Business
Duty Free Access for Rwanda and Other Commonwealth Nations in New UK Economic Scheme
President Paul Kagame addressing CHOGM 2022 at the Kigali International Conference Center British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announce a raft of new trade and investment initiatives to create jobs, growth and shared prosperity across the Commonwealth. The Prime Minister unveiled his plans at the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government…
Read More »800 African Executives Were Asked About Their Top Markets. Researchers Shocked by Results
Aerial view of the Gatuna border between Rwanda and Uganda It is now approaching two years since the start of trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) got underway, and African businesses are gaining more insight about it’s potential benefits and challenges. As the world’s largest free trade…
Read More »Novartis Allocates $250m to Battle Against Killer Diseases in Poor Countries
Lutz Hegemann, Group Head, Corporate Affairs and Global Health, Novartis, speaking at CHOGM Global pharmaceutical giant Novartis has endorsed the Kigali Declaration on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and announced a five-year financial commitment of USD $250 million to the fight against NTDs and malaria in conjunction with the Kigali Summit…
Read More »UNCDF Collaborates with IBM on Digital Futures to Address Digital Skills Gap
Justina Nixon-Saintil, Vice President, IBM Corporate Social Responsibility and ESG UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) today announced that it is working with IBM to address the digital skills gap by delivering digital learning to youth and women, as part of UNCDF’s Digital Futures initiative. IBM will support the implementation of…
Read More »Gear Up For EAC Single Currency Come 2024, Private Sector Told
The seven member states of the. East African Community (EAC) will have a single currency within two years if all goes according to plan – but various issues remain unaddressed to reach that goal. The announcement was made by Uganda’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African…
Read More »Lack of Clean Water in the Nile basin and the Consequences of the Rusumo Hydropower project
Ngara district, Tanzania – an area with rich natural water resources including the Kagera and Ruvubhu rivers – is suffering from a lack of water for both domestic and agricultural activities. This is despite the commitment from the World Bank and Nile Basin Initiative to support a water supply project…
Read More »Smart Irrigation Saves Water, Improves Farming Practices in Rwanda’s Remote Drought-stricken Region
The construction of new dams in some parts of Nyagatare, a district in North-eastern Rwanda has helped local residents address potential water shortages and outdated irrigation systems that have long hampered agricultural development in this remote rural region. Now farmers in the area like Muhire Ganza, say the dam has…
Read More »How COVID-19 Lockdowns and Car-free Days Affected Air Pollution in Rwanda’s Capital
Rising levels of vehicle traffic, industrial activity and urban sprawl are contributing to rising levels of air pollution across the global South. This is particularly the case in cities where urbanisation is progressing fastest In Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, the population has surged from less than 500,000 in 2000…
Read More »AfDB Approves €9.8m to Support Venture Capital Investments in African startups
The board of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has approved an equity investment of €9.8 million to support venture capital investments in African startups, from seed to growth stages. The development finance institution announced this in a statement on Tuesday. AfDB said that €7 million of the equity investment…
Read More »Historic New Treaty to Control Use of Plastics is Signed in Nairobi
Plastics threaten to destroy the planet With the bang of a gavel made of recycled plastic and a standing ovation, representatives of 175 nations agreed on Wednesday to begin writing a global treaty that would restrict the explosive growth of plastic pollution. The agreement commits nations to work on a broad and…
Read More »SafiRun Launches Delivery App Where Users Get Rewards for Every Rwf 1,000 Spent
Mostly known for pioneering eco-friendly delivery and logistics services in Kigali, SAFIRUN has been in Rwanda for about 4 years, working on various green-transport solutions for goods and services using electric scooters, electric bikes, and electric vans. Safirun has been carrying out efficient deliveries for our various merchants using our…
Read More »Delayed EAC Trade Watchdog Finally Expected in April
A new regulator or ombudsman for regional trade disputes is now likely to be in place by April after missing an earlier December target, a regional bloc official has said. East Africa Community (EAC) Secretary-General Peter Mathuki told the Business Daily the Trade Remedies Committee (TRC) could be in place…
Read More »Rwandan Firms Operating Old Cargo Trailers Which Are Expensive to Run
Tanzania and Kenya trucks dominate the cargo transportation for good destined for Rwanda As Rwanda attempts to position itself as a regional logistics hub, the country’s cargo transportation faces a challenge as it’s dominated by foreign trucks. The country has built multimillion dollar Inland Container Depot, which among it’s target…
Read More »TotalEnergies Plans to Restart $20 bn Mozambique LNG Project in 2022
MAPUTO, Jan 31 (Reuters) – TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne said on Monday the French firm aimed to restart a $20 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in the north of Mozambique that was halted by an insurgent group with links to Islamic State almost a year ago. The attack on…
Read More »Staying Safe with Mobile Money Transfers, WorldRemit Guide Shows How to Avoid Dangers
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world as we know it. Crucially, we have seen a marked acceleration in the global adoption of online and digital platforms in a variety of sectors ranging from education to work collaboration tools to financial services, all of which brings about new sets of…
Read More »Bloomberg Philanthropies Program Addressing Contemporary Challenges in Cities
Andrea Coleman co-leads the Bloomberg Philanthropies Government Innovation grant programs The City of Kigali was this week announced among 15 cities that won $1 million and multi-year technical support in the 5th edition of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Mayors Challenge. The winning cities were recognized for designing the boldest and…
Read More »Chinese FM Refutes “Debt Trap” Allegation in China-Africa Cooperation
President Paul Kagame with Hon. Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, who was on visit in Rwanda, January 13, 2017 The so-called allegation of “debt trap” is groundless and has been hyped up by some people with ulterior motives to smear China-Africa cooperation, visiting…
Read More »EACPass For COVID-19 Will Solve Regional Border Blockages – EAC Secretariat
Uganda has imposed requirement for another test on trucks coming in from Kenya EAC Partner States have been called upon to fast-track the adoption of EACPass, a harmonized system to facilitate cross-border movement, in a bid to end persistent border traffic snarl-ups disrupting intra-EAC trade. EAC Secretary General, Hon. (Dr.)…
Read More »Oxford University Study Recommends Use of AstraZeneca as Booster Dose Against Omicron
AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 Vaccine (ChAdOx1-S [Recombinant]) significantly boosted levels of antibodies against the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant (B.1.1.529) following a third dose booster, according to data from a new laboratory study. Neutralisation titres for Omicron were boosted following a third dose with COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca compared to titres after a second dose.…
Read More »Tourism Sector Choking in $96m Debt
A wooden model of Rwanda’s famous mountain gorillas Companies and individuals in the tourism sector have not only lost business as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also struggling with debt. A World Bank recovery plan for the sector shows that operators at different levels are unable to repay…
Read More »AstraZeneca’s Evusheld That Works Against Omicron Gets Use Authorisation
A general view of AstraZeneca’s Sydney headquarters, after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Australians will be among the first in the world to receive a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine, if it proves successful, through an agreement between the government and UK-based drug company AstraZeneca, in Sydney, Australia, August 19, 2020.…
Read More »How Rwandans Can Choose the Right Digital Money Transfer Service
Carine Umurerwa, the WorldRemit Country Manager, Rwanda. If you have ever received money from a friend or relative living abroad or if you live and work in the diaspora and need to send money back home to Rwanda, it is likely that you are familiar with several digital money transfer…
Read More »CIMERWA Plc Profits Grow By Record 179%
Cement maker CIMERWA Plc on Thursday released its Final financial results for the period ended 30 September 2021. The Company posted the year record Profit Before Tax of Rwf 5.4 billion, a +179% increase compared to the previous year. The Company closed the year on strong footing with Revenue of…
Read More »Mastercard Foundation, Africa CDC’s Initiative Delivers J&J Vaccine Doses to Rwanda
A previous shipment of Johnson & Johnson vaccine delivered to Rwanda in September The MasterCard Foundation and Africa CDC jointly announced that 151,200 Johnson & Johnson vaccines purchased under the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative have landed in Rwanda and are set for distribution. The shipment is part of a…
Read More »Mixing Pfizer, AstraZ COVID-19 Shots With Moderna Gives Better Immune Response -UK Study
Dec 6 (Reuters) – A major British study into mixing COVID-19 vaccines has found that people had a better immune response when they received a first dose of AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech shots followed by Moderna nine weeks later, according to the results on Monday. “We found a really good immune…
Read More »Rwanda Acquires 30 White Rhinos from South Africa
One of the Rhinos being released into the Park on Sunday on arrival (Photo by African Parks) In the largest single rhino translocation ever undertaken, 30 white rhinos have been introduced to Akagera National Park in Rwanda, sourced from andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa. Announced on Monday…
Read More »IMF Wants Government Fuel Subsidies Removed
Without the government intervention, you would be buying fuel at much higher rate The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has called for “phasing-off” of government subsidies that are keeping fuel pump prices lower. In early October, government through the Rwanda Utilities and Regulatory Authority announced it introduced subsidies that have maintained…
Read More »China Angrily Fires Back Over Allegations of Taking Over Ugandan Airport
Uganda Airlines The Chinese government has reacted angrily following media reports that it planned to take over Uganda’s international airport. For past week, Ugandan media has been awash with details of a Chinese loan contract said to be highly unfavorable to Uganda. The genesis of the mess is that in…
Read More »A Kigali Village Waiting For Mining Disaster
A woman works at the mining site. A significant part of the forest cover on the hill has been destroyed, leaving bear hillsides For residents of Nyabitare village, Gasanze cell, Nduba sector of Gasabo district, it is not a matter of “IF”, but “WHEN” a hill overlooking their village may…
Read More »Atingi, e-learning Platform Taking Hold in Rwanda
Covid-19 pandemic has changed the mode of learning as countries instituted measures aimed at limiting the spread of the deadly virus. Rwanda, known for being at the forefront of the digitalization drive, has now embraced a new e-learning platform known as ‘atingi’ that is quickly expanding its footprint on the…
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