ATC News by Wolfgang H. Thome The week-long celebration of Rwanda’s conservation achievements, known as Kwita Izina, has come to an end Friday night, after 22 young born gorillas were named in front of President Paul Kagame, who for the second year running attended the event. Kagame reiterated in his …
Read More »Trade war bites as Burundi bans exports to Rwanda
Unexpected outcomes from Burundi’s trade ban on Rwanda Burundi’s July decision to ban exports to its northern neighbor, Rwanda, is brewing trouble for both economies; the question is whether the embattled leadership in Bujumbura can afford to pay that price. The export restrictions on Rwanda were imposed in July by Burundian …
Read More »THE LAST WORD: Inside Rwanda’s police state
Why Rwandans tell pollsters they are free while abstract standards of freedom say the country is repressive The view that Rwanda is a police state is such an entrenched position among critics of President Paul Kagame that it has become gospel truth. Last week on my radio talk show on …
Read More »East African roads authorities lay plans to work together
A first meeting in Kampala of Chief Executives of East African roads authorities is seen as a first step to collaborative efforts in building and strengthening infrastructure in the region. “UNRA is seeking collaboration with other roads authorities in the region. Our coming together will put us at a level …
Read More »South Sudan violence tops African Union summit agenda
Kigali, Rwanda | AFP | Renewed fighting in South Sudan that has claimed more than 300 lives dominated discussions at an African Union summit that opened Sunday in the Rwandan capital Kigali. A shaky ceasefire has held since late Monday following the fighting that raged for four days in Juba, …
Read More »Election of AU Commission boss high on Kigali summit
The election of the African Union Commission boss will be high on the agenda of the AU week-long summit to take place in Kigali next week. Uganda’s very own, former Uganda VP Specioza Kazibwe is the candidate that has been fronted by East Africa and is currently ‘continent trotting’ …
Read More »Israel and Rwanda share bond of ‘pain of genocide’
Kigali, Rwanda | AFP | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Rwanda on Wednesday for a symbolic stop on his “historic” African tour, boosting ties between two countries with a history marked by genocide. Welcomed on arrival by Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Netanyahu visited the Kigali Memorial Centre where …
Read More »A tale of two roundabouts
Why the story of Rwanda’s economic success keeps being juxtaposed with human rights abuses Last week I was in Kigali, Rwanda, after only two weeks of absence. Driving from the airport to the city, I found two new roundabouts near the new Convention Center complex. On my right was a …
Read More »Rwanda suffocates ‘mivumba’ importers
Rwandan has massively hiked import duties on secondhand clothes and shoes, coming mainly from Europe and North America, to help promote local manufacturers, officials said Friday. The measure “takes effect from July 1,” a manager in the Rwandan Receipts Agency, Drocelle Mukashyaka, told AFP. RWANDA: Rwanda multiplies import duties on …
Read More »Beyond national politics, policies
Why good leadership at a national level is not enough to make a country successful economically THE LAST WORD: Let us do a thought experiment. It is often said that the problem of Africa is poor leadership: if our continent had leaders dedicated to serving their people rather than lining …
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