Rwanda | Economy and Infrastructure News [Archive]

kgl

November 27th, 2010, 12:05 PM

Indian firms have shown interest in investing in Rwanda promising to start big projects worth millions of dollars.

They are interested in information technology, mining, agro-processing, education, pharmaceuticals and energy, Clare Akamanzi, Chief Operating Officer Rwanda Development Board told reporters recently.

Rwanda Developments Board (RDB), a government agency created to facilitate investments says at least 26 Indian companies have shown interest to invest in Rwanda. Some of them include, Essar Group, Tata Group, Karox Company, Hiranandani Hospital and Welingkar Institute of Management.

"We cannot say how much in terms of investments or give a time frame now, but project proposals we discussed are in the hundreds of million dollars, " said Akamanzi shortly after returning from India for an Investment Road show.

The shows were held in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, New Delhi and Bangalore cities. The Rwanda Development Board (RDB), and the Federation of Indian Chambers of commerce (FICCI), organized the show. Participating in the India road investment, according to John Gara, is part of Rwanda's new strategy to attract specific investors.

"[It is part] of targeted sector investment promotion," Gara explained. "The whole world is looking at India, China and Brazil. "Even American investors want to go to India," said Gara. So far 29 indian projects valued at $55 million have registered with the Rwanda Development Board. Akamanzi says, Essar Group may invest in Rwanda's geothermal industry, while Tata expressed interest in the transportation and information technology sectors.

The two Mumbai-based companies could begin feasibility studies before the end of this year, according to RDB. "New Delhi-based Universal Empire has handed the Rwanda Development Board a $250 million proposal to establish an education facility," a statement from RDB says.

The statement further says, Cadila Pharmaceuticals could set shop in Rwanda very soon. "This company is already negotiating with government to set up a pharmaceutical plant in Rwanda. Faustin Kananura Mbundu, Chairman East African Business Council said when the Indians invest in Rwanda the rest of the region benefits.

He said the team from Rwanda exchanged investment proposals and signed Memorandum of Understanding with associations representing Indian commerce and industry.

RDB's Akamanzi says, "The particular importance is the MOU with the Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association which provides for industrial attachments and training to Rwanda entrepreneurs and students at members' plants."

http://allafrica.com/stories/201011081413.html

popa1980

November 28th, 2010, 02:50 PM

jules3c

November 28th, 2010, 10:39 PM

29 projects at $55 million? Thats nothing- thats just $2 million for each project.

The $250 million education thing sounds interetsing though- im guessing it will be a campus of an Indian university or some sort of IT training facility.

an education facility for 250 million dollars? are they going to introduce nanotechnology. i mean the equipment for nanotechnology cost about 27 million dollars.

BUTEMBO21

November 29th, 2010, 12:51 AM

29 projects at $55 million? Thats nothing- thats just $2 million for each project.

Your thinking of developed countries. You forgot how cheap it is to do things in Africa. Just convert that money into local currency.

The $250 million education thing sounds interetsing though- im guessing it will be a campus of an Indian university or some sort of IT training facility.

Thats a good amount of a small country and for a start. They will just plant 1 or 2 large campuses in Kigali. That can welcome more than 5000 students. That very good for 1 single higher learning Institute. It 's not like it will be for the entire education system.

So imagine opening another amounts like that for 3 or 4 more technical institutes in 8 years.

kgl

November 29th, 2010, 10:15 PM

I think it will be an ICT university, cause Rwanda want to become an ICT hub in Africa.

kgl

December 11th, 2010, 02:50 PM

Rwanda hosted a 17-member delegation from Singapore on a four-day trade mission to explore investment opportunities, as well as, establish closer and more concrete business relationships between Rwanda and Singaporean business communities.

The delegation comprised investors from various sectors including, Manufacturing, Energy, agriculture, IT, Security, retail and other services.

Welcoming the delegation, the Trade and Commerce Minister, Monique Nsanzabaganwa, described the trade mission as an important step towards development and realizing the country’s goals.

She added that Rwanda has a lot to learn from Singapore, in terms of facilitating investors and effectively involving them in the country’s economic development. She advised them to make the most of Rwanda’s untapped investment opportunities in the various sectors.

The RDB Chief Operation Officer, Clare Akamanzi, reminded the delegation that Rwanda is on the fast track to development, and was in 2010 ranked as the 2nd top global reformer in Doing Business. She reminded them that one could open and register their company in less than 24hours either online or at the RDB offices.

By close of day, some members had confirmed their commitment to invest in Rwanda by registering their business.

Speaking to The New Times, the head of delegation, Hon. Rasheed Abidin Zainul, a Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Singapore, said

“Considering that more can be done for trade and business between Rwanda and Singapore, We are very excited to meet our counterparts in Rwanda. We are here to promote trade agreements that will facilitate exports between the two countries and we hope to forge partnerships with Rwanda companies for mutual gains as we develop as governments, and our people.”

The delegation was inspired to come to Rwanda after Minister Zainul met President Paul Kagame and was convinced that Rwandan people must be equally focused and serious about the country’s development.

The delegation will have networking sessions with some government officials to discuss the business environment, trade promotion, presentation on various sectors, one-on-one business meetings, site visits to Kigali Industrial Park and other venues.

Zainul said. “The first thing we have to look at is how to invest in our own people and we are doing this together through programmes identified by Rwanda through the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise.”

He commended Rwanda for initiating the Workforce Development Authority (WDA), which he said is a major strategy in development.

Singapore Business Federation (SBF) represents the business community in bilateral, regional and multilateral forums for the purpose of promoting trade expansion and business networking and help the Singaporean companies to expand internationally.

Having been one of the less developed countries in 1960s, Singapore is now the world’s fourth leading financial centre and a world cosmopolitan city.

Newtimes

C-RDCONGO

December 11th, 2010, 06:56 PM

What Rwandas main export, resources wise, that t offers to investors?
also wats its population?

BUTEMBO21

December 11th, 2010, 07:05 PM

What Rwandas main export, resources wise, that t offers to investors?
also wats its population?

Coffee and Tea are their export.

Population 10 million.

Investments ? I think ITC and manufacturing is what they are interested in.

Its believed to be easy to do business there because its highly organized.

kgl

December 19th, 2010, 03:06 PM

n Indian company has signed a pact with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) to invest $250 million for a knowledge hub and an integrated food park in this East African country, once associated with its fratricidal conflict that claimed nearly a million lives. India's Universal Empire
Infrastructures (UEIL) has been in discussion with the Government of Rwanda for a few months and the company delegation also visited here, the capital of Rwanda. The delegation also held detailed discussions with six cabinet ministers of the Rwandan government.

The memorandum of understanding inked now is a follow-up of the recent road shows held by RDB in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Ahmedabad, officials said.

Clare Akamanzi, chief operating officer, and K Balachandran Nair, chairman and managing director, signed the pact on behalf of RDB and UEIL, respectively, in the presence of Munish Gupta, director of UEIL, and Rosemary Mbabazi, director for investment promotion with RDB.

The pact focusses on the establishment of a knowledge hub that entails a multi-disciplinary university that comprises all schools, especially for medicine, in collaboration with Royal Colleges of either Scotland, Ireland or England, as also those for engineering, management, commerce, education, agriculture, arts and humanities, and basic sciences.

It also calls for centres on employable skill development, IT, biotech and research, apart from a sports complex and convention centre, a medical resort with 300 rooms, wellness centre, naturopathy and water sports to spur tourism.

The second part of the pact focusses on the establishment of an integrated food processing park to develop agriculture and animal husbandry.

Rwanda, now led by its second-term, democratically-elected President Paul Kagame, wants to leave the catastrophic genocide in 1994 behind and forge pacts globally to lift the impoverished country. Around 90 percent of the population of this country is engaged mainly in subsistence agriculture and processing of some minerals.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-to-invest-250-mn-in-Rwanda/Article1-639868.aspx

Constantine MMX

January 8th, 2011, 05:25 PM

Doing business in Rwanda: Go for it, but remember the proverb of low-hanging fruit.

By LLOYD IGANE

Judging from the increasing throngs of Kenyan and Somali-speaking businessmen jamming the airports and bus termini with their excess baggage and incessant complaints, there is no doubt that Rwanda is fast becoming the East African businessman’s new Mecca, and has no shortage of eager pilgrims.

And as Meccas go, the “land of a thousand opportunities” has not only generously thrown its gates open to all friends and neighbours of goodwill, but done it in award-winning style: The country has been named the globe’s top business reformer by the World Bank Group’s Doing Business Report 2010.

The World Economic Forum’s 2010 Competitiveness Award and the Commonwealth Business Council’s African Business Award 2010, among others, have recently honoured the hilly little country in the heart of Africa.

So what, one wonders, has made Rwanda so attractive to investors and professional types?

To begin with, private investment is of such priority for President Paul Kagame, he has established a whole industry around it in the name of the Rwanda Development Board.

Headed by John Gara, a lawyer, the RDB has the mandate to bend over backwards to accelerate national growth through private sector development.

The government has also pushed through major reforms, one of which is to ensure no sectors are barred to foreign investors and no restrictions are placed by the government on the percentage of equity such investors may hold.

Indicators of the country’s favourable economic climate are myriad and include strong macroeconomic growth that encompasses an 8.8 per cent GDP growth rate, controlled inflation, increasing government tax revenues and stable exchange rates.

The stability of government with a president who might as well be called “CEO of Rwanda Inc” goes hand in hand with zero tolerance for corruption and extremely low crime levels.

But these are just indicators of the country’s investment climate. So exactly what has made Rwanda Inc so attractive to investors and professionals?

Why is it that everyone you ask tells you what a breeze it is to do business in Rwanda?

The government will tell you that the ease with which you can register a business is a major factor.

Thanks to economic and legal reforms, what used to take several procedures over several weeks has now been reduced to two procedures taking no more than 24 hours.

They will also go on and on about other reforms that have made it easier to register intellectual property, attractive incentives and simple taxation, and how easy it is to do business with the rest of East Africa from Rwanda.

Rwanda is also in the process of establishing an industrial park, a technology park and Free Trade Zone, and has started developing a robust capital markets authority beginning with the stock exchange.

While still on the topic of starting a business, they will tell you that online business registration is now operational.

This means by simply visiting the relevant RDB website, you can incorporate a company remotely from abroad without going to RDB’s offices at all.

They will also tell you about e-regulations. A web-based information portal aimed at putting all doing-business procedures online, e-regulations is currently under implementation by the RDB in association with the the United Nations’ Unctad.

It is an online step-by-step guide to all business procedures that brings total transparency to investment procedures and is also a truly one-stop concept, the only one of its kind in East Africa.

E-guidelines

Hence, for every doing-business procedure, e-regulations offers detailed step-by-step guidelines (every mandatory interaction with a civil servant is considered a step) and for each step, a step sheet that shows what one should get from the civil servant at the end of the step; complete contact details of the civil servant in charge and of the person one can complain to in case of a problem; forms and other documents one needs to submit; and finally, time, cost, and legal justifications for the step.

So far, potential investors can enjoy online access to all the steps necessary for business registration, business licensing and permits, land and property, immigration, intellectual property, and taxation.

There are many other reforms aimed at making doing business in Rwanda a breeze, many of which one never knows about until they check the RDB website.

These include reforms relating to the ease of acquiring construction permits, registration of property getting credit and winding up.

But most of all, they will tell you that, despite remarkable progress, Rwanda remains largely virgin territory with limitless unexploited opportunities in agroprocessing, ICT, infrastructure, tourism, energy, mining services, real estate and construction.

However, even as the excited Kenyan businessmen and other investors flock into RDB to register their businesses for as little as Rwf25,000 (slightly more than $40), they quickly find out that these “low-hanging fruit” have thorns around them.

“They said that Rwanda is open for business and they have made it easier,” complains a frustrated Kenyan businessman at Magerwa, the Customs warehouses in Gikondo, “but they surely make it very difficult for one to make money!”

Like all Kenyans, he is frustrated by the slow pace of life and work in Rwanda compared with go-getting Nairobi.

He is also frustrated that what he imagined would be only a five per cent import duty for imports from Kenya (under the EAC) has turned out to be a lot more and has almost depleted his margins.

He is not alone. At the single-terminal Kigali International Airport, a bunch of Kenyan ladies are yelling at an airline staffer who has told them they can’t take the flight they want for they have reported long after the gates were closed and have to wait for the next morning’s flight.

“Why,” asks one of the ladies, “do we have to pay for your incompetence?”

To his credit, the airline staffer keeps his cool and slowly goes about his business of serving the airline’s customers.

Not a muscle twitches on his face to indicate that these foreigners have just insulted him for doing his job and unfairly lumped him with all the lazy local employees of service companies whose work ethic does not even remotely include the concept of customer service.

A case in point is the experience of a regional supermarket chain when they first opened in Kigali city more than a year ago and had to fire the whole lot of local customer service people they had hired and replace them with a more carefully picked, easier to train lot.

It is not unusual to have a bank cashier staring blankly at your passport clearly not registering what is written on it; his/her mind clearly elsewhere, while you, the customer, stands there waiting for him/her to come back to the present and give you your hard-earned money.

To a visitor from fast-paced Nairobi or Kampala or, heaven forbid, New York, most service people of local extraction seem to be deliberately dragging their feet with the sole purpose of rankling the customer.

In fact, Davie, the former resident wag at the old CarWash — a gathering place for Kenyan expats — once coined the phrase, “The only person in a hurry in Rwanda is Paul Kagame.”

This, in a way, is quite true because despite the slowness of waiter service in most places, all government projects such as schools, roads, and so on are done in record time.

Not all is lost though. Pockets of exemplary service are emerging and shining brightly.

Having taken the best part of half a working day to open an ordinary local currency savings account less than two years ago — a dollar account would have taken longer — a writer we know was recently amazed to open one in a different bank, complete with SMS banking, in less than 20 minutes.

Yes, banks in Kigali are open till 8pm on working days and are flexible about weekends too.

And still the queues at most bank branches mostly overspill the chairs and extend outside.

Again, yes, every banking hall in Kigali has many chairs for customers to wait in, which means you walk into a bank with a novel and prepare to read a few chapters.

And while Rwandans don’t seem to mind enjoying this hospitality, the aforementioned foreign investor/ professional can’t help but wish this easy-to-do-business-in place could move a little faster.

The good news is that the “impatient” foreign investor/professional is bravely soldiering on as a fearless agent of change — the service standards at the few foreign supermarkets in Kigali are, for instance, exemplars for all others to look up to.

To this end, there have been several government and pseudo-government efforts to improve service standards.

RDB has been running outdoor and print ads aimed at dignifying a culture of service.

The board has also supported the production of the widely advertised and professionally produced Service Mag, spearheaded several customer service training events, and – through its human resource development arm – set up several initiatives to improve the quality of the growing local work force.

It is clear to the casual observer that the limitless low hanging fruits available in Rwanda right now are a function of the ongoing long term reconstruction efforts aimed at getting Rwanda firmly back on its economic feet after the ravages of genocide.

But the question of what happens when Rwandans are finally able to manage on their own is never far from the mind of any forward-planning businessperson — and that explains the palpable apprehension of the Kenyan businessmen and professionals even as they jam airports and bus termini with their wares and portfolios. -THE EAST AFRICAN (http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/-/2558/1082336/-/item/3/-/j4eqx5/-/index.html)

popa1980

January 9th, 2011, 04:08 AM

Its not just Rwanda, most of Africa is slow-paced and ineffecient. I was at a Chinese restauarant today- now THOSE guys are so quick and effecient. No wonder their economies are booming and people want to invest in them. If Africans take this attitude into the factory, who will want to build a factory in Africa? The Chinese were recently complaining about Ghanaian workers and they have a point.

BUTEMBO21

January 9th, 2011, 06:04 AM

kgl

January 25th, 2011, 12:16 PM

Rwanda and the Saudi Fund for Development yesterday signed two loan agreements worth $17 million for the rehabilitation of Butare-Kitabi-Ntendezi Road and increase electricity access in three areas in the country.

According to the agreement, the road rehabilitation project amounts to about $5million and comes to reinforce the rehabilitation of Butare-Ntendezi project whose works are expected to begin soon.

The Butare-Ntendezi road network links Kigali to the western and southern parts of the country, and serves as the main access to the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), notably Bukavu region.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Minister of Finance, John Rwangombwa, highlighted the importance of rehabilitating the road and said that it also connects a major agricultural area and to Nyungwe Game Park which is one the tourist attractions in the country.

"We will pay back this concessional loan in a period of 30 years with an interest rate of 1percent," said Rwangombwa.

Meanwhile the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Saudi Fund for Development, Eng. Yousef Ibn Ibrahim Al-Bassam, hailed the cooperation between Rwanda and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, saying that relations between the two countries dates back to the early 80s and that Saudi Development Programmes in Rwanda are worth over US$78m.

Regarding the electricity project, it was financed to the tune of $11.7 million.

"This will greatly enhance Rwanda Energy Roll-out Programme and will contribute to efforts to connect at least 16 percent of the population (or 350,000 clients) to the national grid by 2012 from the current 6percent," said Rwangombwa, adding that this will stimulate economic growth.
Relevant Links

* Central Africa
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The Minister of Infrastructure, Vincent Karega, attended the ceremony and made a brief presentation on the energy sector in the country.

"We have a full programme of electricity roll-out all over the country. This means, connecting the whole country to transmission lines and in the end connecting our subscribers to the transmission lines," he said

He added that; "So far we have covered 65% of the country meaning that most of our population within 65percent of the territory are not 5km away from the grid."

"The overall rollout programme is estimated to cost $290m and 95 percent has been committed and this is five-year plan," said Minister Karega.

All Africa

Rayman87

February 11th, 2011, 12:10 AM

Bourbon Coffee Rwanda's successful coffee brand

http://newsgrist.typepad.com/robertgoldwaterlibrary/images/2007/07/23/22rwandaxlarge1.jpg

http://www.livinginkigali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/bourbon-cafe1.jpg

Starbucks is coming to South Africa, and Africa’s retort is? Bourbon Coffee. Arthur Karuletwa, who worked for Proctor & Gamble Co. in Seattle and whose wife worked for Starbucks Corp returned to Rwanda to help sort out his beleaguered homeland.

Karuletwa’s plan was to halt the exodus of Rwandan coffee beans for low profits and ultimately little revenue for local Rwandans. He intended on opening a brewing house Bourbon Coffee. There was only one problem, Rwandans were tea drinkers. That is “was” because Karuletwa managed to change all of that, and transformed his burden into a burgeoning success which now serves 800 customers daily who enjoy a cosy nook in Kigali which as a traveler on TripAdvisor put it includes “chic Rwandan art, contemporary music, free wifi and the most beautiful swirls on your latte.”

Karuletwa and his business partner Emmanuel Murekezi didn’t merely settle on converting Rwandans to coffee drinkers, they intended on taking their brand back to the states where they sought to work with Starbucks as part of their black apron programme. Unhappy with being overshadowed by the Starbucks brand the pair opened their first store in Washington, and intend on starting two more in Boston and New York by the end of 2010.

With expansion plans into Tanzania, and into Europe who knows where the brewing duo are headed – let’s just hope that their entrepreneurial spirit is rewarded handsomely!

http://moralfibre.co.za/2010/06/02/bourbon-coffee-rwanda-boston/

Bourbon Coffee Seeks Franchise Expansion

Kigali — Bourbon Coffee, Rwanda's chain Coffee Store has launched franchise plans, saying it is set to grant, to five independent operators, the right to distribute its products, techniques, and trademarks.

Emmanuel Murekezi, Bourbon Coffee's Operations Manager said the coffee retail conglomerate is weighing up options of franchising Bourbon's trademark to other private companies in DR Congo, Tanzania, Sweden and Canada.

He also added that franchising is going to be a very profitable venture which will increase the company's market base.

Bourbon Coffee has seen significant expansion in the last four year with three corporate shops in Rwanda and one unit in the US, Washington D.C.

Murekezi said the company is planning to open two coffee shops in Boston and New York by the end of 2010.

He also revealed that the company is planning to open up more shops in Kigali city.

"The task is to fulfil the minimum requirements we are being asked by the authorities from the two states and when we have them, it will take us only three Months to design the places and then we can start working," Mulekezi explained.

The Coffee store started it operations in 2006 with first store at Union Trade Centre (UTC).

After two years another one was opened up at MTN centre and Kanombe International Airport.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201001150036.html

kgl

February 23rd, 2011, 01:41 AM

Kigali: Hilton Hotels have announced plans to open a $30 million dollar 4 star hotel in Kigali after completing registration of their investment with the Rwandan Development Board, RNA reports.

The luxury hotel group plans a 160 room hotel along luxury apartments on 20 acres of land in Kigali City Park acquired by Opulent Hotel Group as part of their partnership with Hilton Hotels Corporation in Africa.

The hotel expected to be opened in 2012 comes as the third luxury hotel brand to enter the city after Belgium-based Rezidor announced last march it would manage the 300-room Kigali convention centre and Marriott’s plans for its own 237-room hotel.

Rwanda Development Board CEO John Gara said in a statement that, “Hilton’s investment is a great vote of confidence for Kigali. It shows that people are increasingly looking to Rwanda as a place to come to invest in and to do business.”

“Kigali is an increasingly attractive destination for tourists and business visitors,” he added.

Opulent Hotel Group visited Rwanda in 2010 as part of the Rwanda Investment Forum and their Director announced interest in starting a business in Rwanda. Opulent recently entered Tanzania as well, opening a hotel in Dar es Salaam and another in Zanzibar. (End)

http://rnanews.com/business/4777-hilton-hotels-enters-rwanda-with-30-million

nairoberry

February 23rd, 2011, 07:05 AM

Kenguy

February 25th, 2011, 05:07 PM

with the rate at which kenyans are investing in rwanda, very soon you will see either of the three kenyan coffee chains(savanah, java, dormans) opening doors in rwanda and try to compete with bourbon

I don't see it happening soon. They still have to consolidate their market within Kenya before moving out. When they embark on regional expansion, they will opt for the larger E.A.C countries first which have a larger substantial middle class than Rwanda.

Rayman87

February 27th, 2011, 05:34 PM

Rayman87

April 25th, 2011, 01:55 PM

DN International to construct 700-unit housing estate

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/photos/14606-DN.jpg
One of the mushrooming new estates in Kigali City. DN International has returned to the industry after months of inactivity (File Photo)

KIGALI - DN International, a local real estate developer will, this year, begin construction work on Satellite City, a project that will feature a 700-unit housing estate, school, and hospital among other properties.

Satellite City will be built in Gisozi, Gasabo District at an estimated cost of Rwf45bn ($ 75 million).

According to Nathan Loyd, the CEO of DN International, the housing estate will constitute 700 units of mixed categories, a three-star hotel, and a state-of–the-art road and communication network.

Loyd said that the project would be the firm’s third after the completion of Hill View Estate and the ongoing Green Park Villas, both in Gasabo District.

“Today is our new dawn. We are informing the citizenry that we have re-opened our projects,” he said while re-launching the company’s Rusororo project.

Loyd said that the company closed the Rusororo project, mid last year, after issues with the mortgage law and crisis within the banking sector, that affected most of the real estate developers.

“The mortgage law handicapped us last year and led us into a loss of Rwf 1bn ($ 1.67 million), since as developers, we could not construct houses. This meant we were not in business but now that it (mortgage law) has been revised, we believe we are going to recover,” Loyd said.
“It will take us 6-8 months to fully recover but we have to start today.”

He noted that the current demand for houses in Rwanda was 10,000 units a year among all categories. However, the absence of the mortgage law last year saw a sharp shortfall of 9,700 houses with only 300 units built.

Loyd added that the current demand for units has shifted from high income earners to the middle class, who demand for apartments.

kiligoland

April 25th, 2011, 03:48 PM

^^:cheers:for that,

Rayman87

April 27th, 2011, 11:35 AM

Digital multimedia academy to open next month

The Africa Digital Multimedia Academy, which is supported by Pixel Corps, a US-based digital media firm, will next month open its doors, at the Regional ICT Training Centre (RITC) of the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST).

Speaking to The New Times yesterday, the Director of RITC, Jerome Gasana, said that preparations for the opening are at advanced stages.

“We concluded an agreement with Pixel and we are going to purchase some of the equipment that will be used in the academy,” he added.Gasana disclosed that they are expecting instructors from the USA, early next month.

He said that the centre would start with an initial batch of 10-20 students as a pilot phase. He added that the move is to assess the success of the academy in terms of training before more are enrolled.

The academy will focus on quality video and film production, basic production skills like computer graphics, shooting/editing, and audio lighting.

Other aspects of digital media production such as podcast technology and online streaming video broadcast, binary skills such as rot scoping, match moving, distance learning, visual literacy would also be taught.
The criteria for selecting students will be based on knowledge of basic computer skills.

Pixel Corps has specialised in computer graphics and video production for close to 30 years and has worked with some of the largest visual production companies in the US, such as Industrial Light and Magic and Lucas Film on the Box Office hit movie, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

The government will fully fund the academy while Pixel Corps will provide the required technology.

Rayman87

April 30th, 2011, 03:25 PM

KiST, German company to construct low cost houses

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/photos/14611-Helmut-R.jpg
(L-R)Helmut R.Schrader, Senior Advisor of Germany-African Business Association and Jurgen Reese the Sales Manager of Nsido

A German firm, in collaboration with Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), plan to construct up low-cost housing estimated to cost approximately Rwf 4.5 million per unit (7500 euros).

BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, a German construction company, will implement the project, in close collaboration with Germany African Business Association (GABA).

Each unit will consist of two bedrooms a bathroom and living room and will be built using locally available materials.

Speaking to The New Times yesterday, Helmut R. Schrader, the Senior Advisor at GABA, noted that the houses would be affordable.

Schrader pointed out that the company has developed technology to construct low cost housing, adding that it had already built light weight houses in Germany, South Africa, Ghana and Morocco.

“The houses are storm and fire resistant and before this year ends, we shall have built a sample house at KIST. This project is not limited to a few countries; we are going step by step to launch it in other African countries,” he explained.

G. Senthil Kumaran, the Head of Department Civil Engineering and Environmental Technology at KIST, said that project is vital for a section of the Rwandan population, who cannot afford high quality housing units.

“In order for people to afford the cost of shelter, we are importing the new technology that can be easily used by every Rwandan. We are going to use locally available materials to construct the houses,” he noted.

Among local materials to be used are volcanic cinders, banana and sisal fibre, among others.

Rayman87

May 9th, 2011, 04:19 PM

Makuza attends Djibouti President’s swearing-in

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/photos/14620-MAKUZAA.jpg
Premier Bernard Makuza

KIGALI - Prime Minister, Bernard Makuza, yesterday attended the swearing-in ceremony of the President of Djibouti, Ismael Omar Guelleh.

Makuza represented President Paul Kagame at the ceremony held in the Djibouti Palace Kempinski Hotel, where he delivered the latter’s message.

Guelleh was sworn-in to rule the country for a third term following last month’s election that he won by an 80 percent landslide majority.

Makuza also met with the Rwanda Diaspora in Djibouti.
During the meeting, the Premier noted that the government had initiated programmes to enhance Rwanda’s economic growth.

He urged the Diaspora to be “hardworking, preserve dignity and values and serve the interests of Rwandans.”
The meeting was also attended by Joseph Nsengimana, Rwanda’s Ambassador to Djibouti who is resident in neighbouring Ethiopia.

Makuza was also shown a 20 hectare piece of land at the Djibouti Port, which the Government of Djibouti offered to Rwanda.

The piece of land to be developed by the Rwanda Private Sector Federation (PSF) will act as a transit point for Rwandan imports and exports. :okay: Thanks Djibouti

The premier later met with his counterpart, Dileita Mohamed Dileita with whom he discussed bilateral matters.

Rayman87

May 9th, 2011, 04:24 PM

Indian firm to establish Gold refinery in Rwanda

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/photos/14620-MIN.jpg
Mining activities in Gatumba Sector Ngororero District. An Indian mining giant will soon set up a refinery in Rwanda

KIGALI - An Indian firm, Rajesh Export Limited (REL), is set to establish a gold and diamond processing refinery in the country. REL is a giant Indian jewellery manufacturer and exporter.

This was confirmed yesterday by Rajesh Mehta, the chairman of REL after a meeting with the outgoing forestry and mines minister, Christophe Bazivamo and Stanslas Kamanzi of Environment and Natural resources.

The two ministries were, on Friday, merged in a cabinet reshuffle that put Kamanzi in charge.

In an interview with The New Times, Rajesh noted that, the company took the decision to invest in Rwanda after realising the country’s unique and favourable investment climate in the region.

“We held discussions with Rwanda’s high commissioner in India and he briefed us about the encouraging investment atmosphere in Rwanda. That’s why we decided, as the board, that we should see Rwanda as our investment destination,” he said.

“We are planning to invest in different sectors like mining, housing and infrastructure. We have agreed with both ministers and I can assure you that within few weeks, we shall start. We will also set up a refinery to process gold and diamonds.”

He noted that Rwanda is the only country in Africa where they have expanded their operations. Rajesh added that the company will set up its continental headquarters in Rwanda.

This means that the minerals will be processed here before they are exported.

Kamanzi commended the delegation and highlighted that the country still needs investors.

“Rwanda needs more investors so that the economy develops. If we get more investments, nationals will get employment.”

“We have come up with a roadmap on how REL will start their operations here and they will begin immediately,” the minister said.

The new investors are coming in at a time Rwanda’s mining industry is booming. Recently, the industry registered impressive growth in the first quarter of 2011 with revenue increasing to US$35.5m.

The delegation will also meet the minister of infrastructure before departing.

Rayman87

May 11th, 2011, 03:37 PM

Rwandan investments in Uganda hit over $9m in a month

Investments established in Uganda by Rwandans last month alone hit over US$9m, Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) has announced.

According to statistics availed to The New Times yesterday, Uganda in April registered investments worth $9, 650,000m from Rwanda in the financial and real estate services sector.

It is envisaged that the investments registered from Rwanda last month will create 35 jobs.

“We have seen tremendous increment in investments from Rwanda and other EAC partner states ever since the Common Market Protocol came into force last year,” Dr. Maggie Kigozi, the UIA Executive Director said yesterday during a meeting on EAC regional integration in Kampala.

Kenya, another EAC member, registered investments worth US$1 million, creating 18 jobs.

Other countries that registered projects during this period included India, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Kenya, Pakistan and Canada.

Kigozi added that the biggest challenge to promotion of cross-border investments in the region is still poor infrastructure and the need for enough electricity.

Richard Sewakiryanga, the Executive Director of Uganda’s Non Governmental Organizations Forum, called on partner states to stop looking after their own national concerns, but start focusing on East Africa as a bloc if integration is to take course.

kgl

May 15th, 2011, 05:04 PM

Rwanda’s export earnings increased by 130 per cent in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period last year as commodity prices recovered and efforts to diversify exports began to bear fruit

http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Rwanda+records+a+130+pc+growth+in+exports/-/2558/1162744/-/item/0/-/tcxc3n/-/index.html

A senior Czech government official is in the country to strengthen his country’s bilateral relations with Rwanda.

Tomáš Dub, the Czech deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, arrived in the country wednesday for a three-day tour.

http://africadefensejournal.wordpress.com/2011/05/13/czech-minister-visits-rwanda/

Rayman87

May 16th, 2011, 08:14 PM

KBS to import 20 modern buses

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/photos/14627-THE.jpg
The new Kigali Bus Services commuter coaches before their departure from China

KIGALI - A commuter bus firm, Kigali Bus Services (KBS), has ordered for 20 new modern city buses to enhance passenger transport within Kigali City.

The KBS managing director, Brendan Maguire, said the new buses would be equipped with a contactless smart card ticketing system.

“The shipping to Dar-e Salaam takes about 30 days and then we have to drive them to Kigali, so our estimation for their launch would be around early July,” he said.

He said that the city buses would be fitted with automatic front entry and back exit doors and plenty of room for 80 sitting or standing passengers.

“The expected advantage to our clients is pure convenience,” said Maguire.

“Passengers spend a lot time travelling in mini-buses that take long, delaying passengers as they get in and alight from a bus at any moment,” he added.

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=14627&article=41203

Rayman87

May 24th, 2011, 12:57 PM

Trade atlas vital to investors – Kanimba

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/photos/14635-Nils-Warmer.jpg
Nils Warmer hands over the Atlas to the Minister of Commerce, Francois Kanimba

If you were a farmer looking for the best area to grow Irish potatoes or an investor wishing to put up a hotel, a new Trade Atlas is the resource to look for.

Launched yesterday, the Atlas provides a wide range of data including the district with the least hotel beds, or the leading potato producing district.

The Minister of Trade and Industry, Francois Kanimba, pointed out that the new Economic and Trade Atlas is a fundamental tool that will facilitate both foreign and local investors.

He made remarks while officially launching the Atlas that was published by German Development Cooperation in partnership with the government.

“It’s an extremely useful book containing information about the economy of the country, it will provide detailed information and guide especially those looking for investment opportunities in the country,” Kanimba said.

“We shall distribute copies to various government institutions and to our embassies for the world to read and understand the picture of our economy”.

The Atlas contains information from various sectors in the country and used the latest data collection and compiling techniques, including the Geographical Information System (GIS) to come up with the final product.

Dr Farid Hegazy, from German Development Cooperation, explained why it was important to have such a publication.

“There is no such publication in Rwanda and it was aimed at visualising economic and trade related information as its illustrated in 77 maps and 58 charts covering demographics, regional integration ,and other different sectors,” he said.

The book also contains statistical comparison between Rwanda and other regional countries through the use of regional and Sub-Saharan Africa maps.

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=14635&article=41483

Rayman87

June 3rd, 2011, 08:13 PM

The ‘Apprentice’ comes to Rwanda.

Aspiring entrepreneurs in the country are set to benefit from an apprentice contest that will test their business skills and abilities.

The competition, which was introduced by Inspire Africa, will bring together young entrepreneurs across East Africa to compete, with the winners walking away with US$50,000 (Rwf29.6m) as startup to their business.

The Chief Executive Officer of Inspire Africa, Nelson Tugume, said that the competition, dubbed “Project Inspire” is a great opportunity for East Africans to showcase their business acumen and also benefit by winning the grand prize.

“Project Inspire is an eviction based TV game where locally selected and trained entrepreneurs will tussle it out in several competitions,” he said.

“The winner and the last three runners-up will share US$50,000 prize money depending on the level at which they will be evicted.”

He added that application forms for those who want to participate can be obtained for free at RDB and ORINFOR offices.

Project Inspire will officially launch today at Mille Collines Hotel.

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=14645&article=41842

:ohno:

on the substance, it's great but the form is rather questionable.

Rayman87

June 3rd, 2011, 08:18 PM

African leadership body to be based in Rwanda.

The Strategic Leadership Development International (SLDI), an organisation that provides comprehensive leadership skills development services across the world, will open its continental bureau in Rwanda.

Speaking to The New Times, the organisation’s Executive Secretary, Joseph Nyaisa, said that the country was selected to host the headquarters due to the leadership capacity it has shown.

“We wanted to put the offices in Kenya, but when we came to Rwanda, the reception we got was totally different. It’s easy to approach top leaders in this country than anywhere else,” he said

“The investment climate is conducive - investors are targeting Rwanda because of its good leadership. We realised that leaders are simple and approachable, unlike other countries, and this is one of the signs of good leadership”.

Last month, Dr Michael C. Armour, the president and founder of the organization, met Prime Minister Bernard Makuza and discussed , ways to set up the organisation in the country.

Nyaisa pointed out that Africa possesses good leaders but they have failed to demonstrate their efficiency by shunning their subjects to discuss the mechanisms in developing their countries.

“Nelson Mandela inspires people due to what he did. We have good leaders in Africa, but instead of serving people, they just scare them. It’s still a big challenge and that’s why we need to train these leaders,” he added.

He added that in first week of September, a two-week leadership training workshop will start at Serena hotel where various nationals will undergo intensive training in leadership skills.

The beneficiaries would mainly include company chief executives, government officials, private sector actors, members of the business community, and university students, among others.

Joel Ndatsikira, a Rwandan national who will head the local office, highlighted that leadership skills would facilitate the attainment of the government’s vision 2020.

“We need to achieve vision 2020 but which kind of leadership shall we use to achieve it?” he posed.

“Am optimistic that the training of these leaders will add more in terms of realising it. Instead of using key studies from other developed countries like America, we can use ours,” Ndatsikira observed.

Professor Manasseh Nshuti believes that leadership skills is a good foundation that should be imparted to everyone.

“It’s not only Africa that needs leadership training, it’s every leader, like government officials and others,” he mentioned, adding that, “we still need training to be informed and get best practices to develop our countries”.

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=14645&article=41851

:cheers:

Now that's what Rwanda need to get ahead.

èđđeůx

June 4th, 2011, 02:38 AM

Rwanda SMEs to gain from ‘business concept’ reforms

Rwanda will implement a new set of business reforms aimed at boosting the contribution of small enterprises to the economy.

The country also wants to make Kigali one of the world’s top investment destinations, and hopes to achieve a higher ranking this year.
In the latest Doing Business Report 2011, Rwanda moved up 12 positions to position 58 of the top reformers globally.

The report benchmarks regulations that enhance business activities and those that hamper business. It focuses on business regulation and protection of property rights.

While SMEs constitute over 90 per cent of the businesses in Rwanda, with a potential of reducing poverty and delivering millions of dollars in revenue, their potential is crippled by the fact that they mainly operate in the informal sector.

In addition, SMEs still have limited access to finance due to high risk perception by lenders.

As a result, the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), the government agency spearheading the reforms, has said it will focus on implementing reforms that make it easy for SMEs to formalise their operations this year.

“We want to improve the way SMEs and other micro businesses do business — bring them into a formal set up,” said Claire Akamanzi, the chief of operations at RDB.

Ms Akamanzi said that with the first private credit reference now operational in the country, the process of getting credit will become easier.

New reforms to facilitate the businesses will include reducing further the process of starting a business, including implementing free online business registration.

It also includes reducing registration fees from Rwf25000 ($41) to Rwf15000 ($25).

“We want to encourage more businesses to register online and be able to register a business from anywhere without paying a fee,” she said.
Ms Akamanzi also said RDB has invested in training SMEs throughout the 30 districts in business and management skills.

“Even if we have some big businesses that contribute a lot to the economy, if we want to grow, then SMEs have to grow. When they grow, they can contribute more to the economy.”

Last year, the government said SMEs with a turnover of Rwf200 million (about $423,800) or below should declare taxes every quarter, instead of monthly, to create more time for SMEs to concentrate on their business.

Strong growth in the SME sector is needed to support not only Rwanda’s economic ambition of becoming a middle income country by 2020 but also to meet its development targets, including poverty reduction.

According to the International Monetary Fund, Rwanda needs an average growth of 8 per cent to meet its development goals, mainly driven by additional private investment.

Rwanda’s real GDP, which grew by 7.5 per cent last year against 6.1 per cent in 2009, is projected to slow down to 7 per cent this year due to a projected decline in agriculture output, coupled with rising inflation fuelled by escalating global oil prices.

The other new reforms to be implemented include reducing procedures for acquiring construction permits, registering property and reducing trade documents declared at Customs to facilitate trade across borders.

Ms Akamanzi said business reforms implemented so far have already come to fruition, with the number of businesses getting registered annually increasing to approximately 6,000.
“We have already seen a big increase in investment over the past decade from less than $50m to a billion dollars in 2009,” she said. This year the country hopes to attract $550m in investment.

With more SMEs joining the formal sector, the government also wants to increase its tax base and mobilise more domestic resources.

However, according to Jacqueline Muna Musiitwa, an advisor of the Rwandan minister of justice on legal matters related to trade and investment, the country must make sure the necessary systems are in place to cope with the resulting growth.

Ms Musiitwa is also a managing partner of Hoja Law Group, a US law firm that represents investors in Africa.

Rwandans are seconded to abroad, more training for Rwandans, in sourcing professionals to work alongside Rwandans.”

TheEastAfrican (http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/-/2560/1171242/-/item/0/-/8ktcd5/-/index.html)

Rayman87

June 6th, 2011, 07:24 PM

Thanks eddeux for contributing.

Rayman87

June 6th, 2011, 07:38 PM

Kigali to focus on faster growth, less poverty in $1.825bn budget

Posted Sunday, June 5 2011 at 12:22

Rwanda’s annual budget is expected to increase by 14 per cent in the 2011/2012 financial year as the government increases development spending to accelerate growth and reduce poverty.

In 2011, the economy is projected to grow at about 7 per cent, showing a slight slow-down from 2010, due to the expected adverse impact of rising food and fuel prices.

Higher food and transports costs pushed up the inflation rate in Rwandan urban centres for the sixth conservative month in April to 4.98 per cent.

Overall inflation rate, which has a higher weighting on food, surged more than five percentage points to 3.05 per cent in April from minus 2.03 per cent in March.

According to a draft budget framework presented to Parliament late last month, the budget will increase from Rwf984.0 billion ($1.65 billion) last year to Rwf1,116.9 trillion ($1.825 billion).
The framework highlights four pillars of expenditure: Infrastructure rollout; maintaining growth in productive sectors; development of human capital; and promotion of good governance.
The government will be seeking to raise resources for completion of strategic projects that will stimulate growth of other sectors.

These projects include expansion of national carrier RwandAir, construction of Kigali Convention Centre with a five-star hotel, increasing broadband access through the 2,300km fibre-optic cable project and increasing energy access from six per cent to 16 per cent by 2013.

It also includes road construction and rehabilitation, rural electrification, energy generation and distribution projects and ICT development. Completion of these projects will also assist in increasing exports and broadening the revenue base to generate more tax revenues.

Spending will also focus on the country’s productive capacities, which include key sectors like agriculture, trade, industry and finance.

This is expected to facilitate rural transformation of the economy by enhancing agriculture supply and agribusiness, scaling up land registration and promoting value addition for exports.

“By spending money on productive sectors you are not only meeting short-term goals but you also investing in sustainability. Investing in productive sectors creates opportunities for future growth and economic development,” said Maurice Toroitich, the managing director of KCB.

The budget projections indicate that the allocation to productive capacities is at 17.9 per cent.

However, human development and social sectors — health, education, social protection, youth, culture and sports — continue to receive the lion’s share of government resources, at an estimated 30.5 per cent, according to the draft.

The focus will be on improving the quality of life, with an emphasis on implementing the nine-year basic education programme, skills development through vocational training colleges, promotion of ICT in education and strategic support to higher education.

According to the draft, the governance and sovereignty cluster, which comprises three sectors — general public services, defence and public order and safety — was allocated 29.9 per cent of the total budget. Infrastructure, which includes transport and energy sectors, got 21.7 per cent of the total budget.

Experts say government expenditure in the new financial year will seek to balance the competing objectives of accelerating growth to reduce poverty while preserving economic stability.

The government also intends to reduce the budget deficit — including grants — from 4.4 per cent of GDP to 2.3 per cent, while net domestic financing is expected to decline from 2.2 per cent of GDP in 2010/2011 to 0.3 per cent.

“This is in line with the government’s strategy of gradual fiscal consolidation, following the sizeable fiscal expansion of the past two years,” said Dmitry Gershenson, the IMF representative for Rwanda.

Donor budget support grants are estimated to increase to Rwf455.5 billion ($769.4 million) against Rwf372.5 billion ($629.3 million) projected for 2010/2011.

Currently, Rwanda’s direct budget support stands at about 23 per cent.

But under the IMF’s Policy Support Instrument programme that was approved for Rwanda last year, the government was to reduce the overall fiscal deficit — national debt, including grants — from 3.6 per cent of GDP in 2010/11 to less than 1 per cent of GDP by 2012/12 over the three-year period of the plan.

Though the country’s debt has not reached alarming levels, with experts referring to it as “moderate risk”, the country is still vulnerable, given its low export base. Currently, the country largely depends on traditional exports of coffee, tea, minerals and tourism.

While the government plans to increase domestic revenue by 0.2 per cent of GDP, from 13.6 per cent, a substantial change in the tax regime is not expected. Instead, new revenue administrative measures will be announced — among them introduction of electronic sales registers and e-filing systems.

http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/-/2558/1175180/-/item/1/-/v25mbqz/-/index.html

Rayman87

June 6th, 2011, 07:57 PM

Rwanda records a 130 pc growth in exports

http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/1162746/highRes/60083/-/maxw/600/-/jyn6xk/-/biz+sub+2+pix.jpg
A tea farm in Rwanda. Tea prices hit a record high in the country.

Posted Monday, May 16 2011 at 00:00

Rwanda’s export earnings increased by 130 per cent in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period last year as commodity prices recovered and efforts to diversify exports began to bear fruit.

Since last year, prices of traditional exports such as coffee, tea and minerals — which contribute more than 70 per cent of total export earnings — have been on an upward trend.

Tea prices hit a record high of $2.9 per kg while coffee prices were from $6.7- $9.1 per kg on average.

Statistics from the Rwanda Development Board indicate that in the first quarter of this year, total exports fetched $691.4 million compared with $30.4 million earned during the same period last year. (ray: i think it's 69.14 and not 691.4)

Total export earnings are projected to hit $376 million this year from $298.3 million in 2010.

“The increase is attributed to diversified export products in value and quantity as well as increased promotional activities such as support to companies to attend international trade fairs and promoting potential buyers,” said John Gara, chief executive officer of RDB.

Mr Gara said that the improved performance of exports would help reduce the trade deficit, currently estimated at 14.2 per cent of GDP.

In the first quarter of this year, imports increased by 24 per cent compared with the same period last year, from $259.7 million to $328.8 million.
In 2010, while exports grew by 27 per cent, the import bill increased by 14.7 per cent.

However, Rwanda is a net importer from the EAC with imports from the region representing a third of the overall imports.

The only country with which Rwanda has a largely positive trade balance is Burundi, although this represents less than one per cent of Rwanda’s trade.

Central Bank statistics indicate that total trade volumes between 2006 and 2010 more than doubled, from $278 million to $600 million, mainly driven by imports which comprise machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products, cement, construction materials, motor vehicles, textiles and foodstuffs.

Rwanda’s external current account deficit including grants worsened from $378 million in 2009, to $407 million in 2010 mainly due to trade imbalance and service deficits, statistics from the National Bank of Rwanda indicate.

The import bill is projected to hit $1,1400 million in 2011 and further to $1579 million by 2015 due to implementation of ongoing strategic investment projects and the associated requirement of capital goods for these projects.

The government’s strategic investments that will require heavy importation of capital goods include the ongoing construction of the world-class Kigali Convention Centre, which will include a five-star hotel, and construction of a world class airport at Bugesera, expected to commence next year.

However, Mr Gara noted that the trade deficit will be addressed by the recently approved National Export Strategy which provides a five-year framework for boosting exports.
In particular, under the strategy, the short and medium term targeted sectors are increasing production and value addition of traditional export sectors of tourism, tea, coffee and mining.

http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Rwanda+records+a+130+pc+growth+in+exports/-/2558/1162744/-/item/1/-/tcxc3o/-/index.html

^^
Sad that Rwanda is a landlocked country. This is actually the real brake on Rwanda's development. Can't wait for the railway to get finished. After that, the real development of Rwanda will start.

popa1980

June 6th, 2011, 11:25 PM

^^
Sad that Rwanda is a landlocked country. This is actually the real brake on Rwanda's development. Can't wait for the railway to get finished. After that, the real development of Rwanda will start.

If Rwanda had sea access it would be growing much faster- it would be another Singapore for sure. Kagame has a poor human rights records but what he's doing here is amazing on the economic side. If resource-rich nations like Angola had this type of leader they would be doing so good. Its frustrating that he is the leader of a small country whose impact on Africa will be minimal.

This decade will be reconstructing and infrastructure building, even by SSA stabndards Rwanda is still poor. By the end of the decade it will have caught up with its neighbours and then it will zoom away. I still think we are seeing the beginnings of something truly amazing and this could be the 1st develped country in SSA come 50 years

Rayman87

June 7th, 2011, 02:56 AM

If Rwanda had sea access it would be growing much faster- it would be another Singapore for sure. Kagame has a poor human rights records but what he's doing here is amazing on the economic side. If resource-rich nations like Angola had this type of leader they would be doing so good. Its frustrating that he is the leader of a small country whose impact on Africa will be minimal.

This decade will be reconstructing and infrastructure building, even by SSA stabndards Rwanda is still poor. By the end of the decade it will have caught up with its neighbours and then it will zoom away. I still think we are seeing the beginnings of something truly amazing and this could be the 1st develped country in SSA come 50 years

Totally agree :okay:
But I think instead that Rwanda may have a greater impact on Africa in terms of soft power. If he succeeded in showing that a small country, landlocked and without natural resources can have a real stable economic development, then this will be the end of mediocrity in Africa. No more an African government will have an excuse to not achieve prosperity.

kgl

June 18th, 2011, 11:48 AM

Turkish investors eye Rwanda:)

A group of visiting investors from Turkey are seeking to invest in various sectors including tourism, energy, real estate and health.

Rwanda’s Honorary Consul to Turkey, Inanç Çiftçi, who led the delegation of 15 prospective investors, yesterday paid a courtesy call on President Paul Kagame at Urugwiro Village.

Addressing reporters after holding talks with the Head of State, Çiftçi said that Rwanda’s investment climate and the ease to do business are the main factors that attracted the Turkish investors.

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=14660&article=42341

popa1980

June 18th, 2011, 12:32 PM

Totally agree :okay:
But I think instead that Rwanda may have a greater impact on Africa in terms of soft power. If he succeeded in showing that a small country, landlocked and without natural resources can have a real stable economic development, then this will be the end of mediocrity in Africa. No more an African government will have an excuse to not achieve prosperity.

^^

tejuswi_sinha

June 18th, 2011, 04:30 PM

Hi All Members,

I work for a seafood distribution company in India having a turnover of $600 million and we deal in trade and distribution of seafood and poultry across the globe with major presence in Africa including Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Ivory Coast etc.

We are looking for an investment in Rwanda looking at its robust growth in the last decade. We would like to find out possibilities of our business in Rwanda and not limit our scope to Seafood and Poultry only. Rice and Soya could be another proposition.

What I need is some information about the Importers of seafood/poultry(meat, beef) in Rwanda?
Also, what is the potential of soya and rice in Rwanda?

Some list people dealing in these commodities would help me a lot.

Thanks in Advance,
Tejuswi Prakash,
Mumbai, India

Rayman87

June 18th, 2011, 05:23 PM

^^
Hello too
I don't think it's the right place for you to ask those kind of questions. And i don't think anyone of us can give you useful informations.
This is a forum for amateur and some professionals on issues related primarily to infrasctures developements of a country. That is urban planning, architecture, tourism, transports, etc.
But if you seek more specialized information, then contact these people, they can help you better than us.

http://www.rdb.rw/

Hope i helped you.

kgl

July 1st, 2011, 06:19 PM

Kigali tipped to replace Nairobi as Regional Investment Hub

A research done by PriceWaterhouseCoopers has indicated that
Rwanda's capital, Kigali is slowly replacing Nairobi as the regional economic hub.

http://www.orinfor.gov.rw/printmedia/topstory.php?id=3301

Rayman87

July 2nd, 2011, 12:58 AM

^^
No way, you must be kiding...
So fast

kgl

August 17th, 2011, 05:34 PM

Rwanda ‘preferred destination’ for UK tourists

British travellers are increasingly choosing to come to Rwanda because it offers exciting holiday bargains compared to most African and European countries, according to new data released by the world’s largest travel site, TripAdvisor.

Despite the increasing number of British tourists, United States maintains the biggest number of tourist heading to Rwanda, closely followed by the UK, India and Belgium, according to the figures from the Rwanda Development Board (RDB).

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=14720&article=44249

Ndakaladovious5

August 19th, 2011, 01:57 PM

Any idea what you can purchase those units for and how much it can be rented out for?

Blizz_krk

August 20th, 2011, 03:12 PM

First of 3 new Boeing 737-800 RwandAir :)
http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/4/2/7/1970724.jpg

kgl

September 9th, 2011, 12:52 AM

Bharti wins 2G & 3G license in Rwanda
Submitted by Trisha Thomas on Thu, 09/08/2011 - 20:35

A year into its African Safari, India's largest telecom operator Bharti Airtel has won a license to operate 2G and 3G services in Rwanda.

Together with the 16 countries inherited from Zain, Airtel will not be present in 17 countries in Africa. Rwanda, located in in central and eastern Africa, has a population of approximately 11.4 million (less than 1% of India's population.)

http://rtn.asia/1001_bharti-wins-2g-3g-license-rwanda

Ras Siyan

September 18th, 2011, 06:55 PM

Rwanda : pragmatique, mais pas trop...

Les réformes engagées au début des années 2000 ont amélioré la productivité et le climat des affaires. L’économie rwandaise est en excellente santé. Sa dépendance à l’égard de l’aide et des investissements étrangers reste cependant son talon d’Achille.

Depuis l’engagement de sa stratégie Vision 2020, en 2001, l’économie rwandaise continue de progresser. Outre l’accroissement de la productivité, ce succès est dû aux investissements publics soutenus dans les transports aériens, et désormais routiers, dans le développement des technologies de l’information et de la communication – notamment appliquées à l’administration en ligne – et dans l’amélioration des capacités de production d’électricité.

Après une insolente croissance en 2008 (plus de 11 %), et passé les turbulences liées à la crise financière et économique mondiale qui l’ont fait retomber à 4,1 % en 2009, l’économie rwandaise s’est rapidement redressée, progressant de 7,4 % en 2010. Et les perspectives à court et moyen termes (6,5 % pour 2011, 7 % pour 2012) s’annoncent solides, portées par l’augmentation des investissements dans les secteurs clés.

Ce rapide rebond s’appuie sur le développement continu du secteur agricole, la reprise soutenue des secteurs de l’industrie et de la construction, l’expansion des activités de services, notamment dans la finance et les télécommunications, ainsi que sur l’accroissement des exportations.

Services en tête

Banque et assurances, nouvelles technologies, commerce… Ce sont désormais les services qui contribuent le plus fortement au PIB du pays (47 %). Ils ont enregistré une croissance de 10 % en 2010, notamment grâce à la relance du secteur de la finance et des assurances (dont les activités affichent une hausse de 24 %, après un recul de 4 % en 2009), du transport et de la logistique (en hausse de 9 %), du commerce de gros et de détail (8 %).
La part de l’agriculture dans le PIB du pays reste centrale (32 %). Elle a enregistré un taux de croissance de 5 % en 2010 (5 % dans la production vivrière et 14 % dans les cultures d’exportation, qui avaient accusé un déclin de 15 % en 2009). Toutefois, le secteur peine encore à trouver les capitaux d’investissement et manque de produits diversifiés pour l’exportation.
Enfin, les activités industrielles ont augmenté de 8 % en 2010, portées surtout par la hausse des activités dans le secteur de l’électricité et de l’eau (15 %, contre 14 % en 2009), de l’industrie agroalimentaire (9 %) et de la construction (9 %, contre 1 % en 2009). En revanche, les exportations minières continuent de chuter (– 11 % en 2010 et – 18 % en 2009).
Dans le même temps, l’inflation a poursuivi sa chute, avec une moyenne annuelle établie à 2,3 % en 2010, contre 10,3 % en 2009, quand les prix alimentaires avaient augmenté de plus de 20 % dans le sillage de la crise alimentaire mondiale. Elle devrait légèrement repartir à la hausse en 2011 (aux alentours de 3 % selon les estimations), compte tenu de l’augmentation des cours mondiaux du pétrole.

Initiative privée.Lancée en 2001, la stratégie du Rwanda a connu un coup d’accélérateur en 2007 grâce à l’aboutissement de ses réformes structurelles. Le pays se place en 58e position sur 183 pays classés (il occupait le 70e rang en 2010) dans le classement « Doing Business » 2011 de la Banque mondiale. Premier pays réformateur en matière de climat des affaires en 2010, il prend cette année la deuxième place dans ce domaine.

Parmi les principales réformes touchant les entreprises : la réduction du délai requis pour créer une société à vingt-*quatre heures (c’est le plus court au monde), pour un coût équivalent à 8,9 % du revenu par habitant (contre 223 % en 2005), et celle du délai pour obtenir un permis de construire à trente jours (contre deux cent trente en 2005).

Résultats : dans les différentes filières, de nombreuses entreprises privées se sont développées et ont été créées. Quant aux flux d’investissements directs étrangers (IDE), ils ont été plus que décuplés entre 2004 et 2009, passant de 10,9 millions à 118,7 millions de dollars (de 8 à 83 millions d’euros d’alors).

Fragilités

En pleine croissance, l’économie rwandaise est cependant fragile, en raison de sa forte dépendance à l’extérieur : la majorité des investisseurs est d’origine étrangère et l’aide internationale représente encore un cinquième des revenus du pays. Pour 2011-2012, cette dernière devrait s’élever à 455,5 milliards de francs rwandais (plus de 517 millions d’euros, en hausse de 22,3 % par rapport à l’exercice précédent). Et, tant qu’il n’est pas parvenu à diversifier son offre à l’exportation, le Rwanda reste dépendant de la demande mondiale : le thé et le café assurent la moitié de ses recettes à l’export.
Le pays peut cependant s’enorgueillir d’avoir l’un des plus faibles niveaux d’endettement en Afrique subsaharienne, notamment grâce à l’allègement d’une grande partie de sa dette en 2005 (de près de 1,5 milliard de dollars), suivi d’une gestion rigoureuse. Selon le rapport « Perspectives économiques en Afrique », publié par la Banque africaine de développement (BAD) et l’Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques (OCDE), la dette extérieure du pays représentait moins de 5 % du PIB en 2010, contre une moyenne de 23 % en Afrique subsaharienne et de 26 % dans les pays de la Communauté de l’Afrique de l’Est.

http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Articles/Dossier/ARTJAJA2643p070-071.xml0/bad-agriculture-rwanda-investissementrwanda-pragmatique-mais-pas-trop.html

Rwanda : émergence d'une classe moyenne urbaine

Restauration, distribution, high-tech, loisirs… Une nouvelle classe moyenne urbaine émerge au Rwanda. Et elle ne lésine pas sur les moyens pour se faire plaisir. Stimulant l’économie mais creusant les inégalités sociales.
Patrick Knipping est un directeur heureux. Ce Belge à la chevelure grisonnante, installé au Rwanda, ancien responsable du célèbre Hôtel des Mille Collines, gère désormais le Lemigo Hotel. Depuis son ouverture, en octobre 2010, il fait le plein. Les touristes américains, hommes d’affaires ougandais ou kényans, mais aussi rwandais, se pressent dans ses restaurants, dirigés par un chef français. « La nourriture et les boissons nous rapportent presque autant que les chambres, note Patrick Knipping. Beaucoup de clients consomment en marge des conférences, mais il y en a aussi qui viennent juste pour un repas et pour découvrir l’hôtel. Les Rwandais aiment beaucoup la nouveauté ! »

Après une décennie de croissance écono*mique soutenue, Kigali compte de plus en plus de consommateurs capables de s’offrir des repas à 10 000 francs rwandais (près de 12 euros) par personne. Les grands groupes hôteliers internationaux estiment que la tendance va s’accentuer. Radisson Blu, Marriott ou encore Hilton prévoient ainsi d’ouvrir des établissements dans la capitale rwandaise dans les prochaines années.

Sur le mont Rebero, colline surplombant Kigali, un quartier de loisirs est en projet. Il doit accueillir un parc d’attractions, des bars, restaurants et cinémas capables d’aimanter cette classe aisée naissante.

Centres commerciaux

On la croise déjà dans les allées de l’Union Trade Center (UTC) de Kigali, scotchée à son smartphone connecté à internet. Dans ce centre commercial de 6 étages, on trouve 70 boutiques (tous les emplacements ont trouvé preneur) et un supermarché de la chaîne kényane Nakumatt, ouvert vingt-quatre heures sur vingt-quatre. « L’exploitation n’est pas encore rentable la nuit, concède Paul Mutunga, le directeur adjoint du magasin. Mais nous sommes en train d’y habituer les Rwandais. » Pour cette enseigne, qui pratique pourtant des prix élevés (la plupart des produits sont importés), le succès est au rendez-vous : elle prévoit déjà d’ouvrir un deuxième supermarché avec le même concept dans la future Kigali City Tower, qui se construit à deux pas.

Assurances

« Il y a les entrepreneurs, les fonctionnaires de l’État, les employés des grandes entreprises… On voit vraiment une classe moyenne se dessiner », remarque Charles Mporanyi. Le président du groupe d’assurances Soras est bien placé pour observer la tendance. Flairant l’émergence de cette demande solvable, il a lancé les premiers contrats d’assurance maladie privée en 2006. « C’est ce type de produit qui connaît la croissance la plus forte. Il est déjà en deuxième position derrière les assurances automobiles ! » s’étonne-t-il.
Ce succès est d’autant plus significatif que le pays dispose en parallèle d’assurances maladie publiques très bon marché : les mutuelles de santé. Avec des cotisations de 1 000 francs rwandais par personne et par an, elles couvraient 90 % de la population fin 2010, selon les chiffres du gouvernement. L’immense majorité des Rwandais a donc maintenant accès aux hôpitaux, qui seront à terme installés dans chacun des trente districts du pays. Mais le système est entré dans une nouvelle phase : les cotisations doivent augmenter pour atteindre 3 000 à 7 000 francs rwandais, en fonction des revenus, tandis que la gratuité est instaurée pour les ménages les plus modestes. Ces derniers bénéficient aussi sans frais de l’école primaire obligatoire.

Pauvreté persistante

Pour l’instant, cette ébauche de protection sociale n’est pas parvenue à effacer le point noir du modèle de développement rwandais : la pauvreté, qui reste le lot commun de ses habitants, en particulier dans les campagnes. « Selon les dernières données que nous avons, 56,9 % de la population vivait encore en dessous du seuil de pauvreté en 2006 », indique Nicolas Schmids, économiste au Programme des Nations unies pour le développement (Pnud) à Kigali.

Dans ce domaine, le Rwanda a redressé la barre par rapport aux statistiques catastrophiques de l’après-génocide (elles étaient alors les pires au monde). Mais il n’a pas encore retrouvé le niveau qui était le sien à la fin des années 1980. « Avec les efforts du gouvernement, on s’attend à une amélioration lors de la prochaine enquête, anticipe Nicolas Schmids. Mais on sait déjà que les Objectifs du millénaire pour le développement ne seront pas atteints sur ce point en 2015. »

Entre une classe aisée qui émerge et entre de plain-pied dans la société de consommation, et la majorité de la population qui en reste en marge, le fossé n’est pas encore près de se refermer.

http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Articles/Dossier/ARTJAJA2643p066-067.xml0/-rwanda-emergence-d-une-classe-moyenne-urbaine.html

Ras Siyan

September 18th, 2011, 07:11 PM

Rwanda : big bang à Kigali dans l'urbanisme

Afin de faire face au doublement de la population de la capitale rwandaise d’ici à 2020 et de la rendre plus attractive pour les investisseurs, l’État et la municipalité ont adopté un plan directeur ambitieux. Et ne reculent devant rien pour le mettre en œuvre.

Au premier abord, Kigali ressemble à une belle endormie. Une jolie ville posée sur les collines du Rwanda, sage et modeste, avec ses boulevards plantés de palmiers et ses pelouses tondues de frais. Mais les apparences sont trompeuses. La capitale rwandaise se prépare en réalité à un bouleversement. Sous l’effet de sa croissance économique, de l’exode rural et d’une démographie vigoureuse, elle devrait atteindre les 2 millions d’habitants avant la fin de la décennie, soit deux fois plus qu’aujourd’hui.

Çà et là, de grands chantiers rendent déjà ce changement visible. Comme celui du Kigali Convention Center, un complexe d’un coût de 200 millions d’euros qui devrait regrouper dès 2012 une salle de conférences de 2 600 places, un centre commercial, un hôtel de près de 300 chambres (opéré par The Rezidor Hotel Group, basé à Bruxelles), un musée et des bureaux. Dans le quartier des affaires, la Kigali City Tower, en construction, semble encore bien isolée. Plus pour longtemps. « D’ici à quatre ans, une vingtaine d’immeubles de 15 à 30 étages seront construits dans le central business district », explique le maire, Fidèle Ndayisaba, qui a pris ses fonctions en mars. « Et je ne parle que des projets déjà approuvés… »

"Rationnaliser l'espace"

S’il peut être aussi sûr de la hauteur des futurs bâtiments, c’est que les promoteurs n’ont pas le choix : la ville a adopté en 2008 un plan directeur qui doit organiser son développement jusqu’à l’horizon 2050. Celui-ci découpe Kigali en zones, au sein desquelles l’ensemble des immeubles devra répondre à certains critères. Dans le futur quartier hôtelier, tout proche du centre d’affaires, la hauteur minimale a ainsi été fixée à 8 étages. Le but ? « Rationaliser l’espace en densifiant la ville », répond le maire. Du coup, la modélisation 3D du futur visage de Kigali donne le tournis : immeubles élancés, espaces verts bordés par des cours d’eau, quartiers commerçants survolés par des passerelles piétonnes…

Les petites échoppes qui prospèrent autour du rond-point du centre-ville devront donc laisser place à des constructions plus ambitieuses. Leurs propriétaires actuels, s’ils ne veulent pas s’impliquer dans un nouveau projet, seront expropriés moyennant dédommagement. « La plupart des commerçants sont enthousiastes, affirme Fidèle Ndayisaba. Ils se mettent en commun pour atteindre la surface minimum requise, et nous les accompagnons. »

Mais il arrive que cela se passe moins bien, comme dans certains quartiers résidentiels. Invités à s’exprimer sur ce thème lors d’un forum de l’Institut de recherche et de dialogue pour la paix, en mars, des habitants de Kigali ont ainsi estimé que « les intérêts des expropriés ne sont pas pris en compte, surtout en ce qui concerne leur relogement » – les locataires ne se voient pas proposer de solution –, ou encore que la valeur donnée aux terrains ne correspond pas au prix du marché. « Ce n’est pas toujours facile, concède Fidèle Ndayisaba. Il faut les préparer psychologiquement, les convaincre. Mais c’est pour le bien commun : cela crée une activité économique dont ils sont aussi bénéficiaires. »

Lac artificiel

C’est aussi pour favoriser la croissance que la municipalité, qui prévoit de recevoir de plus en plus d’étrangers, veut créer un quartier des loisirs sur le mont Rebero, qui surplombe la ville. Le 12 août, elle a conclu un accord avec des investisseurs pour la cession de trois parcelles. Celles-ci accueilleront la Kigali Tower (un projet de 8,7 millions d’euros mené par Kigali Real Estate), l’Appartement Hôtel (10,3 millions d’euros, Génimmo) et le Chic Shopping Complex (28,4 millions d’euros, Chic Champion Investment Corporation).
Je n'hésiterai pas à aller sous une tente pour permettre de lancer les travaux au plus vite.

Plus ambitieux encore : la création d’un lac artificiel est à l’étude pour accueillir des activités nautiques. Mais l’Office rwandais de gestion de l’environnement est déjà vent debout contre le projet. « Ce serait de l’eau stagnante, s’inquiète sa directrice, Rose Mukankomeje. Or les déchets sortent de partout et cette ville n’a pas de système de traitement des eaux usées ! Les concepteurs ont voulu nous mettre devant le fait accompli sans faire les études d’impact obligatoires. Nous nous y sommes donc opposés. »

Pas de quoi entamer la détermination de la mairie. Pour montrer l’exemple, elle a fait raser son ancien hôtel de ville pour construire un nouveau city hall. Réfugié au dernier étage d’un vieux bâtiment administratif adjacent, Fidèle Ndayisaba prévient : « Si le terrain sur lequel nous sommes installés intéresse quelqu’un, je n’hésiterai pas à aller sous une tente pour permettre de lancer les travaux au plus vite. »

Kigali : des mètres carrés très prisés

Le marché de l’immobilier – résidentiel et commercial – a le vent en poupe. Et les prix montent.

Le nouveau maire de Kigali n’a qu’une obsession : construire pour faire face à une demande qui paraît insatiable. « En ce qui concerne les bureaux, les immeubles construits dans le centre-ville sont occupés à 100 %, indique Fidèle Ndayisaba. Et ceux qui sont en cours de construction sont déjà entièrement vendus. » À tel point que, selon les professionnels du secteur, les surfaces commerciales les mieux placées peuvent se louer jusqu’à 25 dollars (17,30 euros) par mois le mètre carré. « Les prix restent globalement raisonnables, estime toutefois le maire. L’inflation n’est pas beaucoup plus forte dans l’immobilier qu’ailleurs. » Elle est en tout cas suffisante pour attirer les investissements dans le secteur : selon le Rwanda Development Board, ceux-ci sont passés de 80 millions à 335 millions d’euros entre 2003 et 2009.

Des maisons par centaines

Avec le retour de la diaspora et l’apparition d’une classe aisée, la demande en logements augmente aussi. Le plan directeur de Kigali prévoit la construction prochaine d’appartements de grand standing dans la zone hôtelière et incite à construire en hauteur dans certains quartiers. La Générale de l’immobilier (Génimmo) vient ainsi d’acquérir une parcelle auprès de la ville de Kigali pour construire l’Appartement Hôtel, d’un coût estimé à 10,3 millions d’euros. Mais ce n’est pas le créneau que la société souhaite privilégier. « La plupart des Rwandais préfèrent les petites maisons individuelles, confie un de ses responsables. En appartement, on est obligé de cuire à l’électrique : les gens n’en ont pas l’habitude et c’est extrêmement coûteux. » Du coup, la société prévoit de se lancer dans la construction de lotissements de 100 à 200 maisons individuelles, ce qui devrait lui permettre de les vendre à des prix très compétitifs. « Nos études de marché nous montrent que la demande est là pour ce genre de biens », poursuit le promoteur. Sa seule crainte n’est pas que les maisons ne se vendent pas, mais que ses concurrents commencent à profiter du boom avant lui.P.B.

http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Articles/Dossier/ARTJAJA2643p072-073.xml0/developpement-rwanda-kigali-constructionrwanda-big-bang-a-kigali-dans-l-urbanisme.html

èđđeůx

September 19th, 2011, 06:36 AM

You know, this news would be amazing if I knew what it said.-_-

Hadrami

September 19th, 2011, 06:45 AM

^^
http://translate.google.com/#fr|en|utiliser%20cela

Rayman87

September 27th, 2011, 01:21 AM

September 16, 2011 9:41 AM

Carnegie Mellon to open branch campus in Rwanda

(AP) PITTSBURGH — Carnegie Mellon University plans to open a branch campus in Rwanda next year, making it the first American university to do so in central Africa.

The students who attend the program in Kigali, Rwanda's capital, will get exactly the same diploma as those who attend Carnegie Mellon's Pittsburgh campus, officials told The Associated Press. Credits from the two programs will even be fully transferable.

Rwanda's President, Paul Kagame, will give a speech later Friday in Pittsburgh, announcing details of the program. The first degree offered will be a Master of Science in Information Technology.

"Higher education is a key to success in the global economy," said Carnegie Mellon President Jared Cohon.

Rwanda's Minister of Education, Pierre Damien Habumuremyi, said the school fits well with the country's vision of becoming an economy based on information and communications technology.

Branch campuses are common in the oil-rich Persian Gulf, Europe, and China, as are student exchange programs. But actually opening a higher education facility in central Africa is an entirely different thing, said Bruce Jones, a professor at New York University and author of Peacekeeping in Rwanda, an analysis of the events that led to the country's 1994 genocide.

"That strikes me as a very significant thing. The odds are very high that that's for the good," Jones said of CMU's plans.

The program will target students from east Africa, and will give preference to Rwandan citizens, the university said. However, students from around the world can apply.

During the genocide, extremist Hutus killed more than 500,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda.

Almost a generation later, Rwanda has won international praise for a growing economy, promoting women's rights and cracking down on corruption. But activists say the economic gains have not been matched by growing freedoms.

Jones agreed there are some problems, in particular surrounding human rights issues, but said the positives in the country still far outweigh the negatives.

"And you're 15 years after one of the most intensive genocides in human history. The idea we would be past human rights issues in Rwanda is absurd," he said. "There has to be some historical perspective here."

Erwin van der Borght, Africa Program Director for Amnesty International, said the group does have some important concerns about human rights issues in Rwanda.

"Amnesty has an ongoing dialogue with the government. At the same time it's a very difficult environment for human rights groups, to operate in a situation where people were scared to speak out," van der Borght said.

In a report on the situation, Amnesty said that vague laws against hate speech which were introduced after the 1994 genocide are now "misused to criminalize criticism of the government and legitimate dissent by opposition politicians, human rights activists and journalists."

Amnesty also noted the 2010 murder of Rwandan journalist Jean-Leonard Rugambage, who had published an article alleging that Rwandan intelligence officials were linked to the attempted killing of a former head of the Army.

"The investigation is not to our satisfaction," van der Borght told AP.

Van der Borght did note that Amnesty has seen reports of progress in other sectors of the country, such as education.

There's no dispute about the Rwandan government's commitment to boosting access to modern technology.

According to the United Nations, mobile phone users grew from just 130,000 in 2003 to 2.4 million in 2010 (out of an 11.4 million population), and the country aims to become a regional high-tech hub. Rwanda has completed a fiber-optic cable project to provide fast Internet access, and the country's gross domestic product grew at about a 7.5 percent rate between 2004 and 2010 — an exceptional rate.

Pradeep Khosla, the head of Carnegie Mellon's school of engineering, said that he's been amazed on visits to the country by what Kagame's government has accomplished.

"I think it's an opportunity that's clearly waiting to happen," he said of the Rwanda plan.

And Carnegie Mellon isn't alone in seeing potential in Rwanda: the African Development Bank is expected to fund construction of the new campus, the school said. The program aims for about 40 students next year, and up to 150 a few years later.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/16/ap/business/main20107281.shtml

These institutions should be careful not be to much associated to the current regime !!!
Hope more universities will open branches (Rwandan's or foreign's) but with less technology institutes and more business, health, education and industrial engineering scholarships.
Anyway, kudos for the news and it certainly deserves a dancing banana. :banana:

Rayman87

September 27th, 2011, 04:27 PM

@ blizz krk

ADHpFSHYUA8

yOaazg6qNDs&feature=player_detailpage

Rayman87

October 9th, 2011, 08:56 PM

Rwanda looks to tourism for growth

http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/1246572/highRes/299282/-/maxw/600/-/qxwfnb/-/
Tourists walk along the 150-metre-high canopy walkway in Nyungwe National Park. Picture: Berna Namata

Rwanda’s tourism sector is expected to rebound in 2012 on the back of increased tourist numbers and aggressive marketing, although a doubtful recovery by economies in Europe remains a risk.

During the first six months of 2011, the country hosted 405,801 visitors, a 28 per cent increase, generating an estimate of revenues worth $115.6 million compared with almost $90.6 million generated in the same period last year.

Last year’s tourism revenue grew by 14 per cent to hit $200 million, showing a steady recovery from 2009 when the global financial crisis dented visitor receipts across the region.

The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) said things were looking up for the sector with the recent launch of several directs flights to Kigali from European capitals.

RDB said the number of international visitors increased by 16 per cent while regional visitors (DRC, Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania and Kenya) increased by 28 per cent.

“Among the things that have helped the sector to rise is the airline industry — towards the end of last year, we had KLM launch direct flights to Kigali from Amsterdam and this solved the major challenge of international visitors accessing Rwanda,” Rica Rwigamba, RDB’s head of tourism and conservation, told The East African.
With existing airlines also increasing their frequencies, Ms Rwigamba noted that there was an increase of 14 per cent in passenger traffic during the first quarter of this year compared with last year.

“Africa is one of the continents that have seen tourism grow, so we really need to position ourselves to take advantage of that.” Ms Rwigamba said.

Foreigners are increasingly eyeing investment opportunities in Rwanda’s tourism sector as well as the country’s nascent equities and debt markets.
Annie Batamuliza, director of New Dawn Associates, a tour and event management company said while the tourism business has generally improved in the country with community based tourism picking up, the current global economic environment is posing challenges for the sector.

In 2009, they had an overall five groups of three-to 10 and in the 2010, they recorded an overall five groups of 6-15 people.
“The Financial crisis is still a major hindrance, but we are happy to see some drastic improvements compared with the previous year,” Ms Batamuliza.

However, she stressed the need for increased public awareness about the country’s various tourism products.

“The main challenge here is that Rwandans have no interest in travelling. To me, community based tourism should begin at home.”
According to Booker Anderson Ssentengo, a lecturer in world travel and tourism marketing at Rwanda Tourism University College, the country is yet to fully exploit its huge tourism potential.

He said the government has to invest more in diversifying its products to attract more tourists.

“There is potential in cultural tourism, adventure tourism projects in mountains, water-based tourism and urban tourism which have not been exploited.

http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Rwanda+looks+to+tourism+for+growth+/-/2560/1246566/-/mlvjhuz/-/

ngantsop

October 11th, 2011, 04:38 PM

How many tourists visited rwanda last year ??

Rayman87

October 13th, 2011, 01:41 AM

^^

Last year, i don't know but in 2007 there was 826 374 visitors, in 2008 the number hitted the million visitors then dropped to 700 000 in 2009 due to the economic crisis.
So i think the number must be around 750 000 to 800 000 visitors last year.

Rayman87

October 29th, 2011, 04:45 PM

Off topic

Chinese in Rwanda

http://www.theworld.org/wp-content/uploads/KigaliConventionCenterBuiltByChinese300.jpg
Kigali Convention Center built by the Chinese (Photo: Mary Kay Magistad)

A funny thing happens to some Chinese when they come to Rwanda. They relax. Perhaps it’s the balmy weather, or the vistas of rolling hills and lush valleys. Perhaps it’s the pace of life.

“It’s nice living here,” says Edward Yin, 39, who moved to Kigali four years ago to set up a mobile phone factory. “People are friendly, and generally honest. In China, people can be pretty tricky. To get from one point to another, they may go in circles. Here, it’s just a straight line.”

Perhaps a bit too straight, for the tastes of some Chinese companies. Rwanda has a strict anti-corruption policy. I ask Yin if he thinks this is good for business. He grins mischievously.

“Sometimes, a little corruption might not be bad for business,” he says. “It helps get things done.”

His friend, Li Jianbo. disagrees.

“I like being in a place that’s tough on corruption,” he says. “My costs are predictable. That’s what’s good for business.”

Li is general manager in Kigali of China Road and Bridge Corporation – the biggest Chinese state-owned enterprise doing infrastructure construction in Africa. In China, if I as a journalist were to ask for an interview for someone of this stature, I’d be asked to send a fax with detailed questions, and proof of my journalist credentials, would be made to wait weeks, and would – far more often than not – ultimately be told ‘no.’

Here, Li came to my guesthouse – his office was a ten-minute walk away – and sat on the veranda for almost two hours, chain-smoking and talking about life in Rwanda.

Li, who’s 49, first came to Rwanda in 1989 to help build road. He left three years later, and then followed news of the 1994 genocide from afar, fearing – and later learning – that he’d lost many friends.

“I came back a few years later,” he said. “I cared about this country. I wanted to see what had happened to it.” He’s now helping expand Rwanda’s road and infrastructure network.

Not all Chinese companies embrace anti-corruption measures quite so enthusiastically as Li, which may be one reason why the Chinese community is small here – a thousand or two — compared to in other African countries.
One Rwandan official told me, rather gleefully, that when a Chinese company won a bid to build a new convention center in Kigali, the government put a German manager on the project – to ensure quality control, and to curb any urges on the Chinese company’s side to pocket some of the budget. “They weren’t happy,” he said, with a sly smile. “But then, we weren’t doing the project for them.”

Anti-corruption efforts or no, Yin likes Rwanda. He likes the weather, the clean air, the friendly and relaxed vibe. He likes it enough to have brought his wife, his two kids and his mother here last year, to live. He says it was a deliberate choice, for his kids’ future.

“In Chinese schools now, kids have to work so hard,” he says. “They have no time to play. They don’t learn to think creatively. My kids, going to school here, will learn that life can be different.”

Li appreciates Rwanda’s laid-back atmosphere , too, but has taken the opposite decision related to his own son. He’s back in China with his mother. “If he comes here, he’ll never be able to compete in China. He’ll lose that edge.”

http://www.theworld.org/wp-content/uploads/KigaliChineseHappyHour300.jpg
Chinese happy hour in Kigali. (Photo: Mary Kay Magistad)

One thing Li and Yin agree on is how much they enjoy their biweekly Friday evening happy hours. A dozen or so Chinese managers get together at Yin’s Chinese restaurant, and sit around a huge round table in a room with deep red walls. They invited me along to one.

The evening grew boisterous as the beer and baijiu – a grain alcohol beloved at Chinese banquets – were tossed back. Jokes and jibes mixed with business talk, in accents from across China. It was a taste of home, a welcome reconnection. But unlike some gatherings of expats – Chinese and otherwise – there was a noticeable lack of griping about their adopted home. To a person, those I talked to said how much they like Rwanda. If these Friday evening happy hours are a kind of brief holiday for Chinese in Kigali from their expat life here, it seems their expat life here is its own extended holiday from the stresses of life in relentlessly ambitious China.

http://www.theworld.org/2011/10/chinese-in-rwanda/

^^
:) That's nice.

popa1980

October 30th, 2011, 03:05 PM

Great article. This is the ONLY African country which is VERY SERIOUS about corruption. I predict that within a few years it will be in the top 10 least corrupt nations in the world. Funny that the Chinese seem to thrive most where there is corruption.

Yoniii

October 30th, 2011, 04:43 PM

Rwanda keeps impressing me, other African governments should watch and learn.

Rayman87

November 29th, 2011, 12:52 AM

Rwanda to overhaul public transport system

http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/1106282/medRes/236760/-/maxw/600/-/abod9z/-/road.jpg

Roads under construction in Rwanda. Photo/FILE

By BERNA NAMATA
Posted Sunday, November 6 2011 at 10:46

Rwanda is set to overhaul the public transport system in Kigali city to reduce traffic congestion and pollution.

From next year, the authorities will place restrictions on street parking around the city centre and introduce standard large bus services and an integrated public transport ticketing system.

Implementation of the 5-year progressive plan, which is expected to be tabled before the Cabinet for approval before the end of the year, is expected to cost some $368 million.

Due to the rapid increase in the urban population and private car ownership, traffic congestion has increased markedly in Kigali city over the years, while the overall transport system has deteriorated.

Rwanda has one the highest rates of urbanisation in the region, currently standing at 18.7 per cent, with some 1.9 million of people living in urban areas.

The urban population is mostly found in Kigali city, home to approximately one million people.

Private car ownership has been increasing rapidly.

Statistics from the Rwanda Revenue Authority show that between 2009 and 2010, a total 6,878 vehicles were imported into the country.

The new policy is expected to introduce tax incentives for public transport vehicles to indirectly discourage importation of personal vehicles

“We want people to prefer public transport to their cars. Initially, we are thinking about using public buses designed to carry a large number of people,” State Minister for Transport Alexis Nzahabwanimana told The EastAfrican last week.

“Also, public transport will be much cheaper than driving a personal vehicle,” he said.

To discourage private cars from entering the city, the new policy proposes restrictions on vehicular traffic in congested areas and at peak time. These will include high parking prices, car-free streets, cordon controls on entering a particular area and odd/even schemes and variations based on number plates.

According to the October report on the proposed development of an integrated transport system for Kigali, the total number of vehicles moving within the city as of 2004 was estimated at 58,700 trips, 46.6 per cent by cars, 29.4 per cent by buses and 24.0 per cent by trucks.

The projected total vehicle trips for 2010 were estimated at 98,800 trips per day consisting of 45,600 trips by cars, 29,000 trips by buses and 24,400 trips by trucks.

According to a bus passenger demand survey for 2011, total passenger trips come to 136,192 per day with peak-hour passenger trips totalling 16,668.

To meet this demand, Kigali city needs 343 large 60-passenger buses and 1,150 minibuses with a carrying capacity of 18 passengers. The current fleet comprises 550 18-passenger minibuses and about 280 mini buses with a capacity of 26-30 passengers.

“We have realised that most people fail to get public vehicles during peak hours, especially in the evening. Having more vehicles with more capacity around the city will help to solve this problem. Encouraging more people to use public transport is also good for our environment,” Dr Nzahabwanimana said.

The Kigali Bus Service, a dominant private transport operator, recently imported 20 new eco-friendly buses manufactured in China with the capacity to carry 80 passengers each.

The new transport policy proposes the maximum age of buses eligible to operate in the city be limited to 10 years in order to improve safety and reduce pollution.

The Rwanda Public Transporters Association has called for incentives, including tax holidays on importation of the proposed large buses.

“Operators are ready to invest in large buses as long there are tax incentives to import these vehicles,” said Charles Ngarambe, the association’s chairman.

http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/Rwanda+to+overhaul+public+transport+system+/-/434748/1267992/-/item/1/-/126fv91/-/index.html

Rayman87

November 29th, 2011, 01:05 AM

^^

:cheers:

It's really time to have a real urban transportation plan.
Btw here's some pics of the Kigali Bus services. As said previously, there's a 20 buses fleet but according to the company, they are planning to import more 20 similar buses before the end of the year and other 40 in the next phase.

http://umuseke.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/KBS.jpg

^^
Buses in china before being imported.

http://tiaanneundsina.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/cimg6024.jpg?w=490&h=200&crop=1 http://in2eastafrica.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/The-new-Kigali-Bus-Services-commuter-coaches.jpg

http://en.igihe.com/IMG/jpg/dsc03309.jpg http://en.igihe.com/local/cache-vignettes/L400xH225/arton798-0c905.jpg

Time for Onatracom and Atraco to step in the business, letting one oparator have such a great marketshare would not be in the best interest of Kigalians.

Rayman87

November 30th, 2011, 12:28 PM

edit

LADEN

November 30th, 2011, 08:20 PM

Nice buses.

Nidia

December 2nd, 2011, 10:59 PM

I've lived in Rwanda for ten years 2000-2011, and changes could be seen everyday! Good for this small country with an amazing organization!

Kenguy

December 3rd, 2011, 01:43 PM

^^

:cheers:

It's really time to have a real urban transportation plan.
Btw here's some pics of the Kigali Bus services. As said previously, there's a 20 buses fleet but according to the company, they are planning to import more 20 similar buses before the end of the year and other 40 in the next phase.

http://umuseke.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/KBS.jpg

^^
Buses in china before being imported.

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/photos/14774-Kigali-Bus-Service.jpg http://www.newtimes.co.rw/photos/14747-new-KBS-.jpg http://focus.rw/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/KBS.jpg

http://tiaanneundsina.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/cimg6024.jpg?w=490&h=200&crop=1 http://in2eastafrica.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/The-new-Kigali-Bus-Services-commuter-coaches.jpg

http://en.igihe.com/IMG/jpg/dsc03309.jpg http://en.igihe.com/local/cache-vignettes/L400xH225/arton798-0c905.jpg

Time for Onatracom and Atraco to step in the business, letting one oparator have such a great marketshare would not be in the best interest of Kigalians.

What can I say...:cheers:

èđđeůx

December 4th, 2011, 06:58 PM

Nice buses.

Rayman87

December 13th, 2011, 08:36 PM

Congo Nile Trail to generate $150,000 in first year

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/photos/14838-4-2-The-Congo-Nile-.jpg
The Congo Nile Trail will go a long way in promoting the livelihoods of families living along the stretch.

Rwanda Development Board (RDB) projects to earn US$154,667 from the newly launched Congo Nile Trail in its first year, from more than 200 tourists expected to walk the trail.

The new tourist product spans 227km along the western corridor, stretching through five districts, from Rubavu to Rusizi.

“Most of the food needed by the tourists will be supplied by farmers around the trail,” Clare Akamanzi, Chief Operations Officer at RDB told The New Times.

It is also estimated that 100 households will earn an additional income of US$15,000 through employment in hotels and other enterprises, which will help them improve living conditions.

The first phase budget for the project was US$200,000 which was only related to product development, while other expenses like technical assistance and community sensitization and training were funded by the government and the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV), through its operational budget.

Akamanzi added that RDB would continue to fund the sustainability of the project, particularly its maintenance, upgrading and marketing.

“Many projects are in the pipeline such as cave tourism, conference tourism, where we are working on the establishment of the convention bureau, and a cultural village,” Akamanzi said.

By Alex Ngarambe, The New Times

http://in2eastafrica.net/congo-nile-trail-to-generate-150000-in-first-year/

Rayman87

December 13th, 2011, 08:37 PM

^^

A 150 k for something that is only one month old isn't bad at all.

Rayman87

December 13th, 2011, 08:58 PM

So What's congo nile trail ?

Congo-Nile Trail Is Latest Tourism Product
Eric Didier Karinganire
4 November 2011

---------------------------------------------------

In an effort to diversify tourism products, Rwanda Development Board (RDB) is launching a new destination named Congo Nile Trail along the Lake Kivu shores from Rubavu district in North to Rusizi in south of the western country.

The 227 km, 10-day trail which will be officially launched on November 25 and crosses the five district of Rubavu, Rutsiro, Karongi, Nyamasheke and Rusizi in Western Province, is open to hiking, biking and explorations by car. Rica Rwigamba, head of tourism department at RDB, pointed out that along the trail there are there will be tourism attractions like roadside coffee and tea plantations, waterfalls and watershed, among others.

She said the aim was to involve local partners and diversifying tourism products beyond mountain gorillas and Nyungwe national park.

"After people leave Volcanoes National Park to see the mountain gorillas and have a day at the Gisenyi, we have to create other interesting products so they can stay here longer," Rwigamba said.

She added that with this new product, they expect an average increase of 2 days of stay in the country for foreign tourists - from the current average of 5 to 7 days of stay. That will not only increase local tourism revenue, but also local earnings since there will be a need of services such as guides and accommodation, she pointed out.

"Along the journey, tourists will be for instance introduced to fishing," said Karim Gisagara, the coordinator of the trail, adding that such packages will be helping to eradicate poverty.

In this respect, RDB will also be assisting local cooperatives to develop activities interesting to tourists.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201111060061.html
And here's a vid. A little cheap but nice images.

-06mEsvhuOM

^^
I find akward the sentence about the children. :dunno:

And a vid of the opening.

kGmcbTce2BU

S.city

January 3rd, 2012, 09:31 PM

Mohammed receives Rwandan President

Hold talks on expanding economic cooperation

By

Wam

Published Tuesday, January 03, 2012

http://cdn-wac.emirates247.com/polopoly_fs/1.435683.1325598991!/image/3591614980.gif

Sheikh Mohammed receives at the Zabeel Palace, President of Rwanda Paul Kagame. (WAM)

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Tuesday received at the Zabeel Palace, President of Rwanda Paul Kagame, who is on a visit to the UAE.

They held talks on expanding the economic cooperation between UAE and Rwanda.

Kagame admired Sheikh Mohammed's vision on development, which has become point of global attention, and expressed his wish that Rwanda will benefit from the UAE experience and its success in various fields.

A number of ministers and other senior officials attended the meeting.

èđđeůx

January 7th, 2012, 07:09 PM

Rwanda exports rise 32 percent in 2011

http://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFJOE80600520120107
Rwanda's exports of goods and services increased by 31.7 percent last year from 2010, thanks to growth in mining, tea and coffee, its minister for trade and industry said.

Fracois Kanimba said the government was working hard to control inflation after it increased for several months right up to October last year when it stood at 7.76 percent.

"2011 was a great year for us," he said in a statement seen by Reuters on Saturday.

Although landlocked, tiny Rwanda constantly punches above its weight in the region, racing ahead of bigger neighbours like Uganda in terms of ease-of-doing business, and going head to head with Kenya in trying to create a world class Information Communication Technology sector.

It expects its economy to expand by 7.6 percent this year after growing by 8.8 percent in 2011 on the back of growth in construction, mining and manufacturing.

èđđeůx

January 7th, 2012, 07:09 PM

Looks like Rwanda is the fastest growing EAC country economically speaking.:cool:

xJamaax

January 15th, 2012, 09:13 PM

http://en.igihe.com/local/cache-vignettes/L400xH225/arton798-0c905.jpg

Great project!:cool:

Rayman87

January 15th, 2012, 10:38 PM

^^
Indeed, this company is really doing a good job. They are even going to start operations in other parts of the country. Definitely a EAC transportation company to watch.

Rayman87

January 15th, 2012, 10:39 PM

Mark S, get a life.

S.city

January 16th, 2012, 09:42 PM

RSSB to construct low cost houses
By Emma Munyaneza

An aerial view of an estate developed by the former CSR, now part of the new RSSB . The pensions fund has announced plans to invest in low-end housing. The New Times / File.

Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) will, mid this year, launch a construction project for housing units for the low and middle-income earners, officials have said.

Upon completion, the houses will be acquired through a mortgage arrangement to be provided by various commercial banks, which have promised to support the project.

The development was disclosed by Hyacinte Gacendeli, the Director of Real Estate Division at RSSB.

The banks are expected to negotiate the mortgage terms with the clients, according to their respective terms.

“We will start the construction of three housing projects, between May and June, two of which will target low and middle-income earners, and one for middle-high income earners,” said Gacendeli.

Gacendeli explained that one of the projects involves 100 housing units for low-income earners, which will be built in Batsinda area, Gasabo District, where RSSB owns 10 hectares of land.

“But we are yet to finalise talks with government about possible subsidies, like in infrastructure, where it can, for instance, construct roads to the houses. That would support reduce the costs we envisage, and consequently make the houses more affordable for the people.”

The City of Kigali also intends to offer more land to RSSB, which will also be used for constructing more low-cost housing units in the near future.

According to Gacendeli, the biggest challenge is acquiring land for the project, especially since the land they have is not designated for low-cost houses, as required by the City Master Plan.

The city has already constructed 250 low-cost houses in Batsinza to accommodate people relocated from slum areas in Kigali City, like Muhima.

èđđeůx

January 17th, 2012, 06:04 AM

Rwanda urges investors to develop special economic zone
http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Rwanda+urges+investors+to+develop+special+economic+zone++/-/2560/1305946/-/pg4kmx/-/

Rwanda is pushing investors who have booked space in its newly developed special economic zone to quickly roll out projects to spur growth in an uncertain year.

The first phase of the Kigali based special economic zone located on 98 hectares of land, is expected to be operational this year, with the government having completed the necessary infrastructure.

While the special economic zone — the first of its kind in the region — has registered strong investor appetite, with over 90 per cent of the land already booked, investors have been asked to present their business plans within the first six months after signing the contract (as per serviced land purchase).

Failure to comply with the terms would lead to immediate termination of the contract without compensation.

The investors are expected to build their industrial facilities within a period of 18 months after their business plan has been approved.

Failure to setup their business within the given time would entitle the government to terminate their contract and withhold 20 per cent of the advance payment.

A square metre of the land at the special economic zone costs $33 with 5,000 square metres being the minimum an investor can purchase. This means that 30 per cent, which is $168,067, has to be paid up before construction begins.

“The contract agreement is purely market driven because of the many investors who expressed interest in buying the plots and so we want to ensure that we get serious buyers in order to avoid land speculators,” said Alex Ruzibukira, Director General of Industry and Small and Medium Enterprises at Rwanda’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, speaking to The EastAfrican last week.

“We did not want investors to speculate on the land within the zone because already land is scarce in the country,” said Mr Ruzibukira.

The special economic zones should boost industrial growth, enabling the country to bridge its expanding trade deficit.

While exports grew by 31.7 per cent last year, trade deficit worsened by 33.6 per cent compared to 2010.

However, industrial production grew by 15 per cent in 2011 mainly driven by the construction, mining, quarrying and manufacturing sectors.

Approximately $25 million was spent on the development of infrastructure including construction of roads, electricity, and water connections, a central sewerage system, installation of optic fibre cables as well as plot demarcation.

“Investors will enjoy special tax incentives such as 15 per cent income tax,” Mr Ruzibukira said, pointing out that the tax incentives will soon be established.

The project is being implemented through a public-private partnership with the government owning 45 per cent of Rwanda Free Zones Company Limited (RFZ), which is overseeing implementation of the project.

Rayman87

January 17th, 2012, 06:52 PM

Off topic but somehow related.

Local leaders get vehicles
By Edwin Musoni

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/photos/14873-1326757332cars.jpg

Some of the vehicles that were imported for Sector Executive Secretaries. The local leaders will repay the loans offered for the vehicles in five years. The New Times / T. Kisambira

The Minister of Local Government, James Musoni, Sunday evening handed over the first fleet of 292 vehicles to Executive Secretaries of Sector to facilitate them in their duties.

The government spent Rwf 8 million on each vehicle. The Executive Secretaries will repay for the vehicles in monthly installments for a period of five years.

The first fleet that the minister unveiled is composed of 159 vehicles while the second and final one is expected to arrive this week.

The local officials’ cars, most of which are the ‘Great Wall Haval H5” type from China, were exempted from all taxes and beneficiaries are expected to pay Rwf 242, 000 monthly.

The money will largely be drawn from the lump-sum account, which is allocated to some public servants to facilitate them in transport.

Sector Executive Secretaries are allocated a monthly lump-sum allowance of Rwf208,000.

Handing over the cars to the excited local leaders, Musoni, pointed out that in 2006, Executives Secretaries were offered motorcycles because the government could not afford vehicles.

“Your performance was very impressive when we gave you the motorcycles, now that the economy has grown, we are giving you vehicles but we also expect your delivery to increase,” he told them.

He added that Rwanda is blessed to have local leaders who are committed to serving the public, which is why the government is proud to assist them execute your duties effectively.

“The motorcycles we gave you five years ago were worth Rwf 1 million each; these cars are worth Rwf 8 m meaning you have to set targets of delivering eight times more than how you have been performing,” said Musoni.

The Executive Secretary of Rwezamenyo Sector in Nyarugenge District, Alex Semitali, expressed his excitement over the brand new cars, but requested the government to review the lamp-sum given to them so that they could afford to maintain the cars.(already whining :ohno:)

“When the idea of giving us cars was first presented to us, it sounded like a dream, but now it’s a reality. We promise the public we will serve them beyond their expectations,” said Semitali.

He added that in 2006, they were provided with motorcycles and their performance increased by 80 percent, on average.

“Now that we have been given cars, there is no doubt we will deliver more. However we request for facilitation in terms of fuel and maintenance.”

The State Minister for Transport, Dr Alexis Nzahabwanimana, said the government recognises the value of local leaders hence his office’s pledge to support them in all ways, including looking into their demands.

Rayman87

January 17th, 2012, 06:57 PM

^^
I hope it will truely increase their efficiency and not turn them into spoiled kids with fancy toys. I must admit that i'm quite confused about this "gift" to the local leaders. At least they will have to repay the car, so that's a good point but I wonder what the population will think about these quite luxury SUVs compared to their modest lifestyle.
Too bad that they didn't explain what do they do with the car if the leader is fired ?

But they are good looking cars :cheers: and not so expensive: 8 million Rwf = +/- 13 335 $ each

http://webstar-auto.com/documents/document_service_83236_26_5_1100081306.jpg

http://static.blogo.it/autosblog/great-wall-haval-h5-pekin-beijing-2010/Great_Wall_Haval_H5_Chine_Pekin_Beijing_2010_01.JPG

http://i44.tinypic.com/34yy3rp.jpg

http://static.blogo.it/autosblog/great-wall-haval-h5-pekin-beijing-2010/Great_Wall_Haval_H5_Chine_Pekin_Beijing_2010_03.jpg

I hope the car engine will not explode since it's some chinese tech :troll:

BUTEMBO21

January 24th, 2012, 08:58 PM

I hope the car engine will not explode since it's some chinese tech :troll:

:lol::lol:

Anyways. why don't you open a thread Dedicated Only to Infrastructures; Also leave Economic and Business Thread as one. Its more organized that way.

Rayman87

January 25th, 2012, 05:53 PM

S.city

February 7th, 2012, 08:10 PM

Rwanda: Country Reduces Poverty By 11.8 Percent

By Berna Namata, 6 February 2012
One million Rwandans have emerged out of poverty in the last five years, six times faster than the country has achieved between 2000 and 2006, a new survey of household living conditions in Rwanda indicates.

The survey, which represents the international benchmark for measuring poverty, will be released on Tuesday by the Rwandan Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN).

The findings will show that approximately two hundred thousand households, or one million people , have emerged from poverty since 2006.

Of Rwanda's 10.7 million people, 45 per cent now live below the poverty line compared to 57 per cent five years ago.

The findings have led the Rwandan government to significantly revise its poverty reduction targets since Rwanda is outpacing its own Vision 2020 objectives.

Additional findings also show that infant and maternal mortality rates have declined by 41 and 35 per cent respectively since 2006, while participation in secondary level education has doubled over time.

MINECOFIN will also give updates on progress on the government's first Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) which ends this financial year.

Tagged: Business, Central Africa, East Africa, Rwanda

Kigali_Paris

February 7th, 2012, 08:29 PM

what is poverty line?
less than $1 a day?:dunno:

well figures can tell a nice story :bash:, however this is a good news

BUTEMBO21

February 8th, 2012, 09:15 AM

^^
I was thinking about it but rwandan medias and gouverment don't make a lot of communication about infrastructure. It's usually short articles without pics or diagrams. Even for big projects that are crucial for rwandan economy like the isaka railway, there's no pics, diagram or at least maps showing where the railway will be built on the rwandan soil. :bash:
So it would automaticaly become a dead thread if i create one.

That sucks really.. The Government needs to show to convince those who have doubts or criticize them. This is why one of the things why Free media (allows competition) is very important.

We also used to have problems with Congolese government showing anything called project . but the media has grown so big (from 1 station in 1998 to more than 50 TV stations in 2010 and the government has realized that it needs to show what is going on if it wants to convince many critics and for it propaganda agenda.

Anyways: perhaps someone will come up and convince the government that its very crucial to show videos and pics of the development taking place as its anotherway to market the country's growth to more potential investors outhere.

We live in the media golden age.

kgl

February 27th, 2012, 02:18 AM

Rwanda to “overtake” Kenya to middle income status

Kenya may be closest to meeting the international Middle Income threshold of US$1000, but Rwanda is catching up fast, says a World Bank Lead Economist.

Dr Wolfgang Fengler says with current growth rates of above 7 percent, Rwanda may overtake Kenya in 2022 in the race to reach middle income status. Fengler, based in Nairobi, is the World Bank lead economist covering Rwanda, Kenya, Eritrea, and Somalia.

Latest World Bank data shows that average incomes (income per capita) – as of end of 2011, was $784 for Kenya and $556 in Rwanda. Tanzania follows closely at $546, as Uganda lags behind with $528. Burundi is not included.

However, all these countries have set ambitious agendas in place to move their people to middle income level where each makes at least $1,000. But as the situation stands, Rwanda may get there sooner compared to others, says Fengler in a blog post (http://blogs.worldbank.org/africaca...)

“If past trends continue, Kenya would still be ahead in 2020 but the gap would gradually narrow (see table) and by 2022, Rwanda would take first place soon followed by Tanzania and Uganda,” writes Fengler.

The World Bank economist was in Rwanda last week. Quoting from Prof Paul Collier, a leading global voice in economics, Fengler says Rwanda’s ‘what no other country in Africa has achieved in recent times’. Prof Collier made the comments at the launch of the second EDPRS, a hybrid development program, on February 07.

Figures released then showed that some 1.2million people had been pulled out of poverty in the five years when the first EDRPS was operational.

Fengler says the EAC is one of the fastest growing regions in the world. But also cautions the governments that making it to the Middle Income station is not the end of the journey.

“Most economic challenges will remain, including fighting poverty,” he wrote.

“At an annual income of US$ 1000 the average East African would only “earn” US$ 83 per month, or less than US$3 per day. However, being a middle income country brings you into a new league of countries, and the right to be compared with the so−called “emerging economies””.

Several things could be done to push the region faster to the new level. Agriculture and transport are two areas where reforms are badly needed to improve intra-regional trade. One huge challenge remains the railways. East Africa could easily feed itself simply by allowing markets to work, he argues.

Priority, he writes, “should be given to regional roads and corridors, as today it is costly, sometimes impossible, to move goods across the region.”

RNA

SUNS 25

February 27th, 2012, 02:41 AM

^^Good news.

bantugbro

February 27th, 2012, 12:18 PM

popa1980

February 27th, 2012, 05:16 PM

As usual, SSA economies are too volatile and nascent to make such projections. Kenya strikes oil then it all changes for example.

Kifayat13

February 27th, 2012, 10:49 PM

As usual, SSA economies are too volatile and nascent to make such projections. Kenya strikes oil then it all changes for example.
Regardless, it is encouraging that at the very least Rwanda is seen so far so growing quite rapidly, and with all due evidence, with some equity within the development which is the struggle of other SSA countries.

Kigali_Paris

March 8th, 2012, 07:18 PM

THE conference room resembles an old “Star Trek” set, with swivel chairs, laptops on desks and headsets that switch between Kinyarwanda and other tongues. Paul Kagame, Rwanda’s president, sits in the captain’s chair. His technocratic ministers sit nearby. When the talk turns to business, Mr Kagame becomes animated. It is his passion—he says he reads business case studies in bed. He wants to turn Rwanda into the Singapore of central Africa. He is nothing if not ambitious.

Rwanda is best known for the genocide that claimed at least 500,000 lives in 1994. It has been peaceful since then, but lacks nearly all of Singapore’s advantages. Singapore has the world’s busiest port; Rwanda is landlocked. Singapore has one of the world’s best-educated populations; Rwanda’s middle class was butchered in 1994. Singapore is a gateway to China; Rwanda’s neighbours are “less than ideal”, as a recent report from the Legatum Institute, a British think-tank, put it. Uganda is corrupt; Burundi a basket-case; Congo worse.

Yet Rwanda has one huge advantage: the rule of law. No African country has done more to curb corruption. Ministers have been jailed for it.
Transparency International, a watchdog, reckons Rwanda is less graft-ridden than Greece or Italy (though companies owned by the ruling party play an outsized role in the economy). “I have never paid a bribe and I don’t know anyone who has had to pay a bribe,” says Josh Ruxin, one of the owners of Heaven, a restaurant in Kigali, the capital.

The country is blessedly free of red tape, too. It ranks 45th in the World Bank’s index of the ease of doing business, above any African nation bar South Africa and Mauritius. Registering a firm takes three days and is dirt cheap. Property rights are strengthening, as well—the government is giving peasants formal title to their land.

The startling improvement in Rwanda’s business climate is largely thanks to Mr Kagame. Rwanda’s president is a controversial figure. A tough-as-Kevlar bush fighter, he stopped the genocide and chased the militias who carried it out into neighbouring Congo. His forces killed huge numbers of people. His enemies are terrified of him. The elections he holds are a sham.

On the plus side, he has overseen dramatic improvements of Rwanda’s institutions. He understands that his country may collapse again if it does not grow richer, and he is determined to make it easier for businesses to operate. The average income has more than doubled since 1994.

Investors are impressed. Visa, for example, is busy linking Rwandan shops and cash machines to its global network. It picked Rwanda out of dozens of countries as a test ground for bringing electronic payments to “frontier economies”. (It also woos gorilla-watching tourists.) Elizabeth Buse, Visa’s president for Asia, central Europe and Africa, says Rwanda is “a very easy place for a global firm to operate”.

Companies still face immense hurdles, however. Skilled labour is scarce. Only 5.7% of the domestic workforce have a tertiary qualification. An agri-businessman says that he can trust only one of his employees with complicated duties. “Most domestically educated Rwandans have never learned how to think independently and critically,” says the Legatum Institute. “Many Rwandan businesses do not even grasp the idea of bulk discounts, and tend to charge premia for larger orders.” Rwandans admit they are not good at wheeling and dealing. The countryside is largely empty of the small businesses like battery recharging, second-hand clothes and cafés which light up villages even in Congo.

The government has done some brave and sensible things to ease the skills shortage. It recruits Western-educated members of the diaspora. It has opened up the labour market to immigrants from Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. About 7,000 Kenyans in Rwanda have set up transport, farming and construction firms.

Taxes are another headache. Most Rwandans are too poor to pay anything, so the top 200 taxpayers shoulder 75% of the burden. VAT is payable on invoice, not on receipt of payment, which creates terrible cashflow problems for small firms. Enforcement is strict: paying a day late can mean the bill is doubled. The finance ministry is mulling a lower flat tax.

Domestic infrastructure is shoddy. The electricity supply is meagre and expensive. Outside Kigali, naked flames often provide the only artificial light. The government aims to increase power capacity tenfold by 2017. Transport is tough, too. Rwanda wants to be a regional trade hub, linking all the areas where Kinyarwanda is spoken (see map). But reaching a port is an ordeal. A government study found that it takes a lorry four days and $864 in bribes to make it from Mombasa to Kigali. It must stop at 36 roadblocks and ten weighbridges, many of them manned by thieves in uniform.

Still, the Legatum Institute argues that Rwanda shows that the rule of law can take root in Africa. Here’s hoping.

Source: The Economist (http://www.economist.com/node/21548263)