Browsing: Rwanda

• East Africa’s public transport sector, once synonymous with chaos and pollution, is now leading a quiet green revolution.
• From electric buses in Kenya to CNG-powered fleets in Tanzania, the region is ditching diesel for clean energy.
• Could this unexpected shift be the most defining leap to a sustainable future for urban mobility?

Across the populous cities and towns of East Africa, a quiet revolution is underway. The familiar roar of diesel engines is being replaced by the hum of electric buses, the whir of three-wheeled motorcycles, and the smooth glide of trains powered by clean energy.

Even Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is fueling fleets of buses and taxis, signaling a seismic shift as the region ditches oil for renewables. But here’s the twist: the unlikely hero of this green mobility transition isn’t high-tech startups, luxury carmakers or even woke government policymakers—it’s the public transport sector.

From Dar es Salaam to …

• President Felix Tshisekedi is inviting the U.S. to directly purchase critical minerals from Kinshasa, instead of buying “looted” and “smuggled” minerals from Rwanda.
• Rwanda is under immense pressure from the UN, the U.S., the EU, the UK to cease and withdraw their support for M23 rebels.
• In a 2022 update, UNEP notes that DRC has around 3.5 million metric tonnes of cobalt, making it home to one of the largest reserves of this vital resource.

The escalating conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has taken a new twist with President Felix Tshisekedi inviting the U.S. to directly purchase critical minerals from Kinshasa instead of buying “looted” and “smuggled” minerals through Rwanda.

In a statement on Sunday, Tina Salama, who is the spokesperson of President Tshisekedi, called out Rwanda, noting that the neighboring country has for long been involved in looting and smuggling of vital mineral resources from the …

• Over 6.7 million people out of which 40 per cent are children, have been displaced across conflict-affected provinces in DRC.
• UN warns children are facing summary executions, sexual violence and abduction and recruitment by the warring factions.
• 45 children, who were cared for in a day transit centre in Goma to have been killed, UN reports.

An increasing number of children in the war ton Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are facing summary executions, sexual violence amid increasing abduction and recruitment by the factions involved in the escalating conflict.

In an update Thursday by the UN Child Rights Committee, children in violence saddled zones of North and South Kivu to the East of the vast country are coming face to face with grave catastrophe.

The UN agency warned that increasingly, armed groups are targeting displaced children and those left helpless in the streets that have been run over by militias.…

• The 8-member bloc will showcase its diverse attractions under the brand “Visit East Africa: Feel the Vibe” during the March 4-6 trade fair in Berlin, Germany.
• EAC aims to attract international tourists and investors by highlighting the region’s rich cultural heritage, natural beauty, and unique attractions.
• The EAC stand at ITB will also provide an opportunity to member countries to showcase their offerings and further penetrate the international market.

Stakeholders in East Africa’s tourism industry have joined forces to make the East African Community (EAC) the word’s next travel and hospitality hotspot during the March 4th-6th, 2025, International Tourism Bourse (ITB) in Berlin, Germany.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the EAC said it will, for the first time, participate in the global expo as a single entity in the world’s largest tourism trade fair.

According to the EAC Secretary General Veronica Nduva, the bloc will showcase its diverse attractions …

• The AfDB projects real GDP growth to accelerate to 4.1 percent in 2025 and 4.4 percent in 2026.
• However, Africa’s growth remains below the 7 percent threshold required for substantial poverty reduction.
• The continent also continues to grapple with geopolitical tensions, structural weaknesses, climate-related disasters, and prolonged conflicts in regions such as the Sahel and the Horn of Africa.

Africa’s economy is picking up, showing signs of improvement but remains vulnerable to persistent threats that could derail economic gains in the next 12 months.

According to the 2025 Macroeconomic Performance and Outlook (MEO) by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the continent is forecast to post a GDP growth of 4.1 percent in 2025 and 4.4 percent next year. This economic expansion is attributable to ongoing economic reforms, declining inflation, and improved fiscal and debt positions.

The AfDB report was unveiled on the sidelines of the 38th Ordinary Session of the …

• M23 rebels reportedly at Kavumu, about 40km north of mineral-rich Bukavu area.
• UN experts claim the M23 rebels – one of over 100 militias seeking control in DRC’s east – is receiving support from about 4,000 soldiers from Rwanda.
• According to Kinshasa, Rwandan soldiers are pillaging valuable resources from the mineral-rich eastern zone of DRC.

As M23 rebels continue pushing deeper into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after capturing the mineral-rich city of Goma, the city of Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, is on the verge of falling under their control.

Media reports show that M23 rebels are threatening to march to DRC capital Kinshasa as they push the government of Felix Tshisekedi on the negotiating table to meet their demands. “We will continue the march of liberation all the way to Kinshasa,” announced rebel leader Corneille Nangaa on Thursday, four days after the group confirmed the …

• Rwanda is fighting accusations of backing M23 rebel attacks in Goma, the most strategic city within the mineral-rich eastern DRC. 
• Already, the UN and other humanitarian agencies have pulled out non-essential personnel out of Goma.
• Early this week protestors in Kinshasa attacked US, Rwanda, Kenya, Belgian and French embassies, demanding decisive counter against M23 rebels.

The war in Goma has sucked in Rwanda with authorities in Kigali increasingly fighting an avalanche of accusations that the country’s military is invading the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in concert with the M23 rebels. According to reports from both local and international media, “The Rwandan army is lining up at the [DRC] border, ready to invade,” an anonymous source privy to official on the ground told media.

“Large numbers of troops from Rwanda have been pouring across the border into the Democratic Republic of the Congo to help rebels seize the regional capital …

• Rwanda and South Africa are at odds over the escalating conflict in the eastern DRC, with President Kagame accusing South Africa of distorting facts and threatening confrontation.
• South Africa defends its military presence as a peacekeeping effort, while Kagame claims SAMIDRC is a belligerent force aiding anti-Rwandan militias.
• The crisis risks further destabilizing the region, with diplomatic efforts needed to prevent escalation.

Tensions between Rwanda and South Africa have escalated following a public spat between President Paul Kagame and President Cyril Ramaphosa over the ongoing conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Kagame accused South Africa of distorting facts about the crisis and warned that Rwanda is prepared for confrontation if necessary.

Kagame’s statement, made via a late-night post on his X account, was in response to comments by Ramaphosa and other South African officials implicating Rwanda in the violence that has plagued the eastern DRC for decades. …

• M23 rebels, backed by Rwanda, have seized Goma in eastern DRC, prompting accusations of a “declaration of war” from the Congolese government.
• The conflict has escalated tensions between DRC and Rwanda, with international calls for de-escalation and emergency summit planned in Nairobi to address the crisis.
• Thousands have been displaced, and the humanitarian toll continues to worsen in a region already plagued by decades of instability.

Gunfire echoed across Goma, the largest city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as M23 rebels claimed to have seized the city on Sunday. The announcement by the Rwanda-backed rebel group came despite the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) calls for an immediate halt to hostilities.

Goma, home to nearly two million residents, was thrust into chaos as reports emerged of exchanges of fire between DRC and Rwandan troops along the shared border on Monday.

In a statement on social media …

• Rwanda signs investment pact with US comedian Steve Harvey joining a list of countries in Africa tapping Hollywood stars to promote tourism.
• New deal will establish an academic institution in Kigali.
• Steve Harvey to invest in education, health and film in Rwanda.

Tourism in Rwanda is growing and to help speed up the process, the country has signed a deal with a renowned famous American entertainer, Steve Harvey. The move is part of strategies being deployed by African couintries to uniquely market their tourism offering to the world. Kigali’s move follows similar steps taken by Tanzania, which signed a pact with Hollywood star Idris Elba to launch a film studio in Zanzibar, an archipelago in the East African nation.

In Rwanda, the deal was signed at the end of 2024 between the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and BILT LLC, an American company owned by Steve Harvey. In a media …