The New Times Publications Sarl Internal Memo
From: George Kagame Journalist To: Managing Director cc: Managing Editor, Finance Department, Human Resource and Administration Dear Sir,
Subject: Request for 1000 US Dollars as pocket money for ICTR assignment in Arusha
I humbly request you sir to release 1000 US Dollars as my first monthly salary for the month of May 2008 for my new assignment in Arusha.
I need the funds urgently to begin working as my official functions at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda start on 12th May 2008.
The funds will enable me to access basic services in Arusha and get acclimatized to the new working environment.
I request that the funds are released immediately as my flight from Kigali to Arusha is slated for 11th May.
Thank you sir for your cooperation Yours Muhinda George Kagame Journalist 7th May 2008
Wednesday, 14 May 2008
Rwandan book on Genocide
Rwanda author to launch book about popular participation in 1994 Genocide
BY GEORGE Kagame
Yet another book that explains the events leading to and during the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda is due to be launched next week in Kigali at place and date yet to be announced.
The book titled, “Rwanda; The Popular Genocide” was written by Dr Jean Paul Kimonyo a Rwandan Canadian researcher and was published in France, where it was released last week. The book is among a handful that Kimonyo has published about Rwanda; among his collections include Revue Critique des interpretations du conflit Rwandais 2000.
Speaking to the press about the forthcoming launch of the book Kiminyo said; “I carried out personal inquisition while the genocide was happening here in 1994 and I was concerned with the swiftness with which the entire population of a country was consumed by the killings, this motivated me to write the book”
Kimonyo explained the title of his book as thus; “Rwanda is a small country, it was possible that when the Tutsi were targeted for murder they could have escaped to neighbouring but the entire population was incited to kill, there were death camps, gas chambers and no infrastructure to control physically the targeted population this is because the whole population was mobilized to prevent victims from escaping.”
He said the purpose of the book to answer why so many people participated in the 1994 Genocide despite the absence of infrastructure mechanism to organize the victims.
Kimonyo is a PhD in Political Science from the University of Quebec Montreal in Canada and was also a member of the National Independent Commission Probing the role of France in the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda and is currently Director of Cogito Consult, a private that offers consulting services
Commenting on the arrest warrants from France and Spain against some 40 senior officials of the ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front, Kimonyo said his book does not directly respond to the warrants but he added that the book answers the motivation behind the warrants.
Said Kimonyo; “the warrants are opportunistic and show that judges are taking sides, they are trying as much as possible that the genocide was caused by external, in reality the genocide was caused by extreme factors that combined together at a certain time and place but the ideology began as far back as 1959.”
He added that the ideological factors are largely responsible for causing the genocide.
The government has since outlawed genocide ideology among Rwandans and recently formed a commission to control genocide ideology in the country after 2007 parliamentary commission reported that the ideology was still prevalent among school going children.
BY GEORGE Kagame
Yet another book that explains the events leading to and during the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda is due to be launched next week in Kigali at place and date yet to be announced.
The book titled, “Rwanda; The Popular Genocide” was written by Dr Jean Paul Kimonyo a Rwandan Canadian researcher and was published in France, where it was released last week. The book is among a handful that Kimonyo has published about Rwanda; among his collections include Revue Critique des interpretations du conflit Rwandais 2000.
Speaking to the press about the forthcoming launch of the book Kiminyo said; “I carried out personal inquisition while the genocide was happening here in 1994 and I was concerned with the swiftness with which the entire population of a country was consumed by the killings, this motivated me to write the book”
Kimonyo explained the title of his book as thus; “Rwanda is a small country, it was possible that when the Tutsi were targeted for murder they could have escaped to neighbouring but the entire population was incited to kill, there were death camps, gas chambers and no infrastructure to control physically the targeted population this is because the whole population was mobilized to prevent victims from escaping.”
He said the purpose of the book to answer why so many people participated in the 1994 Genocide despite the absence of infrastructure mechanism to organize the victims.
Kimonyo is a PhD in Political Science from the University of Quebec Montreal in Canada and was also a member of the National Independent Commission Probing the role of France in the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda and is currently Director of Cogito Consult, a private that offers consulting services
Commenting on the arrest warrants from France and Spain against some 40 senior officials of the ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front, Kimonyo said his book does not directly respond to the warrants but he added that the book answers the motivation behind the warrants.
Said Kimonyo; “the warrants are opportunistic and show that judges are taking sides, they are trying as much as possible that the genocide was caused by external, in reality the genocide was caused by extreme factors that combined together at a certain time and place but the ideology began as far back as 1959.”
He added that the ideological factors are largely responsible for causing the genocide.
The government has since outlawed genocide ideology among Rwandans and recently formed a commission to control genocide ideology in the country after 2007 parliamentary commission reported that the ideology was still prevalent among school going children.
What will tommorrow bring?
I have been in confusion recently; its is such confusion that mid way in the month, i dont know where my next payment will come from, whether i will actually be in Arusha and how much i will earn should i go to Arusha.
I hope tommorrow or the day after that will bring glad tidings.
I hope tommorrow or the day after that will bring glad tidings.
FIFA World Player of the Year 08
FIFA’s world player of the year is a select group of a few clubs
BY GEORGE KAGAME After the semi finals of the champions’ league, it was quite clear which European based player is likely to win the world player of the year for 2008. As about any topic under the sky, pundits have been quick to rubbish not only the earning power of today’s soccer icons, (for some even the quality of these players has been tied to how much money they earn a week).
Beyond just sheer talent, the race for the best player today is a statement about the quality of the league that a player features in. Forget the good old Cinderella story; if you play for a club that does not make the semi final of the Champions’ league occasionally, it is hard as the ‘Carmel passing through the needle’ story as presented in the bible to be awarded the accolade of the world’s best player of the year.
And today that privilege is limited a select group of a few, including Juventus, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Barcelona, Liverpool Chelsea and AC Milan.
That’s what makes Africa’s son George Weah’s achievement in 1995 even the more special, Samuel Eto’o is as good as the best come, but for all his quality, he will never match Weah whose life story - from a Monrovia slum to international celebrity - provides a rare beacon of hope and inspiration to Liberia's many thousands of young people who see little future except for a life of poverty.
Weah’s sojourn remains a romantic’s ultimate Cinderella story; his successful world tour took him from the extreme end of poverty to international glamour in clubs like AC Milan, Chelsea, AS Monaco, Paris Saint Germain, Olympique Marseille and Manchester City. Weah’s achievements in African sport will not be matched in the near future.
Compared to Kaka and Christiano Ronaldo whose careers seemed to have been planned for them, Weah was a typical boy on the street who rose to glory. Yet for all his endowments, Weah was only highly recognized while he played at Milan.
In recent times, the awards have been exclusively a rivalry between Ronaldinho at Barcelona against Steven Gerard, Thierry Henry, Frank Lampard in England and Shevchenko, that order has only been disrupted by the events of Germany 2006 and Kaka at Milan. This season, that race is between, Christiano Ronaldo at Manchester United Lionel Messi at Barcelona and possibly Fernando Torres at Liverpool. For the profiles of the individuals involved in the current race, the questions about them are by extension questions concerning the best club or football league in the world. The question in mind here is that if Fernando Torres were playing for Real Madrid, Manchester United or Chelsea, he would certainly be the most deserving to win world player of the year. Ronaldo is the ideal candidate for any imaginable award sports award this year, yet his importance to United has not been pivotal. For all his well publicized tricks and speed, the times that Ronaldo has not played, United have moved on smoothly. And that raises the second question, is soccer today about team spirit anymore, or is it still possible for a team like Rwanda-with no such high profile star players ever be successful?
The answer lies in measures clubs and countries have recently adopted to attract and maintain raw talent and seduce it with any imaginable funds so they can retain them. Given their individual talent and importance to the team, super stars have become essential and the need to be reward equally important.
It so the credit of the prodigiously talented that players like Kaka, who has struggled with his form this season and that has also seriously affected the performance of Milan, failing to mount a serious challenge in all the competitions they played in 2008. And makes crucial inspiration for aspiring teams like Arsenal to acquire their services.
When Kaka was playing without the interruption of injury and a poor run of form, Milan counted on the Brazilian to create some magic out of any tight situation, the Italians for good measure were feared across the world and won every tournament they entered. It is by no coincidence that till today Kaka is the highest earning soccer player in Europe and the world-save for David Beckham!
BY GEORGE KAGAME After the semi finals of the champions’ league, it was quite clear which European based player is likely to win the world player of the year for 2008. As about any topic under the sky, pundits have been quick to rubbish not only the earning power of today’s soccer icons, (for some even the quality of these players has been tied to how much money they earn a week).
Beyond just sheer talent, the race for the best player today is a statement about the quality of the league that a player features in. Forget the good old Cinderella story; if you play for a club that does not make the semi final of the Champions’ league occasionally, it is hard as the ‘Carmel passing through the needle’ story as presented in the bible to be awarded the accolade of the world’s best player of the year.
And today that privilege is limited a select group of a few, including Juventus, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Barcelona, Liverpool Chelsea and AC Milan.
That’s what makes Africa’s son George Weah’s achievement in 1995 even the more special, Samuel Eto’o is as good as the best come, but for all his quality, he will never match Weah whose life story - from a Monrovia slum to international celebrity - provides a rare beacon of hope and inspiration to Liberia's many thousands of young people who see little future except for a life of poverty.
Weah’s sojourn remains a romantic’s ultimate Cinderella story; his successful world tour took him from the extreme end of poverty to international glamour in clubs like AC Milan, Chelsea, AS Monaco, Paris Saint Germain, Olympique Marseille and Manchester City. Weah’s achievements in African sport will not be matched in the near future.
Compared to Kaka and Christiano Ronaldo whose careers seemed to have been planned for them, Weah was a typical boy on the street who rose to glory. Yet for all his endowments, Weah was only highly recognized while he played at Milan.
In recent times, the awards have been exclusively a rivalry between Ronaldinho at Barcelona against Steven Gerard, Thierry Henry, Frank Lampard in England and Shevchenko, that order has only been disrupted by the events of Germany 2006 and Kaka at Milan. This season, that race is between, Christiano Ronaldo at Manchester United Lionel Messi at Barcelona and possibly Fernando Torres at Liverpool. For the profiles of the individuals involved in the current race, the questions about them are by extension questions concerning the best club or football league in the world. The question in mind here is that if Fernando Torres were playing for Real Madrid, Manchester United or Chelsea, he would certainly be the most deserving to win world player of the year. Ronaldo is the ideal candidate for any imaginable award sports award this year, yet his importance to United has not been pivotal. For all his well publicized tricks and speed, the times that Ronaldo has not played, United have moved on smoothly. And that raises the second question, is soccer today about team spirit anymore, or is it still possible for a team like Rwanda-with no such high profile star players ever be successful?
The answer lies in measures clubs and countries have recently adopted to attract and maintain raw talent and seduce it with any imaginable funds so they can retain them. Given their individual talent and importance to the team, super stars have become essential and the need to be reward equally important.
It so the credit of the prodigiously talented that players like Kaka, who has struggled with his form this season and that has also seriously affected the performance of Milan, failing to mount a serious challenge in all the competitions they played in 2008. And makes crucial inspiration for aspiring teams like Arsenal to acquire their services.
When Kaka was playing without the interruption of injury and a poor run of form, Milan counted on the Brazilian to create some magic out of any tight situation, the Italians for good measure were feared across the world and won every tournament they entered. It is by no coincidence that till today Kaka is the highest earning soccer player in Europe and the world-save for David Beckham!
Auberge Bel Air Kimironko
Where do hard knock prison wardens go to unwind and reflect on the nature of the people that they keep in custody?
In case those in custody are mainly suspected murderers, that place must posses more attractive packages than a normal recreational joint.
In your mind the figment there could be a low flowing river down the plains of undulating hills, covered by green flat savannah grass and a few lone trees scattered about,
Save for the river, the rest of your imagination suits exactly auberge Bel air right behind Kimironko prison.
The guest house or Auberge as it is known throughout Kimironko, is a quite spacious and secluded expansive garden thrown almost at the furthest end of Kimironko, it offers guest rooms, meals, conference facilities, a sparsely stocked by friendly priced bar and camping facilities to backpackers.
Bel Air is the perfect place for a get away from all the noise of the city, the prison, situated about 400 metres from the guest house is conspicuous by its silence, as early as 6pm, the night sound of the humming night birds is audible, while the beautiful mango trees are a favourite for ‘looking in the eyes’ romantic dates.
There’s simply no other perfect place for senior officials of the prison also to unwind, walking on the well maintained gardens one cannot help but wonder why such a gem is hidden this far from a larger clientele.
But reports in the area allege that the Auberge is hidden for tactical purposes, it is rumoured that this Kigali beauty is a favourite place for any one interested in ‘one night stands’.
In case those in custody are mainly suspected murderers, that place must posses more attractive packages than a normal recreational joint.
In your mind the figment there could be a low flowing river down the plains of undulating hills, covered by green flat savannah grass and a few lone trees scattered about,
Save for the river, the rest of your imagination suits exactly auberge Bel air right behind Kimironko prison.
The guest house or Auberge as it is known throughout Kimironko, is a quite spacious and secluded expansive garden thrown almost at the furthest end of Kimironko, it offers guest rooms, meals, conference facilities, a sparsely stocked by friendly priced bar and camping facilities to backpackers.
Bel Air is the perfect place for a get away from all the noise of the city, the prison, situated about 400 metres from the guest house is conspicuous by its silence, as early as 6pm, the night sound of the humming night birds is audible, while the beautiful mango trees are a favourite for ‘looking in the eyes’ romantic dates.
There’s simply no other perfect place for senior officials of the prison also to unwind, walking on the well maintained gardens one cannot help but wonder why such a gem is hidden this far from a larger clientele.
But reports in the area allege that the Auberge is hidden for tactical purposes, it is rumoured that this Kigali beauty is a favourite place for any one interested in ‘one night stands’.
Bosco Ndendahimana Nyamirambo
PIX; Please a picture of Interahamwe with their green bitenges, machetes and guns wit appropriate caption about their thinking and actions.
There also several photos of Josef Fritzl on the net
From Nyamirambo to Amsteten; the universal cruelty of the human spirit
BY GEORGE KAGAME
Once I went to the same boarding school with a certain Fred Ngenda who as a teenager in Nyamirambo by 1994, he had seen gruesome incidents, these made very good pastime for many students as we listened to his accounts as one way of whiling away lazy Saturday evenings in the school compounds.
Encircled by very strict religious administrators it was easy and essential for students to be friends with just about anybody in the school. With that necessity, our paths crossed many times that it was inevitable we became genial friends.
Ngenda had an uncanny character to be alone most of the time, but whenever he chose to talk, he was a very hilarious person and was widely popular at school.
Saturday evening walks and chats in the school gardens featured so highly on many students favourite activities lists.
In the gardens the students retold each other movies, songs, rap music, and who between Tupac Shakur and Notorious BIG were kings of East and West Coast. Ngenda liked to talk about fashion, in fact was the best 'designer' in that small community, that unofficial title in the school setting carried a lot of weight.
Ngenda’s stories were even more interesting; he talked about close encounters with guns, fast cars, but his about one particular incident during the 1994 Genocide. It was about the otherwise normal and favourite activity of any teenager in Africa-that noble job of collecting water for the family.
In Ngenda's case this simple task one time took two weeks to accomplish, involving standing or sitting in one body position and not changing for 24 hours, any slight movement of his body or branches of a tree under which Ngenda was hiding would have cost his life. By the time he returned with the water, some of his people had starved off to death. That story made many students that listened to it cry! Ngenda’s accounts made him a hero for many of us, some boys even cried-which was rather odd and considered cheekish for bulging teenagers keen to have the confidence and coolness of Denzel Washington, this was 1996. England’s failure at the semi finals of Euro 96 was a more likely candidate to make many boys cry by then.
The Balokore (born again Christians) amongst us, and they were very many then, would organise prayer groups where Ngenda would be dedicated to God. In the evenings we would tease him bout the prayers!
Later as we matured, we would be educated that events that made Ngenda hide with a jerry can of water for two weeks in one place were a result of African backwardness and poverty. The examples about African brutality were quite many on the continent at that time. Foday Sankoh was busy in Sierra Leone butchering and boiling his victims, Somalia was as hot in conflict as it is today while a local brew was slowly claiming the lives of Kenyans who drunk the thing at free will.
Last week an incident slowly unfolded in an Austrian town of Amsteten that emphasizes the universal cruelty of the human spirit irrespective of geographical or periodical limits.
The incident involves Josef Fritzl and his family, the story makes the makers of horror movies amateurish compared to what Fritzl did. This particular story is dramatic in that it is it not about some village peasant drunk with government and religious propaganda but a widely respected man of social standing in the said Austrian tow, a country with one of the most strict immigration policies because of its fears of immigrants! The nature of Josef Fritzl actions is so brutal that compares to the incidents that led to Ngenda spending two weeks doing an errand that otherwise takes a couple of minutes normally. For Rwandans both inside and outside the country the month of April is a constant reminder of how brutal; even the less sophiscated human beings in your average neighbourhoods can be, Ngenda’s story and that of Fritzl are so horrible that manufacturers of nuclear technology should like little children- there's no need for expensive weaponry if the human mind is still working, its that simple really. The 73 aged Fritzl also happens to be a qualified technician and respected family man but with Austrian government assistance in 1984, Fritzl extended his house by building an underground extension. In the underground extension, he sealed off the entrance and imprisoned his daughter Elizabeth Fritzl then aged only 18 till mid April 2008.
As the raping became more frequent Elizabeth conceived and had a child, then another child, then another till they were seven. Of the seven, three became noisy kids, Fritzl removed them from the bunker and put 'threw' them on the doorstep of his family house above the prison, only to adopt them and thereby become a more respectable human being in his town.
Fritzl then embarked on a policy of sustained rape of his daughter for the next 24 years, in which time no one knew she was hidden and upon her discovery, her father had raped 7 children out of her.
He would step in his cell, just below his house-where other members of his family stayed, those members included his wife, who was also the mother of Elizabeth and her other siblings.
Had it not been the sickness of one Fritzl’s prisoners, Elizabeth’s story would possibly remain unknown. But Kerstin Fritzl 19 was no ordinary prisoner and Frizl was not your ordinary village thug seeking ransom. In fact Frizl was the father and the same time the grand father of the girl.
Fritzl was by many accounts, an affable and socially very respectable man; he was married, highly educated, and also successful in businessman.
Now a society like Austria is dealing with such issues as a guy who imprisoned his daughter for 24 years all the while raping her and forcefully fathering her seven children-whom he also terrorized daily.
Last Saturday at Jali Club, there a was a ceremony of great significance, Pangea day was a global event staged in selected cities all over the world, Pangea Day seeks to unite thew world though sharing universal messages of hope, love, peace and happpines. Rwanda was one among seven cities to stage.
The live programs went a long way in depicting that human beings wherever are; face the same challenges and themes like love, despair, sorrow, faith, hope and success are universal. Josef Fritzl and the 1994 Nyamirambo bandits that ensured Ngenda hid in one ditch for two weeks is testimony the human beings need a lot of Pangea’s Days.
There also several photos of Josef Fritzl on the net
From Nyamirambo to Amsteten; the universal cruelty of the human spirit
BY GEORGE KAGAME
Once I went to the same boarding school with a certain Fred Ngenda who as a teenager in Nyamirambo by 1994, he had seen gruesome incidents, these made very good pastime for many students as we listened to his accounts as one way of whiling away lazy Saturday evenings in the school compounds.
Encircled by very strict religious administrators it was easy and essential for students to be friends with just about anybody in the school. With that necessity, our paths crossed many times that it was inevitable we became genial friends.
Ngenda had an uncanny character to be alone most of the time, but whenever he chose to talk, he was a very hilarious person and was widely popular at school.
Saturday evening walks and chats in the school gardens featured so highly on many students favourite activities lists.
In the gardens the students retold each other movies, songs, rap music, and who between Tupac Shakur and Notorious BIG were kings of East and West Coast. Ngenda liked to talk about fashion, in fact was the best 'designer' in that small community, that unofficial title in the school setting carried a lot of weight.
Ngenda’s stories were even more interesting; he talked about close encounters with guns, fast cars, but his about one particular incident during the 1994 Genocide. It was about the otherwise normal and favourite activity of any teenager in Africa-that noble job of collecting water for the family.
In Ngenda's case this simple task one time took two weeks to accomplish, involving standing or sitting in one body position and not changing for 24 hours, any slight movement of his body or branches of a tree under which Ngenda was hiding would have cost his life. By the time he returned with the water, some of his people had starved off to death. That story made many students that listened to it cry! Ngenda’s accounts made him a hero for many of us, some boys even cried-which was rather odd and considered cheekish for bulging teenagers keen to have the confidence and coolness of Denzel Washington, this was 1996. England’s failure at the semi finals of Euro 96 was a more likely candidate to make many boys cry by then.
The Balokore (born again Christians) amongst us, and they were very many then, would organise prayer groups where Ngenda would be dedicated to God. In the evenings we would tease him bout the prayers!
Later as we matured, we would be educated that events that made Ngenda hide with a jerry can of water for two weeks in one place were a result of African backwardness and poverty. The examples about African brutality were quite many on the continent at that time. Foday Sankoh was busy in Sierra Leone butchering and boiling his victims, Somalia was as hot in conflict as it is today while a local brew was slowly claiming the lives of Kenyans who drunk the thing at free will.
Last week an incident slowly unfolded in an Austrian town of Amsteten that emphasizes the universal cruelty of the human spirit irrespective of geographical or periodical limits.
The incident involves Josef Fritzl and his family, the story makes the makers of horror movies amateurish compared to what Fritzl did. This particular story is dramatic in that it is it not about some village peasant drunk with government and religious propaganda but a widely respected man of social standing in the said Austrian tow, a country with one of the most strict immigration policies because of its fears of immigrants! The nature of Josef Fritzl actions is so brutal that compares to the incidents that led to Ngenda spending two weeks doing an errand that otherwise takes a couple of minutes normally. For Rwandans both inside and outside the country the month of April is a constant reminder of how brutal; even the less sophiscated human beings in your average neighbourhoods can be, Ngenda’s story and that of Fritzl are so horrible that manufacturers of nuclear technology should like little children- there's no need for expensive weaponry if the human mind is still working, its that simple really. The 73 aged Fritzl also happens to be a qualified technician and respected family man but with Austrian government assistance in 1984, Fritzl extended his house by building an underground extension. In the underground extension, he sealed off the entrance and imprisoned his daughter Elizabeth Fritzl then aged only 18 till mid April 2008.
As the raping became more frequent Elizabeth conceived and had a child, then another child, then another till they were seven. Of the seven, three became noisy kids, Fritzl removed them from the bunker and put 'threw' them on the doorstep of his family house above the prison, only to adopt them and thereby become a more respectable human being in his town.
Fritzl then embarked on a policy of sustained rape of his daughter for the next 24 years, in which time no one knew she was hidden and upon her discovery, her father had raped 7 children out of her.
He would step in his cell, just below his house-where other members of his family stayed, those members included his wife, who was also the mother of Elizabeth and her other siblings.
Had it not been the sickness of one Fritzl’s prisoners, Elizabeth’s story would possibly remain unknown. But Kerstin Fritzl 19 was no ordinary prisoner and Frizl was not your ordinary village thug seeking ransom. In fact Frizl was the father and the same time the grand father of the girl.
Fritzl was by many accounts, an affable and socially very respectable man; he was married, highly educated, and also successful in businessman.
Now a society like Austria is dealing with such issues as a guy who imprisoned his daughter for 24 years all the while raping her and forcefully fathering her seven children-whom he also terrorized daily.
Last Saturday at Jali Club, there a was a ceremony of great significance, Pangea day was a global event staged in selected cities all over the world, Pangea Day seeks to unite thew world though sharing universal messages of hope, love, peace and happpines. Rwanda was one among seven cities to stage.
The live programs went a long way in depicting that human beings wherever are; face the same challenges and themes like love, despair, sorrow, faith, hope and success are universal. Josef Fritzl and the 1994 Nyamirambo bandits that ensured Ngenda hid in one ditch for two weeks is testimony the human beings need a lot of Pangea’s Days.
Aid in Africa too much donor conditions
African governments frustrated with aid conditions by donors states ADB workshop in Kigali
BY GEORGE KAGAME
African development experts have expressed their disappointment with the kind of conditions that donor nations ask from African countries as conditions for giving aid.
The call was made in a joint statement after a two day workshop held last week in Kigali’s Serena Hotel, the workshop brought together 200 delegates from over 40 African states, the experts were reviewing the progress of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness on Wednesday.
In regard to aid effectiveness in Africa, the experts stated that there’s frustration among African countries on the terms that donors tie to their aid. It reads in part; “A certain amount of frustration isn’t all bad,” however, the statement continued that this frustration is normal and was a result of diverse experiences between donor givers and receivers, the statement adds. “Our different approaches stem from different mandates, different legal frameworks, different histories, and different roles.”
The ‘development missionaries’ also agreed with Finance Minster James Musoni, who expressed his desire to have donor countries aligning their aid to the development programmes of donor receiving countries.
Musoni who was addressing Rwanda’s donors in Gisenyi recently said; “because many of them (donors) could do participate in several projects, we are looking at which sector each donor can handle, that way we can benefit from comparative advantage depending on which sector they fund.”
The Kigali meeting also further stated that aid was not effective as was agreed in the now famous 2005 Paris Declaration, they called upon donors to make substantial changes to improve the effectiveness of aid and ensure that it achieves a greater impact on development.
The 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness committed donors and partner countries to substantial changes to improve the effectiveness of aid to ensure that it achieves a greater impact on development.
The workshop was hosted by the African Development Bank and the governments of Rwanda and Ghana; it also was designed to ensure consultation and to prepare an African position on the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, a global event to be held in Accra Ghana from 2 - 4 September. The Forum will discuss global progress on the Paris Declaration.
BY GEORGE KAGAME
African development experts have expressed their disappointment with the kind of conditions that donor nations ask from African countries as conditions for giving aid.
The call was made in a joint statement after a two day workshop held last week in Kigali’s Serena Hotel, the workshop brought together 200 delegates from over 40 African states, the experts were reviewing the progress of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness on Wednesday.
In regard to aid effectiveness in Africa, the experts stated that there’s frustration among African countries on the terms that donors tie to their aid. It reads in part; “A certain amount of frustration isn’t all bad,” however, the statement continued that this frustration is normal and was a result of diverse experiences between donor givers and receivers, the statement adds. “Our different approaches stem from different mandates, different legal frameworks, different histories, and different roles.”
The ‘development missionaries’ also agreed with Finance Minster James Musoni, who expressed his desire to have donor countries aligning their aid to the development programmes of donor receiving countries.
Musoni who was addressing Rwanda’s donors in Gisenyi recently said; “because many of them (donors) could do participate in several projects, we are looking at which sector each donor can handle, that way we can benefit from comparative advantage depending on which sector they fund.”
The Kigali meeting also further stated that aid was not effective as was agreed in the now famous 2005 Paris Declaration, they called upon donors to make substantial changes to improve the effectiveness of aid and ensure that it achieves a greater impact on development.
The 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness committed donors and partner countries to substantial changes to improve the effectiveness of aid to ensure that it achieves a greater impact on development.
The workshop was hosted by the African Development Bank and the governments of Rwanda and Ghana; it also was designed to ensure consultation and to prepare an African position on the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, a global event to be held in Accra Ghana from 2 - 4 September. The Forum will discuss global progress on the Paris Declaration.
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