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Rwanda | Economy and Infrastructure News

63K views 208 replies 45 participants last post by  Nyumba 
#1 ·
Societe Tunisienne del L’Electricite et du Gaz, or STEG, signed a $68.6 million contract to connect 50,000 households to Rwanda’s electricity grid.

STEG will build the electricity network over two year, while Rwanda pays in installments over five years, Yves Muyange, managing director of Rwanda’s electricity and water utility, said by phone from the capital, Kigali, today.

The project is part of a $380 million program to increase the number of households with electricity to 350,000 from 110,000 as of June. The program is being financed by the government and its development partners, Muyange said.

“The project is part of government efforts to connect 50 percent of the population by 2017,” Muyange told reporters after signing the project agreement on Nov. 23.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-...6-million-electricity-contract-in-rwanda.html
 
#2 ·
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
 
#7 ·
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
 
#10 ·
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
 
#11 ·
Informative article

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
 
#12 ·
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.
 
#14 ·
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

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* Business

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
 
#15 ·
Bourbon Coffee Rwanda's successful coffee brand





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
 
#17 ·
Bourbon Coffee Rwanda's successful coffee brand






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

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
 
#16 ·
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
 
#20 · (Edited)
DN International to construct 700-unit housing estate


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.
 
#22 ·
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.
 
#23 ·
KiST, German company to construct low cost houses


(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.
 
#24 ·
Makuza attends Djibouti President’s swearing-in


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.
:eek:kay: Thanks Djibouti

The premier later met with his counterpart, Dileita Mohamed Dileita with whom he discussed bilateral matters.
 
#25 ·
Indian firm to establish Gold refinery in Rwanda


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.
 
#26 ·
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.
 
#27 ·
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/new...-/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/
 
#28 ·
KBS to import 20 modern buses


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
 
#29 ·
Trade atlas vital to investors – Kanimba


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
 
#30 ·
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
:eek:hno:

on the substance, it's great but the form is rather questionable.
 
#31 ·
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.
 
#32 ·
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
 
#33 ·
Thanks eddeux for contributing.
 
#34 ·
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
 
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