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In a statement issued on Monday, September 30, 2024, the agency announced that it is deploying experts to assist Rwanda’s investigation and response to the Marburg outbreak.

“The staff will use experience from responding to outbreaks of Marburg virus disease and similar diseases in other countries to support epidemiology, contact tracing, laboratory testing, disease detection and control along borders, and hospital infection prevention and control,” the statement reads in part.

The CDC is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Its primary role is to protect public health by controlling and preventing the spread of diseases, particularly infectious diseases. It also addresses health issues related to non-communicable diseases, environmental health, occupational safety, injury prevention, and health promotion.

The agency established its office in Rwanda in 2002 and has, over the years, worked with the government to strengthen health systems and prevent communicable diseases. This includes training scientists through the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP), which enhances Rwanda’s capacity to investigate disease outbreaks.

The CDC has also collaborated closely with the Rwandan government to implement the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the President’s Malaria Initiative, co-implemented by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The agency noted that these past investments and partnerships have strengthened core capabilities, which can now be utilized in response to the current outbreak.

Rwanda confirmed its first-ever Marburg outbreak four days ago, with 26 cases and eight deaths reported as of Sunday, September 29, 2024.

The government has since announced measures to curb the spread of the virus, including the suspension of hospital visits, the banning of wakes and home vigils (locally known as Ikiriyo) in cases of death caused by Marburg, and the restriction of burials related to Marburg deaths to a maximum of 50 people.

Additionally, all healthcare facilities have been directed to implement a protocol for receiving and providing services to clients exhibiting symptoms of Marburg disease through the strict application of infection prevention and control (IPC) measures.

Wycliffe Nyamasege

According to Boona FM, the incident occurred on Sunday, September 29, 2024, in Kamonyi Village, Northern Division of Kisoro Municipality, Uganda.

Ntirivamunda, in his 40s, had gone to a local bar to purchase meat, which he shared with his visiting daughter.

Witnesses said that, after consuming the meal, a piece of meat became lodged in Elias’ throat, causing him to lose consciousness and tragically die on the spot.

IGIHE

The survey highlights that public transport is more commonly used in urban areas, with 25.9% of employed people in the City of Kigali relying on it for their commute.

In contrast, the usage of public transportation is notably lower in rural areas, where only 2.6% of employed individuals use it.

According to the survey, 8.3 million of Rwanda’s 13.2 million population are of working age, with 4.3 million currently employed.

Among those employed in Kigali, over 61% commute on foot, while 12.7% use personal vehicles.

In March 2023, the Rwandan government introduced 12 new public transport routes in Kigali, increasing the total number to 79.

The recent addition of 200 new buses has helped ease congestion at bus stations, particularly during peak hours when commuters are traveling to and from work.

In other urban areas, 75.3% of workers also walk to work, and 10.2% rely on private means of transportation.

In rural areas, only 5% of workers use private cars, with a mere 2.6% utilizing public transport.

The Labor Force Survey for the second quarter of 2024, conducted by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR), revealed that 83.9% of employed individuals walk to and from work.

The survey also showed that 8.8% of employed Rwandans use public transportation for their daily commute.

IGIHE

The visit to the country was confirmed by Foreign Affairs Minister Olivier J.P. Nduhungirehe and the office of Latvia’s President, Edgars Rinkēvičs, on Monday, September 30, 2024.

Nduhungirehe described the visit as historic as it marks the first official visit by a Rwandan president to the Baltic States, which comprise Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania. It is also the first official visit by an African president to Latvia.

During the visit, President Kagame will meet with Latvia’s highest-ranking officials, including President Edgars Rinkēvičs, Speaker of the Saeima (the Parliament of the Republic of Latvia), Daiga Mieriņa, and Prime Minister Evika Siliņa.

Additionally, during President Kagame’s visit, a memorial plaque dedicated to the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda will be unveiled at the Latvian National Library on Wednesday, October 2, 2024.

Talks between Presidents Kagame and Rinkēvičs will focus on bilateral relations between Rwanda and Latvia, current security challenges in Africa and Europe, and cooperation within international organizations.

The two heads of state last met at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2023. At that meeting, they discussed Rwanda’s regional engagements in Africa, particularly in peace efforts in Mozambique and the Central African Republic, as well as its involvement in UN peacekeeping missions.

President Rinkēvičs expressed Latvia’s appreciation for Rwanda’s firm stance on protecting international law and voiced interest in educational cooperation.

Latvia, located in northeastern Europe, is one of the smaller countries on the continent, covering an area of 64,589 square kilometers. It shares borders with Lithuania to the south and Estonia to the north and has a population of approximately 1.88 million people.

The country gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 after decades of occupation. Latvia’s landscape features rolling hills, dense forests, and sandy beaches along the Baltic Sea coast.

Riga, the capital and largest city of Latvia, is renowned for its stunning architecture, which includes Art Nouveau buildings and medieval churches. The official language, Latvian, is a Baltic language with ancient roots.

Riga, the capital and largest city of Latvia, is renowned for its stunning architecture, which includes Art Nouveau buildings and medieval churches.

Winter season in Riga.

Latvia’s landscape features rolling hills and dense forests.

President Kagame and his Latvian counterpart, Edgars Rinkēvičs, when they met at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2023.

Wycliffe Nyamasege

Antoine Griezmann has confirmed his retirement from international football, bringing to a close the end of a 10-year career with France.

The Atlético de Madrid man revealed the news on Monday morning just ahead of Les Bleus' October matches against Israel and Belgium.

Griezmann played in six major tournaments for France, including a starring role in their 2018 World Cup win as well as their run to the 2022 final in Qatar.

A brief message on his Twitter account read: 'It is with a heart full of memories that I close this chapter of my life. Thank you for this magnificent tricolor adventure and see you soon.

Griezmann ends his international career having played 137 times for France and scoring 44 goals.

The 21-year-old software engineers’ AI project, dubbed Bwenge, was ranked first among 18 projects reviewed by judges in the 48-hour competition on Sunday, September 29, 2024, securing them Frw 5 million in cash prizes and VIP passes to the Global AI Summit on Africa in April 2025.

Bwenge is an AI-powered chatbot that allows any citizen with a phone, even without internet access, to make a call and access digital government services. The bot has been integrated with IremboPay, a payment solution for Rwanda’s one-stop shop for government services, to ensure seamless payments.

The 21-year-old software engineers’ AI project, dubbed Bwenge, was ranked first among 18 projects reviewed by judges in the 48-hour competition on Sunday, September 29, 2024

'You can ask the bot how to do things, for example, how to start a business in Rwanda, and it will provide you with a detailed guide,' Izabayo explained.

'You can also request an SMS on how to pay for an application, and it will send you a direct text. You can then call, and the system will prompt you to make a payment through mobile money (MOMO).'

Another interesting feature of the chatbot is its telephone agent, which allows two people who speak different languages to have a conversation on a call, with the bot translating for each of them.

Cedric Izabayo (left) and Liberiste Clarence (right) pose for a photo with Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA) CEO Innocent Muhizi during the awarding ceremony at Irembo Campus in Nyarutarama.

Izabayo and Clarence are graduates of the Rwanda Coding Academy and work at Pivot Access and Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB), respectively. The two young software developers could not contain their excitement after winning the top prize on their very first attempt at such a competition.

'This journey was really interesting; it showed us what we can accomplish in less than 48 hours. We were thinking about what we could do to provide value to the whole Rwandan society, especially for those who don’t have access to the internet,' Clarence beamed, adding that ironically they were among the last groups to apply for the hackathon, just a few hours before the application deadline.

Libériste Clarence takes the judges through his team’s AI project.

The duo is open to collaborating with other partners to implement and explore other ideas leveraging artificial intelligence.

'We have the ability to do more things. Now we are using a phone, but one can use WhatsApp to send requests. The possibilities are endless,' Izabayo concluded.

Peter Charles Djomga, Director of Software Engineering at Irembo, said the project has the potential to revolutionize access to information, especially for persons with limited internet access.

Peter Charles Djomga, Director of Software Engineering at Irembo, makes his remarks during the awarding ceremony.

'The project can have a huge impact in Rwanda because the way it’s deployed allows people without internet to access information by just calling a phone number. It can have a huge impact in urban and rural areas,' Djomga stated, emphasizing that the pioneering event was organised to create solutions that address real-world challenges and drive meaningful impact in Rwanda.

The second place went to a team of four developers with a technology titled Immersive AI. It’s a platform that enables businesses and individuals to create their own AI workflow agents to automate processes and improve productivity. The project developers included Dirac Murairi, Landelin Gihozo, Julien Barezi and Kevin Nkusi.

The Immersive AI project finished second in the competition.

Somatek AI clinched the third place. The project was also undertaken by group of four young software developers, who built an AI-powered browser extension that simplifies complex technical documentation. The team, comprising Janvier Ntwali, Laura Celine Ishimwe, Dean Daryl Murenzi, and Leny Pascal Ihirwe, developed the extension to assist the government in its recently rolled-out scheme to train one million coders under the second National Strategy for Transformation (NST2) by 2029.

'Given that most Rwandan youth are low-proficient English speakers, we decided to create a solution for them to transcribe technical documentation to their level for better understanding and learning experiences,' the team explained.

The two teams won Frw 2 million and Frw 1 million, respectively.

Somatek AI clinched the third place in the competition.

In developing practical AI solutions, the participants leveraged large language models (LLMs) and locally built technologies. Teams had the opportunity to access IremboPay APIs to integrate cutting-edge digital payment solutions into their projects. Pindo, a partner of the event, also provided access to its latest speech-to-text and text-to-speech AI models for voice-enabled applications.

Twenty teams comprising 63 individuals were initially selected to participate in the competition from a pool of more than 130 teams, but only 18 teams made it to the final stage and had their projects reviewed by a panel of eminent judges from Irembo, C4IR, and RSSB, among other partners.

Alain Ndayishimiye, Project Lead for AI/ML at C4IR Rwanda, and Esther Kunda, the Director General of Innovation & Emerging Technologies at the Ministry of ICT and Innovation in Rwanda, were among the judges.

The winning teams pose for a photo with some of the judges of the competition.

Wycliffe Nyamasege