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The company's service revenue reached Rwf167.5 billion in the six months ended June 30, 2026, up from the same period last year, while profit after tax stood at Rwf17.2 billion.

The performance comes as the use of digital services continues to expand in Rwanda, with individuals and businesses increasingly relying on mobile connectivity and digital payments for communication, commerce and other daily activities.

MTN Rwanda's subscriber base grew by 11.4 percent to 8.7 million during the period. Active data subscribers increased by 14.5 percent to 2.7 million, while active Mobile Money users rose by 14.9 percent to 6.4 million.

Data remained an important source of growth, with data revenue increasing by 14.3 percent to Rwf26.7 billion.

The increase was supported by a 63.6 percent rise in data traffic, as more customers adopted smartphones and made greater use of affordable data bundles.

Voice revenue also increased by 7.1 percent, supported by subscriber growth and the reintroduction of mobile termination rates in August 2025.

MTN Rwanda CEO Monzer Ali said the company's performance reflected more than financial growth, pointing to the expanding role of digital services in the economy.

'Every new smartphone connected, every entrepreneur paid through Mobile Money, and every community reached through our network represents another step towards a more connected, inclusive and digitally empowered Rwanda,' Ali said.

He said MTN Rwanda would continue investing in its network, technology and partnerships to expand access to digital services and support Rwanda's ambitions for a digitally enabled economy.

Mobile Money becomes bigger revenue driver

Mobile Money continued to be one of the strongest performers, with Mobile Money Rwanda Ltd (MMRL), MTN Rwanda's subsidiary, reporting a 31.3 percent year-on-year increase in MoMo revenue to Rwf90.1 billion.

MoMo accounted for 53.8 percent of MTN Rwanda's service revenue in the first half, up from 49.9 percent during the same period in 2025.

The platform's active merchant base increased by 19.2 percent to 682,000, highlighting the growing use of mobile payments among businesses and consumers.

Advanced services, including remittances and lending, also recorded strong growth, increasing by 28.1 percent and accounting for 28.4 percent of MoMo revenue.

Chantal U Kagame, CEO of Mobile Money Rwanda Ltd, said the expansion of the merchant network demonstrated how deeply mobile money has become embedded in Rwanda's economy.

'Growing to 682,000 active merchants shows how deeply mobile money has become embedded in the way Rwandans transact, run businesses and participate in the economy,' she said.

She added that the company would continue working to make MoMo services simpler, more secure and accessible.

MTN Rwanda also recorded significant improvements in profitability and cash generation during the period.

Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 30.4 percent to Rwf70.5 billion, while the EBITDA margin expanded by 2.8 percentage points to 41.8 percent.

The company attributed the improvement partly to savings generated through its Expense Efficiency Programme.

Capital expenditure, excluding leases, remained largely unchanged at Rwf11.2 billion, while adjusted free cash flow increased by 38.7 percent to Rwf59.3 billion.

MTN Rwanda Chief Financial Officer John Bugunya said the results demonstrated the company's ability to combine commercial growth with tighter financial management.

He said the stronger free cash flow provided a solid financial base for continued investment in network and digital infrastructure.

Digital growth alongside community investment

MTN Rwanda's activities during the first half also included initiatives aimed at supporting communities.

In June, the company conducted its annual 21 Days of Y'ello Care campaign under the theme 'Expanding Equitable Health for Every Community.'

As part of the campaign, MTN Rwanda supported the renovation of the maternity ward and expansion of the laboratory at Kigese Health Centre in Rugarika Sector, Kamonyi District.
The facility serves approximately 61,000 people and handles between 50 and 60 deliveries each month.

As it enters the second half of 2026, MTN Rwanda said it will focus on sustaining its commercial growth, expanding financial inclusion through Mobile Money and improving the quality and reach of its network.

The company said continued investment in connectivity and digital financial services will remain central to its role in Rwanda's digital transformation, while supporting individuals, businesses and communities to participate more fully in the modern economy.

Source : https://new.igihe.com/english/mtn-rwanda-posts-rwf17-2bn-profit-after-tax-as-h1-revenue-rises-21-9/

RIB spokesperson Dr. Murangira B. Thierry told IGIHE that the file was submitted on August 18, 2026.

Murangira said that although investigations are still ongoing, Shema is being investigated for allegedly issuing a bad cheque.

'His case file has been sent to the prosecution. Although investigations are still ongoing, he is being investigated for issuing a bad cheque,' he said.

RIB arrested Shema on August 11, 2026. He was subsequently detained at the RIB station in Kicukiro.

Shema was elected FERWAFA president on August 30, 2025, during the federation's ordinary general assembly, alongside members of the executive committee he leads. The team was dubbed the 'Dream Team.'

After taking office, Shema, a former president of AS Kigali, outlined plans to transform Rwandan football, with a focus on women's football, youth development and infrastructure, among other areas.

Shema served as president of AS Kigali for six years, during which the club won several trophies, including the 2019 and 2022 Peace Cups and the 2022 Super Cup.

Outside football, Shema is the managing director of Africa Medical Supplier, a company that supplies medical equipment in Rwanda.

Source : https://new.igihe.com/english/ferwafa-boss-fabrice-shemas-case-file-forwarded-to-prosecution/

The tariffs were scheduled to take effect at midnight on August 19 and would have affected about $20 billion worth of Canadian imports.

Trump announced the three-day pause on August 18, saying the United States and Canada had reached a deal subject to the finalization of documents.

However, Carney gave a more cautious assessment, saying that 'substantial progress' had been made but that important work remained.

The Canadian government did not publicly confirm the details of an agreement announced by Trump.

The two leaders spoke on Tuesday afternoon, marking their second conversation of the week as negotiators worked to resolve the remaining trade disagreements.

According to the U.S. Trade Representative's office, the proposed agreement would include broader market access for American goods, economic security commitments and alignment on digital trade.

Trump also said Canada had committed to addressing U.S. concerns over Canadian duties on dairy products, alcoholic beverages and motor vehicles.

The trade dispute has created significant uncertainty for Canadian businesses.

The proposed tariffs would have affected products including wine, dairy goods and other imports, with industry groups warning that higher costs could lead to job losses and business closures.

A major disagreement has involved the automotive sector, particularly how North American content in vehicles assembled in Canada should be treated when calculating tariff deductions.

Trump also suggested that the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which was cancelled by former U.S. President Joe Biden in 2021, could potentially be revived, although he provided no details linking the project to the emerging trade agreement.

The three-day pause gives negotiators additional time to finalize the outstanding issues.

For Canada, the immediate threat of the new tariffs has been delayed, but the uncertainty remains until the two governments complete and formally confirm their agreement.

Source : https://new.igihe.com/english/trump-pauses-50-tariffs-on-canada-as-carney-says-more-work-remains/

The Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) said 100,000 hectares will be cultivated using soil conservation practices, while 246,000 hectares will be located in designated Food Basket Sites (FOBASI). Of the FOBASI area, 100,000 hectares will receive special attention.

The plans were announced on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, during an expanded meeting held in the Eastern Province to assess preparations for the 2027A agricultural season and discuss measures to strengthen food security.

The Acting Director General of RAB, Dr. Florence Uwamahoro, said soil conservation farming will be among the key priorities during the upcoming season.

'Soil conservation farming is one of the approaches we want to invest in during this agricultural season. We tested it through research to find ways of addressing the effects of climate change,' Dr. Uwamahoro said.

She explained that the approach allows farmers to protect the soil while preparing their fields for planting.

According to Dr. Uwamahoro, farmers clear the land, make planting holes where crops will be planted, apply manure or fertilizer, and continue with weeding and mulching to improve soil conditions and increase production.

She said RAB has already trained a significant number of people who will work with farmers and help them adopt the soil conservation practices.

Government targets higher production in FOBASI areas

Dr. Uwamahoro said RAB is also targeting a significant increase in production from FOBASI areas.

She explained that the institution aims to double the production recorded last year, which has contributed to the decision to increase the area under cultivation.

Eastern Province Governor Pudence Rubingisa said preparations for the 2027A season have already begun, with authorities placing particular emphasis on soil conservation and ensuring farmers have the necessary inputs before the rainy season.

He said farmers have started being encouraged to register through Smart Nkunganire so that they can access fertilisers and seeds in time.

The aim is to ensure that farmers are ready to plant as soon as adequate rainfall begins, rather than starting preparations only after the rains have arrived.

'We have also set a target of reaching eight tonnes per hectare in both irrigated and rain-fed areas, while for rice, we aim to reach seven tonnes per hectare,' Rubingisa said.

Maize, beans, rice and soybeans among priority crops

The crops expected to receive particular attention during the 2027A season include maize, beans, rice and soybeans.

Authorities have also urged people who own large areas of farmland but do not cultivate them to allow other residents to use the land for farming.

The measure is intended to increase the amount of land under cultivation and contribute to higher agricultural production.

The preparations for the 2027A season are part of Rwanda's broader efforts to improve agricultural productivity, strengthen food security and help farmers adapt to the effects of climate change.

Source : https://new.igihe.com/english/rwanda-to-cultivate-765000-hectares-in-2027a-season-as-government-targets-higher-yields/

Researchers from SWPS University and the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology studied 180 young adults aged 18 to 35 who experienced fear of failure.

The participants took part in four therapy sessions over two weeks, focusing on difficult childhood experiences involving criticism.

The researchers tested different imagery based techniques. One group recalled situations that had caused fear or anxiety.

Another used a technique called Imagery Rescripting, in which participants recalled a painful childhood experience and imagined a supportive defender entering the situation, confronting the person who was criticizing them and protecting the child.

A third group received a similar treatment but included a 10 minute delay designed to strengthen the intervention's effect.

The researchers found that all the imagery based approaches led to significant and lasting reductions in fear of failure.

Participants also experienced lower levels of sadness and guilt. Their physical stress responses when recalling childhood criticism also decreased.

Importantly, the improvements were still visible three and six months after the therapy sessions, suggesting that the effects were not temporary.

The researchers also discovered that imagery rescripting appeared to work particularly well when participants experienced a moment of surprise.

They explained that this may happen when what a person expects differs from what actually happens in the new imagined experience.

This mismatch, known as prediction error, may help the brain loosen established emotional patterns and create new responses to painful memories.

The researchers say the findings suggest that difficult childhood memories do not necessarily have to remain emotionally painful forever.

By creating safer and more supportive endings to distressing experiences, therapy may help people respond differently to challenges in their lives.

Source : https://new.igihe.com/english/revisiting-childhood-criticism-can-reduce-fear-of-failure-study-finds/

Nsengiyumva made the remarks on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, while opening the Africa Water and Sanitation Systems Leadership Symposium at the Kigali Convention Centre.

The five-day symposium, running through August 21, is jointly organised by the African Union, the African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW) and the Government of Rwanda, and facilitated by IRC, a global water, sanitation and hygiene organisation.

The event brings together African leaders, reformers, financiers and development partners to discuss ways of strengthening water and sanitation systems and mobilising sustainable investment.

Nsengiyumva said Africa remains significantly off track in meeting the Sustainable Development Goal on water and sanitation as the 2030 deadline approaches.

'Across Africa, 418 million people still lack basic water services, 779 million lack basic sanitation, and 839 million lack basic hygiene,' he said.

He noted that African countries have invested heavily in infrastructure, including water pipelines, boreholes and treatment plants, but said many of these facilities are not delivering services effectively.

'The lesson is clear: building infrastructure is important but, to a large extent, it is only the beginning; ensuring that the built infrastructure functions effectively and reaches communities over the long term is the real measure of success,' Nsengiyumva said.

He argued that stronger institutions, effective governance, sustainable financing and accountable leadership are needed to turn infrastructure investments into reliable and lasting services.

The Prime Minister also pointed to the African Union's endorsement in February 2026 of the Africa Water Vision and Policy 2063, saying it places governance and leadership at the centre of efforts to achieve water security on the continent.

He said better governance could also help African countries unlock more domestic resources for the sector.

According to Nsengiyumva, an African Union panel on water investment found that improved governance, including sound tariffs, effective revenue collection and disciplined financial management, could unlock about $11.5 billion annually, while stronger domestic resource mobilisation could generate another $17.5 billion.

'Africa's water future can and should be paid for by Africans,' he said, while stressing that investors are more likely to commit capital to institutions that demonstrate financial discipline and accountability.

He urged participants to shift the conversation from simply seeking additional funding to building institutions capable of attracting and effectively managing investment.

Nsengiyumva also acknowledged challenges within Rwanda's own water sector, including high non-revenue water and ongoing efforts to improve rural water service delivery, including through private operators.

'There is nothing 'non-revenue' about water that has been treated and pumped, but never reaches the people it is meant to serve,' he said, describing such losses as both a waste of resources and a failure to deliver services to citizens.

The symposium is expected to produce the Kigali Communiqué on Systems Transformation for the Realisation of the Africa Water Vision and Policy 2063.

Nsengiyumva urged participants to make the commitments in the communiqué specific and measurable, saying the success of the gathering should ultimately be judged by changes in the institutions, decisions and services delivered after participants return to their respective countries.

He also called for the discussions to continue beyond Kigali, urging participants to carry the commitments and proposed solutions to Abu Dhabi in December.

'I encourage all of you: ministers, regulators, utility leaders, mayors, financiers, civil society organisations and young professionals, to make this a document you truly own,' he said.

The symposium is focused on accelerating water and sanitation transformation for sustainable impact, with particular emphasis on financial credibility as a foundation for sustainable investment and resilient water and sanitation systems.

Source : https://new.igihe.com/english/africas-water-future-depends-on-stronger-institutions-accountable-leadership-pm-nsengiyumva/

Panettiere, best known for her roles in Heroes, Nashville and the Scream franchise, died on August 16, 2026, at the age of 36. Sleepwalker, which was filmed in 2025, became her final film role.

Chatwin, who previously worked with Panettiere on Heroes, reunited with her years later while filming Sleepwalker.

He said the experience allowed him to reconnect with the actress and see what she was going through at that stage of her life.

Speaking to PEOPLE, Chatwin described Panettiere as a warm and kind person with 'one of the biggest hearts' he had encountered.

However, he said he could also see that she was struggling and felt lonely outside the filming environment.

Chatwin reflected on the nature of acting, explaining that performers can spend hours surrounded by colleagues on set before returning home alone.

'At the end of the day, you go home from a warm fun movie set where everyone's telling you you're great and you're alone in your house,' he said.

He said he enjoyed talking with Panettiere and valued the opportunity to reconnect with her while working on the film.

Sleepwalker is a psychological thriller in which Panettiere plays a woman dealing with trauma following the loss of her daughter. The film also stars Chatwin and other actors.

Panettiere had previously spoken openly about some of the challenges she faced throughout her life, including addiction and postpartum depression. She also addressed her experiences in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.

Chatwin's recollections provide a personal perspective on the actress during the final stage of her career, highlighting not only the difficulties she faced but also the kindness and warmth he remembered.

Panettiere began acting as a child and went on to build a successful career in television and film, becoming widely recognized for her roles in Heroes and Nashville.

Her final performance in Sleepwalker now stands as the last chapter of a career that spanned decades.

Source : https://new.igihe.com/english/actor-justin-chatwin-recalls-hayden-panettieres-loneliness-before-her-death/

Researchers studying a highly magnetic neutron star called a magnetar observed signs of a phenomenon known as vacuum birefringence.

This effect occurs when extremely strong magnetic fields change the way light travels through what appears to be empty space.

The idea was predicted in the 1930s through work associated with quantum electrodynamics.

According to the theory, a vacuum is not truly empty because quantum fluctuations can produce temporary changes involving virtual particles.

Under normal conditions, these effects are far too weak to detect. However, the enormous magnetic fields surrounding magnetars could make them visible.

The research team studied the magnetar 1E 1547.0-5408, using NASA's Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, or IXPE, together with the NICER X-ray telescope and Australia's Murriyang Parkes radio telescope.

The scientists examined X-rays and radio signals from the magnetar and found an unusual pattern in the polarization of the X-rays.

The polarization was closely connected to the star's magnetic field and matched observations of its radio emissions.

The researchers say the results provide compelling evidence for vacuum birefringence, although more observations are needed to completely confirm the explanation.

Magnetars are especially useful for this research because they possess some of the strongest magnetic fields known in the universe.

These fields are estimated to be more than 100 million times stronger than anything scientists can create on Earth.

If future observations confirm the discovery, it could provide an important test of quantum physics under extreme conditions and help scientists better understand how light, space and matter behave in the most powerful environments in the universe.

Source : https://new.igihe.com/english/magnetar-study-shows-empty-space-isnt-truly-empty/

NIDA Director General Josephine Mukesha said the exercise is currently being completed in the Northern and Western provinces.

'We are finishing the exercise in the Northern and Western provinces. Our teams are in Gakenke, Karongi, Gicumbi and Rutsiro, and we will start in Rulindo on Tuesday,' Mukesha told The New Times.

'We have reached over eight million people who have been registered, and more than seven million have already been photographed,' she said.

The government aims to phase out the current national identity cards by June 2027, by which time more than 14 million citizens are expected to have been photographed.

Mukesha said incomplete or inaccurate personal information remains one of the challenges slowing participation in the exercise. This is particularly the case for children who have not been registered in civil-status records or whose details contain errors.

She urged parents who have not yet registered their children to do so at their local sector offices before the photographing exercise begins. Citizens can also use the Irembo platform to review and correct personal details, including dates of birth.

The digital ID exercise began in the Southern Province in October 2025 before expanding to other parts of the country.

In Kigali, the photographing exercise had already been completed, meaning residents who missed it would ordinarily have to travel to another province. However, NIDA opened a stand at the International Trade Fair in Gikondo to allow Kigali residents who missed the exercise to complete the process.

The government says the digital ID will make it easier for citizens to access public services while giving them greater control over their personal information. Unlike the current national ID, which contains multiple personal details, the digital system is expected to allow citizens to share only the information required for a particular service.

Source : https://new.igihe.com/english/over-8-million-rwandans-enrolled-for-digital-national-id/

The Ben made the remarks in an interview with IGIHE after Inshallah broke the record for the fastest song by a Rwandan artist to surpass one million YouTube views.

'It induces pride to me and the people I work with. I don't think there is an artist who would not be happy to release a song and see people enjoying it,' The Ben said.

'On the other hand, it is a sign that Rwandans love the music produced by their artists. This gives us even more motivation to work harder. I consider this a debt, and I will repay it by giving people more great music.'

Inshallah was released on August 15, 2026, and quickly attracted attention from music fans. Within 48 hours, its music video had surpassed one million views on YouTube.

The achievement saw The Ben overtake a record previously held by fellow Rwandan singer Meddy, whose song My Vow had reached one million views within 48 hours.

The milestone comes as The Ben faces growing expectations from his fans, many of whom have previously criticised him for taking too long to release new music.

The singer, however, used the occasion to assure his fans that more projects are on the way, suggesting that they should expect a change in how frequently he releases music.

He said the response to Inshallah had further strengthened his determination to keep creating and give his audience more songs to enjoy.

Source : https://new.igihe.com/english/the-ben-breaks-meddys-record-as-inshallah-reaches-one-million-youtube-views-in-48-hours/