Volume 1 issue 33

www.indoafricatimes.com

MONDAY | AUGUST 25, 2014 Title Code: DELENG18579 • RNI NO: DELENG/2014/54666 • Postal Registration No.: DN/325/2014-2016 • VOL. 1 • NO. 33 • Page 12 • Price `10

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The message was clear – southern Africa has a lot to gain if member states work together as opposed to working individually

This message was made at the just ended Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government Summit, which was held in the resort time of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

Addressing the summit, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe who assumed the chair of the regional body said it was critical for SADC countries to fully implement all its agreed decisions to ensure

that the citizens of the region benefit from regional integration.He said through this way, “I have no doubt that together we will

succeed,” adding that SADC had all the necessary natural resources such as huge tracts of land, minerals, water basins and wildlife to sustain its development.

“As the curtain comes down on our summit, I note with appreciation our renewed collective commitment to expend even more effort to

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Robert Mugabe, President, Zimbabwe

URGES DEEPER COOPERATION

Indulge and Invest In Côte d'IvoIre

Queen oF tHe HIlls: dHaramsHala

enHanCIng sugar IndustrY PerFormanCe In aFrICa

seychelles to have online business licensing

aviation day sets agenda

for enhanced intra-african connectivity

Wassupafrica02

Johannesburg – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) African

Aviation Day emphasized the need for intra-African air connectivity to spread economic and social prosperity across the continent. In particular, IATA noted that the liberalization of air rights for intra-Africa flights could yield significant benefits in both jobs and GDP growth.

Africa is well-placed to enjoy sustained economic growth thanks to a young, expanding and urbanizing population, combined with abundant natural resources. But because intra-African aviation connectivity and the economic health of its airlines are weaker than they could be, opportunities for job creation, business growth and innovation are being lost. African airlines are expected to return a profit of just $100 million

The competition for the 3rd and 4th editions of the Education Research in Africa Award (ERAA) is now open.

The Award aims to promote high quality education research, produced by African universities, research centres and research networks. It is awarded to four categories of researchers or institutions: the best emerging researcher, the best accomplished researcher, the outstanding mentor of educational researchers, and the best enabling institutional environment for education research.

The Award is organized by the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) and the African Development Institute (ADI) of the African Development Bank (AfDB), with financial support from the Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC).

The inaugural edition of ERAA was launched in 2012.

For the 3rd and 4th editions of the Award (2014 and 2015), research in the following thematic fields will receive special attention: technical and vocational skills development (TVSD); early childhood development (ECD); information and communication technology (ICT); science, technology and innovation (STI);

The Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) approved on 11th of August in Tunis a US$530,000 grant to Mali as co-funding for a project to promote renewable energy in the country (PAPERM project). The overall objective of the grant is to strengthen the enabling environment for catalyzing renewable energy investments from the private sector. Specifically, SEFA will finance policy, legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks, as well as capacity building for various audiences involved in developing, financing, and operating renewable energy power projects.

The SEFA funded component is part of a wider project (PAPERM) in the context of the country’s Scaling-Up Renewable Energy Program (SREP) with a total project cost of approximately US$ 2.6 million, also funded by the SREP (US$1.5 million) and the government of Mali (US$0.4 million).

The PAPERM project has three components: the first will aim at improving the policy, legal, regulatory and institutional environment to promote investment in renewable energy; the second is focused on capacity building, knowledge management, communications and advocacy for renewable energy; and the third will strengthen the monitoring

in 2014, on a net profit margin of 0.8%, the lowest of all aviation regions.

“Increased intra-African air connectivity is essential if Africa is to seize the opportunities for growth promised by its demographic and resources advantages. Aviation in Africa supports nearly 7 million jobs and $80 billion in GDP, but it faces challenges in terms of liberalization of markets, safety, costs, infrastructure and regulation. Only through industry and governments working hand-in-hand can these challenges be overcome, to the benefit of everyone across Africa,” said Raphael Kuuchi, IATA’s Vice President for Africa.

Enhanced connectivityTo provide African

governments with a clearer view of the benefits of intra-African connectivity, IATA formally launched a report showing that liberalization of air services across 12 African nations would create 155,000 jobs and boost GDP by $1.3 billion.

The report by InterVISTAS, an independent consultancy, calculated the positive economic impact of implementing the 1999 Yamoussoukro Decision, which pledged to open up air transport markets within Africa to transnational competition. The 12 nations in the report are: Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia and Uganda.

Aviation Day sets agenda for enhanced intra-African connectivity

ADEA, AfDB and KOAFEC launch the 2014/2015 Education Research in Africa Award

Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa supports Mali in promoting renewable energy

Improved safetyThe 2012 Abuja Declaration

on African Safety by transport ministers of the African Union set out a goal for African aviation to match the average safety levels of the rest of the world by 2015.

IATA has identified 20 airlines for assistance in implementing IOSA. The Declaration also calls on states to create well-resourced and autonomous Civil Aviation Authorities and to implement safety management systems.

Tackling the challenge of EbolaThe spread of Ebola continues

to be a significant medical challenge in the region. IATA is liaising closely with the World Health Organization (WHO), which is taking the lead in tackling the disease. The aviation industry is taking all necessary precautions, such as introducing exit screening at certain airports. Airlines also have well-tested procedures for handling suspected cases of infection, including guidelines for isolation and care for ill passengers, and measures for disinfecting aircraft.

“The WHO is best placed to give authoritative, independent advice on how best to deal with Ebola. They have been very clear that travel and trade bans are unnecessary. Unless this advice changes we hope that countries working hard to eradicate Ebola continue to benefit from air connectivity,” said Kuuchi.

Eturbo News

and evaluation processes of the sub-sector, and the programmatic approach under SREP-Mali. Mali’s Ministry of Energy will be the executing agency with the projected expected to be completed in three years.

The need to promote the development of renewable energy in Mali could not be greater: the national electricity access rate is only around 30%, even as the potential in solar, hydro and wind power generation is tremendous. “To better its energy mix, Mali must improve its policy, legal and regulatory framework. Eventually, renewable energy will be seen as a viable option for reducing the country’s dependence on thermal generation and effectively lower the electricity retail tariff,” said Alex Rugamba, Director of the AfDB’s Energy, Environment and Climate Change Department.

During the course of the project, the AfDB will support Mali’s Ministry of Energy in preparing and implementing activities, channeling SREP funding, and raising more financing to scale up the renewable energy investment in Mali. As part of the SREP program, the Bank is also involved in the development of a mini hydroelectricity project and a solar Photovoltaic independent power producer project in Mali.

AfDB

gender issues; special education needs; teacher training and the teaching profession.

The organizing committee encourages women to participate in the 2014 and 2015 editions.

The terms and conditions of participation in the competition are available on line.

Research on education is crucial for African education systems to function well. It provides decision-makers with the information they need to

orient policy, conduct reform and enhance the quality, equity, relevance and efficiency of their education and training systems.

In spite of this, education research in Africa remains insufficient and underused. Among the main factors explaining this are the inadequate institutional environment for education research, and the persisting weak involvement of higher education in the policy-making process.

The objectives of the Education Research in Africa Award are:

• To strengthen the link between education research and education policy-making and practice in Africa;

• To encourage and support researchers based in Africa and their organizations to produce and disseminate rigorous and relevant research that stimulates innovative policy-making for Africa;

• To facilitate the interaction between researchers and policy-makers in order to

promote the systematic use of research findings in the design, formulation, implementation and evaluation of education policies;

ERAA ultimately seeks the institutionalization of a culture of quality research that contributes both to informed decision-making and to

the effective implementation of promising reforms and practices.

It is part of a wider framework seeking to strengthen education research capacities in Africa, which will be implemented in the next few years.

The juries for the Award are made up of African and Africanist researchers and education specialists working in universities, research centers and research organizations based in Africa and in other regions of the world.

AfDB

Raphael Kuuchi, IATA’s Vice President for Africa

MONDAY | AUGUST 25, 2014

Wassupafrica 03

fulfill the ideals of SADC for the benefit of our individual countries and the region at large,” he said.

“The decisions that we have taken will only be meaningful to the people if we implement them. We therefore, need to improve our scorecard on that front.”

The summit adopted a number of resolutions to push the regional integration agenda forward. These include the decision to place industrialization on the centre stage in SADC regional integration

No one should be denied understanding of their human rights just because they can’t afford a mobile data plan. Now women in Zambia won’t be, as Facebook and Internet.org’s new app gives them free Internet connection for accessing women’s rights resources like MAMA (Mobile Alliance For Maternal Action), WRAPP (Women’s Rights App), and Facts For Life by UNICEF.

Facebook worked with Zambian carrier Airtel and local governments to identify the need for these resources and bake them into Internet.org. But as the app gets rolled out in more countries around the globe, Facebook could cause tension with governing regimes that have historically oppressed women. And that’s a fight worth fighting.

MAMA Internet Dot Org“’Women’s access to technology – and their ability to use it to shape and drive change in their communities – is critical to gender equality” says Global Fund for Women’s President

Fixed network operator Tanzania Telecommunications Company Limited (TTCL) has announced US$6 million worth of investment for telecom equipment in 202 villages targeted at improving telecommunication services.

The upgrade will benefit 300,000 people living in 16 regions including Arusha, Tabora, Iringa, Kagera, Manyara, Dodoma, Lindi, Mbeya, Morogoro and Mtwara. Other regions earmarked for future development include Mwanza, Pwani, Ruvuma, Shinyanga, Singida and Tanga.

The equipment upgrade follows an agreement signed between TTCL and Universal Communication Services Access Fund (UCSAF), an institution created in 2006 by the government to ensure the availability of communication services in rural and urban underserved areas.

TTCL chief executive officer (CEO) Kamugisha Kazaura confirmed the new development.

“Our aim is to make sure that every constituency and village that was lacking telecommunication for a long time, to have that access,” he said.

“Most of the areas where the project is expected to be carried out are underdeveloped.”

balancingact-africa

agenda.SADC believes that

industrialization would allow countries to improve their competitiveness through diversification and value addition.

“To this end, summit mandated the ministerial task force on regional economic integration to develop a strategy and roadmap for industrialization in the region,” reads part of the communiqué issued soon after the two-day meeting held on 17-18 August.

On the Regional Indicative

FRoM page 01Strategic Development Plan (RISDP), the leaders directed the finalization of the implementation plan in order to provide guidance towards the implementation of SADC programmes.

The RISDP has been in review since 2010 to ensure that the plan aligns with new realities as well as set achievable targets.

With regard to the theme of the summit “SADC Strategy for Economic Transformation: Leveraging the Region’s Diverse Resources for Sustainable Economic and Social Development through Value Addition and Beneficiation,” it was agreed that the region further meets to deliberate on the matter before the next annual summit in 2015.

On plans to launch an enlarged free market covering 26 countries in eastern and southern Africa, SADC said negotiations are going well with other regional economic communities.

The negotiations involve the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC) and SADC.

C o m m o n l y referred to as COMESA-EAC-SADC, the three plans

aim to establish the tripartite Free Trade Area by 2016.

The leaders also noted that the region was making significance progress to improve food production in the region. However, challenges continue to affect the agriculture sector.

“To this end, summit endorsed a regional food and nutrition strategy from 2015 to 2025 to ensure improved food availability, accessibility and utilization in a more sustainable manner.”

On gender development, the region urged countries put in place policies and strategies to sustain and improve the representation of women in decision making positions. SADC aims to have at least gender 50/50 representation in all decision making positions by 2015.

The SADC Summit by elected Botswana as deputy to Zimbabwe.

As per tradition, this means the next SADC Summit set for

August 2015 will be held in Botswana.

South Africa assumed the chair of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence

and Security C o o p e r a t i o n ,

with Lesotho being deputy.

By Kizito Sikuka

Facebook Takes a Stand with Free Access to Women’s Rights Info in Africa

Tanzanian villages to benefit from $6m telecoms upgrade

Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and South Sudan Agree to Cut Roaming Charges

and CEO Musimbi Kanyoro. “This technology will give voice to millions of people, including women, in Zambia, Africa and the whole world, and empower them to share ideas, drive innovation, and build more inclusive and democratic societies.”

The Internet.org app launched last week in Zambia, its first country, as a standalone Android app, a tab in the Facebook for Android app, and as a mobile website available on the feature phones most Zambians carry. It gives free access to a limited set of Internet services including Facebook, Wikipedia, and Google Search, as well as local info on weather, jobs, government, and human rights. Airtel subsidizes this free access because the app proves the value of the Internet to people, some of whom may buy data plans through it to reach the rest of the web. Screen Shot 2014-08-01 at 3.00.56 PMThe Zambian government has been supportive of the project, but Internet.org could face friction in other parts of Africa, the Indian subcontinent, or the Middle East where gender discrimination is more institutionalized. Facebook has endured censorship in the past by governments that oppose

social media and some types of content due to “moral concerns”, including Syria, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Saudi Arabia as well as China. Some have lifted their bans, but purposefully giving free access to information that could encourage women and other disadvantaged groups to call for more freedom could potentially invoke governmental ire.

These situations could draw a fine line for Facebook to walk, where it doesn’t want to get its social network banned, leaving users in the lurch, but wants to empower people through the Internet. Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, says “This technology will empower countless women to make a positive impact on their societies and the world.”

Mark Zuckerberg pushed to start Internet.org because he says “I believe connectivity is a human right.” Empowerment through information can cause temporary destabilization and hardship, as we saw with the Arab Spring. But while these may be the growing pains of humanitarian progress, access to knowledge should help us emerge as a more just species.

balancingact-africa

Northern Corridor countries have agreed on a regional telecommunications framework to establish a "One-Network-Area" by 31st December 2014. When fully operational, charges on phones calls within the region could drop by 60 percent.

The One-Network-Area is being implemented following a directive of the 5th Heads of State Summit held in Kenya back in May 2014. At another summit in Rwanda on July 03, the leaders expressed satisfaction with progress.

Regional line-ministries were directed to ensure the following: Exemption of regional calls from surcharges applied by member states on international incoming calls. No additional charges to subscribers on account of roaming within the region. And no charges for receiving calls while roaming within.

Rwanda Minister for Youth and ICT, Jean Philbert Nsengimana said regional telecoms and governments need to work together to achieve seamless roaming in the Northern Corridor which comprises Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and South Sudan.

Subscribers travelling within the corridor will be charged as local subscribers in the visited country network. The subscriber will only incur prevailing calling rates of the visited network similar to what local subscribers pay.

Nasasira, Uganda's Minister of ICT said: "It is important that our regional telecom operators work together to make this communication milestone a reality."

Operators within the region shall be required to re-negotiate their bilateral agreements to ensure the full implementation of the One-Network Area by 1st September 2014 for Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda and 31st December 2014 for South Sudan.

Dr. Matiang'i, the Cabinet Secretary, Kenya's Ministry of ICT said the telecom industry has to come together to establish a permanent platform that allows the sector to grow to benefit consumers.

The launch of the One-Network-Area will abolish roaming charges among the four countries. There will also be a significant drop in cost of calls within Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan and Kenya by an average of 60%.

Data also shows that border trade and exchanges will boom - with citizens able to use their regular SIM cards for calls while traveling in the corridor. Initially, customers were forced to buy several SIMs to use in different states.

Currently, the cost of regional roaming is higher than the cost of calling international destinations like Europe.

balancingact-africa

TOW

ARDS A COMMON FUTUR

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SOUT

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RICCAN DEVELOPMENT COMM

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mONDAY | AUGUST 25, 2014

countryoftheWeek04Côte d’IvoIre At A GLANCe

Country Official Name: Republic of Côte d’Ivoire

Head of the State: H.E. Dr. Alassane OUATIARA

Capital: Yamoussoukro

Independence: 07 August 1960

Religions: Christianity, Islam and other local's religions

Government: Regime Presidential

Total area: 322.000Km2

Inflation Rate: 2,5% (2013)

Population: 23.200.000

Language: French (official language) Bete; Dioula; Agni; Baoule Guere

Climate: Semi-arid

Import Items: Fuel, Machinery and Electrical equipment

Export Items: Cafe; Cacao; Coconut; Palm oil; Wood, Banana

Natural Resources: Diamond, Iron, Gold

Main Economic Sector: Agriculture, Manufacturing, Mining

Time Zone: GMT

Currency: Franc CFA

The booming nation with the youth eager to learn, prosper and develop, Côte d'Ivoire

was in medieval times the center of several major African trade routes. Culturally, the nation has a diverse exposure to distinct religions and traditions as it homes Christians, Muslims and groups with traditional beliefs. With extreme ethnic and linguistic variety, the nation shares its borders with Guniea, Liberia, Mali, Ghana and Burkina Faso along with 600km of coast on the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean).

The nation is marking its presence with timber industry and light industrial sector that is spreading wings in the field of processing primary products and produces textiles, chemicals and sugar for export markets. Furthermore, the offshore oil and gas deposits are on the path of growth and development and meeting the needs of industrial sector and the energy sector. The nation already persists on oil refining operations together with cigarette manufacturing generating industrial economy for the nation.

Also, the government is stepping ahead and developing the service sector and gradually centering on tourism, financial services and telecommunications. Côte d'Ivoire with the GDP of US$ 15.9 billion has cocoa, rubber, timber, coffee, palm oil, bananas and pineapples as the source of major exports and consumer goods, capital goods and food as the imports items. The nation stands proud being the world’s largest cocoa producer and the third largest coffee producer worldwide. And, when talking about the beauty of nature, the western and southern parts of Côte d'Ivoire are covered with greenery and forests along with savannahs plains in north and in west, mountain border protects the nation. One can find the birdlife in abundance especially near the coast.

The nation is a proud member of all major regional economic organisations such as ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) and numerous bodies allied with the CFA Franc zone. Worth mentioning here is that the government and economy of the nation is based solely on the idea of liberalism, promoting private initiative. Foreign investment takes a greater place in the economy of the nation with around 40% to 50% share of total capital in Ivorian firms.

Real Estate SectorWith the Ivorian economy

coming back on track with a bang, the stability is almost guaranteed and this makes the real sector flourish with great potential. The

nation’s needs are huge and viable in terms of property although, the gap between supply and demand is not stable with each passing year. According to sources, the Ministry of Construction and Urbanism has launched an operation to enhance the status of supply of a wide variety of land and urbanisation is taking place massively.

Rubber IndustryRubber is one of the main

sources of export earnings for

Côte d'ivoireIndulge and Invest in

the Ivorian government, thus, it focusses to triple the production by 2015. In 2008, the natural rubber plantation topped by 200,000 tonnes from 188,500 in 2007. This year also, farmers there are confident that price support efforts will ensure in keeping the output rising.

All in all, doing business in Côte d'Ivoire is becoming predominant in the business world. The nation is stated as one of the most thriving economies in West Africa.

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BusinessBuzz 05Vodafone Partners Samsung for Galaxy Tab S Experience

South Africa: MTN SA Launches LTE Prepaid SIMs

App Makes Ebooks Available in African Languages

Samsung Electronics Ghana has partnered Vodafone Ghana to launch its new

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and 10.5 in Accra.The Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and 10.5 are Samsung's latest flagship devices, built to show off the very best of the company's hardware and software prowess.

The Galaxy Tab S devices have been built to go toe-to-toe with Apple's slates, a brave and perhaps foolhardy undertaking. Both models have a 2560 x 1600 pixel WQXGA Super AMOLED screen, which works out at 287 pixels-per-inch on the larger model and 360ppi on the smaller one.

The internals are identical, comprising 3GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, an 8MP rear camera and 2.1MP front-facing camera. The Samsung Exynos 5 Octa CPU inside these tablets combines 1.9 and 1.3GHz quad-core processors with the faster taking over from the slower when required at the expense of some battery life.

With a reinforced fingerprint

To many, the fact that literacy in African countries often leaves a lot to be desired comes as no surprise. A lot of organisations, however, are looking for ways to turn this around. Take for example Worldreader, who is planning to distribute nearly 400 African ebooks for free!

In cooperation with the African division of the African Cambridge University Press, NGO digital book provider Worldreader will soon release more than 390 titles on the African ebook market.

Ventureburn stated that the company, that has 330,000 active monthly users and housed 650,000 books in their digital library last year, is able to do this due to the lowered price of technology has fallen and risen adoption rates.

People using the Worldreader app don’t need specialised hardware to enter its library, Ventureburn says. The app can be accessed via the BINU Cloud Platform and is even compatible to feature phones – the African, simplified version of smart phones. According to the article on Ventureburn, all the user need is the possibility to run Java apps, which the writer believes is one of the best parts of the app.

Even though Worldreader originated in San Francisco, the NGO is present in Africa, Asia and a number of other places. Its aim

MTN South Africa has launched Long Term Evolution (LTE) PayAsYouGo SIM cards for prepaid customers.

The company said the move was designed to give them access to high-speed internet access that is ideal for a range of applications including online gaming, high definition television, and video conferencing. Now customers can enjoy doing the things they love doing online faster.

“South Africans want world-class internet access that is capable of meeting all their unique connectivity requirements,"says Larry Annetts, Chief Marketing Officer: MTN South Africa.

MTN has already rolled out LTE networks to parts of Gauteng, the Free State, KwaZulu Natal, and the Western, Central, and Eastern Cape with more sites coming online throughout the year.

"This roll-out strategy means

that MTN customers are always at the forefront of the latest technology that is competitive and relevant for their needs," adds Annetts.

More than 790 MTN LTE sites are already live nationally with a further 825 sites integrated with LTE technology.

The new MTN PayAsYouGo LTE SIM cards are available from any MTN branded stores including participating retail outlets.

Existing prepaid customers wanting to perform SIM swaps to the new LTE (128k) will also be able to do so.

The MTN LTE PayAsYouGo SIM pack will consist of the Standard SIM, Micro SIM and Nano SIM retailing for R1.50 and customers can select from any from a wide range of newly launched bundles from 3GB (R299), 5GB (R399), 10GB (R599), and 20GB (R1 199).

balancingact-africa.com

Samsung launches Solar-powered Internet School in Ghana Samsung Electronics West Africa and the Korean Education and Research Information Service (KERIS), in collaboration with the government of Ghana, this week launched the first Solar Powered Internet School (SPIS) in the country.

In a move that aims to bridge the digital divide and enhance educational capability of teachers and students in rural areas that have little or no electricity, the SPIS was launched at the Dago LA Junior High School, to complement the efforts by the Ministry of Education in the implementation of ICT integration in primary schools.

Speaking at the event, Ghana Education Minister, Hon. Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman, comments: “The SPIS ensures that modern day education reaches each and every corner of Africa and through its power generation, enables those without electricity to benefit from the use of technology.”

With a vision to reach over 2.5 million students in Africa by 2015, Samsung’s initiative focuses on the deployment of ICT infrastructure, professional development of educators, content development and management, school administration and management as well as sharing best practices in the integration of ICTs in enhancing learning and teaching in the classroom.

Mr. Harry Park, Samsung Electronics West Africa managing director, urged the community to look after the investment.

“The endless supply of information on the internet contributes immensely to broadening the perspectives of children today, improving their lives and in so doing improving the communities in which they live. Sadly, most children in Ghana and some other African countries lack the necessary ICT education with which they can compete with the rest of the world.”

The SPIS is a 40-foot shipping container that Samsung equips with 24 Samsung Laptops plus one for the teacher, a multi-

purpose Samsung printer, a 50-inch electronic board, a server, internet access and the solar panels. All these devices are optimised for use in a solar-powered environment.

The e-board allows for cross-group collaboration between and among educators and learners across geographical boundaries. It can run video conferencing, access the internet, and connect to the computers in the container, all simultaneously, providing an interactive learning and teaching experience for both the educators and learners.

Samsung has partnered with the Korea Education and Research Information Service (KERIS), an organisation which promotes public education through the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in schools, to pre-install content on the computers. KERIS also provided the necessary training designed to equip the teachers with requisite skills in curriculum development and integrate technology with this curriculum.

Kea’betswe Modimoeng, Public Affairs and Corporate Citizenship Manager at Samsung Electronics Africa,

emphasised the importance of partnerships with NGOs and Government in ensuring sustainability. “The SPIS is a step towards the right direction in terms of ensuring that we address the United Nations’ call for Africa’s growth as outlined in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This initiative is also in line with Samsung’s global vision of strengthening the minds and fostering the creativity of young people as well as a holistic effort on education transformation in Africa.”

The progressive Solar Powered Internet Schools concept, places African countries like Ghana, Kenya Rwanda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Gabon and South Africa at the forefront of nations adopting and integrating ICT in their education models.

balancingact-africa

is to up literacy levels, which the organisation is trying to achieve

by using universal technologies.

Now that Worldreader is joining hands with the Cambridge African Language Library, Ventureburn say, content will be available in the mother tongue of several countries in Southern and West Africa and the Riff Valley,

for example.balancingact-africa

sensor embedded in the home key, one can unlock the screen or access account with a simple finger swipe.

There's a multi window feature for multi-tasking which works as advertised, letting you chat while browsing the web or control your music while poring over Google Maps and so on.

It's of more use on the larger tablet and at this stage multi-tasking on a tablet feels kind of superfluous — once you get a keyboard up on screen as well everything starts to get really cluttered.

There are 30 different gifts bundled with the Tab S, covering subscriptions to sites like the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal to an in-flight Wi-Fi deal with Gogo and a free game or two.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Tetteh Akornor, Product Manager, Samsung Ghana said the partnership with Vodafone is because Vodafone provides the best network quality for its customers in the country.

Mr. Yao Agbeko, Head of Terminals, Vodafone Ghana disclosed that from now up to December this year anybody that purchase the Tab from any Vodafone or Samsung outlets will be given 3GB data for six month.

He said the partnership with Samsung is to give their customers the best of customer satisfaction.

Modern Ghana


fRaNkLY sPeaKinG06

Jeffrey robert Immelt Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, General Electric

mIkael karlSSonChief Executive Officer, Globeleq

By kirit soBti, editor, [email protected]

I am proud of our 100-year history in Africa. Through investments such as our new multi-modal manufacturing facility in Nigeria, Algeria gas turbine manufacturing, and our customer innovation centre in South Africa, we remain a committed partner to Africa’s sustainable growth.

Dibamba and Kribi are the only two independent power projects in Cameroon and we are really excited to be an active participant in the country’s power sector. These quality assets add significant capacity to the company’s existing platform in the region, further establishing Globeleq as the leading private power company in Africa.

MAkE A DIffERENCE

The bull's eye may seem unbelievable; nevertheless, bearing in mind the continuing developments in the hydropower and alternative energy sources in the country, the government is on the exact pathway

Promoting rural electrification and expanding power generation

net1 mobile Solutions connects rural areas in its own style

Net1 Mobile Solutions has brought a high-tide of surprise with its innovative idea of connecting rural areas with Wi-Fi networks. The South African based technology company prepared the Sun-e-light, a power generated lamp which is said to operate as a mobile charger and a Wi-Fi hotspot. This initiative began as part of corporate social responsibility project focusing on enabling rural areas to open up to the digital world. Chief marketing officer, José Carlos Da Silva Soares for the innovation asserted, "We began talks with a production company in China which specialises in producing simple yet innovative products to produce a prototype [of the Sun-e-light] for us, which has now been refined and tested over a period of two years." He added that the concept of Sun-e-light advanced as the Net1 missioned to provide connectivity to rural communities which have no electricity grid.

The Sun-e-light lamp is a 3G-enabled modem which acts as a wireless router that can be accessed via Wi-Fi and potentially even Bluetooth. Soares also added, "We are trying to make acquiring a lamp as easy as possible, and have thus enabled features on our USSD [unstructured supplementary services data] platforms that permit people to request a lamp directly from their mobile phone." The lamp takes eight hours to charge and provides up to 16 hours battery life. Initially, the company stated to roll out 2,000 lamps once there is demand in the market.

Soares also noted, "Accessibility and connectivity will enable these communities to better themselves and those around them, and this can ultimately lead to a hugely positive spin-off effect. Our particular focus leans towards learners, entrepreneurs, vendors and job seekers." And, to make lamps accessible and affordable for the public, the company will make it available for under R300.

Furthermore, Soares also reviewed, "We believe solar power is becoming hugely important. Both public and private organisations are moving towards solar powered initiatives to get off the grid, thereby saving money and reducing pressure on Eskom. It's also more environmentally friendly, and we can all contribute more to being more environmentally aware and being better corporate citizens."

Just think of the miserable life of a student who study for exams under streetlights because he can’t access electricity at home. In Africa, power is inaccessible, too expensive, and

undependable for most people. This traps societies in poverty-students find it tough to read after dark, clinics cannot refrigerate vaccines and businesses have shorter operating hours.

On the contrary, the African continent is well gifted with energy resources but most remain intact. Way out to this delinquent embrace: enhancing cross-border power trade, educating prevailing utility companies, refining access to electricity on a large scale, while helping countries chart low-carbon growth paths.

Interestingly, the Eastern Africa region is awarded with a diversity of energy resources essential for sustainable development. These energy resources, which are extensively dispersed throughout the region, take account of hydro, wind, biomass, solar, geothermal, peat and fossil fuels.

Rwanda‘s energy balance displays that about 85% of its overall primary energy consumption is based on biomass (99% of all households use biomass for cooking), 11% from petroleum products (transport, electricity generation and industrial use) and 3% from hydro sources for electricity. In April 2011 about 14% of the total population had access to electricity from the grid and the government has started a roll-out programme to swiftly surge this to 16% (350 000 connections) by 2012 and 60% by 2020.

For Africa to succeed the high demand for energy, regional blocs must plan methods of improving power trade between them, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All, Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, said when he recently attended the African Development Bank Annual Meetings.

“You cannot have one power market; you must have sub-regional power markets built around the power pools and regional economic communities. I requested the President to be part of that leadership group to which he is willing because he strongly believes

that the future of energy systems in Africa will be through integrating our energy resources.”

“The next step is to have a set of champions made up of African leaders with African businesses that can help integrate the markets and look at big energy generation projects.”

For Rwanda, like any other country in the region, lack of access to adequate power rests an impediment to attaining development targets.

According to available statistics only 17 per cent of the population in Rwanda has access to electricity.

For the past few years, a lot has been capitalised in the extraction of methane gas in Lake Kivu and geothermal energy on Mount Karisimbi. While no power has been extracted so far, officials have continued to be optimistic. Frequent targets were set for the power generation from the Lake

Kivu methane gas, nonetheless, none have been met. Yet, making an allowance that extra financial agreements have been signed and works on site have advanced, hope is not lost.

Government of Rwanda has also set

a determined energy production target to see 563 megawatts (MW) of energy realised by 2017 in order to diminish the country's electricity deficit.

The bull's eye may seem unbelievable; nevertheless, bearing in mind the continuing developments in the hydropower and alternative energy sources in the country, the government is on the exact pathway to encounter the high energy demands of a rapidly increasing population.

Energy sector in Rwanda has significantly enhanced over the recent past but there is still plenty of room for further expansion. The goal of the sector is to make circumstances for the delivery of safe, reliable, efficient, cost effective and environmentally suitable energy services to households and to all economic sectors on a sustainable basis. The energy has current electrification rate of 14.5% with 252,000 connections. Electricity accounts for about 4.5% of primary energy use in Rwanda, biomass gives 84.5% and petroleum products 11%.


traVeL&touRism 07

Every season and every spot has its own special offering such as Kangra art museum, Kotwali bazaar, St. John’s Church are the various well known places. The colourful temples and Gompas add cherry to the cake by reflecting the preeminent culture of Tibet.

Handy InformationLanguages Spoken: Hindi, Punjabi, English and Pahari are understood and spoken by the people engaged in tourism tradeShopping Centres: Kotwali Bazar, a general shopping area, and McLeod Ganj for Tibetan handicrafts

Area: 5739 sq. kmPopulation: 13.39 lakhAltitude: Between 1250 m to 1550 m (Dharamshala) Temperature: Max. 38 C in June; Min. 0 C in Jan. Annual rainfall: Varies between 290 cm to 380 cm second highest rainfall in the country. Best season: January to June; September to December. July-August is rainy season. Clothing: Winter: Heavy WoollensSummer: Light Woollens and tropical

Approach: Air: The nearest airport at Gaggalis 14 km away after which it is accessible by road. Rail: Pathankot is the nearest broad gauge railway terminal to Dharamshala. From Pathankot there is a narrow gauge railway line up to Kangra (94 km) and from here Dharamshala is 17 km by road. Road: Direct and regular bus service from Delhi (520 km), Chandigarh (250 km), Jammu (210 km), Shimla (238 km), Chamba (185 km) and Manali (240 km).

In the Himalayan wilderness Dharamsala is a lovely place. Spectacular views of the snow-laden mountains, striking culture,

quaint old monasteries and packed with Buddhist nuns and monks together form the tourist attractions in Dharamshala.

Dharamshala is blessed with picturesque natural beauty covered with oak, deodar, pine and lush greenery, and has everything for a perfect holiday. It is full of life and yet peaceful. Dharamshala has a number of exciting places to visit varying from temples to churches, monasteries to museums and ancient towns to places of natural beauty.

•bhagsunag falls: The mighty Bhagsunag waterfalls lies a little away from the town of Dharamsala. An old temple is also positioned is the surrounding.

•Dal lake: Edged in Deodar and Fir trees, the Dal Lake is added chocolate-box spot just 10kms away from Dharamsala.

•mcleod Ganj: Lovingly raised as the little Lhasa, McLeod Ganj draws more fame from the residence of His Holiness Dalai Lama than anything else. The little township with clusters of maonasteries and Buddha Statues is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Dharamsala.

•Jwalamukhi temple: A nearly two-hour jaunt would take you to the renowned Jwalamukhi Temple, enthusiastic to the Goddess of Light. There is no idol to worship as such in the temple. Slightly a constantly burning blue flame, emanating from inside the rocks, is worshipped.

• St. John's Church: As you drive from McLeod Ganj to Forsythe Ganj, St. John's Church lies in between. It also houses the tomb of Lord Elgin one of the Viceroys of British India.

PlaCeS to See In DharamShala

Q U E E N O F T H E H I L L SDharamshala


taLkiNGtecHnoLoGy08

J P Mukherji & Associates Pvt. Ltd: The company was established in 1974 and

acronym JPMA, has in past 40 years, has served in providing engineering and consultancy services to the Sugar Industry in all the areas from agriculture to final production of sugar. In short the company is capable to handle projects from concept to commissioning.

Challenges in African sugar Industry:

We feel blessed with our association with African world for the last 20 years and with

continued patronage. We wish to continue to share our knowledge and render our services to the sugar industry in African continent in all means and try to maintain it.

One of the emerging perceptions in Africa is sugar based cogeneration projects, which have been are already in operation in Africa. The main challenge in such projects is to carry out Proper detail analysis of the requirements of factory steam, Bagasse balance, and export of power possibilities to grid. The main important points are as follows:

ENHANCING SUGAR INDUSTRY PERFORMANCE IN AFRICA

1. Understanding of Project Requirement – Techno Commercial Viability

2. Project Management3. Contract Documentation4. Implementation of Project5. Resources for Finance6. Power Purchase Agreement

(PPA)7. Globalization of Sugar

Market8. Adoption To New Technology

Any new technology comes with a price tag. While choosing a scheme or equipment, one has to ensure that the right technology is being adopted and the equipment is proven and capable to give efficient performance in the long run. Some of the new technological equipments that are now used in India are:1. High Pressure Boilers 2. HP Heaters3. DEC turbines4. DCS System5. VFD for motors.

All the above equipment

J.P. Mukherji & Associates Pvt. Ltd.

properly integrated and interfaced can be an added advantage Co

Generation added to a sugar plant not only improves the Return on investment but also helps in being abreast of technology and consequently add to efficient operations and maximum returns.

Apart from above, milling and diffusers are being adopted with improved technology to optimize performances in cane juice extraction.

Improved cane preparatory devices such as fibrizors with swing type hammers, various improved instrumentation, DCS systems for operational controls are the new technologies to improve plant operations.

Replacing conventional Tail bars in Mill drives to Rope couplings, using various juice screening equipment, monitoring juice flow to process with the help of mass flow meters etc. have been the new developments.

The process house equipment and systems have undergone a sea change in improved methods and

systems to improve process and get more benefits.

High Pressure boilers, improved Power generation sets, optimum use of bagasse, reduction of steam requirement in process have contributed for the Sugar industry to be more profitable and to gain more Returns on Investment.

To date JPMA has successful completed projects, and has projects under execution, in a number of different countries including India, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Morocco, Nigeria, Tanzania, Fiji, Mauritius, Mozambique, Bangladesh, Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

J. P. MUJHERJI & ASSOCIATES PVT. LTD.

“JYOTI HOUSE”, 172, Dahanukar Colony,Kothrud, PUNE – 411 029, INDIA.Tel. - +91-20-25397303 Fax - +91-20-25399287E-mail- [email protected] ; www.jpma.org.in


trysomethiNGNeW 09

ingredients • 1/2cupextravirginoliveoil

(the best quality you can get)• 1/4cupchoppedscallion(,whitepartonly)• 1/4cupchoppedparsley• 1/4cupchoppedfreshcilantro• 1tablespoonmincedgarlic• 2teaspoonspaprika• 2teaspoonsgroundcumin• 1teaspoonsalt• 1/4teaspoonturmeric• 1/4teaspooncayennepepper• 4bonelessskinlesschickenbreasts

UPCOMING

"Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success."

tHougHt oFtHe WeeK

Grilled Moroccan Chickenafrican Cuisine

The Ambassador of Vietnam to India, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tan calling on the Vice President, Shri Mohd. Hamid Ansari, in New Delhi on August 21, 2014

LITCHI

Benefits of

•Cancer: Litchi has anti-cancer properties.

•Heart Diseases: Litchi normalizes the blood pressure.

•Maintainshealthybones.•Vitamin C: Litchi is

an excellent source of Vitamin C

Correct the Spelling

India International Packaging & Labeling Expo BaddiIt is recognized amongst the leading packaging, printing and labeling show which dedicates itself in showcasing the best and advanced technology aided packaging aids which will prove to be effective for the professionals working in this sector. The popularity and lucrative platform of the show has attracted many foreign traders to participate. India International Packaging & Labeling Expo Baddi will bring forward the well established as well as the developing companies so that all types of companies can gain advantage from this show. The attendees can exhibit varied types of superior range of equipments and products just under a single roof. The demand of this show has encouraged the organizers to arrange it other five cities of India.Date: 25-27 Aug 2014 Venue: Nimantran Resorts, Baddi, India

Pharmabiotika It is a significant event that contributes significantly in the development of the pharma industry. This is a leading event that helps the professionals and experts to connect and interact with each other and to significantly contribute in the growth and expansion of the sector. It presents an ideal opportunity and platform for the professionals to discuss about the latest developments of the industry and also presents them with a great scope to share and exchange their valuable experiences and to develop their knowledge.Date: 25-27 Aug 2014 Venue: Hyderabad International Trade Exposition, Hyderabad, India

World Ayurvedic ExpoThis event showcases products like Herbal Ingradients, Herbal Medicines, Herbal Cosmetics, Sanitary Napkin, Ayurvedic Equipments, Herbal Food and Beverage Products, Medicinal Plants, Ayurvedic Herbs etc. in the Ayurvedic & Herbal industry.Date: 26 Aug 2014 Venue: Hyderabad International Trade Exposition Centre (HITEX), Hyderabad, India

International Conference on Data Science and Engineering The conference will cover areas like Algorithms for large data sets, business intelligence, cluster cloud and grid computing, crowd sourcing and social intelligence, computational biology and bioinformatics.Date: 26-28 Aug 2014 Venue: Cochin University, Cochin, India

FICCI Heal Conference The conference will cover areas like key issues in healthcare and create a suitable platform for constructive dialogue that works towards the betterment of the healthcare sector.Date: 01-02 Sep 2014Venue: FICCI Auditorium, New Delhi, India

International Conference on Data Science and Engineering The conference will cover areas like Algorithms for large data sets, business intelligence, cluster cloud and grid computing, crowd sourcing and social intelligence, computational biology and bioinformatics.Date: 26-28 Aug 2014Venue: Cochin University, Cochin, India

the Congo river that flows through the forest is the second largest river in the world.

CoNGo

PICture of the week

prepration Method1. Combine oil, scallions, parsley, cilantro, garlic,

paprika, cumin, salt, turmeric and cayenne pepper in the container of a food processor.

2. Process until smooth.3. Rub the mixture on both sides of the chicken

breasts and let stand 30 minutes.4. Preheat the grill to medium hot.5. Grill chicken breasts 5-7 minutes on each side,

or until done.

Serve Hot !!!!

handy hindi1. what are you saying? आप कया कह रहे हंै?

2. how are you? आप कैसे हंै?

3. where do you live? आप कहां रहते हंै?

4. you are very beautiful आप बहुत संुदर हंै|

5. how old are you? आप िकतने वष के हो?

Solve it if you are smart enough.

Q1: OKEYRWN (City)

Q2: KASNLRIA (Country)

Q3: RUBELPM (profession)

Q4: DIKYEN (Body part)

Q5: PITLU (Flower)

Q6: TONPYHE (animal)

Q7: NOMETARLEW (Fruit)

Q8: DYFNGRILEA (Vegitable)

Q9: MAWBCE (invention)

Q10: DOCLYU (Weather)

A1: Newyork

A2: Srilanka

A3: Plumber

A4: Kidney

A5: Tulip

A6: Pythone

A7: Watermelon

A8: Ladyfinger

A9: Webcam

A10: Cloudy

Answers:


thefasHionistas10

Music powerhouse Jeanne Ingabire Butera aka Knowless predicts Dream Boys as favourites to win PGGSS 4 competition

whenthegrandfinaletakesplaceonAugust30at Amahoro stadium.

Her suggestion caused uproar among music fans who thought of it as a way of telling her fans to vote for Dream Boys considering that she has a huge fan base compared to most artistes in Rwanda.

Speaking to The New Times, Producer Clement, and Knowless’ manager, said: “there is no problem Knowless campaigning for Dream boys because they are all under the Kina Music Label and they always work together. So, I see no problem with that.”

Producer Clement, who produces and manages musicians Knowless, Christopher, Dream Boys and Tom Close at his label, Kina Music, added that Dream Boys have the potential and capacity to win this year’s edition since they are experienced, have great vocals and performances. Thisyear’sPGGSS4hasthreetopfinalists,

Jay Polly, Bruce Melody and Dream Boys competing for the grand prize of Rwf 24 million although the seven remaining artistes in the competition will also compete for the remaining positions which also have cash rewards.

New Times

Tom Close releases new single

The 2011 Primus Guma Guma Superstar winner Thomas

A few days after promising her fans a strong musical comeback, local artiste Yvonne Mugemana, aka Queen Cha, has released a new video, Kizimyamoto, featuring Urban Boys’ Safi Madiba.

The new video, released on Monday, comes after Queen Cha had been off the music scene for months as she embarked on completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Rwanda’s College of Science and Technology.

“The wait is over. I have been at school trying to complete my studies and I am now done. I will be graduating on Thursday,” she said.

Queen Cha added that she is currently working on several projects and her fans should expect more songs from her.

Five Rwandan films will be featured at the 9th annual edition of Festival cinemas d’Afrique Lausanne that kicks off August 21 to 24 in Switzerland. The five films include The Rwandan Night, Rwanda, l’autrerevanche, Imbabazi, Ma vie en Rue and Blandine et Les Siens. In 2013, Cinemas d’Afrique Lausanne featured Rwanda: Beyond The Deadly Pit and Scars of My Days, the first of independent films from Rwanda with a personal approach.

From fiction to documentaries, the filmmakers from Rwanda and Switzerland inspire a deeper reflection on humanity and help to commemorate the Genocide against the Tutsi, an event orchestrated to take the lives of more than one million people within one hundred days.

“These filmmakers are doing what is deemed impossible to portray in words and images. We have invited Swiss and Rwandan filmmakers to join us at the festival and speak to our audience,” says the Founder and Festival Co-director Alain Bottarelli.

The first film ever made by a Swiss about the Genocide is Emmanuelle de Riedmatten’s Blandine et Les Siens which was shot in 2004. The film follows Blandine, a Tutsi girl who was 12-year old during the Genocide as she travels back to Rwanda from Switzerland to

knowless says Dream Boys favourites to win PGGSS 4

Rwandan films to feature at Swiss festival

Queen Cha releases new video

Muyombo best known as Tom Close, has released a new single dubbed

Ihogoza, which is already enjoying airplay on local radio stations.

Ihogoza comes out shortly after Tom Close revealed that he had plans of launching two albums in December this year. “Ihogoza is about people who society underestimates because of old age yet they are still strong and capable of working,” said Producer/Manager Clement at Kina Music Label.

The RnB singer had announced his plans of a double album launch later this year. Some of the songs on 5th album include; Ndakubona, Igitabo and Mbabarira Ugaruke among others, while Ibintu Byarahindutse, Byararangiye and Ihogoza will be among the songs on the 6th album.

New Times

reward a Hutu lady who saved her. Joel Karekezi’s short fiction film Imbabazi will also be featured at the festival. It is a moderate film that contributes to the dialogue of justice and reconciliation after the Genocide. Joel’s films have been shown in Rwanda and around the world. The screening of Imbabazi will follow Ella Liliane Mutuyimana’s award winning short Ma vie en Rue meditating on life about traditional and urban life.

Rwanda, l’autre Revanche is yet to be shown in Rwanda but the Swiss filmmaker Pierre-Alain Frey followed Michel and Eline Kocher-Mukantare as they travelled with their children through Rwanda to capture the country’s story of hope. It tells how the Swiss couple viewed the desire of the people of Rwanda for education and the difficulties in living together five years after the genocide. The Rwandan Night is a thought-provoking ethnographic documentary edited with from footage of commemorators at Amahoro stadium in Kigali and interviews with Genocide scholars in an attempt to define the word genocide at a conference in California. The film is the first sequel of Rwanda: Beyond the Deadly Pit filmed over the course of three years in Rwanda, United States of America and Switzerland.

New Times

The singer started her music career in 2010 with the support of her cousin Safi Madiba before rapper Riderman signed her to his record company, Ibisumizi studio.

Although she started singing in 2010, it was her hit single Umwe Rukumbi in 2012 that cemented her place in the local music industry. She later released songs such as Icyaha Ndacyemera, Njye Ndagukunda, Windekura and Isiri.

New Times

Jeanne Ingabire Butera aka Knowless

Yvonne Mugemana, aka Queen Cha

Thomas Muyombo, aka Tom Close


sPorts2WatCh 11

Sports Minister Habineza calls for team work

Mugwaneza sends Rwanda U-20 girls’ handball team into semis

Rayon VC close gap on leaders APR

Ubumwe coach Bahigye eyes more gloryAline Umugwaneza scored 10 goals as Rwanda beat South Sudan 39-12 at

this year’s U-20 handball Zone V Challenge Trophy and secured a place in the semifinals where they will meet hosts Uganda.

The women team lost to Kenya 20-16 in the first game, a defeat coach Anaclate Bagirishya says was an eye opener to them and are now ready to win the rest of the matches.

Bagirishya is optimistic of

After lifting their first league and playoffs trophies, Ubumwe women basketball club are now looking to dominating the local scene in the coming seasons. Only two years since making their league debut, Ubumwe have now dethroned APR, who had dominated the women’s league since 2007. Ubumwe beat Rwandans Allied for Peace Progress (RAAP) in three games to win the playoffs title over the weekend. Speaking to

breaking the jinx of failing to bring any trophy back home in the three years Rwanda has participated in the regional tournament.

“We are tired of being the 2nd every time we participate,” he said, adding: “We should win it this time round.” Elsewhere, the boys’ team suffered a setback against Uganda 29-22 in the opening game but recovered to win 29-19 against Burundi. They take on Kenya in today’s semi-finals.

New Times

Rayon Sports volleyball club have closed the gap on leaders APR to within three points after winning their two rescheduled league second round matches.

Rayon secured double 3-0 wins against University of Rwanda’s College of Education (UR-CoE) and Petit Séminaire Virgo Fidelis-Karubanda on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

The six points took the Nyanza-based side into second place in the 15-team league table standing with 24 points, three behind APR from nine games.

Inatek are third with 21 points, followed by the Lycée de Nyanza on 20

points,while KVC are in fifth positionwith 15 points.

Defending champions University of Rwanda’s College of Humanities and

The new Minister of Sports and Culture, Joseph Habineza has asked all stakeholders in the Rwandan sports to work together in order to achieve greater success.

Habineza made the call after the handover ceremony with former Minister, Protais Mitali at Amahoro Stadium.

He said: “We need to work together as team, we have to work 24 hours in order to achieve our mission and bring pride to our nation, I have seen many changes in this ministry and I want to continue the same

way of developing our sports.”“Let’s show the difference

from others, let’s work to bring results, here we are going for results but we will need to prepare first the athletes for the future of Rwanda, there’s a good progress and we will continue from where my colleague (Mitali) has stopped,” Habineza said during a news conference.

He said he was greatly happy to work again in the sports ministry but he needs everyone’s support.

He added “I thank His

Social Sciences are bottom without a single point along with Ngororero and UR-CoE.

New Times

Times Sports after being crowned the playoffs champions on Sunday, Ubumwe head coach Jacques Bahigye, said: “We are very happy to win this trophy after only two years since the team was formed.”

“I feel very grateful to my players and management for making sure we achieve our targets faster than we anticipated. Nonetheless, we need to focus on building a strong team, which is capable of winning more trophies

at home and beyond,” he said.Ubumwe ran away with the

best of five playoffs series finals after winning 64-37 in Game 1, Game 2, 64-58 and 63-39 in Game 3 at Amahoro indoor stadium court. Ghana-born Priscilla Doudou, a US citizen, was Ubumwe’s key players scoring a combined 55 scores in three games, which also earned her call-up to Rwanda women’s national team.

New Times

Excellency President Paul Kagame for re-appointing me in this post that I once headed.”

The former Rwandan ambassador to Nigeria also said he was ready to work hard and promised to full fill all his responsibilities during his term in office.

Habineza who has been serving as Rwanda Ambassador to Nigeria for the last three years jetted in Kigali evening to take up his new job as the Minister of Sports and Culture.

New Times

Aline Umugwaneza

Joseph Habineza


eNCouNteR WitH eDitor12

Owner / Publisher / Editor: Mr. Kirit Sobti from 3rd Floor, Plot No. 3, Block PSP-IV, Service Centre Opp. Sector-11 (Extn.), Rohini, Delhi-85Printed at LIPEE SCAN PVT. LTD. 89 DSIDC SHED Okhala Phase 1, New Delhi

What makes Seychelles an ideal destination for business and pleasure?

Nowadays, while investing many elements are evaluated through different perspectives. Seychelles is gifted with beauty, resources, and vibrancy, it has one of the most beautiful islands and enjoys politically stable situations along with being a democratic country. As I mentioned earlier, we have a very strong, stable and solid economy, thus it allows in progress to ease of doing business. Worth mentioning, Seychelles enjoys being delineated as the best example for e-Governance in Africa. It also enjoys highest per capita income in many fields and we are also modernizing the whole procedure like online company registration, we going to have an online tax payment, online business licensing, online construction permit application.

What are the funding options available with the country?

In Seychelles, financial sector can said to be good with the presence of an International Bank. We are in process of strategizing and enhancing the financial sector to bring it to the next

level of success. Worth mentioning, we have recently opened a stock exchange in Seychelles that would provide an opportunity for investors to invest in Seychelles.

Are you looking at the LOC’s granted by the EXIM Bank of India to African countries?

Surely, it is an important thing. Seychelles and India has longstanding cordial economic relationship together with several high profile Indian business associates. In fact, the Indian community is one of the cornerstone of investment status in Seychelles and the Lines of Credit with the EXIM Bank will provide greater opportunities for

investors to tap in the opportunities with Seychelles.

What make Seychelles fiscal regime more striking for investors?

The Government of Seychelles is always finding ways to bring down taxes, the best example for this is our

business taxes which were decreased from 40% to surprising rate of 15% in some cases like tourism industry.

Overall, our system is based on modern structure that is going forward to bring down taxes.

What are the efforts of the Ministry to promote and endorse this country in India particularly?

Last year Seychelles participated in events with the Commonwealth Business Council. We are presently working on having various business forums in varied countries. Also, with the recent past there was an imperative event in regard to tourism industry in India and Seychelles’ businessmen participated exposing the country to Indian and other potential investors.

Government of Seychelles is looking at India as next strong destination for business and development. We feel that aviation and tourism industry is an area where both the countries can tap in together. As per the observation, Indian market is massive and Indian people are more experienced, strategic and affluent which can boost our business sector.

Where do you see Seychelles five years down the line?

I think Seychelles while maintaining its dynamism of being a small island nation with stable political and economic scenario, we want our voices to be heard at the international fore along with other small islands. I just see a small island that will become very dynamic making all the small islands proud.

The Ministry of Finance, Seychelles is dedicated to safeguarding a sound accounting and financial system is preserved and applied for responsible and accountable governance in the public sector and government tracks fiscal and economic policies that foster sustainable growth in national economy, effective regulation of the country’s financial institutions. In an exclusive interview to Kanchi Batra, Sub- Editor, Indo Africa Times, the Minister furthermore highlighted the endeavours of the ministry in upholding the highest assurance of the public in an open and translucent government.

"SEYCHELLES IS ON TRACK"

Pierre Laporte Minister of Finance, Republic of Seychelles


News & Politics

Volume 1 issue 33