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The

newTimes
No. 5084 Kigali, Wednesday, November 6, 2019
EducationTimes
THE NEW TIMES VOL 287: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019
PLACE TO LEARN

ALSO INSIDE
The influence of No. 696 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2018

parental education
Raising children to overcome challenges
create a spirit of hope that there
will be calmness even after the
storm. Encourage kids that such
a condition is normal but it will
not last forever.
would require the little ones to
think and give solutions. Kids
need to be involved in home
situations. Allow them to give
ideas on what is happening.

Provide children with prac- Teach prayer. Let the little

tice. Present obstacles that kids
can deal with; teach them how
to develop strategy; encourage
them to persist; and then make a
big deal of it when they succeed.
You can also involve children
with planning family events, the
pressure they will put in to make
things work, will teach them a
lesson.
See problems as opportuni-
ones know that with God’s
strength, they can make it,
therefore, they should be able
to pray always.
Lay a basis. Patience and hu-
mility are very important as
they help kids be prepared in
case of any obstacles.
Attitude matters. Kids need
to be told how to handle both

By Lydia Atieno The survey further showed that 93 per cent cannot ties. Kids should be told that
problems aren’t the end of the
road, rather, chances to incur
short and long term hardships.
For instance; if a child is disa-
bled, they should be motivat-

do simple calculations while 99 per cent cannot send

R
Include children in situations that would require them to think and give solutions. Net photo. inner strength about the issue. ed to keep living positive and
If you do that, it will be a les- know that they are created in
By Joan Mbabazi lightened about this, the better problem will be solved. Other- son that they will carry on even God’s image. They also need

eported earlier in this paper, a 2018 survey in or read a text message on a mobile phone. prepared they will be to give it a wise, if all you show kids is per- when they grow. to be trained to care for peo-

Western Province showed that only 9 per cent
P
arents usually do their try, irrespective of the situation. fectionism, that is what they will ple with problems, offer help
best to provide and care Here are a few tips on how to grow up thinking, and when hard Give them the right tools. Im- to the sick or the disabled, and
part motivation, self-confidence, not mock them.
According to experts, literacy courses are crucial to
for their little ones, but if do so; times kick in, they will have no
perseverance, faith, the strength

Price: RWF700, USHS1,500, KSHS100, FBU1,400

asked, how many prepare these idea how to handle it. Kids need

Rwanda’s LEADING Daily

children for future challenges? Lead by example. When there to experience all situations, the of character, sound judgment, Problems are ways to grow
What would your answer be? happens to be a problem at good and the bad. and experience in solving small strong. It is pretty obvious that

of illiterate adults have attended literacy course,
the education of young people.
The world is no place for the soft-
hearted, it needs people that are
home, find means of explaining
to children in a way they can un- Stay positive. However tough
problems.

ready to take risks to reach suc-
derstand. However, show them
Facilitate solution-oriented
after a child trying their best to
fight any problem, they will be
stronger the next time it hap-
the situation is, whether sick-

even as 31 per cent lack essential literacy capabilities. They say that in one way or another, if a parent can’t cess. The earlier the kids are en- that through certain means, the ness, lack of money, or worse, conversations. While together
as a family, bring situations that
pens.
editor@newtimesrwanda.com

The study, a joint conduct by the Institute of Policy read or write, it might have a negative impact on their Experiment corner! The young crab and his mother Story corner!
Analysis and Research (IPAR)-Rwanda, University of children. Vinegar pops
Rwanda’s College of Education, and the University of Valens Mushinzimana, in charge of discipline at Ly-
Aberdeen with the support of the Scottish govern- cee de Kigali School, says everyone, especially par-
ment, sampled 2,391 respondents with over 300 re- ents, should aspire to be educated and gain knowl-
spondents from each district of Western Province. edge because of the benefits that come with it.
From the nine per cent who attended a literacy He notes that a literate parent contributes highly to Materials:
• Ice tray
How it works:
When you have an acid (vinegar) and a base

course, only 14 per cent gained skills while 66 per cent
the success of their children as far as studies are con-
• Vinegar
• Food colouring (optional)
• Baking soda
(baking soda) mixed together there is a chemical
reaction. That chemical reaction releases carbon
dioxide and results in the bubbling.

and 76 per cent, respectively, still can’t read and write cerned. Instructions:
• Fill up ice tray with vinegar. Add food colour if
Extra experiments:
If you did try it with food colouring, try doing it

O
you desire. without it and vice versa.

Kinyarwanda, according to the report. • Put ice tray in freezer for four to six hours. Add popsicle sticks to the ice trays when you ne day, a young crab scolds him for walking sideways to.” ishly, and sits back in the sand.
• Pop out your Vinegar Pops and dip them in a freeze the vinegar. Does it work better, worse, or and his mother were and asks him to walk forward Hearing this, his mom gets up Moral of the story: Don’t
plate of baking soda. the same? on the beach, spending by pointing his toes out front. to show him how, but even she condemn someone for not
• Wait a few minutes and watch the bubbling Try doing the experiment with citric acid in- some time together. The young The young crab responds, “I is unable to bend her knees for- doing something that you

CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 begin. stead of vinegar. Some examples of citric acid

would be lemon or lime juice.
Agencies
crab gets up to move, but it can
only walk sideways. His mother
would like to walk forward
mom, but I do not know how
ward. She realises that she was
being unfair, apologises sheep-
yourself are unable to do.
Agencies

LOG ON www.newtimes.co.rw

Land wrangles dominate

Ombudsman’s report
By Nasra Bishumba

The Ombudsman, Anastase

Murekezi, yesterday presented his
2018/2019 annual report to mem-
Accountability. Kagame opens Judicial Year
bers of both chambers of parlia-
ment where he said that the lead-
ing type of cases his office receives
are land-related.
The report makes recommen-
dations in the areas of the office’s
mandate to fight corruption and
injustice, declaration of assets
by public officials, and assessing
whether laws governing access to
information and leadership code
of conduct among others are be-
ing adhered to during the period
in review.
turn to page 3

China commits to
expand market
access for foreign
President Kagame, Senate President Augustin Iyamuremye (3rd right), Speaker of Parliament Donatile Mukabalisa (2nd right) and Prime Minister
investors Édouard Ngirente (right) pose for a group photo alongside judges shortly after the President officiated at the launch of the 2019/2020 Judicial
Year at Parliamentary Buildings in Kimihurura yesterday. The President called for joint efforts in solving national problems and improving service
Page 5 delivery in the judicial system. Photo: Village Urugwiro. STORY ON PAGE 2.

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2 the new TIMES
No. 5 0 8 4 W e d n e s d ay, N o v e m B E R 6, 2019 news

TODAY’S WEATHER District Morning Tempo Afternoon Tempo Reader feedback Email: editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Inside Kagame opens Judicial Year

The headache of
fighting corruption

Next month, Rwanda will host the

4th International Anti-Corruption
Excellence (ACE) Award summit.
This is an initiative of the Govern-
ment of Qatar, presented annually
on International Anti-Corruption
Day in cooperation with the Vien-
na-based United Nations Office
on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). It
seeks to raise awareness, support
and solidarity to combat corrup-
tion and encourage new initiatives
in pursuit of corruption-free societ-
ies. P5
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1. Kagame names new
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3. Inside the next generation
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5. Kagame mourns MP Logan
Ndahiro
Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019
Members of the Judiciary follow proceedings at Parliamentary Buildings in Kimihurura yesterday. Photo: Village Urugwiro.
By Nasra Bishumba
President Paul Kagame
has called for joint efforts in
solving national problems
and improving service deliv-
ery in the judicial system.
He was speaking at Par-
liament on Tuesday where
he was presiding over the
ceremony to conclude the
2018/2019 judicial year.
Kagame also used the
same platform to launch the
2019/2020 judicial year.
Kagame told judges, law-
yers, prosecutors and other
justice sector stakeholders
that it is important to con-
stantly review themselves and
find ways to better to serve
citizens.
“We should constantly strive
to fix the challenges we face,
and this requires everyone’s
involvement and strong com-
mitment,” he said
The President added that;
“We must work hard, keeping
in mind that we are serving
citizens, get closer to them,
listen to their challenges and
work together to solve them.”
Kagame advised those in
charge of enacting laws and
their stakeholders to consid-
er imposing heavier conse-
quences for crimes like child
rape.
The President of the Su-
preme Court, Sam Rugege,
whose mandate expires this
December, said that that
though there is still some
work to be done, the judicial
sector has seen significant im-
provement.
“Today, a court case takes
four months. That is below
the six months mark that is
determined by the law. In the
Supreme Court, that number
dropped from 69 months in
2011 to 4 and a half months
this year and we are constant-
ly trying to improve on that
timeline,” he said.
The Prosecutor General,
Jean Bosco Mutangana, gave
an update on the gains made
over the past year, pointing
out the work done to bring
those suspected to have par-
ticipated in the 1994 Geno-
cide against Tutsis to justice.
Today, Mutangana added
that his office was paying
special attention to emerging
crimes like human traffick-
President Kagame. ‘We
should constantly strive
to fix the challenges we
face, and this requires
everyone’s involvement
and strong commitment.
We must work hard,
keeping in mind that we
are serving citizens, get
closer to them, listen to
their challenges and work
together to solve them’
ing, terrorism, cybercrimes,
money laundering.
The President of the Rwan-
da Bar Association, Julien
Gustave Kavuraganda, told
those in attendance that the
Rwanda Bar Association has
at least three lawyers assigned
to every district where they
provide pro bono services.
“We have a team of 30 law-
yers who are specifically set
aside to help children and so
far 2450 children have re-
ceived this support,” he said.
“We have also put 20 law-
yers in charge of providing
the underprivileged with legal
services in the (court of) Ap-
peal and Supreme Court.”
Last year alone, the RBA
provided services to 600
people in the Appeal and Su-
preme courts.
The lawyers have provided
legal aid to 3720 people, val-
ued at Rwf2.1 billion.
editor@newtimesrwanda.com
LOG ON www.newtimes.co.rw
News
Land wrangles dominate
Ombudsman’s report
From page 1
Murekezi told the parliamentar-
ians that of the 1,091 cases filed
with the Ombudsman requesting
retrial on the basis of unfairness,
851 were civil lawsuits, mostly
which are land-related.
Some of these, are directly re-
lated to inheritance issues.
118 are related to criminal cases,
69 are commercial cases, 30 con-
stitutional while 23 are related to
labour.
Murekezi said that after a thor-
ough analysis of the cases, only
96 merited retrial, something
that indicates that Rwandans
need to be sensitised about the
value of courts and time.
“In 2018/2019, we had 1,091
cases. Of these, the ones that we
felt required fresh trials are 96
only. That shows you that there
is a serious problem where the
masses are wasting time and
court resources,” he said.
He pointed out that an assess-
ment carried out by his office for
the last five years had indicated
that the ombudsman’s office had
reviewed 5273 cases.
Of these, 5343 had been reject-
ed while 433 were found to be
unjust.
Murekezi also criticised local
Women now dominate the cabinet
By Glory Iribagiza
President Paul Kagame on
Monday reshuffled cabinet, mak-
ing changes in which women
comprise 52 per cent, an increase
from the 50 per cent women rep-
resentation in the previous cabi-
net.
The members of cabinet have
also increased from 26 to 27, as
ministries and fully-fledged min-
isters also increased from 17 to 18,
because of the reinstituted Minis-
try of Internal Security.
The new cabinet line-up has
in total 14 women out of 27. The
constitution requires that women
representation at any decision-
making organ should be at least
30 per cent.
Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya,
who has been Rwanda’s envoy to
Russia was appointed Minister
for Environment, returning to
cabinet for a second stint. Previ-
ously, she held different cabinet
posts including as minister of
LOG ON www.newtimes.co.rw
Chief Ombudsman, Anastase Murekezi speaks during the presentation of the 2018/2019 annual report before
members of both chambers of parliament yesterday. Looking on are Hon. Musa Fazil Harerimana (left) and Clement
Musangabatware, Deputy Ombudsman in charge of preventing and fighting corruption (right). Photo/E. Kwizera.
leaders whose citizens’ forums
with the locals only deal with
small matters instead of digging
deeper.
“They don’t do any follow-ups.
They fail to complete cases and
this is costing locals money be-
cause they are obliged to pay
NEW BLOOD: Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya (Environment) and Aurore Mimosa
Munyangaju (Sports). Photos: Net.
education and later as minister
for gender and family promotion.
Another new female appointee
to the new cabinet is Aurore Mi-
mosa Munyangaju, who is the
new minister of sports, replacing
Esperence Nyirasafari, the senate
vice president in charge of legisla-
tion and government oversight.
Munyangaju has been working
No. 5084
more yet these are issues that can
be fixed by an executive secre-
tary,” he said.
He informed the parliament
that unlike the previous years, his
office’s activities were now fully
funded by the European Union
for the next three years.
as Chief Executive Officer at So-
narwa Life Assurance Company
Ltd.
Another new female member of
the cabinet is Ignatienne Nyiraru-
kundo, a former Legislator who
was appointed Minister of State
of the Ministry of Local Govern-
ment in charge of Social Affairs.
editor@newtimesrwanda.com
the new TIMES
W e d n e s d ay, N o v e m B E R 6 , 2 0 19
Changes in the law
The issue of cases filed with the
ombudsman requesting retrials
has in the past been blamed for
backlog which weighed down the
Ombudsman’s Office for years.
To fix this, the government last
year amended the law and stipu-
Ethiopia returns home 840
nationals from Saudi Arabia
Ethiopia has in recent days
returned home 840 nationals
who had been serving prison
sentences in Saudi Arabia,
an Ethiopian official said on
Tuesday.
Speaking exclusively to
Xinhua, Nebiat Getachew,
Spokesman for Ethiopia
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(MoFA), said the 840 Ethiopi-
ans were released from Saudi
prisons and returned home in
recent days after consultations
with Saudi authorities.  and various other hurdles,
Getachew said most of the
840 Ethiopians returned
home from Saudi Arabia were
serving prison sentences for
entering Saudi Arabia ille-
gally.  route hoping to reach the Mid-
“Ethiopia is also working
with the UN’s migration agen-
cy, International Organisation
for Migration (IOM) to return
home Ethiopians stranded in
war torn Yemen while trying
3
lated that a complainant can only
petition the Ombudsman’s Office
after exhausting all legal avenues
up to the Supreme Court.
While those were the conditions
in the previous law and a com-
plainant had to write to the Om-
budsman if they felt the verdict
was unjust, the current law re-
quires the complainant to instead
write to a higher court than the
one that delivered the judgment.
For instance, if a case was tried
by the Primary Court, the com-
plainant is required to petition
the Intermediary Court. If the
case was tried by the Military
Court, they write to the Military
High Court.
The President of the court that
has been petitioned is required to
review the case for any injustices
and, if any are found, they write
to the Supreme Court which will
determine which court should try
the case.
Unlike the previous years, the
new law requires one to petition
the court after the verdict exactly
30 days after the trial.
The Deputy Ombudsman in
charge of prevention and fight-
ing injustice; Odette Yankurije
says that previously, the law was
relaxed and some people could
even petition six years after a
verdict that they are complaining
about was delivered.
“Not anymore. Whether you are
writing to the court or petitioning
the Ombudsman, you have only
thirty days to lodge a complaint
from the time you lose a case or
from the time the court tells you
that there is no case,” she says.
editor@newtimesrwanda.com
to cross to Saudi Arabia,” Ge-
tachew told Xinhua.
Despite a growing econ-
omy and public awareness
campaigns on the dangers
of human trafficking by the
Ethiopian government, it is
estimated that thousands of
Ethiopians are trafficked to
Saudi Arabia as well as vari-
ous other countries, where
they are mainly engaged in the
informal economy.
In addition to imprisonment
desperate Ethiopian and other
East African migrants also of-
ten encounter many deadly
calamities as they attempt to
cross the dangerous Red Sea
dle East via war-torn Yemen.
They are mainly aiming at
reaching Yemen’s northern
neighbor Saudi Arabia.
Xinhua
4 the new TIMES
No. 5 0 8 4 W e d n e s d ay, N o v e m B E R 6, 2019 news

Call to build climate

resilient agric systems
By Emmanuel Ntirenganya
Eradicating hunger in Af-
rica by 2025 will require govern-
ments to build agricultural sys-
tems that are resilient to climate
change, activists have said, argu-
ing that this would ensure sus-
tainable food production.
The civil society organisations
made the call on Tuesday during
a regional dialogue on food and
nutrition security in Kigali.
They observed that climate
change is an increasingly grow-
ing threat to food and nutrition
security on the continent and
more so to economies that are
heavily reliant on agriculture.
Prof Sidi Osho, Chairperson of
the board of governors for the
Food, Agriculture and Natural
Resources Policy Analysis Net-
work (FANRPAN), said that
most African countries are suf-
fering from poverty and low pro-
ductivity in agriculture, with seri-
ous human nutrition challenges.
“We are having a problem of
climate change across Africa…
it has affected the smallholder
farmers’ crops and livelihoods,”
she said, expressing the need
for irrigation technologies and
increased budget allocation to
agriculture.
She said that availability and
accessibility to nutritious food
and research as well as innova-
tion is critical to tackling stunt-
ing.
“The UNICEF study says that
one out of every five children
is severely malnourished,” she
said.
African Heads of State through
their Malabo Declaration of June
2014, recommitted achieving
ending hunger by 2025 and re-
duce stunting among the conti-
nent’s children to 10 per cent.
The declaration also affirmed
their commitment to enhancing
investment in Agriculture and
uphold the 10 per cent public
spending target to the sector.
Focusing on inputs, irrigation
and agriculture mechanisation,
they argued, would at least dou-
ble productivity.
However, hunger remains a
daunting challenge globally.
Current evidence shows a rise
in world hunger, FANRPAN
says.
Today, 821 million people are
undernourished in the world,
an increase of 36.4 million from
2015, FANRPAN adds.  
Of these hungry people, 257
million are in Africa.
The current situation implies
that if the trend is not reversed,
Africa and the world at large, will
fail to meet the Sustainable De-
velopment (SDG) Goal of ensur-
ing access to safe, nutritious and
sufficient food for all and elimi-
nating all forms of malnutrition
by 2030.
While irrigation is a potential
solution to this challenge, cur-
rently, only around 6 percent of
the region’s cultivated land is ir-
rigated.
Venuste Muhamyankaka, Ex-
ecutive Director, of Scaling Up
Nutrition (SUN) Alliance – an
umbrella of civil society organi-
sations in Rwanda aimed at
promoting sensitive and specific
nutrition actions – said that their
2015 study indicated that only 17
of children in Rwanda get appro-
priate breast milk supplement
after six months of exclusive
Agriculture researchers work in a green house in Kinigi, Musanze District. By
2025 Africa will be required to build agricultural systems that are resilient to
climate change, such as using green houses. Photo: Sam Ngendahimana.
breastfeeding. Jean Claude Musabyimana,
He pointed out that a70 per Permanent Secretary at the Min-
cent of stunted children are at- istry of Agriculture and Animal
tributed to the lack of such nutri- Resources said that 81.3 percent
tional support. of the population is food secure,
With about 38 per cent of chil- quoting statistics from the 2018
dren suffering from stunting in Comprehensive Food Security
Rwanda, Muhamyankaka said and Vulnerability Analysis.
that there was a need to increase He reaffirmed that the country
efforts including funding to ad- is resolved to attain food and nu-
dress the problem.  trition security for all its citizens.
 “Increasing investment in tack- “We are encouraging Rwan-
ling malnutrition should be effec- dans engaged in agriculture to
tively integrated in national de- carry out professional farm-
velopment policies, and be given ing with objective to increasing
priority” he said adding that also productivity through improved
scaling up nutritional education seeds, using fertilisers, and
among parents is needed so that mechanisms to withstand cli-
they provide their children with mate change,” he said.
healthy diets. editor@newtimesrwanda.com

Ecobank Rwanda Plc

on 01st November 2019 launched
Ryoherwa na EcobankPay Campaign
By Michel Nkurunziza
Ecobank Rwanda Plc has launched
Ryoherwa na EcobankPay campaign
that facilitates all customers who use
Ecobank mobile application to safely pay
for online and in-store goods and services
by scanning a Quick Response (QR) code
displayed at merchant location(s) or by
entering a merchant terminal ID and stand
a chance to win amazing prizes.
Ryoherwa na EcobankPay is in line with
the Digital Payment awareness campaign
that BNR launched recently under the
theme “Go with the Times. Go Cashless”
The management of Ecobank said that the
aim of the campaign is to promote digital
payments channel by reducing the amount
of cash in hands.
You will not need to carry cash as this a
safer, faster and simple digital payments
using EcobankPay via your mobile banking
app on your mobile device anywhere,
anytime.
Customers will be rewarded with weekly
gifts, monthly prizes like Flat screen TVs,
Fridges, Smart phones and the grand prize
will be a Trip for two persons to Dubai
for four days with everything covered
(Tickets, accommodation, transport and
much more)
In addition, Ecobank has put Zero merchant “Pay with EcobankPay
commission fees for the period of one
year for all payments through EcobankPay
and stand a chance to win
and merchants who will accept payments amazing prizes.”
through EcobankPay will also stand a
chance to will different prizes like monthly
gifts and a grand prize of a ticket to
Guangzhou.
The management of Ecobank explained
that in order to pay for goods and services,
the consumers are required to download
the application called " Ecobank Mobile
App" from Play Store or App store from
their smart phones and follow the steps.
The application, not only allows customers
to use Ecobank Pay to pay for goods
and services but to also enjoy various
other services digitally such as opening
an Xpress digital account, bank to bank
transfers, bill payments, airtime purchase For more informations call: 0788 384 000/0788 161 000
Terms and conditions apply
among other services. Download the App
and start enjoying these services.
Ecobank as a financial institution is a
strong brand in digital banking space and
committed to provide services through
sustainable technology in Rwanda and in
33 countries across Africa.

LOG ON www.newtimes.co.rw
news
The headache of fighting corruption
By Bertrand Byishimo
Next month, Rwanda will host the 4th
International Anti-Corruption Excellence
(ACE) Award summit.
This is an initiative of the Government of
Qatar, presented annually on International
Anti-Corruption Day in cooperation with
the Vienna-based United Nations Office
on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). It seeks
to raise awareness, support and solidarity
to combat corruption and encourage new
initiatives in pursuit of corruption-free so-
cieties.
Rwanda, the host, is among the countries
in Africa that have made significant gains
in fighting the vice.  the ones that the country’s budget is able
Alongside Cabo Verde, Tanzania, Sey-
chelles and Botswana, Rwanda is consid-
ered to be on track to address corruption.
The country has thus made the fight
against corruption a top priority.
This commitment is evidenced by a poli-
cy framework that creates an environment
aimed to fight the crime.
Last year, the Penal Code was revised
and corruption was re-defined as impre-
scriptible offence and the offense of em-
bezzlement was placed in the category of
crime related to corruption.
In addition, a new anti-corruption law
was promulgated in September 2018.
Generally, Rwanda has made a number
of changes that experts believe will serve to
counter the prevalence of corruption.
However, the question remain; is the im-
pact of these initiatives being felt?
That question can be answered by look-
ing at the professed statements of people
with the responsibilities to address cor-
ruption.
Recently, Marie Immacule Ingabire,
the Transparency International Rwanda
Chairperson, said that the fight against
corruption was difficult.
Statistics from the Office of the Ombuds-
man reflect an upward trend of corruption
cases.  Fighting corruption goes hand-in-hand
China commits to expand market access for foreign investors
By Frederic Byumvuhore
As part of the People’s Republic of
China’s measures to actively open the
Chinese market to the rest of the world,
the country is hosting the second China
International Import Expo.
The exhibition has attracted 150 coun-
tries and 26 international organisations
from all over the world.
The Expo serves as an open coopera-
tion platform for countries and regions
across the world to showcase their de-
velopment achievements, Chinese offi-
cials say.
It is also billed as a good launch pad for
participating firms to engage in interna-
tional trade.
Officiating the opening ceremony on
Tuesday in Shanghai, Chinese Presi-
LOG ON www.newtimes.co.rw
TI Chairperson Marie Immaculee Ingabire, consults with Clement Musangabatware, Deputy
Ombudsman in charge of preventing and fighting corruption. Photo/Sam Ngendahimana.
Some 109 people were convicted be-
tween August 2018 and January 2019, for
corruption.
Among them, 91 males whereas between
2017 and 2018, some 65 males and 3 fe-
males were convicted.
The New Times approached Ingabire
ahead of the ACE summit and asked her
what she makes of the country’s current
battle against the vice.
Why is corruption difficult to battle with?
According to Ingabire, most people in-
volved are powerful politicians, business
people or powerful multinational/national
companies.
In most cases, she explains, it is difficult
to report high-ranking officials like those.
“Most people who choose to fight corrup-
tion are easily tempted when they see how
profitable it is and end up adopting it,” she
said.
dent, Xi Jinping, noted that China is
working to further ease market access
for foreign investments, saying that the
Chinese market was big.
Xi said that the country will continue
to improve the business environment.
Since the beginning of this year, China
has been hosting various trade fairs in
which Rwandan firms have participated.
At this year’s edition, Rwanda is rep-
resented by Rwanda Mountain Tea,
Gashora Farms (chili producers), West
Hills Coffee Limited, Garden Fresh,
Damarara Coffee, G-Steps Coffee, Enas
Nkubiri (Honey producers), Urumuri
and Umucyo Handcrafts to showcase
the agricultural products, and hand-
crafts among other services.
Emmanuel Macron, the President
of France, was one of the high profile
No. 5084
W e d n e s d ay, N o v e m B E R 6 , 2 0 19
with the battle of changing the mindsets,
says Ingabire.
“The population has not yet understood
that corruption is an enemy of the nation,
undermines development and increases
injustice.”
Safety of whistleblowers
The ombudsman’s office through Trans-
parency International has taken several
steps to protect whistleblowers’ confiden-
tially.
They have provided a toll-free number
(2641), WhatsApp number and an online
system.
“Not only that, but we also have some
laws ensuring the protection of the whis-
tleblowers. We even encourage anyone not
to dismiss those who want to bribe them.
In fact, it’s better to schedule an appoint-
ment with them. And meanwhile inform
us, so we catch them red-handed. The
whistleblower is never held accountable,”
delegates at the expo, which is themed
as “New Era, sharing Future.”
The international fair is scheduled to
run from November 5 to 10.
Xi underscored the unlimited pros-
pects of the Chinese market.
“China will pay more attention to the
role of imports, further reduce tariffs
and institutional costs, foster a number
of import trade promotion innovation
demonstration zones, and expand im-
ports of high-quality products and ser-
vices from countries,” he said.
He stressed the need of more efforts to
reduce trade barriers to further improve
global value and supply chains to jointly
nurture market demand.
In his remarks, President Macron ap-
plauded china’s contribution to the
progress of the global economy, call-
the new TIMES
5
said Ingabire.
Recommendations
The Ombudsman’s Office receives
Rwf1.8 billion per year.
It is made up of a department in charge
of preventing and combatting corruption,
the department in charge of preventing
and combatting injustice, department in
charge of wealth declaration of govern-
ment officials but it needs more workers to
function effectively.
“Having few workers cannot translate
into failure to achieve our goals, hence
let it not be an excuse. Of course, we have
few workers but we know that they are
to sustain,” said Anastase Murekezi, the
Chief Ombudsman
Therefore, he added, we do not keep ask-
ing for more workers but do our best to
perform our responsibilities.
 Reform of the civil service law
Another constraint impeding the fight
against corruption lies in some laws which
glorify suspects, said Ingabire.
To her, government officials should be
governed by laws that do not allow them
to return to work once they had been sus-
pected of corruption.
The Rwanda National Police is a good ex-
ample, said Ingabire.
“Any policeman is governed by the law as
local citizens but on top of that, abides by
the police disciplinary code. Hence anyone
suspected of corruption is punished and
reported to his colleagues and even if they
are found innocent, they are never given
back their duty,” said John Bosco Kabera,
Rwanda National Police spokesperson
to The New Times.
This is contrary to other institutions
where if the judge has doubts, the suspect
is released and hence corrupt people keep
their freedom outside jail and in addition
to being back on duty.
editor@newtimesrwanda.com
ing upon all countries to work together
in harmony to ensure effective global
trade.
“China works towards openness to the
world and the world needs to be open to
china vice-versa. The country has exper-
tise in technology which the rest of the
world needs,” he said.
According to the President, countries
need to work together in order to con-
front the challenges facing world trade
sector.
“Europe and China are able to contrib-
ute to the global order but harmonious
cooperation and communication are the
keys to avoiding any hindrance, 
Open global trade is vital to benefit
our people and we have to advocate for
it as well as investing much in climate
change, innovations, and science-tech-
nology,” Macron added.
editor@newtimesrwanda.com
6 THE NEW TIMES
No. 5 0 8 4 W E D N E S D AY, N O V E M B E R 6, 2019
The
NewTimes
The floor is still open;
would Rwandans have
had it any better?
RWANDA’S democratic credentials have al-
ways come under attack because it does not
follow a certain template. It chose to design
its own route, one that would help it chart
its way through the myriad of problems she
was facing.
Copy and pasting other people’s versions
of democratic principles would not work
for it. It had to choose a system that would
help reunite the country, but first and fore-
most, the people would have to have a say.
And in order to avoid a winner-takes-all
electoral system, checks and balances in the
form of power-sharing were put in place.
The triumphant political grouping could
not occupy the seat of president of the Sen-
ate, it was reserved for the opposition.
The Speaker of the lower house of Parlia-
ment is also from a different political fam-
ily.
This week’s Cabinet reshuffle reflected
that same principle with many political
groups included on the roster. That also
goes for all other government postings such
as parastatals and diplomatic missions and
the civil service.
That kind of power-sharing that also en-
tails gender balance will never be found any
of the famous “democratic” ideals; the win-
ner takes all power and throws crumbs to
the opponents – if they are lucky.
Rwanda is well-known for its female-dom-
inated parliament, now that achievement
has also been replicated in the new Cabinet
where females have a slight edge over their
male counterparts.
One thing is for sure, Rwanda’s path is
working for it and its people, the govern-
ment is lean and efficient and life goes on.
What else could work better than what
Rwanda currently has? It is a debate that
many of those who physically witnessed the
transformation of this country would gladly
debate.
A PUBLICATION OF
THE NEW TIMES PUBLICATIONS LTD
P.O. Box 4953, Kigali
Tel. Editorial: +250 (0) 780303436
Tel. Marketing: +250 (0) 782859324
E-mail: editor@newtimesrwanda.com
Website: www.newtimes.co.rw
© A L L R I G H TS R E S E RV E D
THE HEADLINES have not stopped
or changed in the last several days.
They have all been a variation on
this: Rwanda launches electric car
in partnership with Volkswagen,
the German car maker – the first of
its kind in Africa.
This has been in reference to the
unveiling on October 30 of the e-
Golf model that will be running on
Rwanda’s roads.
It follows the introduction of
electric motor cycles on Rwanda’s
roads a little earlier.
In between the two events, there
was another first: the inaugura-
tion of a smart phone – the Mara
– made in Rwanda.
All these are examples of this
country’s readiness to innovate,
venture into new areas, and find
fresh things that will transform the
country. That is also the meaning
of innovation: to provide solutions
to current challenges, but more
importantly look to the future. This
also happens to be the focus of
Rwanda’s leadership.
These firsts of the last few days
are part of a pattern that goes
back more than two decades. One
would be forgiven to think that
scoring firsts has become a habit
in Rwanda. It seems to be a habit
of bold initiatives and approach to
issues born of the determination to
transform the country.
First in this apparent pattern
was the pioneering gender policies
which have defined the country’s
approach to social and develop-
ment issues.. For well over a de-
cade, Rwanda has been the world’s
number one country in women in
E-GROWTH Joseph Rwagatare
In Rwanda technology and environmental
protection happily march in tune
parliament. The representation of women
in public life actually goes beyond the leg-
islature. Their number in cabinet, as CEOs
of corporations, and in other top decision
making positions is also among the highest
in the world.
Then the economy began to claim top
spot in global rankings across different
sectors. This happened in doing business,
competitiveness, government effective-
ness, safety, the fight against corruption
and many more. GDP continued to grow at
an average rate of eight percent per annum
for well over ten years. Poverty reduced
significantly.
The same was evident in social affairs
that saw the expansion of education and
healthcare, drastic reduction in mortality
due to disease or absence of medical care,
and a corresponding rise in life expectancy.
Less spoken about but equally remark-
able has been the country’s leading posi-
tion in environmental protection and wild-
life conservation. The ban of plastics bags,
which was also a first, and conservation of
the famous gorillas are perhaps the excep-
tion.
But there is more. For instance, it was
reported this week that the country had
reached the 30% forest cover of its total
land area one year ahead of the date it had
set itself.
Reforestation, together with the restora-
tion of wetlands across the country, the
management of the steep hillsides, bet-
ter land use and planned, modern village
settlements have been key to national en-
vironmental protection.
In the last few years Rwanda has em-
braced and become champion of the con-
cept of smart cities and green architec-
ture. This, in addition to being a leading
supporter of the Montreal Accord and the
Paris Climate Agreement, show Rwanda’s
commitment to protect the earth we share..
Again, this concern for the environment
is not because it is a fashionable cam-
paign, but rather because it and climate
OP/EDITORIAL
An old woman
files a complaint
at the Ombuds-
man Head Offices
in Kimihurura. An
assessment carried
out by the Om-
budsman Office for
the last five years
had indicated that
it had reviewed
5273 cases. Of
these, 5343 had
been rejected
while 433 were
found to be unjust.
Emmanuel Kwizera.
change are grave existential matters that
this country takes very seriously. And as in
many other instances, the practice here is
to think ahead, anticipate challenges and
prepare for them instead of waiting for
them to become emergencies and then act.
Along the way innovation of all kind, es-
pecially in terms of technology and policy
as well as actual practice, has taken centre
stage. Young people are constantly coming
up with various applications as solutions
to the challenges we face and so make our
lives better.
The latest innovation, at least in policy
terms, also a first, has been the introduc-
tion of the VW electric car and the electric
motor cycle. Both are, of course, a solution
to mobility. But more than that, they are an
answer to concerns of rising carbon emis-
sions. With their introduction, environ-
mental issues are being taken to another
level.
The significance of this development
in national and global terms cannot be
gainsaid. It shows that you can grow the
economy and protect the environment at
the same time; that you can combine tech-
nological innovation with environmental
conservation, and in fact use one to serve
the other.
For many years, Rwanda was known
for its steady and high rate of economic
growth, and gender policies. It has now
become a country of innovation as well
and will be defined by that for the next few
decades. It will also be seen as a country
where innovation and environmental pro-
tection meet and propel development.
Last year the World Travel Guide ranked
Rwanda the 17th greenest place in the
world. With these new developments we
should not be surprised if the next ranking
is way near the top.
Twitter: @jrwagatare
The views expressed in this article
are of the author.
LOG ON www.newtimes.co.rw

COMMENTARY
KIGALI– A recent article by Reuters
titled: “What limits? How African
leaders cling to power for decades,”
and another by The East African’s
Charles Onyango Obbo titled: “Afri-
can democrats: going, going, gone”
got me thinking about the obses-
sion of term limits as a key measure
of democracy and how we got to the
point where our democratic concern
is how long our leaders are in office
rather than what they do while they
are there, as well as the dangerous
conclusion that those who “respect
term limits” are Africa’s democrats.
The danger of lumping countries
such as Burundi, Cameroon, Chad,
Comoros, Congo Republic, Djibouti,
Guinea, Ivory Coast, Rwanda, Togo,
and Uganda should be apparent. So
is the suggestion that term limits,
rather than being a process, are in
and of themselves an essential out-
come of democracy.
Such a danger must be obvious from
the idea that Liberia’s Sirleaf John-
son and DRC’s Joseph Kabila are
Africa’s distinguished democrats for
the mere fact that they respected
term limits and left office.
This is the tragedy of Africa. When
we talk about democracy, who do
we have in mind? Ironically, Obbo
KIGALI — ON Monday, November
4, 2019, members of the British par-
liament wrote a letter to President
Kagame, pleading for the release of
former military officers Tom Byaba-
gamba and Frank Rusagara.
‘Have they released Julian Assange
whose incarceration a UN human
rights group of experts has judged to
be illegal? And what have they done
to stop the UK being turned into
a safe haven for some of the most
notorious Rwandan genocidaires?’
–one person on twitter immediately
reacted. ‘Has the UK Parliament
replaced Rwandan court?’ Others
wondered amid general indignation.
But before I continue, allow me to
state that I would be the first to plead
in favor of fellow countrymen to be
released on health grounds. How-
ever, the idea of having members of
a foreign institution meddling in a
friendly nation’s court proceedings
while these are still ongoing is revolt-
ing.
LOG ON www.newtimes.co.rw
DEMOCRACY Lonzen Rugira
How Africans “perform democracy”
for the Western Gallery
has the answer “In the ‘second libera-
tion’ wave that followed the end of the
Cold War in the late 1980s and early
1990s, new political forces and parties
formed, and were weak.
They sold and went along with term
limits, in part to buy themselves legiti-
macy because it cast them as different
from the old one-party African states
and military dictatorships that were
crumbling all round.”
In other words, African leaders still
conceive legitimacy externally –
something that must originate from
outside. The “outside” is the Western
world. Moreover, they play along the
game of democracy not because they
are aspiring democrats but due to the
external legitimacy it confers them.
The application of this logic has made
democracy a ritual that happens every
five years or so. It is a performance for
the western gallery. The effects of this
performance on the lives of the Afri-
can people, it seems, is of no concern
to either the African leaders or the
western gallery.
Whoever performs to the gallery’s
satisfaction is blessed with legitimacy.
This is the “performance” that African
leaders have learned to play, some-
times to exceptional standards. How-
ever, from time to time those watch-
ing from the gallery get played. But
neither side feels cheated; it’s all fine
as long as the performance goes on.
PATRONAGE Gatete Nyiringabo Ruhumuliza
British lawmakers don’t make laws in Rwanda
This request seems like an attack on
state sovereignty. The United King-
dom is known as the country which
harbors many of the perpetrators of
the Genocide against the Tutsi, where
genocide ideology thrives, where
genocide deniers source funding and
airtime on state-owned media to deny
the genocide.
In the last couple of years, many
countries in Europe have passed leg-
islation criminalizing genocide ideol-
ogy, while the UK, it seems as though
the only thing the BBC reports on
Rwanda is Genocide ideology and
genocide revisionism – to quote a
Genocide survivor, it is safer to be a
genocide perpetrator, denier or revi-
sionist in the UK, than to be a survivor
or supporter of Paul Kagame and the
Rwandan government.
That’s not all, when the infamous
‘Untold Story’ was aired on BBC, Brit-
ish author Linda Melvern alongside
other academics with knowledge on
Rwanda petitioned the UK parlia-
ment to issue a statement distancing
itself from such a hateful documen-
tary produced and aired on a public
broadcaster.
The honorable gentlemen preferred
to respond that their media was in-
dependent to, among other things -
peddle genocide revisionism. Today,
No. 5084, W E D N E S D AY , N O V E M B E R 6, 2 0 1 9
Perfecting the dance
Sirleaf Johnson perfected “democrat-
ic performance,” for instance. Upon
leaving office, her successor George
Weah declared, “I inherited a broke
Liberia” during his first trip abroad
as President in February 2018. Weah
went on to pledge “to fight endemic
corruption” amidst a “dire economic
situation” he had been bequeathed.
“I inherited a country that is very
broke, depleted by political malfea-
sance. We have to make sure that the
things that happened will not happen
again,” he pleaded amidst promises to
do more to ensure that Liberia’s chil-
dren “leave the street.”
If Sirleaf’s celebrated legacy as a dem-
ocrat includes leaving children on
the streets and a depleted economy,
then she must be one of the greatest
performers, a dance she punctuated
by respecting term limits – a grand
exit involving a standing ovation and
deafening cheers from the gallery.
It follows, therefore, that assessing de-
mocracy on the basis of performance
is a diversionary pursuit from the per-
spective of the African people. It is an
exercise that assesses the dexterity to
perform and shouldn’t be confused
with an examination of democratic
credentials; it cannot tell us who is or
is not a democrat in any meaningful
sense.
Consequently, illegitimate African
leaders have learned that they can
I would like to pay them with their
own currency: Rwanda’s judiciary is
independent!
By consistently acting in tacit sup-
port of genocide ideology then, and
turning away each time they are
petitioned to do the right thing, UK
lawmakers have lost all legitimacy or
moral ground as regards our justice
system.
We did not see UK lawmakers write a
letter to their judicial system, when a
Rwandan General, head of Rwanda’s
National Security Service travelling
on duty, was arrested on British soil
on trumped-up charges fabricated by
one political French judge Jean Louis
Bruguire and later discredited by his
successor Judge Trevidic.
It is therefore uncanny to see them
coming out now to defend those
in conflict with Rwandan law: in
French it is called: ‘deux poids, deux
mesures’.
Now on the misconstrued letter: Un-
like what the letter purports, the two
convicts were high ranking officials
of the army - and indeed of the state.
Their crimes have not been taken
lightly - as it should be for men of
their position and rank.
Furthermore, this habit of present-
ing senior military officials in conflict
with the law as regular citizens should
be clarified. We aren’t talking of the
still be conferred with legitimacy for
as long as they master the dance in
ways that elicit the most cheer from
the gallery.
They know that the expectation of the
gallery is that legitimacy has nothing
to do with improvements in the so-
cioeconomic conditions of the people
they lead. We know the losers are the
ordinary people whose needs have no
bearing on the dance, as to who has
proven worthy of leading them.
But one wonders: Between the gal-
lery and such leaders who is playing
whom?
African leaders know the dangers of
going against the wishes of the gal-
lery. That dance, they must. Indeed,
they know that it is cheaper to pursue
external legitimacy – to dance – than
it is to pursue internal legitimacy.
They are aware that the quest for le-
gitimacy is between the laborious task
of delivering on the needs of the peo-
ple and showing up to dance.
Three categories of African leaders
have emerged, as a result. There are
those, like Sirleaf, who have perfected
the art of democratic performance.
They will dance to the gallery with al-
most no concern for the lives of their
people. Such excellent performance
will win them unreserved legitimacy
from the western gallery and global
leadership prizes await in retirement.
Even in death their offspring will
benefit from the foundations that will
usual self-appointed politicians or
journalists whom western polity like
to portray as risk groups, but of gen-
erals and colonels.
It is unheard of for a military officer
to express negative political ideas in
any setting without being given such
a mandate. I believe there are fora
to exchange ideas in the army and
in other government bodies without
threatening national security.
Coups and other acts of sedition have
been started by high ranking officials
spreading rumors to spark insurrec-
tions.
Rwanda’s national security is para-
mount, and disgruntled officials are
expected to be mindful of the security
implications and sensitivity of their
position, and refrain from discussing
their discontent.
All these factors, which were consid-
ered by the military court have been
overlooked by the ‘honorable over-
sees ladies and gentlemen’ in their
letter.
What are Rwandan officials to think
when a former general, who served
as a diplomat in a foreign country has
officials of that country go out of their
way to defend them, once their coun-
try of origin suspects them of acts
such as ‘tarnishing the image of the
country and government’ and ‘under-
mining the national flag’? Wouldn’t
THE NEW TIMES
7
have been established in recognition
of their enormous contributions to
the arts.
There are those, like Peter Nkurun-
ziza, who neither have the skills to
dance nor the competency to craft
a vision for their people from which
they can earn legitimacy. They have
foolishly refused to dance to the
gallery without creating a domestic
shield of internal legitimacy. Reject-
ed and openly defied by their people,
they have concluded that legitimacy
is overrated and have turned to bru-
tal repression that invariably leads
them to the ICC, itself punishment
for refusing to dance.
There is the third category that has
refused to dance to the gallery while
creating innovative ways for win-
ning domestic legitimacy. They may
dance a song or two. They dance
because the pressing needs of their
people compel them to so. They only
dance for pragmatic reasons.
But most importantly, they recog-
nise that ultimately their own secu-
rity can only be guaranteed by their
people for whom they seek legitima-
cy by delivering on their most press-
ing needs. This is the same as eating
a pursuer’s money without giving
them the goods, otherwise known as
“detoothing.”
Obbo writes that “there’s little good
news” for Africa going forwards as
more and more “African democrats”
disappear. Nkurunziza is offered as
the redemptory “miracle” for Africa’s
democracy.
Clearly, African leaders are not the
only performers.
This article was first published on
www.panafricanreview.rw
The views expressed in this
article are of the author.
that tend to confirm the suspicions?
Why haven’t the convicts written the
letter directly to their Rwandan supe-
riors, explaining their health condi-
tions?
So it is at the discretion of our nation’s
leader to grant them pardon should
he see it fit, and as mandated by
Rwanda’s constitution. However one
wonders if the injunction by foreign
lawmakers does not thwart the op-
portunity of the convicts in question
to benefit from grace.
There are many Rwandans who have
erred in the past, found themselves
on the wrong side of the law, tried,
sentenced, and later rehabilitated and
redeployed - in fact the letter from UK
members of parliament appears on
the same day as one such high-level
government appointment.
To conclude: Rwanda’s justice sys-
tem isn’t under the Privy Council,
whereby a panel of British lords are
the last resort on matters of justice in
some African countries; a last vestige
of colonialism.
It is therefore not the place of British
lawmakers to make law in Rwanda.
The views expressed in this
article are of the author.
8 the new TIMES
No. 5 0 8 4 W e d n e s d ay, N o v e m B E R 6, 2019
By Régis Umurengezi
IT is around 10:00 a.m. and Ev-
elyne Maniramuha arrives at the
office of Tumba Sector in Huye
District to register her first baby
boy.
Before she enters the building,
Maniramuha has a stopover at a
big placard fixed to the facility wall
and she is keenly reading from
the long list of services the sector
offers daily, checking whether she
fulfils all the requirements for her
baby to be registered.
Among the requirements is a
birth certificate from the hos-
pital where she delivered from,
National Identities of the baby’s
parents and parents’ marriage
certificate, among others.
Luckily enough, Maniramuha
finds herself fulfilling all the re-
quirements.
Besides the requirements, she
can also know from the service
charter the official in charge of
providing her with the service, the
service fee and the timeline to get
the service.
“This service charter is timely
given challenges that one faced
previously while seeking services
at the sector level,” she told this
reporter.
“You would waste most of your
time revisiting an office as you
were not aware of the require-
ments but with this service char-
Charter fostering quality service
delivery in local government
ter that challenge has become
a thing of the past, it, therefore,
helps optimize our time as it tells
everything you are required to get
a certain service in time” added
Maniramuha.
Jean Habanabakize, who spoke
to The New Times at the office of
Mukura – another sector of Huye
District echoed Maniramuha sen-
timents stressing that the estab-
lishment of the service charter
has been a catalyst for good ser-
vice delivery.
“For instance, I have come here
to apply for a certificate of vulner-
ability to get government aid; I
now realise through this service
charter that I am not eligible for
the service at the moment as of-
ficials at the cell level have not
signed my papers,” he said.
Grassroots leaders reiterate the
importance of service charter in
fostering good service delivery in
local government entities.
“Service charter has started
bearing fruits, previously people
used to waste time at the sector
without getting services as there
were no other means to guide
them on who was supposed to
provide them with their desired
services,” noted Assoumpta
Dusabe, the civil registration and
notary officer at Tumba Sector.
“However, with the service
charter service seeker and service
provider are both satisfied,” she
added.
ITANGAZO RYA CYAMUNARA
In 2010 the Rwanda Gover-
nance Board introduced the Citi-
zen Report Card (CRC), which is
carried out annually countrywide
with a focus on citizens’ participa-
tion and service delivery as core
parts of governance.
The CRC2018 findings indicat-
ed that the overall people’s satis-
faction with service delivery in all
news
Residents queue
at the offices of
Tumba Sector,
Huye District for
civil registration
and notary
services. Photo:
Régis Umurengezi.
the districts of the country stood
at 69.3 per cent with most show-
ing satisfaction local administra-
tion at 71.96 per cent.
According to figures from the
National Institute of Statistics of
Rwanda (NISR), the service sec-
tor contributed 48 per cent of the
national GDP in 2018.
editor@newtimesrwanda.com
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EducationTimes
THE NEW TIMES VOL 287: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019
The influence of
parental education
By Lydia Atieno
R
eported earlier in this paper, a 2018 survey in
Western Province showed that only 9 per cent
of illiterate adults have attended literacy course,
even as 31 per cent lack essential literacy capabilities.
The study, a joint conduct by the Institute of Policy
Analysis and Research (IPAR)-Rwanda, University of
Rwanda’s College of Education, and the University of
Aberdeen with the support of the Scottish govern-
ment, sampled 2,391 respondents with over 300 re-
spondents from each district of Western Province.
From the nine per cent who attended a literacy
course, only 14 per cent gained skills while 66 per cent
and 76 per cent, respectively, still can’t read and write
Kinyarwanda, according to the report.
PLACE TO LEARN
ALSO INSIDE
Raising children to overcome challenges
The survey further showed that 93 per cent cannot
do simple calculations while 99 per cent cannot send
Include children in situations that would require them to think and give solutions. Net photo.
By Joan Mbabazi
or read a text message on a mobile phone.
P
arents usually do their
best to provide and care
According to experts, literacy courses are crucial to
for their little ones, but if
asked, how many prepare these
children for future challenges?
What would your answer be?
the education of young people. The world is no place for the soft-
hearted, it needs people that are
ready to take risks to reach suc-
They say that in one way or another, if a parent can’t cess. The earlier the kids are en-
read or write, it might have a negative impact on their Experiment corner!
children. Vinegar pops
Valens Mushinzimana, in charge of discipline at Ly-
cee de Kigali School, says everyone, especially par-
ents, should aspire to be educated and gain knowl-
edge because of the benefits that come with it.
He notes that a literate parent contributes highly to Materials:
• Ice tray
the success of their children as far as studies are con- • Vinegar
• Food colouring (optional)
• Baking soda
cerned. Instructions:
• Fill up ice tray with vinegar. Add food colour if
you desire.
• Put ice tray in freezer for four to six hours.
• Pop out your Vinegar Pops and dip them in a
plate of baking soda.
• Wait a few minutes and watch the bubbling
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 begin.
LOG ON www.newtimes.co.rw
lightened about this, the better
prepared they will be to give it a
try, irrespective of the situation.
Here are a few tips on how to
do so;
Lead by example. When there
happens to be a problem at
home, find means of explaining
to children in a way they can un-
derstand. However, show them
that through certain means, the
How it works:
When you have an acid (vinegar) and a base
(baking soda) mixed together there is a chemical
reaction. That chemical reaction releases carbon
dioxide and results in the bubbling.
Extra experiments:
If you did try it with food colouring, try doing it
without it and vice versa.
Add popsicle sticks to the ice trays when you
freeze the vinegar. Does it work better, worse, or
the same?
Try doing the experiment with citric acid in-
stead of vinegar. Some examples of citric acid
would be lemon or lime juice.
Agencies
problem will be solved. Other-
wise, if all you show kids is per-
fectionism, that is what they will
grow up thinking, and when hard
times kick in, they will have no
idea how to handle it. Kids need
to experience all situations, the
good and the bad.
Stay positive. However tough
the situation is, whether sick-
ness, lack of money, or worse,
The young crab and his mother
O
ne day, a young crab
and his mother were
on the beach, spending
some time together. The young
crab gets up to move, but it can
only walk sideways. His mother
No. 696 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2018
create a spirit of hope that there would require the little ones to
will be calmness even after the think and give solutions. Kids
storm. Encourage kids that such need to be involved in home
a condition is normal but it will situations. Allow them to give
not last forever. ideas on what is happening.
Provide children with prac- Teach prayer. Let the little
tice. Present obstacles that kids ones know that with God’s
can deal with; teach them how strength, they can make it,
to develop strategy; encourage therefore, they should be able
them to persist; and then make a to pray always.
big deal of it when they succeed.
You can also involve children Lay a basis. Patience and hu-
with planning family events, the mility are very important as
pressure they will put in to make they help kids be prepared in
things work, will teach them a case of any obstacles.
lesson.
Attitude matters. Kids need
See problems as opportuni- to be told how to handle both
ties. Kids should be told that
problems aren’t the end of the
road, rather, chances to incur
short and long term hardships.
For instance; if a child is disa-
bled, they should be motivat-
inner strength about the issue. ed to keep living positive and
If you do that, it will be a les- know that they are created in
son that they will carry on even God’s image. They also need
when they grow. to be trained to care for peo-
ple with problems, offer help
Give them the right tools. Im- to the sick or the disabled, and
part motivation, self-confidence, not mock them.
perseverance, faith, the strength
of character, sound judgment, Problems are ways to grow
and experience in solving small strong. It is pretty obvious that
problems.
Facilitate solution-oriented
after a child trying their best to
fight any problem, they will be
stronger the next time it hap-
conversations. While together
as a family, bring situations that
pens.
editor@newtimesrwanda.com
Story corner!
scolds him for walking sideways to.” ishly, and sits back in the sand.
and asks him to walk forward Hearing this, his mom gets up Moral of the story: Don’t
by pointing his toes out front. to show him how, but even she condemn someone for not
The young crab responds, “I is unable to bend her knees for- doing something that you
would like to walk forward
mom, but I do not know how
ward. She realises that she was
being unfair, apologises sheep-
yourself are unable to do.
Agencies
 10 THE NEW TIMES, No. 5084 Wednesday, November 6, 2019 Education Times
Students’ corner
Productive things to do ADVISE ME,

I AM SITTING FOR MY NATIONAL EXAMS FOR PRIMARY LEVEL NEXT MONTH AND I AM OPTIMISTIC THAT I WILL DO WELL.

during school holidays

I, HOWEVER, WANT TO FIND PRODUCTIVE PROJECTS DURING THE HOLIDAY TO GET INTO OR EVEN START ON MY OWN.
DO YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS?
LISA

goals. So take some time and set 5 give back. Find a cause you care
to 10 process goals for the coming about, and start thinking of ways to
semester. support that cause.

Watch educational YouTube vid- Volunteer

eos As a follow-up to the above, find a
Here are a few educational YouTube practical way to serve and contribute.
channels: You could volunteer to help out at a
• MinutePhysics (all kinds of cool nursing home or animal shelter, or
physics) deliver meals to the elderly.
• CrashCourse (history, chemistry,
astronomy, and much more) Improve your physical health
• AsapSCIENCE (science topics You have more time during the
ranging from biology to psychology) school holidays. So this is a great op-
portunity to start sleeping well, exer-
Watch documentaries cising regularly, and eating healthily.
You can watch thousands of high-
quality documentaries for free at Learn a new skill
‘Documentary Heaven’. You could learn skills like…
• Public speaking
Stay healthy and keep up with a regular exercise programme. Net photo.
Get a job • Cooking
Don’t worry too much about what • Drawing

E
xams are over and schools
out? And millions of stu-
dents around the world
think to themselves, “Now what
am I going to do with all this
free time?”
Sure, there are games to play,
movies to watch, and friends to
hang out with.
But there are also plenty of
productive things to do during
the school holidays.
So here are some;
Reflect on the semester
gone by
Take out a sheet of paper and
answer these three questions:
• What did I do well in the
past semester?
• What did I not do so well in
the past semester?
• What will I do differently in
the coming semester?
Set process goals for the com-
ing semester
This is a follow-up to Point #1.
Set process goals for the com-
ing semester instead of perfor-
mance goals, because process
goals are far more effective.
What’s the difference be-
tween the two types of goals?
Process goals are what you in-
tend to do, while performance
goals are what you intend to
achieve. Here’s an example.
Performance goal: Get an A for
math next semester.
Process goal: Do three extra
math questions every day after
dinner.
By setting process goals, you’re
more likely to take action than
if you only set performance
the job will pay. As the saying goes, • Self-defense
“Take a job for what you will learn, • Negotiation
not for what you will earn.” • Listening
This is especially true when it comes • Positive thinking
to school holiday jobs. The best learn-
ing experience might just come in the Read
form of an unpaid job or internship. Recommendations;
• Man’s Search for Meaning by Vik-
Learn a new language tor Frankl
Visit these websites and learn a new • How to Win Friends and Influ-
language: ence People by Dale Carnegie
• Duolingo • The Success Principles by Jack
• Babbel Canfield
• BBC Languages • Feel the Fear … and Do It Any-
way by Susan Jeffers
Find a cause you care about.The
school holidays are a good time to Agencies
NEXT WEEK’S PROBLEM
MY PARENTS WANT ME TO SWITCH SCHOOLS FOR A’LEVEL NECT YEAR. I AM CURRENTLY WAITING TO SIT MY
EXAMS. WON’T THIS AFFECT ME NEGATIVELY? I REALLY WANT TO STAY AT MY OLD SCHOOL BUT THEY SAY
CHANGE WILL BE GOOD FOR ME. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

ANITA

Origins of ordinary things: Croissant

By Sharon Kantengwa etic tribute to the indomitable spirit of boudoir table” and bemoaned the com-
a city that resisted a powerful invading paratively “dismal monotony” of English

A
s French as it may sound, the
buttery, flaky croissant was in-
spired by the Austrian ‘kipfel’, a
crescent-shaped baked good featuring
a generous amount of butter or lard and
sometimes sugar and almonds.
According to popular lore, the ‘kipfel’
originated in 1683 as a comestible cel-
ebration of Austrian victory over the Ot-
tomans at the siege of Vienna. The story
follows that a baker, up early to make
bread, saved the city when he heard the
Turks tunneling underneath the city and
sounded an alarm.
The kipfel’s curved shape, said to
mimic the crescent moon of the Otto-
man flag, then would seem to pay po-
force. This is according to the Smithson-
ian Magazine.
According to Peacock Plume, the kip-
fel made its way to France in 1770 when
Austrian-born Marie-Antoinette (below)
was offered in marriage to the future
Louis XVI. Marie-Antoinette felt home-
sick when she arrived in France and
missed Austrian cuisine. The royal bak-
ers decided to make kipfel in her hon-
our, which they subsequently named
“croissant”.
Within a few decades, the newcomer
was firmly entrenched as a staple of
French breakfast foods. On a visit to
Paris in 1872–73, author, Charles Dick-
ens, praised “the dainty croissant on the
bread and other breakfast foods.
A century later, the croissant took the
fast-food industry by storm as manu-
facturers introduced pre-made frozen
dough and takeaway “croissanteries”
cropped up throughout France.
Slowly, the pastry became more fa-
mous and started to spread throughout
France. In 1839, a half century after the
French Revolution, an Austrian baker
named August Zang was the first to
open a Viennese bakery in Paris. Nearly
two centuries later, the boulangerie is
long closed and has become an insur-
ance office. But its great success inspired
many other French bakers to imitate the
pastry.
Over the years, the croissant has
evolved as bakers added more butter
to their flaky masterpieces. Though the
croissant is not originally a French pas-
try, it has been a staple in the French
bakery since the 1920s when bakers
perfected the shape and recipe of the
The croissant
originated from
Austria. Net
photo.
croissants we savour every morning.
It is not to be confused with the British
croissant, which is straight. The French
have remained faithful to the original
Austrian crescent shape.
editor@newtimesrwanda.com

LOG ON www.newtimes.co.rw
 Education Times THE NEW TIMES, No. 5084 Wednesday, November 6, 2019 11

Teachers’ platform
P Seven tips to prepare students for exams
reparing students for ex-
ams is a significant part of
teaching, but it is often the
bane of a teacher’s life. It can
be a very stressful time for both
teacher and class, and getting
the most out of the students can
be tough. A few considerations
can help a lot, though, turning
an exam preparation course into
a constructive and worthwhile
process.

Be aware of the problems and

positives of teaching an exam
preparation class
The first thing to consider is that
a teacher needs to be aware of the
mood of their students. There are
several problems associated with
the lead-up to an exam. Firstly,
it can be a stressful situation for
both the students and the teach-
er. Exam preparation classes can
also become very boring. The
material is often dull and there is
a lot of repetition. This can have
a negative impact on the motiva-
tion of your students, as can poor
results in practice tests.

Plan ahead!
One of the main reasons why
students and teachers start to
feel pressure is because of the
time factor — not just in the
exam itself, but also in the course
leading up to it. Having an organ-
ised schedule which covers all of
the course, with revision sessions
equally spaced out, helps to avoid
cramming everything into a short
space of time immediately before
the exam.
Having a clear course structure
also makes it easier to set goals at
different stages for both individu-
als and the class as a whole. This
will aid in focusing the students
and helps them to work on their
weak points. It also boosts moti-
vation, as students can see their
progression as the course contin-
ues.
Make the content of the exam
clear to students
For some teachers, exam prepa-
ration entails endless revision of
past papers. This does have its
uses; the students will gain fa-
Students during a lesson. Teachers should help students understand techniques that they can use to succeed. Net photo.
miliarity with the content of the
exam, as well as associated time
constraints.
It is vitally important that stu-
dents are familiar with both the
structure and aims of the exam
they are sitting. They need to
know not only what tasks the test
includes, but also what is expect-
ed of them for each part. Hav-
ing students mark each other’s
papers can help them to under-
stand what the examiner is look-
ing for, whilst giving them time to
discuss the questions in groups
reinforces this and allows them
to pool ideas on how they would
deal with the task.
Use a variety of activities
However, besides being time
consuming, an over-reliance on
past papers can be extremely re-
petitive and dull. As a result, stu-
dents can become demotivated
and lose their focus, so it pays to
provide a bit of variety in order to
keep things interesting. Different
activities such as quizzes, group
discussions or running dictations
can be used as substitutes for
sections of the exam.
Teach the students
exam techniques
In order to do well on exams,
students need to know a set
of relevant exam techniques
that they can use to succeed.
Whether a task involves answer-
ing multiple choice questions or
scanning a text for key informa-
tion, there will be techniques that
students can utilise to help them.
Students also need to know and
understand the meanings of any
key question words that they will
come across, such as ‘describe’
and ‘compare.’
Give the students study advice
Hopefully, your students will be
studying what they’ve learnt in
class in their own time. It is im-
portant for the teacher, then, to
help students to make the most
of any time they spend revising.
Many students won’t know, or
will have forgotten, how to study
efficiently. Teachers can help by
going over some basic advice
such as making a study schedule,
using flashcards to remember vo-
cabulary or terms, or taking a ten
minute break every hour.
Don’t panic!
Lastly, perhaps the most im-
portant piece of advice is simple:
Don’t panic! As long as you have
established a solid course struc-
ture and have a pool of activities
and exam techniques to share
with the students, you can’t go
wrong. If you do need further as-
sistance, the internet has plenty
of useful material. You can also
get advice and resources from
text books and colleagues.
Agencies

QUICK FACTS
The flat-bottomed paper bag was invented by
Margaret Eloise Knight. Net photo.
By Sharon Kantengwa
Who did it?
Margaret Eloise Knight was an
American inventor, notably of the
flat-bottomed paper bag. She has
been called “the most famous 19th-
century woman inventor”.
What happened?
On November 1, 1993, The Euro-
pean Union came into existence as a
result of the Maastricht Treaty.
What’s that word?
Dowdy: “not neat or becoming in
appearance.” – Merriam-Webster
Dictionary. Example: “a dowdy old
hat.”
What is it called?
The study of the anatomy and dis-
eases of the ear is called otology.
Where is it?
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the
oldest and largest of the three
pyramids in the Giza pyramid com-
plex bordering present-day El Giza,
Egypt. It is the oldest of the Seven
Wonders of the Ancient World, and
the only one to remain largely intact.

LOG ON www.newtimes.co.rw
12 THE NEW TIMES
No. 5 0 8 4 W E D N E S D AY, N O V E M B E R 6, 2019
Farmers and Consumers Adopt
High-iron Beans for Better
Nutrition, Health, Incomes
ver the last eight years, more than
O 5,000 metric tons of high iron bean
seed was produced and disseminat-
ed in Rwanda through various channels in-
cluding agrodealers, farmer cooperatives,
local extension network and partner orga-
nizations.
Consumption of high iron beans provide
up to 80 percent of daily iron needs, are
high-yielding, disease/virus resistant, and
drought tolerant. Rwanda was the venue
for a successful iron beans efficacy trial
involving college-age women that scientifi-
cally linked iron beans consumption to im-
proved iron status and cognitive capacity
in women.
At the end of 2018, more than 420,000
farming households were growing iron
beans and more than 1.8 million people in
Rwanda were estimated to be consuming
them, 20 percent of all beans produced in
Rwanda were iron-biofortified
Micronutrient deficiency remains a major
challenge around the world. More than 2
billion people, living primarily in low- and
middle-income countries, have diets that
are lacking in essential vitamins and min-
erals—particularly, iron, zinc, and vitamin
A. This puts them at risk of serious health
issues such as stunting, anemia,
vision impairment (even blindness) and
debilitating infections.
In the last few years, Rwanda has had
remarkable successes in accelerating
economic growth and reducing poverty.
Rwanda has focused on developing its ag-
ricultural base, with the goal of becoming
a middle- income country by 2020. Rwan-
da was one of the few countries to have
met most of the 2015 targets of Millennium
Development Goals. Building on this prog-
ress, the country is already taking steps to
translate the ambitions articulated in the
2030 Agenda into tangible outcomes.
While the country has made big gains in
improving healthcare services, malnutri-
tion remains a challenge, especially in
rural areas among children born to mal-
nourished mothers who lack dietary diver-
sity. Iron deficiency, affects 38 percent of
children under five years and 19 percent
of women of childbearing age, according
to the recent Demographic and Health
Survey (DHS) 2014-2015. Iron deficien-
cy is a serious problem that can contrib-
ute to iron-deficiency anemia, frequent
illness, impaired physical and cognitive
development, and poor performance in
school; increased perinatal complications,
premature births, low birth weight, severe
anemia increase risk of death for women
while giving birth; and low energy levels for
adults that makes it more difficult to per-
form physical tasks.
Promoting High- iron Beans
HarvestPlus has worked with Rwandan
partners to develop and promote biofor-
tified beans that are conventionally bred
to contain higher levels of iron than local
traditional varieties of beans. When con-
sumed on a regular basis, these iron-bio-
fortified beans can contain up to twice the
amount of iron as common varieties. When
eaten regularly, they can provide up to 80
percent of daily average iron needs.
Since 2010, the government of Rwanda
through the Rwanda Agriculture Board
(RAB) has partnered with HarvestPlus and
the International Center for Tropical Agri-
culture (CIAT) to breed, test, and multiply
varieties of iron-biofortified beans for dis-
semination to farmers; the partners have
encouraged adoption and consumption by
farm households with the specific goal of
improving iron status, especially in wom-
en and children. Beans were selected as
Alexis is one of seed multipliers in Ngoma District, he had just harvested seed ready to deliver to Har-
vestPlus for further dissemination to other farmers
the mechanism to fight iron deficiency be-
cause they are a widely-consumed staple
food crop among Rwandans. The country
has one of the highest per-capita bean
consumption rates in the world. Therefore,
improving nutrition through bean con-
sumption offers a unique channel for ad-
dressing iron deficiency.
With support from HarvestPlus and CIAT,
RAB has released ten varieties of high iron
beans since the inception of the program in
Rwanda in 2010. The varieties are of two
types: climbing grown in medium- to- high
altitudes and bush beans grown in medi-
um- to- low altitudes. Climbing beans yield
three times more than bush beans, pro-
viding an eco-efficient solution for densely
populated, land-scarce places.
Apart from being nutritious, the new vari-
eties are also drought- tolerant, pest- and
disease- resistant, as well as high- yield-
ing. Farmers and rural consumers claimed
that iron bean varieties cook relatively
quickly compared to other local varieties.
HarvestPlus facilitated the multiplication of
seed certified by RAB as quality seed. The
seed was multiplied by individual farmers
and cooperatives qualified to be seed mul-
tipliers. The multiplied seeds were then
disseminated to farm households coun-
trywide through various channels includ-
ing agrodealers, local extension services,
farmer cooperatives and partner organiza-
tions.
Positive Impact
The program, covering all 30 districts of
Rwanda has had a positive impact on the
lives of millions of women, children, and
smallholder bean farmers. This contrib-
utes to national development through im-
proved nutrition and increased household
incomes.
Studies completed at the end of 2015,
showed that at least 28 percent of small-
holder bean farmers had grown iron
beans, contributing to increased produc-
tion and consumption. Iron bean varieties
have not only improved dietary quality of
meals in the villages; many farmers and
their households have also been able to
generate new sources of income from
iron beans, which had their livelihoods im-
FEATURED
proved.
Farmers around the country described
benefits they have received:
Alexis Nzeyimana is a 49-year-old Rwan-
dan farmer from Ngoma District in the
Eastern Province of Rwanda. His family of
seven harvested mostly maize, soybeans,
and beans for many years. But Alexis
discovered special beans that uplifted
him, his family, and his fortunes. He be-
gan working with HarvestPlus in 2013 as
a seed multiplier, then became a village
model farmer, showing others how to prop-
erly plant, store and harvest the crop.
“It was quite difficult before I grew iron-bio-
fortified beans because the bean varieties
I used to grow did not yield much and was
barely enough for home consumption.
When HarvestPlus brought in biofortified
beans, I grew RWR 2245 (a variety known
locally as mutiki ntoya) and the climber va-
riety MAC44. My farming improved and I
have a lot to show for it,” said Alexis.
While previously he could expect no more
than two metric tons of bean harvest from
his two hectares of land, he now harvests
up to five metric tons on the same land.
“From the iron bean seed multiplication
business, I have expanded my land from
two to 15 hectares with another 25 hect-
ares that I lease every planting season.
I have bought a motorcycle that I use in
my farming activities and an irrigation sys-
tem, since my area is naturally prone to
drought. I bought a solar system to light my
house, and I am proudly building an ap-
propriate storage area for my crops. The
biggest thing I am proud of, though, is the
beautiful, more- spacious house that I built
and moved into after selling iron beans to
HarvestPlus for further dissemination to
other farmers,” said Alexis.
The iron bean program has reached farm-
ing households in Kigoma sector of Huye
District:
Ndikubwimana, one of the 2016 members
of Abishyizehamwe cooperative, says, be-
fore the intervention, ordinary beans were
grown and the yield and associated in-
come were generally low.
“When we started working with Harvest-
Plus, they provided seed at a lower cost
and ensured that there is a market for the
produce,” Ndikubwimana said.
This cooperative started collecting beans
from members under a tree, but now they
have built an office and a storage facility.
Hellene Mutezintare, the vice president
of the cooperative said that, the returns
from the sale of beans have been of great
value in meeting households’ needs such
as medical insurance and school fees for
children. “We opted to grow iron-biofor-
tified beans because they are high yield-
ing, have better nutritional benefits, and
require a shorter cooking time,” she said.
Augustine Shiragahinda, a farmer in Bur-
era District in the Northern Province, is one
of millions of Rwandans reaping the bene-
fits from iron beans. The 58-year-old father
of eight has worked with HarvestPlus since
2012 as a contracted seed multiplier after
LOG ON www.newtimes.co.rw
FEATURED
leading a group of smallholder farmers in
his neighborhood to consolidate their small
plots into a block of 20 hectares. The move
enabled Augustine to shift from peasant to
commercial farming; producing enough for
domestic consumption and for the market.
According to Augustine, consolidating land
with neighbors made it easier for agrono-
mists, RAB, and HarvestPlus to offer tech-
nical support and agricultural extension
services in modern farming methods, lead-
ing to higher yields and incomes. “This pro-
gram has supplied iron beans to our coop-
erative and given us a contract to multiply
seeds that have an assured market. As a
result, our incomes have increased, nutri-
tion has improved in our households, and
children attend school regularly because
they are no longer sickly,” said Augustine.
With the increased income, Augustine has
also been able to renovate and expand his
family house.
Damarce Mukagashema is a farmer from
the southern Ruhango District. She start-
ed growing iron beans in 2012; since then,
she does not grow any other type of beans
because, according to her, the iron bean
varieties are high-yielding and full of nutri-
ents. She always keeps a portion to give to
neighboring women because she learned
that they are good for women and children.
She is able to harvest 30 metric tons on ten
hectares, compared to the 2- to- 3 metric
tons she used to harvest with indigenous
bean varieties on four hectares. From the
income she earns, Mukagashema and her
husband are now able to send their chil-
dren to boarding schools in Uganda; it also
allowed them to expand their land area
from four hectares to ten hectares.
Apart from being nutritious, iron bean va-
rieties have marketable traits that farmers
and consumers like.
Gaspard Habimana, is a farmer from
Gatsibo District in the Eastern Province of
Rwanda. He started working with the pro-
gram in 2013 as both a seed multiplier and
an agrodealer. “Of all the bean varieties,
iron beans sell fastest because people now
know the benefits of these beans. People
prefer iron beans even on a slightly high-
er price than the indigenous varieties. You
may find that iron beans cost 450 Rwan-
dan francs per kilogram on market, while
indigenous varieties cost 360 Rwandan
francs, and people still go for iron beans.
That means, they know all the benefits
from these beans”, he said.
Engaging the private sector
In order to increase the iron bean project’s
reach and ensure its long-term sustainabil-
ity, HarvestPlus works with private seed
companies and hundreds of farmers that
produce and sell seed of iron bean variet-
ies across the country.
On the seed side of the value chain, Har-
vestPlus works with seed multipliers and
agro-dealers to get the improved seed out
to farmers.
Laurent Hitimana, a bean seed multiplier
based in Gatsibo district, Eastern Prov-
ince, says that he produces about 2.5 tons
of seed from the 65 kilograms of certified
seed he has purchased from HarvestPlus
each quarter since 2013.
“I spend money on buying certified seed
knowing that after I harvest I will make a
big profit,” he said.
Hitimana said, if he did not grow this type
of beans, he could not afford his children’s
school fees. “I was required to pay 2 mil-
lion (Rwandan francs) per year for my
three children; the profit I got from seed
multiplication business, made it easy”, he
added.
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Gloriose, one of iron bean seed agrodealers based in Mulindi, distributes packs of seed to farmers
Emmanuel Karegeya, an agro-dealer
based in Nyabugogo, Kigali, started work-
ing with HarvestPlus six years ago. He
says that, farmers prefer iron bean seed
because these seeds guarantee a much
bigger harvest per unit area compared to
local beans.
“From iron bean seed, one can harvest 2.5
tons of beans on one acre, compared to
just 1.5 ton from local bean varieties,” he
said.
Gloriose Musanabandi is an iron bean
seed agro-dealer. Based in Mulindi a City
of Kigali suburb, Gloriose got to know
about iron beans from people who entered
her shop and asked for them. “Clients were
asking for bean seed, and I had never sold
bean seed among the agricultural inputs I
had in my shop,” she said.
She acquired three kilograms of beans
from her colleague and grew them first to
see how it went. She harvested 80 kilo-
grams, and ever since, she does not cook
any other type of beans and always has
the seeds in her shop to distribute to farm-
ers. Gloriose also gives farmers advice on
how and when to plant for better output.
Due to the popularity of the beans, Glo-
riose says she started selling around 200
kilograms during planting seasons but to-
day she sells over eight metric tons large-
ly to urban farmers. From the income she
earned, she has expanded her business;
she was able to pay school fees for her
children and gained permanent clients. “I
do not only sell iron bean seed, I also ex-
plain about the nutritional benefits of the
beans to clients and I have gained perma-
nent clients,” Gloriose explains.
One of the most important developments
in promoting high iron beans was the ex-
ternal investment in the processing and
value-addition industry led by FarmFresh.
They process and package thousands of
tons of high-quality pre-cooked beans for
Placidie, is one of iron beans retailer from Kabeza Market. We found her when she was weighing iron
beans for consumption for clients at her stand in the market
No. 5084 W E D N E S D AY, N O V E M B E R 6 , 20 1 9
the local and regional markets.
Christian Heremans is the manager of
FarmFresh, a bean processing compa-
ny based in Kigali. Heremans said that,
the company embarked on the journey of
processing iron beans varieties because,
the segment of the consumer market they
were targeting liked iron beans; even when
they were slightly more expensive than
the local mixed bean varieties , consum-
ers would still choose iron beans because
they understand the benefits. “We con-
ducted some research around iron beans,
we already saw that people would be will-
ing to pay a premium price for nutritious
iron beans; we realized people were actu-
ally interested in these beans, so we hav-
en’t stopped processing them since then
and now we have expanded the market to
Tanzania and Kenya,” he said.
Linking farmers to market
With support from the United States
Government’s Feed the Future initiative,
HarvestPlus and CIAT worked with other
partners to develop markets for iron beans
through creating business linkages be-
tween grain producers and aggregators,
grain wholesalers and retailers, and be-
tween grain aggregators and processors.
Laetitia Umulisa, communications special-
ist at HarvestPlus, said this was a natural
result of growing interest in iron beans.
“The public kept asking us where they
could find iron-rich beans for consump-
tion. Farmers, who had gotten abundant
harvest due to the improved seed quality,
needed a market to sell their surplus,” she
said. In response, the program helped set
up grain aggregation outlets to buy grain
from farmers. The aggregators then sell to
retailers in rural and urban areas.
Gerald Ngendahimana is an aggregator
of rice, maize, and beans based in Nyanza
district, Southern Province. He aggregates
THE NEW TIMES
13
beans from farmers and resells them to ur-
ban traders. He sells 30-40 tons of iron
beans per quarter—a result he attributes
to the fact that they are easy to prepare in
addition to their other qualities. “Although
I sell a kilogram of iron beans at Rwf520
compared to Rwf360 for the mixed beans,
the former always outsell the latter, which
shows how much people love them and
know the benefits,” Ngendahimana re-
marked.
Libertha Muragijimana, a bean retailer
at Kimironko market, Kigali, who started
dealing in iron beans since 2014, says she
sells about three times more iron beans
than the indigenous variety. “Buyers keep
coming because they know that iron beans
are good for the body,” she said, adding
that there is need to step up production of
the iron beans since supply does not meet
existing demand.
Placidie Mukampabuka has been a re-
tail seller of iron beans in Kabeza market
since 2014. The mother of five sponsors
a prime-time advertisement for iron beans
on the market radio to popularize con-
sumption of the beans among fellow mar-
ket vendors and shoppers. As a result, her
sales have maintained an upward trend,
topping 30kgs per day. “Iron beans are
good, especially for pregnant and breast-
feeding mothers, children, and any person
recovering from an illness, because they
increase red blood cells in the body. Con-
sumers like the beans, “she said.
At retail price of Rwf 650 per kg, Placidie,
like hundreds of other retailers across the
country, has seen her retail business grow.
“As a trader, my cash flow increased since
I started selling iron beans and I have been
able to take out a long-term bank loan and
service it with ease to expand the busi-
ness and improve our home,” she said.
From the earnings of her sales, she has
been able to pay for the education of her
five children, with the youngest graduating
from university next year.
Rwanda embraced biofortification in 2010,
becoming one of the first countries on the
continent to do so. The 2013-2018 Nation-
al Food and Nutrition Policy also seeks to
promote the production and consumption
of biofortified foods.
Rwanda was also among countries to
officially release a biofortified first crop in
Africa. It was the first country to help farm-
ers and households in the multiplication of
biofortified iron bean seeds.
Having proved that biofortification tech-
nology works (breeding, nutritional effi-
cacy, and delivery), the most sustainable
strategy for scaling biofortified crops is to
crowd in as many partners as possible
including private sector and public fund-
ed nutrition programs to continue to scale
up iron beans in the country. The iron
beans industry will continue to be cared
of in good hands of RAB, CIAT (Harvest-
Plus, PABRA, TAAT), USAID Hinga Weze,
AGRA – PIATA and Kilimo Trust. These or-
ganizations, have facilitated the establish-
ment of a consortium of bean stakeholders
known as “Rwanda Bean Alliance”. The al-
liance is structuring iron bean value chain
based on a private sector market-led seed
system where seed production is aligned
to demand by the grain producers, aggre-
gators, traders, processors and exporters
in a retrospective manner. Grain produc-
tion targets will be set and necessary
seed supplies established for production
by seed multipliers and seed companies
through contracts. Biofortification has the
government of Rwanda’s support and has
a bright future in reducing micronutrient
malnutrition in the country.
 14 THE NEW TIMES, No. 5084 Wednesday, November 6, 2019 Education Times

The influence of parental education

FROM PAGE 9
Children spend more time outside
This, he says, is due to the extend- school than they do inside it. It is
ed understanding that children here that parents and caregivers can
acquire from their parents. shape their learning environments
and opportunities. Net photo.
Impact on learners
Sylvain Bizirema, a science and
chemistry teacher at Ecole des
Sciences St Louis de Montfort in
Nyanza District, says when par-
ents are literate, it’s easy for them
to encourage and help their chil-
dren, especially when it comes
to revision, as well as homework,
depending on the level the child
is.
Aside from homework, he notes
that literate parents can go an
extra mile to provide information
in particular subjects or courses
where needed.
“Such parents can even look
into their children’s studies in
general. In most cases, these
children perform better because
they are given more knowledge,
including a boost in reading, and
so there is no doubt that they will
beat the odds,” he says.
Mushinzimana adds that for
learners who have completed
primary level, in most cases, se-
lecting a good high school is not
always easy for them or their par- Aminadhad Niyonshuti, an Eng- he says. He says children learn from ev- ers are supported in general, it
ents. lish teacher at Appaper Complex Diana Nawatti, a counsellor erything they see and do — be promotes mental, linguistic and
In this case, he says, a parent School, Kigali, believes that when and headteacher at Mother Mary it at home, school, or elsewhere. emotional development.
who is literate can step in and, if a parent has basic knowledge Complex School, Kigali, says He urges that because of this He notes that this aids the child
not limited by means; help find a in education, it’s easy for them there is something called ‘inter- parental involvement helps chil- to exhibit optimistic and confi-
suitable school and combination to give suggestions, not just to generational illiteracy’, which dren learn more effectively, and dent social behaviours.
for their children, thus ensuring their kids but also to the school can affect children as well. that things could be better if “Healthy parental involvement
success. in general, on what and where to She notes that the issue of illit- they are literate. and intervention in the child’s
He further explains that by improve. eracy can cut across generations “Educators who are successful everyday life lays the foundation
choosing a good school for their He notes that such parents within a family, clan or commu- at involving parents in their chil- for better social and academic
children, parents are confident don’t find it hard to buy the nity. dren’s schoolwork can never go skills,” Mayobere says.
that their children will emerge books related to the school cur- She explains that this can be- wrong when it comes to shaping He adds that it will most likely
well-equipped, but this can only riculum for their children to read come cyclic in such a way that the lives of their students,” Bizire- yield better results if parents
work if parents are knowledge- at home or school. even the third or fourth genera- ma he says. are literate because it’s easy to
able on what is good for their tion family members suffer the When parents are educated, understand what is best for the
children. Negative impact same fate. Bizirema says, it means that they child and work on it.
Niyonshuti notes that when “Intergenerational illiteracy will not only be involved but Mayobere further notes that in
parents have limited knowledge mainly comes about because ed- actively participate in their chil- order to achieve this, it’s impor-
Omer Mayobere.‘Healthy in education, it’s easy to advise ucation is given little to no value dren’s studies. tant for parents and teachers to
parental involvement and or force their children to drop in the family setup. The children Nawatti says that parents who have a common goal in order to
out of school or even discourage that come along will thus see illit- foster learning by providing a lit- facilitate the best educational
intervention in the child’s them from continuing with fur- eracy as the norm and not make eracy-rich environment seem to experience possible for students.
everyday life lays the foundation ther studies. any effort to learn,” she explains. know intuitively how to encour- In most cases, he says, conflicts
for better social and academic He adds that in some cases, She says for this reason, it’s age reading. that normally arise between
such parents go ahead to en- important for completely illiter- This, she says, helps youngsters parents, teachers, and children
skills’. Conflicts that normally courage their children not to at- ate parents to strive to get ba- broaden their reading culture, are caused by poor communica-
arise between parents, teachers tend school, and if this doesn’t sic literacy, pointing out that it and make education enjoyable tion —it can even get worse if
and children are caused by work, some might not bother doesn’t necessarily mean that and fun, thus, better results in parents aren’t aware of what is
providing scholastic materials they should go to class and the future. needed or how to go about it.
poor communication. If this needed at school. start learning subjects or certain If this is improved, he says, there
is improved, there will be “This can happen even with courses. Mental development will be fewer cases of indiscipline
fewer cases of indiscipline parents being in a position to Meanwhile, Bizirema says al- Omer Mayobere, a psychologist among learners, thus better per-
provide everything for their kids. though schools may have ca- working with Caring for Impact formance, academically and life
among learners, thus better Since they don’t understand the pable and dedicated teachers, Ministries, an NGO that ‘pro- in general.
performance, academically and importance of learning, it’s easy schools are by nature isolated motes life in all its fullness among
life in general’. to ignore such responsibilities,” from the larger world. the youth’, says that when learn- editor@newtimesrwanda.com

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 Education Times THE NEW TIMES, No. 5084 Wednesday, November 6, 2019 15

Why every student should join a club

By Lydia Atieno He says this is not only impor-
tant in learning institutions —

S
olange Umutoni, one of the
participants and contes-
tants during the recently
concluded inter-university de-
bate in Kigali, says she once used
to be shy and afraid to say any-
thing public, let alone her close
friends.
She says this, however, was not
because she didn’t know or have
what to say, but because she just
didn’t have the confidence to
openly engage in a conversation.
The 22-year-old says she now
expresses herself well, even if
whatever she trying to put across
isn’t always agreed with, thanks
to a debate club she joined in
high school.
Clubs in schools
Ronald Wandira, the head of
the humanities department at
Riviera High School and year
leader—advanced level—at
Rwanda Education Board (REB),
says clubs are important in
schools because they help stu-
dents develop their capacity.
For instance, he says, if a school
has a writing club, it can aid
members in improving writing
skills, hence, better essays, and
better performance in exams.
Not forgetting, he says, they
can also start writing articles for
the media at a young age.
Also, aside from teaching con-
cepts, he notes that teachers
should get more involved in
clubs, so that they help students
hone their talent skills.
Nelson Mukasa, the executive
director of Children and Youth
Sports Organization in Rwanda,
says participating in club activi-
Being a part of a society helps you to gain knowledge, skills and experience. Net photo.
ties helps improve communica-
tion skills, which can be impor-
tant to students’ careers.
He says teachers shouldn’t con-
centrate on studies only, rather,
they should encourage and help
learners join clubs that they think
they best fit in.
He mentions that doing well in
studies hardly beats eloquence
and a well-presented argument
at their level, especially during
debates.
When it comes to law, he says,
one should understand that re-
gardless of the facts one has, if
one cannot present them elo-
quently, it will be hard for the
people that person is addressing
to understand, let alone, believe.
He says clubs help develop
writing skills, negotiating skills
and other forms of communica-
tion.
Also, Mukasa says clubs in
schools help nurture good lead-
ers.
He says by joining specific clubs
in schools, it’s a great opportu-
nity for students to exercise and
practice leadership at an early
age.
When a learner is part of lead-
ership, for instance, in different
clubs at school, Mukasa says one
gets opportunities to be trained
and further develop leadership
skills that will not only be benefi-
ciary at school, but for the rest of
their life.
This, he says, gives them an
advantage over others who did
not take up leadership while at
school.
Wandira says clubs also pro-
mote teamwork among stu-
dents. He says since club mem-
bers normally work in teams,
teamwork skill is developed as
well.
He adds that it’s an opportunity
for students to learn from others
and work well with their supervi-
sors.
skills can be applied outside the
work environment.
He further notes that clubs help
develop friendships that can last
a lifetime — of people who have
a common interest and influence
each other in a positive way.
Diana Nawatti, the head teach-
er at Mother Mary Complex
School, Kigali, says being in dif-
ferent clubs in schools as s stu-
dent promotes networking.
She says there is the chance to
meet with various schools and
other influential individuals,
especially if a club of a certain
school is making a presentation
in an international event.
She says this is so because dur-
ing such competitions, success-
ful business people and mentors
are always invited to address the
young people.
Nawatti goes on to add that
some clubs encourage their
members to be innovative, and
through interaction with other
schools, they develop a creative
mindset which can help them in-
vent or create even bigger proj-
ects in the future.
She says academic achieve-
ment is the primary target of
school but in today’s world, it
cannot be the only aim.
“There are many learners do-
ing well academically, but when
institutions want to choose be-
tween two high performing
students, they consider some of
these skills,” she notes.
She adds that clubs also in-
crease the chances of students
being considered while applying
for different scholarships.
editor@newtimesrwanda.com

Are students all set for next week’s national examinations? They should maximise
the teacher’s presence too.
Teachers at this point are
meant to help students
By Edwin Ashimwe local universities for ad- prepared to sit for. However to alleviate the stress caused “For instance, if I find out
complete a certain level of
vanced level students, but stiff the circumstances may by these last days towards that I read best at night then

I
t is that time of the year
when candidates cher-
ish time more than any-
thing.
Right now, nothing mat-
ters more than assessment,
consultation, among other
sufficient activities, to en-
able them better prepare
for the forthcoming exami-
nations.
Slated for November 12
to 19, for both ordinary and
advanced level, this year’s
season has gained incred-
ible momentum, ranging
from administration blocs
to student bodies.
The exam is perceived as
the sole determinant for
admission to virtually all
also for all other students
moving on to the next step
of their studies.
Talking to Education
Times, Irenee Ndayambaje,
Director General at Rwanda
Education Board, says that
nothing should hold back
the hard work of students,
especially at this moment
when examinations are just
around the corner.
“Candidates should feel
relaxed for the exams; I
believe that according to
previous inspections, they
are more than ready to pass
highly this year’s exams,” he
notes.
“It comes once a year, and
it is the biggest exam we are
be in these last times, our
teachers normally advise us
to control the momentum.
Most students fall sick, oth-
ers are scared (exam fever),
some notes are lost during
revision time, some don’t
even sleep. All these factors
lead to the change of the en-
vironment on campus,” says
Deus Mugisha, a S6 student
at Nu-Vision High School.
“On top of that,” he adds,
“parents at home are on
your back, expecting you to
do everything possible to
succeed.”
Olivier Minani, a teacher
at Excella School, says stu-
dents should engage in co-
curricular activities in order
examinations.
He points out that it is un-
realistic for students to dig
into books for better grades
at this point, rather, they
should try and control the
momentum.
“My best advice on stand-
ing out as a student in these
last days is to try and engage
in a number of co-curricular
activities, such as sports,
reading, and clubs, among
others. But if a student tries
to force everything now,
they will mix it up,” Minani
says.
However, it is also advis-
able for candidates to dis-
cover their best reading
period.
education, well-prepared
I need to maximise that
for the next.
time,” Minani suggests.
“And I urge students to
Maurice Twahirwa, the
use that as an opportunity
head teacher at APADET
for better success,” Twahi-
School, is of the view that
rwa says.
students should not be
In ordinary level, there are
overwhelmed by fear and
119,932 candidates, which
anxiety.
represents an increase of
He highlights that al-
21 per cent from the 98,898
though teachers maybe
candidates who sat last
overworking students, giv-
year. Among these, 65,429
ing them a big-work load,
are girls and 54,503 boys.
they (students) are sup-
For the secondary school
posed to believe in them-
leavers, a total of 51,291
selves.
candidates have been
“Of course fear can’t be
registered, which shows
ruled out in such circum-
an increase of 11 per cent
stances, but students
increase from last year’s
should prioritise confidence
46,024.
in themselves,” Twahirwa
editor@newtimesrwanda.com
says.

LOG ON www.newtimes.co.rw
 16 THE NEW TIMES, No. 5084 Wednesday, November 6, 2019 Education Times

How ‘Teaching Assistantship Project’ is

By Michel Nkurunziza

O
ne hundrend fifty girls
who completed a six-

inspiring girls to become educationists

month programme as
teaching assistants in different
schools have been motivated to
pursue education at university
and later, join the teaching field.
The girls with best grades in sci-
ences in high school were select-
ed and supported by the Forum
for African Women Educational-
ists (FAWE)-Rwanda, a pan-Afri-
can non-governmental organisa-
tion founded in 1992 to promote
girls’ and women’s education in
sub-Saharan Africa.
Called the ‘Teaching Assistant-
ship Project’ (TAP), it was imple-
mented by Inspire Empower and
Educate (IEE), Mastercard Foun-
dation, Rwanda Education Board
and various schools, and aimed
at attracting girls in sciences to
join the teaching profession,
thus, improving the quality of
education.
“We have achieved so much at
the schools where we were as-
sisting. I previously saw teaching
as a difficult task but after being
inspired, and serving as a teach-
ing assistant, I prefer to pursue
education at university,” says
Winnie Mutoni, one of the assis-
tants.
She studied biology, chemistry
and geography in high school
and was assisting at Groupe Sco-
laire Matimba in Nyagatare Dis-
trict.
“Students applauded us for the
job well done and this motivated
me to join the teaching career. At 150 girls concluded a six-month teaching assistant programme in different schools. Courtesy photos.
university, I want to study biolo-
gy. I have realised that teaching is
a very fulfilling job,” Mutoni says.
Clementine Niyonizeye, an-
other assistant at GS Kabusunzu
in Nyarugenge District, says she
benefited a lot from the pro-
gramme.
She completed high school
last year with 70 grades at FAWE
Girls School, the reason she was
selected to become a teaching
assistant.
“After being an assistant, my
confidence to speak in public
improved highly. Behaviours also
remain good, because when you
consider yourself a teacher, you
are obliged to be exemplary to
others,” Niyonizeye says.
She says that thanks to the
enhanced confidence, she also
coaches students in senior four,
even though she is only sup-
posed to assist students in ordi-
nary level.
“I learnt how to be approach-
able to students and we had to
help them catch up in case the Emmanuel Murenzi, IEE Country Director, said that the Teaching
teacher explained and they did Assistantship Project complements the efforts of Mastercard
not understand. We also had to Foundation. The girls were motivated to join the teaching field.
help students catch up with what sizi, Burera, Karongi, Muhanga, said that the project shows a criti-
Emmanuel Murenzi, IEE Country outcomes, creating life and live-
they missed in previous academ- Ruhango, Nyagatare, Gatsibo, cal role that teachers play in pro-
Director, says that the ‘Teaching lihood opportunities for young
ic years. We had to use the new Kayonza, Kicukiro, Nyarugenge, moting quality of teaching and
Assistantship Project’ is comple- people.
curriculum, and available learn- Gasabo and Bugesera. learning in secondary schools in
menting the efforts of Master- The girls were deployed to 73
ing materials so that they under- James McIntyre who spoke on Rwanda.
card Foundation of investing in schools in 15 districts, namely;
stood well,” she says. behalf of Mastercard Foundation, editor@newtimesrwanda.com
teachers for improved learning Musanze, Gakenke, Rulindo, Ru-

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 THE NEW TIMES
No. 5084, W E D N E S D AY , N O V E M B E R 6, 2 0 1 9
17

Rwanda’s Nyabihu tea fetches

record price at Mombasa auction
By Julius Bizimungu
TEA processed by Nyabihu Tea Factory
on Tuesday sold at a record price of $7.22
(about Rwf6,624.89) per kilogramme, the
highest price in the history of the Mombasa
trading where a dozen producers from the
region sell their tea.
Mombasa is largest black tea auction cen-
tre in the world after Colombo, Sri-Lanka.
At the 45th auction of the East Africa
Tea Trade Association (EATTA), the com-
pany’s ‘BP1 grade’ – the highest quality –
earned the highest bid two times in a row.
Thushara Pinidiya, the Director of Nyabi-
hu Tea Factory told Business Times that it
was all down to the good manufacturing
practices and best plantation management.
“We follow basic, but best principles of
manufacturing. Farmers also a big role be-
cause they supply us with tea leaves whose
quality determines the quality of tea we
produce,” he said.
The recent highest bid in October last
month on Mombasa auction was earned by
the same tea processing company at $6.64
(about Rwf6,096) per kilo.
Nyabihu Tea Factory is based in the
Nyabihu District, Western Province with
tea plantation covering at 1,043.54 hect-
ares.
Last year, the company sold 1.5 million
kilos of tea with Pinidiya saying that they
anticipate to sell 1.8 million kilos and 2 mil-
lion kilos this year and 2020, respectively.
According to the National Agricultural
Export Development Board (NAEB), last
Last month, the Rwandan teas were sold to UK, Pakistani, Egyptian, Kazakhstani, month Rwanda sold 1,968,267 kilos of tea
Afghanistan and Middle East markets among others. /Courtesy. at an average price of $3.07 per kilo at the
Mombasa tea auction.
It was followed by Kenya which sold the
biggest volume of 33,971,386 kilos at an
average price of $2.33 per kilo.
The same period last year, Rwanda had
sold 1,708,711 kilos at an average price of
$2.72 per kilo followed by Kenya that had
sold 34,098,480 Kilos at an average price
of $2.42.
Last month, the Rwandan teas were sold
to UK, Pakistani, Egyptian, Kazakhstani,
Afghanistan and Middle East markets
among others.
Tea along with coffee are Rwanda’s
top export crops.
The country’s tea export volumes have
been increasing, but international tea pric-
es have been growing affecting Rwanda’s
export revenues.
Tea exports revenues decreased by 5 per
cent from $88 million in 2017/2018 to 83
million in 2018/2019. However, exports
volumes increased by 10 per cent from 27
tonnes to 30 tonnes.
Coffee revenues decreased from 69
million in 2017/2018 to $68 million in
2018/2019 whereas the export quanti-
ties increased by 6 per cent from 20,000
tonnes to 21,000 tonnes in 2018/2019.
The average price of Rwanda Coffee
was $3.41 per kilogramme in 2017/2018,
which reduced by 7 per cent to $3.18 a kilo-
gramme in 2018/2019.
For tea, a kilogramme was sold at $3.17 a
kilogramme and it reduced to $2.73 a kilo-
gramme in 2018/2019.
editor@newtimesrwanda.com

Samsung says to shut down U.S. CPU research division

SAMSUNG Electronics Co Ltd said on
Tuesday it will shut down a CPU research
division at one of its U.S. facilities, a move
that analysts said dimmed prospects for
the tech giant’s Exynos-branded mobile
chips.
Exynos mobile processor chips are con-
sidered a hallmark of the South Korean
firm’s attempts to reduce its reliance on
memory chips and increase sales of logic
LOG ON www.newtimes.co.rw
chips that are used to power mobile de-
vices and autonomous vehicles.
But the proprietary chips, which are
found in Samsung’s flagship Galaxy series
smartphones and compete against Qual-
comm Inc’s marquee mobile processors,
have struggled to find external customers.
The decision to shut down the division,
which will make some 300 jobs redun-
dant, point to challenges Samsung faces
in promoting Exynos chips, analysts said.
“(Exynos) chips are not really used any-
where else and continue to lose ground in
the mobile processor market, raising con-
cerns about the company’s competitive-
ness,” said Park Sung-soon, an analyst at
Cape Investment & Securities.
The move has led to speculation that
Samsung will use core designs from ARM
or semi-custom designs. Park added that
Samsung is not likely to give up the Exy-
nos business entirely.
Samsung said it will continue to develop
and produce Exynos chips regardless of
the termination of CPU (central process-
ing unit) core projects, and some of 300
affected employees could be relocated to
different projects.
“Based upon a thorough assessment of
our System LSI business and the need
to stay competitive in the global market,
Samsung has decided to transition part
of our U.S.-based R&D teams,” it said in a
statement, referring to its logic chip busi-
ness.
Affected employees will mostly come
from its Austin R&D Center, which had
been researching CPU core since 2010,
while a small number of employees at its
CPU project team at Advanced Computing
Lab in San Jose will be let go or relocated
to other divisions, a company spokeswom-
an said.
“Core research brought less value than
expected to Samsung’s entire logic chip
business,” said source with direct knowl-
edge of the matter who was not authorised
to speak to media on the matter and de-
clined to be identified.
The termination of its CPU core projects
comes after Samsung, the world’s largest
memory chipmaker, said in April that it
plans to invest $116 billion in logic chips
through 2030.
Agencies
18 THE NEW TIMES
No. 5 0 8 4 W E D N E S D AY, N O V E M B E R 6, 2019 ADVERTISEMENT

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ANALYST (RMA)

3 Years Local Appointment
Location: Kigali, Rwanda
The Resource Management Unit of the Africa Region (BPSAF) is responsible for business planning, budgeting,
work programming, deliverables reporting, and financial reporting for all the departments in the Region. In
addition, in country offices, BPSAF staff performs accounting, payment processing, cash management and
administration functions. Overall, BPSAF ensures that each department maintains cost efficiency and effective
controls over all financial transactions and provides support for effective management and monitoring of
deliverables.
The Resource Management Analyst (RMA) position is located in Rwanda country office within the Country
Department covering Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Somalia. The RMA is the focal point of coaching and the
mentoring of new RM staff who will handle accounting, resource management, controls and administration for
the country office. The RMA works independently under the oversight of the Country Manager and the overall
supervision of the HQ-based Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and Senior RM Officer. The RMA’s functions
range from primary responsibility for accounting transactions and vendor payments, to performing compliance
reviews and reporting to central control units, to setting/streamlining procedures in the office while ensuring
appropriate controls are in place and supporting and advising staff on a host of RM topics. The RMA also plays a
key role in the administration and dissemination of RM policies of the Bank.
Responsibilities: The key accountabilities of the RMA cover the following areas:
• Financial Management of Country Office Work Program and Resources
• Financial Control and Fiduciary Responsibilities
• Team Lead Role
• General Administration
• Analysis, Monitoring, Reporting and Communicating
Selection Criteria
A relevant Advanced degree (e.g. Accounting, Business, Finance) OR a relevant bachelor’s degree plus an
internationally recognized professional accounting qualification (e.g., CPA, CA, ACCA) with a minimum of 5
years of experience in a relevant field, e.g. accounting, finance, business.

Applications: For the FULL job description, selection criteria and required competencies, qualified candidates are
requested to submit an on-line application at www.worldbank.org/careers or follow below path.

1.Go to the External Careers Site

2.Type req4856 into the “Keyword or ReqID” search field
3.Click Search
The World Bank is committed to achieving diversity of gender, nationality, culture and educational background.
Individuals with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. Closing date for receipt of applications is
November 17, 2019. Only qualified candidates will be contacted.

NASHO IRRIGATION COOPERATIVE

Nasho, Kirehe District, Telephone: 0787520930
Email: nashoirrigation@gmail.com

CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST TO SUPPLY EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS

The Nasho Irrigation Cooperative (NAICO) is a legally registered cooperative with registration number
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT / SOLICITATION RCA/0409/2019 located in Cyambwe Cell, Nasho Sector, Kirehe District, and operates in Nasho and Mpanga
Sectors of Kirehe District. It was formed to bring together all smallholder farmers within Nasho Irrigation Project
Position Title: Private Sector Advisor scheme. The objective of Nasho Irrigation Cooperative is to support members within the cooperative to increase
Solicitation Number: 72069619R00008 productivity and yield through proper utilization of modern irrigation infrastructure on an area of about 1,200
Market Value: Annual salary from $76,687 to $99,691 (equivalent to GS-13) hectares. The cooperative contributes to agriculture development and food security.
Location: Kigali, Rwanda
Invitation:
The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission to
Rwanda, is seeking offers from qualified persons to provide personal services under a contract as described in the The Nasho Irrigation Cooperative invites eligible and credible companies to indicate their interest in supplying the
subject solicitation. goods mentioned below to the cooperative. This request for expression of interest should not be constructed as a
BASIC FUNCTION OF THE POSITION binding contract to supply goods mentioned.

The basic function of this position is to serve as a technical advisor on private sector engagement for
List of goods to be supplied are grouped in 4 lots as follow
USAID/Rwanda. In this capacity, the Private Sector Advisor will lead the Mission’s private sector and innovation
working group, a group that will comprise representatives from all of the Mission’s technical offices. The Lot 1: Equipment Lot 2: Vehicle materials Lot 3: Electrical Tools
incumbent also coordinates and collaborates with the U.S. Embassy’s Political and Economic Section (Pol/Econ) to
ensure consistency in inter-agency engagement with the private sector in Rwanda. These efforts will be undertaken 1.Hard drive disc (500Gb), 1. Engine oil(15w-40), 1. Chargeable air blower (13000mA-
in coordination with Mission staff in a manner designed to ensure that USAID/Rwanda can sustain private sector 2. Laptop (i7&8Gb RAM), 2. Gear box oil (85w140), 220V. 50/60Hz),
engagement programming approaches aligned with the “journey to self-reliance” strategies beyond the length of this 3.Camera (canon Eos 350D), 3. Tyres (235*70*16) 2. Projector light (Outdoor)150w (150
contract. Additionally, the Private Sector Advisor is required to perform a full range of advisory, and program 4. Internet 4. Diesel filter for Toyota W),
monitoring and evaluation functions for activities funded by the EG Office that support enhancing Rwanda’s private router(2.4GHZ/300mb/s), Hilux 3. Fluorescent lamps (40 w) LED,
sector competitiveness. The Private Sector Advisor facilitates and maintains technical discussions with the
5. Ceiling fan (48 INCH74W), 5. Air filters for Toyota Hilux, 4. Clamping tool/Data Cable (RG 45),
Government of Rwanda (GOR), the Rwandan private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGO), other U.S.
Government (USG) agencies, multilateral donors, and implementing partners to discover best practices in private
6.Laser Toner (Canon Image 6. Oil filters – Toyota Hilux, 5. Economic lights(18W),
sector engagement and innovative approaches to Rwanda’s development challenges. Runner 2204-C-EXV42, black), 6. Fish plugs (Cheville)- 8mm/ plastic,
7. Ink for Printer-Epson 7. Battery12v/42mins(RC)142A(CCA)
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS (EPSON606/R302), Silicone (RT
black),
a. Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Marketing, Economics,
International Development or related field. Lot 4: Maintenance materials

b. Experience: A minimum of five years of progressively responsible project management experience in 1. Silicone (RT black),
the public or private sector development programs with an international donor, government or non- 2. Garden Taps(3/4i),
governmental 3. Door lock cylinders (stainless
steel/silva),
c. Job Knowledge: Significant training and knowledge gained through project management experience 4. Ear Plugs (Corded foam ear
in order to provide advice to the Economic Growth Office across its diverse portfolio. plugs),
5. Thinner (cleans & thins).
AREA OF CONSIDERATION: Open to US Citizens.

TO APPLY All interested companies are invited to submit their expression of interest to supply materials in any or all of the
Interested applicants must review the official solicitation for this position and submit all of the documents as lots mentioned above. The documents should be submitted in sealed envelopes addressed to the Cooperative
outlined in Section IV, Presenting an Offer. The solicitation is available at the following link: Manager of Nasho Irrigation Cooperative and physically delivered to our Head office in Nasho, or by email at
http://www.usaid.gov/rwanda/partnership-opportunities nashoirrigation@gmail.com as a PDF document. The PDF document must be signed and stamped with official
company stamp, and submitted not later than 18/11/2019 at 5:00pm. For more information, contact us on:
To apply send a complete application package by email to Kigalihr@usaid.gov no later than 17:30 on November 29, 0787520930.
2019.

Done at NASHO, 01/11/2019

Jean Pierre KAMANZI Cooperative Manager

LOG ON www.newtimes.co.rw
Lifestyle
THE NEW TIMES
No. 5084, W E D N E S D AY , N O V E M B E R 6, 2 0 1 9 19

Rwanda’s Uwase vies for

Miss University Africa crown
By Bertrand Byishimo
ODILE Uwase Sangwa is currently in
Nigeria, where she is taking part in
Miss University Africa 2019 beauty
pageant.
Miss University Africa is an annual in-
ternational beauty pageant organised
by Visions, Innovations and Concepts.
Uwase, who was the 2nd runner-up in
Miss Rwanda 2019, is among 56 other
candidates vying for the crown in this
year’s event. The contest started on
November 1, and the grand finale is set
for November 15.
Contestants must be active univer-
sity students aged between 18 and 26,
not married or with children. Unlike
most other prestigious pageants, Miss
University Africa participants are not
required to compete in swimsuits or
bikinis.
The winner will take home $50,000, a
brand new car and the title to become
the ambassador of students in the Af-
rican Union.
The pageant, created in 2010 by busi-
nessman Taylor Nazzal, is one of the
most influential beauty pageants in
Africa. It is aimed at celebrating beau-
ty with brain, discourage indecent
dressing amongst African students/
youths, discover the innate
potentials of African students,
celebrate African culture/tourism,
and the African woman. The pageant
also promotes investment and reaches
out to the less privileged through the
Miss University Africa Foundation,
among other things.
Last year, Rwanda was represented
by Shanitah Umunyana in the compe-
tition that was won by Marlise Sacur
from Mozambique.
editor@
newtimesrwanda.com

‘Seka Live’ returns

Odile Uwase Sangwa is
taking part in Miss Uni-
versity Africa 2019. Net
photos

this November
night to remember.
The list also includes
Rwandan comedians
Mercy, Missed Call,
Divin, Patrick and the Lupita Nyong’o’s
Seke rising stars.
About the venue,
Nkusi said: “We
documentary
sheds light on the
haven’t yet come up
with a decisive venue,
as we are still look-
ing at two options at
the moment. But shall forgotten women
warriors
definitely let the public
know once a final decision
is made.”
He noted that the show is OSCAR-winning Kenyan ac- lywood blockbuster movie Guardian reviewer Gerry
not only designed to give tress Lupita Nyong’o made “Black Panther”. Loughran commented, “This
comedy lovers entertain- historians sit up recently “I wanted to find out more is a reminder that when tele-
ment, but also serves as a when Channel 4 television for myself by going to Benin,” vision ignores African his-
platform for upcoming co- showed her documentary, she said. “The Agoji had a tory, it deprives us of some
medians to showcase their “Warrior Women”, about complicated history and they astounding stories.”
talent to a big audience. the fearsome but virtually defied notions of what wom- Talking of her own life, the
Arthur Nkusi. Net
“The show will focus on unknown Agoji females from en were capable of.” Mexico City-born Lupita said
showcasing new talents, by West Africa’s past. In an interview with the UK’s she now lives in Brooklyn, in
providing a platform for aspiring The Agoji were women fight- Metro Daily newspaper, New York City. “I can see the
young Rwandan comedians,’’ he ers in the kingdom of Da- Lupita said she was over- Hudson River from my sofa
By James Peter Nkurunziza
said, adding that: “revelers will homey, present-day Benin, whelmed on a daily basis in the distance and beautiful
also be treated to musical perfor- between the 17th and 19th making the documentary. sunsets over the Brooklyn
‘SEKA Live’, one of the biggest
mances by Nep Djs and Neptunez centuries. “I remember feeling a deep buildings.”
comedy shows in Rwanda, is set
Band.” As to why their story re- sense of sadness because I Asked if she was tempted to
to return with yet another fun-
Another edition will also be held mained so little known, Lu- was learning about things follow her father, Peter Any-
filled event on November 24.
on December 29, with yet another pita said, “African history is that have been all but lost. ang’ Nyong’o, into politics,
According to Arthur Nkusi, the
great lineup of local and interna- often misrepresented as it is History depends on who’s she was adamant: “No, nev-
organiser and host of the event,
tional standup comedians. filtered through a European holding the pen and what er. One politician in the fam-
comedians such as Klint the
Drunk from Nigeria and Dr. Of- lens.” their interests are.” ily is enough.”
editor@newtimesrwanda. She first heard whispers Channel 4 ran “Warrior
weneke from Kenya will be on
com of the Agoji when she was Women” as part of its Black Agencies
stage to give the comedy lovers a
working on the 2018 Hol- History season and The

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20 THE NEW TIMES
No. 5 0 8 4 W E D N E S D AY, N O V E M B E R 6, 2019
Rwanda CSO SDG5 Forum weigh in on
SDGs 2030 agenda in Rwanda post the
High-Level Political Forum (HLPF)
The panelists from left to right. Annette Mukiga, the moderator, RWN's Odette Ntambara, Richard Mushabe (MINECOFIN),
Andrews Kananga(Legal Aids Forum), RDO's Eugene Rwabasira,Apollinaire Mupiganyi,and Eli Mugabowishema. Courtesy
In July 2019 at the UN Headquarters, the
meeting of the HLPF on sustainable development
convened under the auspices of the Economic
and Social Council to review the 2030 Agenda
and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
themed "Empowering People and Ensuring
Inclusiveness and Equality". The SDGs are
an urgent call for action by all countries in a global
partnership to recognize that ending poverty and
other deprivations must go hand in hand with
strategies that improve health and education,
reduce inequality and spur economic growth- all
the while tackling climate change and working to
preserve oceans and forests. As part of Agenda2030
commitments of Leaving No One Behind, Rwanda
along with 50 other countries volunteered to present
their Voluntary National Review (VNR) reports at
the HLPF2019 as per focused SDGs.
Rwanda Women’s Network (RWN) coordinates
the Rwanda Civil Society Organization (CSO)
SDG5 Forum; a collective of 30 CSOs working on
diverse human rights and development issues in
Rwanda under the cross-cutting theme of gender
and women’s empowerment. The forum provides
a platform for CSOs to enhance their engagement
with government, various development partners
and grassroots communities in order to successfully
deliver on the ambitious targets of the SDGs and
ensure that no one is left behind. Under this forum
RWN partnered with Hivos:Women@Work
Campaign in implementing the Women Leadership
Project in the Horticulture sector in Rwanda. The
Campaign aims to promote advancement of
women’s leadership and representation
in decision-making processes in the
horticulture sector by addressing both
strategic and practical issues that hinder
women’s progress, contributing to the global
agenda on SDGs mainly SDG5(Gender equality)
and SDG8 (Decent work and Economic Growth).
In respect to the recently concluded HLPF2019, in
August 2019, RWN convened a debrief and going
forward session with a panel of CSOs and government
representatives that participated at the HLPF2019
with the purpose of allowing a learning opportunity
for Rwanda CSO SDG5 Forum members and other
stakeholders interested in the HLPF process to
follow up on the recommendations to Rwanda’s VNR
report, as well as hear recommendations on how
Rwanda will take forward the ILO convention on
Ending Violence and harassment at the workplace.
“Inclusivity is important to everyone who works, the
convention sends a powerful message by making the
invisible - visible”. Mr. Faustin Mwambari, acting
Director General, Labour and Employment at the
Ministry of Public Service and Labour.
Richard Mushabe, National Planning and
Research Division Manager at Ministry of Finance
and Economic Planning, shared on the Rwanda
VNR report and further stressed the need to extract
several recommendations and see how to work with
different concerned institutions – “there is a need
to make use of the existing SDGs taskforce on the
overall implementation of SDGs in Rwanda. He
said.
Eugene Rwibasira, Executive Secretary of Rwanda
Development Organization (RDO) focused on
SDG13 (Climate Change)– “We need to talk about
agricultural development in terms of increased
crop productivity…We need to promote the use of
organic fertilization and adopt the fumigation zero
plan, using inorganic pesticides.” he said.
Andrews Kananga, Director of Legal Aid Forum
(LAF), weighed in on the SDG16 (Peace, Justice &
Strong Institutions) in the context of justice. “SDGs
major challenge lies in the lack of an indicator on how
to measure access to justice. For us to achieve social
justice there is a need to have clear measurements
in terms of an indicator…we need to be active with
global partnerships to achieve SDG16” he said.
Apollinaire Mupiganyi, Executive Director,
Transparency International Rwanda (TIR) spoke
on SDG16 with a focus on corruption, highlighting
the importance of reflecting and coming up with a
strategy to domesticate SDGs in the local context –
looking beyond our institutions but reflecting citizen
engagement. “We need to come up with a joint report
FEATURED
to fit the CSOs priorities and state the progress on
where the country is in fighting corruption.”
Eli Mugabowishema, Executive Director,
Nsindangiza Organization focused on Leaving No
One Behind objective with priority on the elderly
addressing SDG3. “Rwanda is among the few
countries that included elderly people in their VNR
report at the HLPF, however, the challenge lies in
the data collection. Today we have data on women,
children and rural areas but not for elderly people
- we need to do more with our policies to be more
inclusive of all”.
Ms. Odette Ntambara, Communication &
Advocacy Officer at RWN spoke on Decent
Work & Economic Growth (SDG8) with a focus
on gender concerns and women empowerment
particularly to the responsibility CSOs and
Government have in promoting the use of digital
technologies in promoting the lives of the poor and
those marginalized groups. “It costs the poor to
access services; It’s essential that we promote the
responsible use of emerging digital technologies
in elevating and addressing the needs of the poor
by using technologies that improve everyone’s
livelihood…SDG8 underpins all SDGs – we need to
have a similar understanding of its implementation
and it’s inter-linkage with other SDGs”. Promoting
employment and poverty reduction mechanisms
through the creation of productive and remunerative
jobs is key; therefore, pursuing inclusive strategies
in informal work is paramount to ensure majority of
women have decent work.
As part of his closing remarks, Bosco Nyemazi,
Executive Director, Rwanda Civil Society Platform
(RCSP), believes that for CSOs to contribute
effectively to the achievement of SDGs, collaboration
is key to achieving success in the national and global
commitments “that emanates from the political will
to work together as civil society and private sector”.
Ms. Mary Balikungeri, RWN Founder & Director
touched on gender gaps and human rights
perspective in addressing SDGs, not just looking at
the law – even when there is a legal system justice
is not necessarily served. Leaving No One Behind
requires understanding of the process, maximizing
on education and involving the youth in the
implementation of SDGs. “It’s our collective efforts
that will bring us closer in the implementation of
SDGs and holding government accountable to these
commitments”.
The Campaign aims to
promote advancement of
women’s leadership and
representation in decision-
making processes in the
horticulture sector by
addressing both strategic
and practical issues that
hinder women’s progress.
LOG ON www.newtimes.co.rw
ADVERTISEMENT
THE NEW TIMES
No. 5084 W E D N E S D AY, N O V E M B E R 6 , 20 1 9 21

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22 THE NEW TIMES
No. 5 0 8 4 W E D N E S D AY, N O V E M B E R 6, 2019 ADVERTISEMENT

ITANGAZO RYA CYAMUNARA

ITANGAZO RYA CYAMUNARA

Tender notices

The National Bank of Rwanda (BNR) invites eligible bidders to submit their bids and proposals for the following
tenders:

No Title of tender Tender Number

Provision of maintenance services of electrical installations 16/F/2019-20/NOCB/C/BNR
1.
Provision of photography and videography services 17/S/2019-20/NOCB/QCBS/BNR
2.

Tender Document and request for proposals may be obtained on any working day in the Procurement Division of
the National Bank of Rwanda upon presentation of payment proof of a non-refundable fee of ten thousand
Rwandan Francs (RWF 10,000) to Account N°1266500010001 named “BNR Current Account” opened at National
Bank of Rwanda.

All bids and technical proposals shall be accompanied by the required bid security in Rwandan Francs or equivalent in a
convertible currency.

Compulsory site visits of tender for provision of maintenance services of electrical installations for five BNR Branches
and Headquarters are scheduled on 11th November 2019 at Rwamagana from 10:00 am, 12th November 2019 at
Musanze from 10;00 am and Rubavu at 3:00 pm, 13th November 2019 at Huye from 10:00 am, 14th November 2019
at Rusizi from 11:00 am and 15th November 2019 at BNR Headquarters from 10:00 am.

Well printed bids and proposals properly bound and presented in four copies one of which is the original must reach
the Procurement Division of the National bank of Rwanda, KN 6 Avenue, 4, Second Floor, not later than 5th December
2019 at 9:30 am local time. Late bids and proposals will be rejected and returned unopened.

Scanned by CamScanner
Bids and technical proposals opening will be conducted on the same date in the presence of bidders or their
representatives who choose to attend at 10:00 am local time in the meeting room. The outer envelope should clearly
indicate the tender title.

Done at Kigali, 4th November 2019.

BAZAMBANZA Moise IHOGOZA Frances

Manager, Procurement Division Executive Director, Human Resources
and Administration

LOG ON www.newtimes.co.rw
SPORTS No. 5084
THE NEW TIMES
W E D N E S D AY, N O V E M B E R 6 , 20 1 9 23
Mukura eye win PREMIER LEAGUE Rayon Sports are winless in their last three matches while Marines beat Etincelles last Saturday

against AS Kigali
Former APR striker Bertrand
Iradukunda will lead Mukura’s front-
line in the highly charged match. File.
By Peter Kamasa
Wednesday
Mukura Vs AS Kigali 15:00
Thursday
Police 2-1 Bugesera
Gasogi 4-2 Sunrise
Gicumbi 0-3 Musanze
Muhanga 1-0 Etincelles
MUKURA Victory Sports will be
looking to bounce back when they
host AS Kigali Wednesday after-
noon at Huye Stadium, starting at
3pm.
Tony Fernandez’s side lost 1-0 to
APR in their last outing, while AS
Kigali were humiliated by Police
3-0.
“We can’t afford to lose this
game,” said Spain-born Fernandez,
urging his players to use the home
advantage in their favour against
AS Kigali who have only won once
after seven match rounds into
the 2019/2020 Rwanda Premier
League season.
AS Kigali will miss the service of
Eric ‘Zidane’ Nsabimana who is
suspended for match-day 8 with
Marines look to pile
more misery on Rayon
Yves Rwasamanzi, Marines
FC head coach. He
previously coached league
giants APR. Courtesy.
By Peter Kamasa
Wednesday
Heroes Vs Espoir 15:00
Mukura Vs AS Kigali 15:00
Rayon Vs Marines 18:00
Friday
Kiyovu Vs APR 18:00
RAYON SPORTS’ slow start to the new
Rwanda Premier League season could go
from bad to worse when they host Marines
at Kigali Stadium on Wednesday. Kick-off
6pm.
By Peter Kamasa
Eighth-placed Marines have threatened
to pile more misery on the defending
champions, and head coach Yves Rwa-
manazi is well-aware that victory over the
Blues would see his side move to seventh,
with 11 points.
Rayon are winless in their last three
matches, while Marines look to register a
second successive win following their 1-0
triumph over rivals Etincelles at the week-
end.
Ahead of the match, Rwasamanzi
stressed how important it is for his guns to
build momentum.
“Of late, we have been playing well and
not getting the results we want. But, after
Etincelles’ win it is very important that we
keep that run going,” said Rwasamanzi.
“While winning against the defending
champions will not be an easy challenge,
we are ready and the players are positive
about it. We will do all we can to get the
three points.”
Speaking to Times Sport in a separate in-
terview, Rayon Sports’ Mexican coach, Ja-
vier Martinez Espinosa, admitted that his
side’s recent slump of results was frustrat-
ing but the players were in positive energy,
and optimistic to get back to their winning
ways.
“We need to get back to our winning
ways, and the players understand well that
we have to work for it. It is important that
we do not drop points against Marines,”
said Martinez.
The Blues will be without centre-back
Herve Rugwiro who has three cumulative
yellow cards and striker Michael Sarpong
who was this week banned for one match
following his middle finger gesture to Sun-
rise FC fans during the team’s 2-1 defeat a
fortnight ago.
Rayon last won on October 22 when they
beat Bugesera 2-1 at Kigali Stadium, as
they have since suffered a blow to Sunrise
before faltering to Etincelles and Musanze
in draws.
editor@newtimesrwanda.com

BENEDICTION Excel Energy

three yellow cards.
Ahead of the highly-charged
match, Mukura are third with 14
points, while struggling AS Kigali
lie in 12th position with 7 points.
Police go top
Meanwhile, Police FC have
stormed the table summit with 18
points after overcoming Bugesera
2-1 on Wednesday.
Striker Justin Mico and winger
Dominique Savio Nshuti scored to
give the law enforcers a comfort-
able 2-0 lead before Djihad Ruco-
goza pulled one back at stoppage
time.
Francis Haringingo’s side will be
at the top at least until Friday when
second-placed APR take on SC Kiy-
ovu at Kigali Stadium.
APR have 17 points from 7 match-
es.
editor@newtimesrwanda.com
Benediction club set for Tour du Senegal
will compete at this year’s
Tour du Senegal from Novem-
ber 10 to 17, the club has con-
firmed.
The Rubavu-based side,
Rwanda’s first and only inter-
nationally recognised cycling
club, will field six riders at the
UCI 2.2 category race.
Felix Sempoma’s team will
be making their debut in the
race.
“We have been invited in
Tour du Senegal, and we have
already confirmed our partici-
pation. This is a good chance
for the riders (and the club) to
exhibit our potential in such
a big competition,” Sempoma
told Times Sport on Tuesday.
This is Benediction’s fourth From L-R, Jean Bosco Nsengimana, Didier Munyaneza, Patrick Byukusenge and Eri Manizabayo are all part
appearance in an interna- of the club’s six-man roster for the 2019 Tour du Senegal. File.
tional race since registering as
a UCI Continental Tour team, which they won through Jean al teams. Manizabayo, Didier Mun-
having since competed in the Claude Nzafashwanayo. yaneza, Yves Nkurunziza and
Tour du Rwanda 2019, Tour The 2019 edition of Tour du Benediction roster: Jean Bosco Nsengimana.
de Limpopo (South Africa) Senegal has attracted a record Patrick Byukusenge, Jean
and the Tour de la RD Congo, 19 teams, including 12 nation- Claude Nzafashwanayo, Eric editor@newtimesrwanda.com

LOG ON www.newtimes.co.rw
Marines look to pile
more misery on Rayon
P23
BASKETBALL Patriots beat City Oilers in Group D during the first round qualifiers last month in Dar es Salaam
BAL Qualifiers: Patriots again
to face City Oilers in final round
Patriots reached the final round after finishing top of Group D in the first round last month in Tanzania. Sam Ngendahimana.
By Damas Sikubwabo
RWANDAN champions Patriots have been
pooled in Group H in the second – and fi-
nal – round of qualifiers for the inaugural
Basketball Africa League (BAL), which gets
underway off in March 2020.
The Group H qualifiers, to be held in Ki-
gali, are scheduled for December 17-22.
One of the group members is Uganda’s
City Oilers, whom Patriots beat en route to
finishing top of Group D in the final round
qualifiers last month in Tanzania.
However, prior to last month’s meet-
ing, City Oilers had won the previous two
games between the two regional giants,
including the final of the 2017 FIBA Africa
Zone V Club championships.
Besides Patriots and City Oilers, the
group also comprises Kenyan champions
KPA, Ferroviario de Maputo from Mozam-
A publication of The New Times Publications Ltd, P. O. Box 4953 Kigali, Rwanda. Tel. Editorial: (+250) 780303436. Marketing: (+250) 0782859324. Website: www.newtimes.co.rw
bique, Madagascar side GNBC and UNZA
Pacers of Zambia.
KPA and GNBC advanced to the final
round after finishing first and second, re-
spectively, from Group F, while Ferrovi-
ario and UNZA Pacers progressed from
Group E.
By press time Tuesday, FIBA Africa was
yet to name four wild card winners who
will join the two groups – two in each
group – to make them eight-team pools.
In the meantime, Cameroon capital,
Yaoundé, will host Group G games in
the second round from November 26 to
December 1. The group includes; AS Po-
lice (Mali), GSP (Algeria), A.B.C (Côte
d’Ivoire), AS Nigeric (Niger), F.A.P (Cam-
eroon) and Gabon’s Manga BB.
In the second round, also known as the
‘Elite 16’ round, teams – eight per group –
will be fighting for six tickets that are up
No. 5084, KIGALI, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019
for grabs.
The six winners will then join champions
from Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria,
Senegal, and Tunisia to form a 12-team
line-up for the inaugural BAL season next
year.
Kigali has been confirmed as the host
city for the semi-finals and the final of the
much anticipated continental showpiece.
Rwanda will also organise the 2021 Afri-
can Basketball Championships (AfroBas-
ket) finals tournament, making it only the
second East African nation to host the con-
tinent’s biggest basketball event – and the
first since Kenya in 1993.
The men’s senior national basketball
team has been to five of the last six Af-
robasket editions since its 2007 debut in
Angola.
editor@newtimesrwanda.com
Harper ends
retirement to
chase Olympic gold
Dawn Harper Nelson, 35, won gold
at the 2008 Beijing and silver at the
2012 London Olympics. Net photo.
AMERICAN hurdler Dawn Harper
Nelson is coming out of retirement
to chase more Olympic gold, the
35-year-old has said.
Harper Nelson, who gave birth to
a daughter in April, said on Mon-
day she was training for the 2020
Tokyo Games and hoped to win a
third Olympic 100m hurdles med-
al.
“I know I still have the talent
and can do it,” Harper Nelson, the
2008 Olympic champion and 2012
silver medallist, told Reuters by
telephone.
She retired from the sport in 2018
to start a family but said her Olym-
pic dream never really died.
“The whole time, I didn’t know
in my heart if I was done,” Harper
Nelson said.
During her pregnancy she contin-
ued to work out, telling friends she
just wanted to feel good, but talk
of making a return became serious
after her daughter’s birth and she
went back to the track in May.
“I didn’t want Harper to feel like
her birth symbolized mom’s dream
dying,” said Harper Nelson, who
won her first world championship
medal, a bronze, in 2011.
“So I talked with my family and I
talked with my husband, and my
husband was like, ‘We are doing it
if you want to do it.’”
Agencies