities are being done in different parts of the world.

    In Rwanda, in observance of the month, awareness/fund raising event has been organised for Sunday, October 28, a walk aimed at raising awareness for breast cancer. “Ulinzi Walk” has been also organised on the same day to be followed by discussions, breast self examination demonstration, and health exercises.

    “In regards with screening we carry out Clinical Breast Exam (CBE) performed by community health workers, and other providers, primarily at the health centre level,” said Kayonde, explaining the purpose of the campaign.

    NewTimes