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Tag: Kagame

  • Kagame dismisses over 200 soldiers from army

    Kagame dismisses over 200 soldiers from army

    President Paul Kagame of Rwanda has dismissed over 200 military personnel from the Rwanda Defense Force (RDF), including 21 senior and junior officers, the military announced in a statement on Friday.

    Among those dismissed were Martin Nzaramba and Etienne Uwimana, alongside 19 other senior and junior officers, according to the statement issued by the RDF.

    In addition, the president authorised the termination of contracts for 195 other ranks within the RDF.

    No official reasons were provided for the dismissals, but under Rwandan law, military personnel can be dismissed from the RDF for “gross misconduct.”

  • Kagame set to win presidential election in Rwanda with 99% votes

    Kagame set to win presidential election in Rwanda with 99% votes

    Incumbent Paul Kagame is set to win a fourth term in office in the presidential election in Rwanda.

    With nearly 79 per cent of all votes counted, Kagame has garnered more than 99per cent of the vote, according to the electoral commission.

    His two opponents, the chairman of the Green Party, Frank Habineza, and the independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana, have both received well under 1per cent, the electoral commission said.

    More than nine million people were eligible to vote on Monday, including two million first-time voters.

    Kagame has been president of the country since 2000, but has, in practice, been leading Rwanda since 1994.

    Back then, as leader of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), he marched into Rwanda from exile in Uganda and ended the genocide of the Hutu militias against the Tutsi.

    He was then defence minister and vice president.

    Kagame’s party, RPF, is also likely to emerge as the strongest party in the parliamentary elections.

    There are  670 candidates vying for the 80 seats in parliament.

    A special feature is that female lawmakers make up a majority in parliament

    Human rights organizations have criticized the persecution of opposition figures in the East African country with a population of over 14 million.

    The official election results are to be announced by July 27.

  • Rwanda President comments on Arsenal’s shock loss to Brentford

    Rwanda President comments on Arsenal’s shock loss to Brentford

    President Paul Kagame of Rwanda has reacted to Arsenal’s shock defeat to newly promoted Brentford in this season’s league opener on Friday night.

    Arsenal were stunned 2-0 by Brentford who made their first top-flight appearance in 74 years.

    Sergi Canos and Christian Norgaard were the heroes for Brentford as their goals in either half, secured the first win of the new campaign.

    And Kagame, an Arsenal fan admitted Brentford were deserved winners.

    “What?? It’s football, it’s a loss of Arsenal at/to Brentford,” he wrote on Twitter. “Brentford deserved to win and they did. The game itself aside Arsenal and the fans don’t deserve to kind of get used to this….NO !!! I say this as one of the big fans of Arsenal. The change has taken too long to come!

    “It’s been a struggle of about decade(s) -ups & downs-more downs until this point. Can’t we have a plan that really works?? One part to look at is how we deal in the market- players we buy to execute the plan. The touch & go mentality does not bring change.

    “We just must NOT excuse or Accept mediocrity. A team has to be built with purpose to win win win. So that when we lose….it was not to be expected! I am sure we all know on whose shoulders the heaviest burden rests. I hope they know too or even accept it!!! End.”

  • Insecurity: Rwandan President Kagame drops message for fellow African leaders

    Insecurity: Rwandan President Kagame drops message for fellow African leaders

    The President of Rwanda, Mr Paul Kagame, has called on African leaders to apply a harmonious approach to deal with the root causes of the security crisis across the continent.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that Kagame made the call at the UBA Africa Conversations 2021, with the theme: “Africa to the World,” held virtually to commemorate Africa Day on Tuesday in Lagos.

    He said: “We did not have to ask the question as to what African leaders are doing to stop the crisis going on across the continent.

    “But rather ask ourselves what we should be doing or have done to actually prevent them from happening in the first place.

    “It has been decades since we have had crises of different kinds. All leaders should invest in one another and thinking of each other’s well-being and do whatever it takes to create a stable and sustainable African continent.

    “The continued emergence and spread of these crisis, require resources and a mindset to pursue peace, also put in place good politics.

    “We cannot just switch off crisis unless we invest in addressing the root causes of these problems.

    “Leaders have had discussions but there is the need to put a sense of urgency because we have other crisis like poverty that we need to address,” he said.

    Kagame called on African leaders to capitalise and benefit from the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA), adding that the continent stands to gain more by coming together.

    “We must utilise the youth, women and other institutions to help us overcome the crises faced across the continent but we cannot drop the ball right in the middle of it for smaller interests or benefits and forget about the common interest.

    “For example, we have put in place the AfCTA, we must capitalise on that and benefit from it so that we do not just have it in name but in the area of practice.

    “We cannot benefit until countries work together in peace, with security in place and stability,” he said.

  • Kagame, Okonjo-Iweala, Ghebreyesus, Elumelu, others for UBA Africa Conversations 2021

    Kagame, Okonjo-Iweala, Ghebreyesus, Elumelu, others for UBA Africa Conversations 2021

    The UBA Africa Conversations 2021: Join Africa’s Global Leaders – President Kagame of Rwanda, WTO’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, UBA’s Tony O. Elumelu, WHO’s Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, IFC’s Makhtar Sop Diop, to Celebrate Africa Day at the UBA Africa Conversations 2021

    The United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, is set to celebrate this year’s Africa Day in commemoration of African unity with the third edition of its annual UBA Africa Conversations, headlined by Africa’s international leaders that include the President of Rwanda, H.E Mr Paul Kagame; Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation(WTO); Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation(WHO) and Mr. Makhtar Sop Diop, Managing Director, International Finance Corporation(IFC). The conversations will be held online on africaday.ubagroup.com

    At a time of unparalleled African leadership in global organisations, the UBA Africa Conversations provides the opportunity for an African and global audience to hear directly from our distinguished guests on Africa’s relationship with the world, the opportunities and the challenges, and their own personal journeys.

    Moderated by Tony O. Elumelu, the Group Chairman, UBA and Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, discussions will be focused on Africa’s development in the areas of the economy and finance, trade, health and the unity of the continent.

    The theme this year is ‘Bringing Africa to the World’, epitomised by the global success of the panellists’ careers. The event will take place virtually on Tuesday May 25th, 2021 at 12pm WAT.

    Africa Day has been celebrated since 1963 on May 25th across the African continent and worldwide. The day was inaugurated by the Organisation of African Unity, in celebration of the unity, diversity and beauty of Africa and its people.

    UBA, one of Africa’s leading financial services institutions, with a pan-African footprint spanning 20 African countries and globally in the United States of America, the United Kingdom and with presence in France, continues to lead the narrative focused on the development, growth, and unity of Africa.

    The UBA Africa Conversations is open to all and registration is possible on the UBA Group website africaday.ubagroup.com/reserve

  • BREAKING: Okonjo-Iweala wins Forbes’ Africa Person of the Year 2020

    BREAKING: Okonjo-Iweala wins Forbes’ Africa Person of the Year 2020

    Former Minster of Finance, Okonjo-Iweala and a leading candidate for the office of the Director-General. World Trade Organisation has been voted Africa Person of the Year by Forbes magazine.

    Among other prominent Nigerians who have won this prestigious award include, former governor of the central bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido; President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwunmi Adesina, Nigerian billionaire, Aliko Dangote.

    The award is coming weeks after the Chair of the General Council of the World Trade Organization, Dr David Walker and Facilitators of the process for the Appointment of Directors-General formally submitted her name as the WTO DG designate – the candidate who has garnered the most support to head the organization.

    It will be recalled that Dr Okonjo-Iweala emerged the overwhelming choice of WTO member-countries following a keenly contested race in which she got the majority support of the 164 member countries.

    The Forbes Africa-CNBC award is the latest honour clinched by the multi award winning development economist, one of the African Union (AU) Special Envoys appointed to mobilize international support for Africa’s efforts to address the COVID-19 economic fallout.

    She is also the World Health Organisation (WHO) Special Envoy for the newly inaugurated Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) accelerator and its offshoot the COVAX facility, an international collaboration aimed at accelerating the development, production, and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, drugs and tests kits around the world with the specific objective of ensuring timely, affordable and equitable access to poor countries.

    Okonjo-Iweala also serves as the Chair of the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a public-private global health partnership that has immunised 760 million children in developing countries and saved 13 million lives.

    Reacting to the news, Okonjo-Iweala, who is known for her humility and humanity, expressed her delight at the recognition and dedicated the award to Africans facing the health and socio-economic challenges of Covid-19 during a very difficult year.

    “It is a great honour to serve Africa in different capacities” said Okonjo-Iweala. “I look forward to deploying my energies at the WTO for Africa and the world”.

    Okonjo-Iweala has received numerous recognitions and awards. Dr. Okonjo-Iweala has been listed as one of the 50 Greatest World Leaders (Fortune, 2015), the Top 100 Most Influential People in the World (TIME, 2014), the Top 100 Global Thinkers (Foreign Policy, 2011 and 2012), the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in the World (Forbes, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014), the Top 3 Most Powerful Women in Africa (Forbes, 2012), the Top 10 Most Influential Women in Africa (Forbes, 2011), the Top 100 Women in the World (The Guardian, 2011), the Top 150 Women in the World (Newsweek, 2011), the Top 100 most inspiring people in the World Delivering for Girls and Women (Women Deliver, 2011). She received the Women’s Economic Empowerment Award from WEConnect International (2017) and was listed among 73 “brilliant” business influencers in the world by Condé Nast International.

    Details soon

  • Osinbajo jets to Rwanda for Kagame’s inauguration

    Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, will on Friday join other world leaders to witness the inauguration of President Paul Kagame of Rwanda in the country’s capital, Kigali.

    His spokesman, Laolu Akande, disclosed this in a statement.

    Akande said Osinbajo would return to the country immediately after the inauguration.

    The statement read, “Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, is attending the presidential inauguration of President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, taking place today in Kigali, the country’s capital.

    “The inauguration ceremony which is expected to be witnessed by several African Heads of State and Government, follows President Kagame’s victory at the August 4 Rwandan presidential election.

    “Prof. Osinbajo who is accompanied by the Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama is expected back in Abuja later today.”

     

  • Rwanda 2017: Kagame sweeps presidential polls, gets third term in office

    Rwanda’s incumbent leader Paul Kagame has sealed a crushing victory in presidential elections that granted him a third term in office, extending his 17 years in power.

    Kagame has won international plaudits for presiding over a peaceful and rapid economic recovery in the Central African nation since the 1994 genocide, when an estimated 800,000 people Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed.

    But he has also faced mounting censure for what critics and rights groups say are widespread human rights abuses, a muzzling of independent media and suppression of political opposition.

    With 80 per cent of votes accounted for, the 59-year-old former guerrilla leader secured 98.66 percent, the National Electoral Commission’s Executive secretary Charles Munyaneza told a news conference.

    “We expect that even if we get 100 percent of votes, there will not be any change,” he said.

    The board expected turnout to top 90 per cent in the East African country of 12 million citizens once full details emerged, in elections that fielded only a single opposition candidate, Frank Habineza, and an independent.

    Kagame, who cast his vote in Kigali’s Rugunga polling station earlier on Friday, said he would work to sustain economic growth in the tiny nation.

    “This is another seven years to take care of issues that affect Rwandans and ensure that we become real Rwandans who are (economically) developing,” he said in a speech broadcast live on television.

    Under his rule, some dissidents were killed after they fled abroad, in cases that remain unsolved. The government denies any involvement.

    Kagame, a commander who led Tutsi rebel forces into Rwanda to end the 1994 genocide, banned the use of tribal terms after becoming president.

    He won the last election in 2010 with 93 per cent of the vote and during this campaign for a further seven-year term, said he expected an outright victory.

    Habineza, who has so far won 0.45 percent of the early count, had promised to set up a tribunal to retry dissidents whose convictions by Rwandan courts have been criticized as politically motivated.

    Another would-be opponent, Diane Rwigara, was disqualified by the election board despite her insistence that she met all the requirements to run.

    “To me I see this as a one-man race. I simply did not go to vote,” said one man in Kigali who asked not to be named.

     

     

    Reuters/NAN