Rwanda Chamber

Category: News

  • Rwanda Emerges as a Popular Destination

    Rwanda Emerges as a Popular Destination

    Once blemished by one of the worst cases of ethnic violence that resulted in to the popular 1994 Rwanda Genocide, Rwanda is fast becoming one of the top travel destinations in Rwanda. To many people in the world, when you ask them about Rwanda, the few who know this tiny country know about the genocide than the adventurous side of it. Twenty years after experiencing the genocide, a worst ethnic violence the world has ever seen, Rwanda has greatly recovered and established itself as one of the places to go gorilla trekking though still now the effects of the genocide is still fresh in the hearts of Rwandans.

    The country has steadily emerged as a well-known tourist destination internationally thanks to the existence of the mountain gorillas. Tourists are drawn to Rwanda by its natural and scenic beauty, rich culture, as well as the unique flora and fauna in its national parks, which are home to the giant mountain gorillas. Many travelers have taken safaris into Rwanda to see the amazing gorillas, chimpanzees, genocide memorial sites and experience the unique culture of the Rwanda people.

    The Goma, Kibuye, Kigali, Gisenyi are the well known places to see in Rwanda. Rwandan wildlife attracts a huge number of tourists every year. The dangerous volcanic mountains preserved by the Volcanoes National Park and the dense tropical forests are the main attractions in the northern part of the country. On the other hand lakes, rivers, valleys and hills dominate the rest part of the country. Akagera National Park in eastern Rwanda and Parc National des Volcanoes is the home place for many endangered species. The water bodies of Rwanda are also very famous particularly the Lake Muhazi and Lake Kivu

    Besides that, the Rwanda recently joined the International Council of Tourism Partners. All of these attributes have helped the nation to rank among the top five as it was voted among the; “Top Emerging Destinations” in the Wanderlust Travel Awards 2011. This all means that the country’s efforts to develop travel and tourism in a sustainable way seem to be paying off, so all you have to do is bear witness to what Rwanda has to offer by booking one of the packaged Rwanda safaris today.

  • MTN Rwanda Loses Market in Fourth Quarter to Rival Tigo

    MTN Group Ltd. (MTN)’s Rwandan unit lost market share in the fourth quarter to its main competitor, Tigo Rwanda, the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA) said. MTN Rwanda’s share stood at 65 percent compared with 72 percent a year earlier, while Tigo’s grew to 35 percent from 19 percent, the Kigali-based regulator said in a report yesterday. MTN had 2.89 million subscribers in the East African country as of December, while Tigo had 1.55 million, it said.

    “Our affordable tariff structure has clearly played a major part in this achievement,” Tigo Chief Executive Officer Diego Camberos said in a phone interview yesterday. MTN Rwanda Chief Marketing Officer Yvonne Makolo didn’t respond to an e-mailed request for comment.

    Rwanda’s mobile-phone penetration rate may increase to 60 percent this year after Bharti Airtel Ltd. (BHARTI) begins operating in the East African country, the regulator said in January. The proportion of the Rwandan population with a mobile phone rose to 41.6 percent in December from 41.3 percent in November.

    MTN Rwanda began operations in 1998, while Tigo, which is owned by Luxembourg-based Millicom International Cellular SA (MICC), obtained its license in 2008.

  • Multimedia Academy to Open Next Week

    A multimedia academy, The Africa Digital Multimedia Academy the first in Africa, will commence lectures next week in Kigali.

    This was revealed yesterday, by the Director General of WDA, Jerome Gasana, during a press conference held at the academy premises in Nyarugenge District, Kigali city.

    He said WDA, in collaboration with Pixel Corps has already recruited 20 students for the first intake. Gasana noted that those who were recruited are already engaged in the multimedia industry.

    “Over 300 people applied for this training,” Gasana said.

    He added that after three months, the academy will recruit another batch of students. Initially the school was supposed to have started operating before the end of February, but according to Gasana, it was delayed because they were still procuring equipment for the academy.

    He noted that the school aims to equip Rwandans with multimedia skills, therefore unlocking the entire industry and encouraging innovation and creativity.

    The Government, through the WDA, has so far spent Rwf 100 million on the Academy. Various international companies have shown interest in providing more financial support to the school.

    Speaking to The New Times, Christopher Marler, the Program Manager at the Academy, the Pixel Corps are working with WDA to develop a curriculum and train instructors for the school.

    “The teaching equipment, which we have brought here, is as good as those used in the film production and Photoshop academies in the USA. In addition, part of our responsibility is also to connect the academy to other academies in the same field”.