ISSUE

4444February & March 2015

Monthly Roundup of Rwanda’s

Stories

On 1 March President Paul Kagame officially opened the 12th National Leadership Retreat, known as Umwiherero, at the Rwanda Defence Forces Combat Training Centre in Gabiro in Gatsibo District, where close to 300 members of cabinet, ambassadors, mayors, heads of key government agencies, senior members of the legislature and judici-ary are taking part in a three-day retreat under the theme “Common Vision, New Momentum”.

In his opening remarks, President Kagame emphasised the importance of leaders in enforcing service delivery and accountability: “Umwiherero can’t be an end in itself. This has to be about results. We need something that is different and compatible with what we should be doing and delivering. We need something different that is going to work for us and deliver to our people,” the President said. President Kagame went on to challenge leaders, reminding them that the task of developing the country does not belong to anyone else but Rwandans. “No one is spending sleepless nights thinking about Rwanda. Who do you think has interest in you to come and do it for you? And why? We know what goes wrong every single day but we expect that someone else is going to do it. That somebody else should be you.”

Complacency is not an option - President Kagame

at the 12th National Leadership Retreat

RWANDARWANDAFULFUL

The HagueThe Hague

“We need, as individuals, to examine ourselves. If we don’t do that, we transfer our problems into the system,” President Kagame added. Speak-ing on the unique context of Rwanda, President Kagame added that Rwan-dans have no time to lose: “We have to struggle every single day to get what we want to get. No one is going to deliver it for us and to us.” President Kagame added that to move forward, Rwandans should only compare themselves to the best, not the worst: “If you want to compare, compare with those who have achieved what we are struggling to achieve. Comparing to the worst just to feel good about ourselves does not make sense. The question should be about how we are transforming lives.” Following the remarks, a panel of James Musoni, Minister of Infrastructure, Uzziel Ndagijimana, State Minister of Finance and Economic Planning and Engineer Disam Nkubana, Managing Director of Urbcon Consultancy and member of the Association of Engineers, led a discussion on infrastructure development to support planned urbanisation. Issues discussed included access to reliable and safe drinking water, the provision of adequate sanitation, hygiene, housing and settlement as areas that remain a challenge across the country. Participants at the retreat dis-cussed how best to plan and provide the basic infrastructure and waste management needed for better urbanisation and rural settlement. Current-ly, 83% of Rwandan households are located in rural areas versus 17% in urban areas.

EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF RWANDA

The Hague www.netherlands.embassy.gov.rw

ambalahaye@minaffet.gov.rw

Empower districts to implement master plans and establish guidelines for land use in towns.

Review land location tariffs for effective land use and management.

Facilitate investors in low cost housing through the provision of basic infra-structure such as water, roads and electricity.

Review the health care system, the cost of medical services and harmonise the cooperation of hospitals and health insurance companies.

Increase efforts in malaria prevention activities especially in the distribution of mosquito bed nets and drugs, clearing bushes around households, spraying anti mosquito insecticides, and studying the feasibility of bed nets factory in Rwanda.

Reform service delivery for specialised medical services.

Conduct maintenance of Shyira Hospital by providing the hospital with the required materials, staff as well as electricity.

Fight women and child abuse wherever it might happen by all possible means including sanctions against bystanders and accelerate the establishment of One Stop Centres in all districts.

Increase infrastructure for conference tourism, the maintenance of museums and grow tourist destinations to attract more tourists for longer stays in Rwanda.

Strengthen the Rwanda Convention Bureau through sharing timely infor-mation on planned conferences so that it can liaise with the Private Sector Federation in promoting MICE tourism.

Resolutions of the 12th National Leadership Retreat: “Common Vision, Renewed Momentum”

The 12th National Leadership Retreat, known also as Umwiherero, was held in Gabiro in Gatsibo Dis-trict at the Rwanda Defence Forces Combat Training Centre. The retreat was held from 28 February – 2 March 2015 under the theme: “Common Vision, New Momentum”. The retreat was presided over by President Paul Kagame. In his opening remarks, President Kagame called on leaders to efficiently deliver on their responsibilities and work more closely with citizens. The following topics were discussed at the 12th National Leadership Retreat: Leaders’ accountability – Rethinking the government’s approach to delivery Infrastructure development to support planned urbanisation Leveraging public private partnership to tap the full potential of the MICE sector Reviewing the performance of health systems and enhancing the quality of health service delivery Accountability to women and children for sustained development Resolutions Following the participants’ discussions, the following resolutions were made:

Make a list of stalled government projects, establish deadlines for their completion and report projects with suspicion of corruption, as well as those stalled due to leaders’ irresponsibility, to the prosecution for investigation.

Share information and break the networking and complicity in corruption cases to end the cul-ture of covering up corrupt officials.

Initiate legal procedures against officials involved in embezzlement and misappropriation of funds meant to be used for programmes improving citizens’ welfare, notably the Vision 2020 Umurenge Programme (VUP), Ubudehe, Girinka, FARG and in the health care system.

Find markets for maize production from the first phase of the Agricultural Season A 2015 and search for market opportunities for other Crop Intensification Programme products – alongside sustainable farming mechanisms. The Ministry of Trade and Industry will play a leading role in value addition and in promoting the trade and production of agricultural and animal husbandry products.

Empower districts to implement management and maintenance of rural water supply projects.

Complete comprehensive preparations for water supply projects to facilitate investment in the sector, review the cost of water, taking into consideration the actual production cost and the beneficiaries’ purchasing power, and allocate enough funding for water supply projects.

Rwandans pay tribute to national heroes

President of the Senate, Bernard Makuza, led a tribute for the Rwandan heroes who gave their lives for their countrymen and women as well as those who have carried out exemplary ac-tions. The National Heroes Day ceremony was held at Heroes' Mausoleum where a number of heroes were recognised including: Major General Fred Gisa Rwigema, an unknown soldier repre-senting all the fallen soldiers during the struggle for liberation, the students of Nyanza who bravely sacrificed their lives rather than separate themselves based on ethnicity, former Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana, and King Rudahigwa who abolished all forms of serfdom and advocated for Rwandan unity and independence. In his message President Kagame said, “We celebrate Rwandan heroes, the resilience of the Rwandan spirit and hard work of Rwandans in our country's transformation.” This year’s National Heroes Day was held under theme “Ubutwari bw’Abanyarwanda Agaciro kacu” or "Rwandan Heroism: Our Dignity”. Speaking on Heroes Day, Executive Secretary of the Chancellery for Heroes, National Orders and Decorations of Honour Deo Nkusi said, "Heroism involves sacrifice, sometimes to the extent of losing one's life. So, when we celebrate Heroes Day, it is to honour our heroes and to remember and cherish their acts. Heroes Day also raises awareness about the good example set by fallen or living heroes, especially for young people." National heroes are classified into the following three categories: 1. Imanzi, which refers to supreme heroes with outstanding achievements and unparalleled sacrifice 2. Imena, who are remembered for their sacrifice for their country 3. Ingenzi, who are recognised for their exemplary actions Celebrations to mark Heroes Day were also held at the village level to encourage citizen partici-pation and for communities to share in the spirit of the national day.

Rwanda is an anchor of stability in the region – German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier

German Minister of Foreign Affairs, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has said that Rwanda is an anchor of stability in the region. Minister Steinmeier was addressing a press conference in Kigali alongside Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Louise Mushikiwabo. Minister Steinmeier, who is on a two-day visit to Rwanda, said that Germany and Rwanda are connected by common values and by the experience of reconciliation. The Minister said that there are significant opportunities for Germany and Rwanda to expand business, in-vestment and cultural ties: “When I return home, I will tell my fellow Germans about the efforts Rwanda is making to boost business opportunities.” Minister Mushikiwabo said that the two countries enjoy special relations as a result of their shared history, partnership and values. “We look forward to expanding business opportuni-ties as well as cultural ties between Rwanda and Germany,” she said. Speaking on Rwanda’s progress after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Minister Steinmeier said that though the wounds of genocide take time to heal, Rwanda today is far from that reality: “We need to make sure that people have a realistic view of Rwanda. Peo-ple know far too little of this country.” Earlier the two ministers addressed a business roundtable hosted by the Rwanda Develop-ment Board. The roundtable was attended by a high level delegation from Germany and businesspeople from Rwanda’s private sector. They discussed the country’s business friend-ly atmosphere and numerous untapped opportunities that are available for investment. Minister Steinmeier concluded his visit to Rwanda by meeting President Kagame. He also paid his respects to victims of the 1994 genocide at the Kigali Genocide Memorial.

Rwanda’s economy rebounds as GDP expands by 7% Rwanda’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose to seven per cent in 2014 from 4.6 per cent registered in 2013. This is thanks to robust expansion in services, farming and industrial sectors. In 2014, GDP at current market prices rose to Rwf 5,389 billion, up from Rwf 4,864 billion in 2013. GDP is the monetary value of all the finished goods and services produced within a country’s borders. It is calculated on both quarterly and annual basis. The services sector was at the vanguard of the economic rebound as it contributed 47 per cent of GDP. Agriculture and industry contributed 33 per cent and 14 per cent respectively, while the remaining five per cent was attributed to adjustment for taxes and subsidies on products. Figures released by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) show that in 2014, the agriculture sector grew by five per cent, the industry sector by six per cent, while the services sector registered nine per cent growth. Presenting the statistics, the Director General of NISR Yusuf Murangwa said that “the analysis of figures indicate that the service sector was the biggest contributor expanding by nine per cent which contributed 4.3 percentage points to GDP. The agriculture sector which grew by five per cent contributed 1.6 per cent while Indus-tries which expanded by six per cent contributed 0.9 per cent.” The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Claver Gatete noted that the seven per cent growth recorded in 2014 shows that Rwanda’s economy is back on track. “We are happy with seven per cent growth. This indicates progress considering that we only managed 4.6 per cent GDP growth in 2013.” Minister Gatete further added that after scrutinizing the figures released by NISR, the Ministry of Finance will make projections – for both growth and inflation – in collaboration with its key partners such as the International Monetary Fund .

Rwanda investments on positive outlook As Rwanda continues to attract a growing number of investors into the country, it will be important to continue with the various policy and institutional initiatives that have positioned it as among the best places to do business globally. Rwanda is currently the 3rd easiest place to do business in Africa and the 46th globally. In the Baseline Profitability Index (BPI) 2014 which ranks countries on their attractive-ness as Investment destinations Rwanda ranks 7th globally, and in Africa is 2nd. The Economic Free-dom of the World Report and the WEF Global Competitiveness Re-port (2014 -15) - Rwanda ranks 3rd economically free and most competitive country in the sub-Saharan African region. In addition to this, Rwanda continues to encourage sector specific competitiveness in each of the above mentioned sectors to further attract businesses. The year 2014 was indeed a positive year with a boost in the economy growing at a rate of 7.8%, and the growth in percentage was largely driven by agriculture (33%), Services (48%) and industry (15%). The growth was largely attributed to the growth in agriculture where in the second season saw the pro-duction of food crops at a rate of 7% and the expansion of the industrial sector growing by 4%. Notably, other driving factors are due to the continuous effort by Rwanda Development Board (RDB) to attract investments in priority sectors mostly in the services, manufacturing and tourism. The year saw notable investments in energy and manufacturing coming into the country. Symbion, an American US based power developer is set to develop a 50MW water-methane extraction and gas to power production facility on Lake Kivu that will be supplied to the national grid. The key proposed changes will facilitate the growth of key sectors such as energy, manufacturing, BPO and Agro-processing. The key proposed amendments include; preferential corporate tax of 15% and a tax holiday of 7 years for large investments provided that an investor invests $50M with investor contribution of at least 30% of equity to the project. The new law is expected to intensify partnerships between the private and public sectors. Technology and infrastructure go hand in hand as Rwanda enhanced access to high speed internet by rolling out the 4G LTE network across the country and adding more paved roads to its network. Rwanda is also working with neighbouring countries to develop regional infrastructure including railway transport and the oil pipeline both of which are expected to vastly reduce the time and cost of transhipping goods. The existing Kigali International airport was expanded to cater for more cargo and passengers even as plans to build the new Bugesera International Airport to accommodate a fast growing aviation industry advance significantly.

Promoting gender equality is integral part of national commitment—President Kagame

President Paul Kagame has said that promoting gender equality is an important part of Rwanda’s commitment. The President, who was speaking at a gala dinner hosted by Unity Club to celebrate the International Women’s Day, thanked Rwandan women for their role in the country’s economic transformation. “The theme of International Women’s Day this year, Make It Happen is what Rwan-dans and especially Rwandan women have done and continue to do, every day. Pro-moting gender equality does not take place in isolation. It is an integral part of our national commitment. Any place, that does not make gender equality a priority, is probably getting other important things wrong too.” President Kagame further reiterated that Gender Based Violence will not be tolerated and those responsible will face justice and pay heavily for their deeds. He added that ending violence against women and girls is a moral duty, a legal obligation of every-body. “Gender based violence will not be tolerated at all. Violence against women is not a Rwandan culture. We have a responsibility to apply the law to end it.” The President encouraged men and women to continue working together so that Rwandan children may have good families and a bright future. “Men and women should both complement each other. We cannot lose our focus or determination, despite the encouraging results, that have been recorded in Rwanda. It is said that men are the head of families, but you must know that women are the heart of our families not assistants.” Unity Club is a Rwandan non-government organization made up of female spouses of former and current cabinet ministers as well as former and current women ministers. The club’s mission is to harness unity and peace as a strong foundation on which to build sustainable national development.

Rwanda scoops global tourism award Rwanda has been awarded the best Continental Exhibitor of the 2015 International Tourism Bourse (ITB); the Travel Trade Show in Berlin, Germany. While addressing local reporters, the Head of Tourism at Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Ambassador Yamina Karitanyi said that Rwanda’s rich history, culture, diversity and an endless wildlife experience showcased at the stand drew a multitude of peo-ple and was a big attraction in Berlin. “This year we focused on seeking out potential clients to Rwanda through our private sector. We are excited and honoured to have won the two categories for Best African and Best Global stand at the 2015 ITB Travel fair in Berlin because this reinforces the confidence that the global market has for our country’s tourism potential,” she said. Karitanyi urged other African nationals to visit and experience Rwanda, adding that it was time for Africans to know more about their neighbouring countries: “As we work to link continental travel, this is an excellent period to get to know the rest of Africa. Tourists to Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda have the advantage of using a single visa to visit the three countries.” Rwanda’s stand number 113 comprised of information exchanges and presentations by Rwanda Devel-opment Board, Institute of National Museums of Rwanda, Thousand Hills Expeditions, Primate Safaris, Nyungwe Forest Lodge, Wildlife Tours Rwanda, Nyungwe Top View Hotel and Amahoro Tours with both trade and consumer groups visiting. The cultural dress, music and dance displays from the Nation-al Ballet were huge favourites. Rwanda’s tourism sector continued to grow in the past year cementing its position as one of the key sources of foreign exchange for the country. Last year, the sector registered a Nine percent increase in the number of visitors to Rwanda. Visitors grew from 1.14 million to 1. 2 million, and revenue increased from 296.4 million U.S Dollars to 303 million U.S Dollars. RDB has announced plans to increase earnings from tourism to 860 million U.S Dol-lars in the next two years. Kenya came second and Tunisia emerged third on the African category. Oth-er top 10 African countries include Namibia, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Gambia and Seychelles. This year’s ITB attracted 186 countries and nearly 200,000 people. ITB being the world leading travel show provides a great platform to show case Rwanda tourism products to the global world but also creates an opportunity for the Rwanda Tourism Businesses to meet, network and transact businesses with international travel buyers in a highly targeted and interactive environment.

Embassy events – February 2015

With Rwandan Diaspora committee celebrating New Year & National Heroes Day 2015 in The Hague

Meeting WakaWaka & Trees For All

Meeting Mrs Tineke Luijendijk, Chair & Mrs Anke Verwoord, Director Dutch women's association VrouwenvanNu

Meeting Mr Ahmet Sahin General Manager Turkish Airlines

Meeting & receiving signed MoU from Professor Nick Huls between University of Leiden and University of Rwanda on capacity building

Celebration of International Womens Day in the Netherlands On 8 March 2015 the world celebrated International Women’s Day. All around the world, International Women's Day represents an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women while calling for greater equality. On Saturday 21 March the Embassy of the Republic of Rwanda in The Hague in cooperation with Ishema (the Rwanda Women Association) celebrated International Women’s Day at the Carlton Ambassador Hotel in The Hague where achievements of Rwandan and Dutch women were celebrated. This special day was celebrated together with guest of honour Mrs. Ingrid de Caluwe (MP for the VVD, leading party in the Dutch government), the diplomatic community, Inter-national Womens Contact in The Hague, the Rwandan diaspora and many Friends of Rwanda. In total more than 200 guests attended the event. Ishema’s mission is to encourage Rwandan women living in the Netherlands to actively play a role in the development of Rwanda. President of Ishema, Ms Christella Mukashema, informed the audience that every year International Women’s day is celebrated in the Netherlands, which gives the opportunity to celebrate their achievements and set new goals to broaden their network. In Rwanda, the International Women’s day was celebrated under the theme “Let’s strengthen performance contracts in development”. The program of the celebration offered an interesting mix of cultural music and dance performances and speeches from honourable speakers, amongst others Mrs. Barbara Couwenberg from the International Womens Contact in The Hague and the Ambassador of Nigeria (Dean of African Ambassadors). H.E. Jean Pierre Karabaranga, Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda to the Netherlands, said in this speech that Rwanda has made substantial progress towards gender empowerment, most notably with the achievement of 64 per cent female representation in parliament, ranking Rwanda the first in the world in terms of female representation. There are similarly high levels of female representation at all levels of government and these achievements are supported by strong institu-tional measures, including policy and budgetary commitments in connection to the Economic Development Poverty Re-duction Strategy (EDPRS) process that seeks to bring gender equality into the mainstream of government policy-making. The Ambassador quoted H.E. President Kagame who said that gender equality and women’s empowerment is a corner-stone of the Government of Rwanda’s development strategy, and a proven source of development progress. Rwanda is becoming day by day one of the best places to be and live as a woman and girl in the world, said Ambassador Karabaranga and he concluded his speech and invited all guests to unite our call to create a better world in which every woman is treated with respect and dignity, every boy and girl is loved and cared equally, and every family has the hope of a strong, stable and a better future.

Ambassador Karabaranga participating at Umwiherero

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Embassy events – March 2015

The Embassy of the Republic of Rwanda in the Netherlands celebrated International Women’s Day 2015 with guest of honor Mrs. Ingrid de Caluwe (Dutch Member of Parliament for the VVD-party) at the Carlton Ambassador Hotel in The Hague

Ambassador Jean Pierre Karabaranga visited Koffiebranderij Book in The Hague and owner Mrs Lianne Bertens informed that she just started to roast Rwanda coffee beans and sells this in her shop at the Prinsestraat 114. More information where you can buy your Rwandan coffee on www.koffiebranderijboon.nl