Is the Rwandan Economy Growing?

The Rwandan economy is seeing consistent growth throughout the 21st Century.

The Rwandan economy has bounced back incredibly well from the economic turmoil created by the civil war and genocide against the Tutsi, seeing consistent growth throughout the 21st Century. For the decade from 2001 to 2010, Rwanda was in one of the top ten fastest growing economy in the world.

Since the start of the 21st Century, Rwanda’s GDP has grown from $2.7 billion to $9.2 billion in 2016 – which amounts to an average of 14.42% growth per year. This is over double the average rate of sub-Saharan African economies during this period, which is 7.2% per year.

The Rwandan economy has continued to show strong signs of growth. The Covid-19 pandemic came in the midst of what the World Bank described as an ‘economic boom’ in Rwanda, after the economy grew by 10% in 2019.

The result of the pandemic has already been pronounced, with a drop of 12.4% in GDP in the second quarter of 2020. According to Nordic bank Nordea, the economy is expected to bounce back to a rate of 6.7% growth in 2021. Research group Focus Economics has also predicted that Rwanda will grow at a faster rate than any other economy in the world in the 2019-2024 period.

What Was the Role of the International Community during the Genocide?

The international community’s inaction during the Genocide against the Tutsi is a source of shame and regret.

After the Arusha agreement led to a ceasefire in the 1993 Civil War, the UN deployed UNAMIR, a peacekeeping force, to monitor the implementation of the negotiated settlement. The Force Commander was a Canadian General – Roméo Dallaire.

In his book Shake Hands with the Devil, he recounts sending the infamous ‘Dallaire Fax’ on January 11 1994. The fax referred to information from a highly-ranked member of the Interahamwe militia, who had informed him that registration lists of ‘all the Tutsi in Kigali’ were being made, and that ‘in 20 minutes his personnel could kill up to 1000 Tutsis’.

Despite clear evidence of planned murder, the international community failed to take action. According to Alison Des Forges, the French government ‘certainly knew about the preparations for killing Tutsi and opponents of Hutu Power’, yet ‘continued to support the Rwandan government diplomatically’. Belgium, on the other hand ‘tried hardest to respond to the warnings of imminent slaughter’, but their calls for a bolstered peacekeeping force went unheeded.

Once the genocide against the Tutsi began, international powers were reluctant to intervene outside of evacuating their own personnel from Rwanda. Samantha Power observed that American officials, and other diplomats around the world, avoided the word ‘genocide’ at all costs. Seemingly, they were ‘afraid that using it would have obliged [them] to act under the terms of the 1948 genocide convention’.

As the genocide raged on, rather than bolstering the peacekeeping force, the UN retreated. On 21 April 1994, UNAMIR shrank to just 270 troops. With deaths numbering in the tens and hundreds of thousands, the UN reluctantly approved UNAMIR II which would provide 5,500 more troops. The implementing resolution (Res. 924 1995) came a full two months after the killings began – after, according to Secretary General Boutros-Ghali – up to half a million people had already been killed. According to an OECD report, the deployment of this resolution took two months: the reinforcements arrived ‘after the civil war and genocide were over’.

Alongside UNAMIR II, the French government announced that they would be sending a mission to establish a ‘safe zone’ in South-West Rwanda. Their intervention, which involved 2,500 soldiers, was named ‘Operation Turquoise’.

This operation become infamous for its misguided nature. It enabled thousands of militia men to flee unhindered, and the roadblocks that paved the way to safety might have even enhanced the speed of killing. According to Samantha Power, the French ignored the fact that Radio Mille Collines’s messages which encouraged the killing of Tutsis were being broadcast from the ‘Zone Turquoise’. They also neglected to arrest or apprehend any militia leaders.

Eventually, the Genocide was brought to an end by the RPF forces when they reached Kigali. In recent years, many UN officials have expressed regret, sorrow and shame for their lack of action in 1994.

Chess in Rwanda: Why is it on the rise?

Chess, a two-player strategy board game played by millions of people worldwide, is taking root in Rwanda at a pace, perhaps, unseen before the past three years.

A burgeoning thrust especially in the past few years is picking up momentum with local kids, especially loving the game more.

December 2015, Rwanda moved up seven places to 155th in the latest global country rank published by the World Chess Federation (FIDE). A country is ranked according to performances, or average rating, of its top 10 active rated players.

Rwanda’s most recent advance came just weeks after the country, last month, hosted its second ever rated tournament in which five more Rwandans acquired the coveted FIDE rating.

The country now has 20 rated players. It is looking to boost these numbers after hosting its third rated tournament. Rwanda Open – a seven-round event which will begin on January, 29, with one round at Classic Hotel in Kigali.

The first two rated tournaments were held in Rwanda last year. However, they were not as big as the upcoming competition which is sponsored by Kasparov Chess Foundation Africa (KCFA), a non-profit organization founded by 13th World Chess Champion, Russian Grand Master (GM) Garry Kasparov, and has players from countries including Burundi, DR Congo and Kenya, set to vie for the honors.

“This is our third rated tournament, and we are happy to be able to organize such tournaments as they not only benefit individual players but also help the country to progress on the world ranking. We plan to continue in that direction,” Kevin Ganza, Vice President the Rwanda Chess Federation (FERWADE), said in interview.

“This year’s open is special as it will bring together players from four countries from the region DRC, Burundi, Kenya and local players (Rwanda). If all goes well, our global ranking could as well improve, slightly, if all our 20 rated players get active.”

According to Ganza, “expectations are high” ahead of the four-day affair.

Unrated players will be looking to get the coveted FIDE rating. To join the cream, debutants must snatch any draw or win in five matches against rated opponents in a rated tournament. It is always a tough feat.

Ganza also said Rwanda Open will also be a fine opportunity for Rwandans to test their capability against tougher opponents, eight months before games in the next Chess Olympiad, a biennial chess tournament in which teams from all over the world compete, start.

Come September, the 42nd Chess Olympiad will be held in Baku, the capital and commercial hub of Azerbaijan.

Rwanda is looking to field two men and women teams, of five players each, during the games organized by FIDE in the touristic low-lying city with coastline along the Caspian Sea, famed for its medieval walled old city, containing the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, a vast royal complex, and the iconic stone Maiden Tower.

The road to Baku, however, is not smooth as youngsters including Sandrine Uwase, 13, and Joselyne Uwase, 12, have recently made it clear that they will be a threat to senior lady players when Olympiad pre-qualifiers start in March.

Rwanda rising

Meanwhile, Kenya’s most dominant player in 2015 and winner of Rwanda’s first-ever rated tournament, held last February, CM (Candidate Master) Ben Magana, is among those traveling to play in the upcoming competition.

Magana told this website that: “Chess in Rwanda is on the rise, thanks to the fantastic partnership between FERWADE and KCF-A. Rwanda has an exciting mix of veterans and young players and it is one of the emerging chess nations in this part of Africa, together with Tanzania.”

“The future of chess always lies with the youth and, as such, emphasis must be put in teaching Chess to the kids. Rwanda’s chess federation has introduced the important mini-chess programme in primary schools where young brains are exposed to the game,” Magana said.

“In just a matter of a few years, these boys and girls will be a force to reckon with. This is the beauty of chess: young children anywhere in the world exposed to Chess have no option but to get better, and start beating the seniors at the game! Rwanda will be a force to reckon with in a decade if these basics are taken care of.”

Last February 2015, FERWADE with the help of KCF-A rolled out its coveted Mini-Chess programme in a pilot phase now on track in five pilot primary schools – GS Ste Famille, GS Akumunigo, both in Nyarugenge District; GS Kimisange and GS Masaka I, in Kicukiro District; and EP Mayange B, in Bugesera District.

The MiniChess Programme, developed in South Africa in 2010 as part of the school curriculum, has had greater success in schools in South Africa.

It is essentially not only about teaching chess, but an educational programme – an ingenious and efficient way of teaching mathematics using chess materials.

Howard Buffett, Sean Penn to name Baby Gorillas at #KwitaIzina2017

Hollywood star Sean Penn and Howard Buffett – son of American billionaire investor Warren Buffett – are expected to descend on Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park on Friday, September 1, to name baby mountain gorillas during Kwita Izina, the country’s annual baby gorilla naming ceremony.

This year marks the 13th edition of Rwanda’s flagship tourism event, which brings together conservationists from all over the world to celebrate the country’s success in protecting the endangered species. The theme for this year’s event is, “Conservation and sustainable tourism; a foundation for future generations”.

This year will see a total of 19 baby gorillas given names in efforts that are geared towards conserving the critically endangered species.

According to the latest statistics (2010), only 880 mountain gorillas are left in the world, and about half of them reside in the lush Virunga chain of eight volcanic mountains that straddle Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Mountain gorillas remain a big-money tourist attraction in the three countries.

Since the initial launch of Kwita Izina in 2005, a total of 239 baby mountain gorillas have been named.

Rwanda’s Mountain Gorilla Rally to Improve Tourism

Rwanda is one of the only three destinations in the world where the rare mountain gorillas are protected. The other two incredible destinations include Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These 3 countries offer trekkers with only 4 options to spark their imaginations with the rarest wild primates in their natural habitat and no where else except only Bwindi Forest and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Southwestern Uganda, Volcanoes National Park in Northwestern Rwanda and the Virunga National Park, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Rwanda Gorilla Safaris & Uganda Primate watching trips always feature on top list due to safety and prevailing peace in both countries. Tracking these great apes in the Democratic Republic of Congo equally rewards visitors with the most remarkable experiences of life time.

There are fewer than 1060 mountain gorillas that still thrive in the entire world and Rwanda is proud to be a home to over 360 mountain gorillas, taking the largest population of all the gorillas that live within the Virunga Mountains. Rwanda’s tourism has drastically increased due to aggressive marketing strategies from the government as well as partnerships with other stakeholders in terms of mountain gorilla conservation.

Despite several marketing strategies used by the Rwanda government, the impact of Mountain Gorilla Rally competitions should not be left out. Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally was initially called the “Fraternity Rally,” an international rally racing event organized by the Rwanda Automobile Club. The rally is conducted in Kigali Rwanda and it comprises of African Rally Championship and the Rwandan National Rally Championship. The Fraternity Rally started in 1999 as a motorsport that re-established itself after the Rwandan Civil War. It started as a cross border rally that began in Kampala, Uganda prior finishing in Kigali. The rally turned to be part of the African championships the next year, after Rwanda was suspended in 1988. For the previous years, the Uganda portion of the event declined and later renamed the “Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally” in 2002. For several years, Burundi driver Rudy Cantanhede has been the most successful driver in the rallies history with 3 wins to his credit. Italian born local driver Giancarlo Davite also has 2 wins to his credit.

It is not surprising that Mountain Gorilla Rally competitions have extended to various places including East Africa; Ivory Coast, South Africa, Zambia and currently in Rwanda. The good news is that, the 2017 Africa Rally Championship (ARC) is expected to take place in Kigali-Bugesera as Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally come September 8^th (Friday) and 10^th (Sunday). The Rwanda leg will mark 6^th round on the 7 race continental motorsport calendar. It is expected to lure the top local, regional and continental drivers.

Benefits of the Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally 2017

For the local drivers, this will be time for points in pursuit of the national championship. The Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally is advancing to a higher level thereby hosting the most acknowledged drivers in the race that in turn aides in spreading awareness to many people about the event and thus escalating more gorilla tracking tours in Rwanda. The Rwanda tourism industry however conveys more regard to every one, government, partners and sponsors for the continued support that has yielded success in the races thus fostering mountain gorilla tours.

Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally helps in creating awareness about tourism industry nationally, regionally and internationally and given the fact that this event takes place in various regions, it therefore results into more mountain gorilla trekking tours. The gorilla rally also aides to unite various parts of the world as one thus they work together to develop the tourism and increase more tourist attractions so as to lure more visitors hence increasing revenues to the government from the tourism industry.

On the other hand, the rallies are also a source of employment opportunities to the people. Besides, it aides in skill development and in a long run, enhances their talents given the fact that all people across the world, are free to join the races. Through mountain Gorilla Rallies, domestic tourism is also promoted as several nationals are lured to participate in the race and return benefits tourism and boosts the gorilla trekking safaris in Rwanda.

The competitions are also one of the ways to boost conservation and protection of mountain gorillas since the money that is generated from this race is used for funding the several gorilla programs in various parts that helps to increase the population of visitors traveling for gorilla tracking.

In conclusion, the Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally is an opportunity for Rwanda to market its tremendous wild mountain gorillas to the world travelers. At the end of it all, increases the number visitors and hence boosts the tourism sector of the country. Gorilla trekking in Rwanda is conducted in Volcanoes National Park, Northwestern Rwanda. It is proud to be a home to over 360 gorillas with 10 Habituated Families for tourists to catch a glimpse of these world’s fascinating primates.

What We can Learn From Dian Fossey’s Gorilla Conservation Spirit

Are you a scientist, conservationist or naturalist? What have you learnt about Dian Fossey and mountain gorillas? Dian Fossey was a primatologist; conservationist, scientist as well as an anthropologist famously known for her research on the world’s critically endangered mountain gorillas of the Virunga complex in 1960’s and 1980’s. Spending about 18 years while in the jungles with these remarkable creatures comes with passion and dedication and credit goes to Dian Fossey. Today, Rwanda, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are the most popular destinations in the world that attract millions of travelers purposely for mountain gorilla trekking and this has not come for the sake but simply because of Dian Fossey’s legacy to conserve mountain gorillas. Her told stories in her book and later a movie “Gorillas in the Mist” can easily be accessed globally. Before this book was published and the movie appeared to the public, hardly did the world know anything about these impressive creatures or why they are the world’s critically endangered species. We credit her because currently, millions of people are aware about wild mountain gorillas something that has simplified their conservation on this planet.

Dian Fossey spent hours and hours with these spectacular primates something that built a strong bond between her and the mountain gorillas in African wilderness. It is such a strong background that the world has understood value of conserving mountain gorillas and their habitat. As well, we are able to understand the complex feelings and collective aptitudes of mountain gorillas and their real threats that from time and again have claimed their lives.

Drawing links between mountain gorillas and humans:

Dian Fossey made splendid findings her research in Volcanoes National Park Rwanda and one of which was that mountain gorillas were very social. Her research indicated the gentleness that these wild creatures demonstrate to one another in the jungles. Mountain gorillas are on wholly the most harmonious animals and only indicate bouts of attack when guarding their babies. She also found out that every mountain gorilla had a different temperament and this explains why she named each mountain gorilla that she met. The other finding that she made was that the rare mountain gorillas attach a strong feeling with their family members. They also mourn just like humans. To Dian Fossey, mountain gorillas share numerous human characteristics especially playing and tickling and this helps us to understand more about human biology.

The escalating threat to mountain gorillas:

This is also something that we shouldn’t forget about Dian Fossey. Many mountain gorillas are protected around the Virunga Volcanoes just within the leaps of Virunga National Park. The park covers many of African states and has unfortunately faced several instabilities for about 2 decades. In the 1990’s, Dian Fossey was forcefully displaced at a time of political insurgency, which came with numerous threats to the lives of mountain gorillas that reside around this area.  This also made thousands to be displaced and they resided adjacent the Virunga complex national parks of which has caused intense poaching and mountain gorilla habitat depletion. In addition, the rebel group has also occupied many areas of the park where half of mountain gorillas reside. This has made the work of conservationists to protect these critically endangered species very hard. There are nearly 14o Virunga game rangers who have lost their lives on the frontline of protecting the mountain gorillas since 1996.

The efforts that have been to conserve these creatures extend up to date. Unfortunately, the civil wars in DRC and oil mining have turned to be the stressful factors on endeavors to protect the mountain gorillas. The Virunga National Park protects about 200 mountain gorillas many of which are orphaned gorillas.

In 1970’s, Rwanda on the other hand had only 240 mountain gorillas which is a different case today. Currently, there are less than 1060 mountain gorillas that are still surviving in the world and out of this, about 62% of all those that live within the Virunga Massif can be found in the Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda. Despite this increase, mountain gorillas are still at the point of extinction in the world and this is nothing other than poaching and habitat encroachment. When we look at what Dian Fossey instructed us concerning these impressively beautiful primates, it is more useful that we direct her love for these creatures into their conservation. It is as a result of Dian Fossey’s conservation endeavors that mountain gorillas have become the only primates whose population is escalating.

Encroachment and mountain gorillas

To conserve the 900 mountain gorillas that are left in the world toady means that we first understand the exact threats that these endangered species are encountering. These threats include poaching, disease, habitat loss and charcoal burning and these have impacted on the decrease of these species either directly or indirectly.

Due to the ever escalating population, humans have moved into areas next to gorilla habitat. This human pressure has also claimed gorilla habitat given the fact that many people largely depend on farming and as a result, these endangered species are displaced from their natural habitats. Living adjacent the park where these primates stay means their lives are at a higher risk of contracting human diseases and illnesses given the fact that they share 98% of their genes with humans makes them to be very susceptible to human diseases. Dian Fossey’s research therefore was crucial in opening up a better understanding of human beings by recognizing our close relatives.

Charcoal burning also leads to deforestation in the gorilla habitat. Despite the fact that charcoal burning is not a legal act, the largest population of adjacent local community residents depend on charcoal as the main source of fuel. Others threats include illegal hunting of mountain gorillas. Although poachers kill Apes for their body parts, in most cases, mountain gorillas are not their main targets; the only unfortunate part of it is that mountain gorillas get entangled into the wire snares and traps which are laid for other species.

Conserving mountain gorillas in Dian Fossey’s memory:

Dian Fossey was animated woman and the heartfelt that she had assisted to save the critically endangered mountain gorillas. At one point Dian Fossey said “when you realize the value of all life, you dwell less on past and concentrate more on the conservation of the future.” We may not alter the current situation that has caused the decrease of the mountain gorillas but we can and we must, as brilliant and empathetic human beings, change the future. You can as well assist to conserve the mountain gorillas by supporting the endeavors of protection groups like Dian Fossey’s Gorilla Fund, Adopt a Mountain gorilla or simply donate towards conservation of mountain gorillas. Above all, go on a Rwanda Gorilla Safari and by so doing you would have supported conservation of mountain gorillas not only in Volcanoes National Park but across the world. We realize that Dian Fossey’s effort to conserve mountain gorillas was useful but, her personal commitment to the lives of these endangered species and her emphasis on the value of these creatures can have a long lasting effect. In case these creatures survive on earth due to her efforts to conserve them then that will certainly be her biggest achievement.

In conclusion, Dian Fossey was backbone of mountain gorilla conservation not only in Rwanda but also Africa at large. The more we put our efforts to conserve these endangered species the more their population increases and thus tourists can be able to enjoy authentic experiences.

Rwanda Signs Paris Agreement on Climate Change

Rwanda has joined over 160 countries in signing the historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Rwanda was represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Louise Mushikiwabo.

The Paris Agreement represents the strong global commitment to promote environmental protection and mitigate the impacts of climate change. The agreement provides the framework for all nations to introduce and strengthen policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and respond to a warmer planet. It also includes a commitment by developed nations to support climate vulnerable countries through finance and technology at $100 billion annually until 2025.

The agreement is the result of years of negotiations that began in Durban in 2011 and concluded at the U.N. Climate Talks held in Paris in December (COP21). The talks were held under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and concluded with the Paris Agreement, which was adopted by all parties to the UNFCCC – 196 nations.

“The Paris Agreement is a key platform for a global plan of action that will reduce carbon emissions and limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius, with the lofty goal of keeping temperature increases below 1.5 degrees. This stronger target is what the government called for at the Climate Talks in December 2015 because we know that anything less ambitious places Rwanda and other vulnerable nations at unacceptable risk of climate related disasters,” Natural Resources Minister Vincent Biruta remarked.

Among actions taken by the government with regards to environmental protection are; the ban on plastic bags, conservation of natural heritage through national parks and protected areas, landscape restoration and the planting millions of trees every year.

“A key part of achieving our vision is Rwanda’s Green Fund – a ground-breaking environment and climate change investment fund and the largest of its kind in Africa,”said Minister Mushikiwabo while delivering Rwanda’s national statement in New York. “The fund invests in the best public and private projects that have the potential for trans-formative change and that support Rwanda’s commitment to building a green economy. The fund has mobilized 100 million dollars to date and is a leading example of the impact that well managed climate financing can have.”

She also announced that Rwanda will ratify the Paris Agreement as soon as possible and called on all nations to execute their climate action plans so that the agreement lives up to the expectations of current and future generations. “While the Paris Agreement is a historic step in the right direction, we must not be content with today’s signing alone. The real work now begins to ratify and match our commitments with action,” she said. It has to be noted that the agreement will enter into force on the 30th day after the date on which at least 55 parties to the convention, accounting in total for at least an estimated 55% per cent of total global greenhouse gas emissions, have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.

Police warn against violating traffic rules

The Rwanda National Police (RNP) traffic and road safety department has reminded drivers to refrain from bad maneuvers which continue to be the source of road carnage.

Supt. Jean Marie Vianney Ndushabandi, the spokesperson of the traffic department said that some of the public transport vehicles also have mechanical faults and operating on expired mechanical inspection certificates

His reaction followed at least six road accidents that occurred on February that claimed 15 lives and leaving scores injured.

“Most of these accidents are due to speeding and overtaking in hotspots especially public transport vehicles that commute to the countryside scrambling for passengers along the way thus violating traffic rules and regulations and putting the lives of people in danger,” said Supt. Ndushabandi.

“There are many sharp corners along highways and there’s a high risk of involving in an accident if you enter and try to negotiate them while on high speed. There’s also a risk of colliding with another vehicle from the opposite direction or going off the road, after failure to control the vehicle. Drivers should therefore behave and drive responsibly while respecting roadside safety signposts to prevent likely accidents.”

RNP also reminded owners of public transport vehicles to speed up the installation of speed governors before the February 26official deadline.

Article 2 of the Presidential Order that sets February 26, this year as the deadline stipulates that “any public or goods’ transport vehicle must be equipped with speed governors to control maximum road speed.”

Rwanda eyes AviaDev conference in Kigali to boost aviation, hotels

Rwanda is looking at the forth coming AviaDev, an international conference to be held in Kigali as an opportunity to further boost its Aviation and hospitality sectors.

The country has attained high rankings by World Bank doing business report 2016 as one of the easiest place of doing business on the continent, which the government says would wish to boost and attract more investments into the country.

“We want to showcase Rwanda as a key destination to do business,” said Belise Kariza, Chief Tourism Officer at the Rwanda Development Board –RDB on Thursday.

She says, “A forum focused on aviation developments, AviaDev, provides an important platform for the aviation and hotel sectors to discuss future development projects and forge new relationships.”

The government in a bid to strengthen the hospitality sector embarked on encouraging more investments in Hotels to close the shortage of accommodation in the country.

The AviaDev platform conference which is expected to be held in Kigali on 4 October at the Radisson Hotel and convention centre will come before the prestigious Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF) scheduled for 5th and 6th October, 2016.

“AviaDev Africa will be a valuable opportunity for leading executives from aviation and hotel development to have some serious and fruitful discussions on how to develop the future connectivity of the continent.” said
Jonathan Worsley, Chairman of Bench Events organizers of the forum.

He adds, “Leading airlines, airport and hotel executives, alongside government representatives, will be able to explore the crucial link between aviation and hotel investment.”

The AviaDev provides a unique platform bringing together airlines, airports, hotel and hospitality investors for the first time, Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF) is the premier hotel investment conference in Africa, attracting over 500 high-calibre executives from 45 countries, as well as key Government representatives.

Kigali re-introduces cashless bus fare

Commuters in Kigali are now required to use a cashless public transport card to commute within the city.

Public transport passengers with in Kigali will compulsorily begin using cashless system to pay for transport fares starting with March 2016, but some residents have raised concerns over the new development.

Speaking to this website, Charles Ngarambe, executive chairperson of Kigali Bus Services, said using a smart card will help passengers time that was wasted when they would queue up to buy tickets which was only done using cash.

“The cash system was delays the buses. The use of smart card not only saves time, but also protects the environment and keeps the city clean as we will have gotten rid of paper tickets,” he explained.

Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA) says that the new system to ease monitoring of the public transport system and ensure efficiency, a move that is expected to enhance Rwanda’s goal of becoming a cashless society.

The use of technology is not reliable and as you may see there are many uneducated adults who would prefer to use tangible money systems…we are afraid this will be too much for citizen consumption” one of the passengers said.

Emmanuel Asaba Katabarwa, the head of transport department at RURA said that the new system will be gradually develop and residents will be educated on its use.

Three more three companies will be contracted to disseminate the services.

The phase out will be gradual and the initial route that will fully embrace the electronic system is the Kanombe route.

Any passenger leaving Kanombe for Remera, Kacyiru or the city center will only be allowed to board the bus if they have a smart card.

This kind of system had earlier on been introduced two years ago within the city dwellers on an individual convenience but slowly died out and the use of hard cash has been the norm of the daily transport, though some use of electronic payments has been acceptable.

KBS has been at the forefront in embracing the cashless system, but the stakeholders are optimistic the other companies will join in once they have appreciated the advantages.