Africa Travel News, Rwanda Information and Gorilla Safaris

Dubai World, major holding company owned by the United Arab Emirates is to invest US$230million in eight tourism facilities in Rwanda.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Government of Rwanda and Dubai World on September 26 sealed the deal that will put the country at a higher pedestal in the East African region.

The minister of state in charge of industry and investment promotion in the ministry of commerce, industry, investment promotion, tourism and co-operatives Mr. Vincent Karega signed on behalf of Rwanda while the vice president and prime minister of UAE and ruler of Dubai Mr. Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum signed for Dubai World.

During an interview with East African Business Week at her offices in Kigali on October 2, the deputy director general in charge of investment promotion at the Rwanda Investment and Export Promotion Agency (RIEPA) Ms. Clare Akamanzi said this initiative from a single source has superseded their 2007 expectations.

“This is very exciting and a major development for the country. Each of the projects on their own is big. This has enabled us to surpass our 2007 target. Our target for investments this year was $229million.”

The Dubai World has pledged to increase its investment portfolio. In a press statement sent to Business Week, the chair of Dubai World Mr. Ahmed Bin Sulayem said, “This is an important strategic deal for Dubai World. Rwanda is recognised as the most improved sub Saharan nation. It has come along way in sustainable development, and has a safe environment which still has tremendous potential for growth”.

He added, “The development offers both partners significant opportunity. Construction on the developments will commence in late 2007 and we will open an office in Kigali to manage the existing trading operations, paving the way for increased tourist arrivals who seek quality service and high end experience.”

On his part, Karega revealed that the country is on an unstoppable growth curve. “Our vision for Rwanda’s socio-economic transformation is to position our country as a hub for excellence and quality service. Tourism is a pillar for rapid economic growth within that context. Our policy choice for tourism is to become a high end destination capitalising on unique natural beauty, security, property rights and zero tolerance for corruption.

The MoU states that Dubai World will fully take over the 60-room Akagera game lodge and turn it into a four- star facility. In addition, a joint venture with Government is to be set up to operate the 1,080 Akagera National Park in conjunction with the Rwanda Office for Tourism and National Parks (ORTPN).

The partnership will also see the re-development of the Gorilla Nest Lodge in the breath taking Volcanoes National Park. The giant UAE investment group will set up a creative five-star tented camp in Kinigi, northwestern Rwanda.

The Dubai World will also fully take over the $7.2million (Rwf3.99) Nyungwe Eco-lodge that is being constructed by ORTPN. The Arab group is to also build a new upscale 150-room hotel at the up market Kigali Golf Course in Nyarutarama. It will also re-develop the 18 hole golf course and the golf and country club as well as building town houses and villas.

Kwita Izina is a traditional ceremony among Banyarwanda for giving newborn baby gorillas names. It was adopted by the Office of Tourism and National Parks (ORTPN) in an attempt to raise awareness and celebrate the birth of gorillas in their natural habitat.

The naming is also intended to confirm the successful conservation and protection programme with a principal objective of removing the mountain gorilla off the endangered species list.

This year’s gorilla naming ceremony was passed under the theme “Caring for Wildlife Concerns us All” which took place in Kinigi, Musanze District, Northern Province.

Chantal Rugamba, the Director General of ORTPN, attributed the successful conservation and Kwita Izina ceremony to the joint commitment by the local community, researchers and several partners.

This was the third year for Rwanda to hold the gorilla naming ceremony, and Ragamba noted that “Kwita izina seeks to put on record the milestone Rwanda has registered in conservation of wildlife and in particular the mountain gorilla.”

While officiating the Kwita Izina, president kagame said that the promotion of tourism and conservation of mountain gorillas in volcanoes National Park will only be successful with the participation of the community. “There is need for every Rwandan to play a role in the promotion of tourism, in conserving environment and in promoting yourselves by providing items and services that you can sell to tourists so that they feel at home whenever they are in the country,” added the president.

Kagame called upon everyone to put value to tourism because it supports many people’s standards of living and as such asset, “You are charged with the responsibility to keep gorillas safe by offering the necessary security.” He added that though crafts can be used to represent the country, Gorilla trekking safaris are also an important source of income to the neighboring community.

“The context of our presence here has significance beyond the recognition of these young national treasures,” Kagame said before mentioning factors including successful conservation and the post conflict resolutions that are development oriented.

The President remarked that the Rwanda had begun getting peace and stability signals and that tourism has been a vital economic driver of the country’s economy. He advised that conservation and tourism should be treated with equal strength.

The colourful ceremony attracted over 600 gevernment officials officials, the private sector, regional and international organisations, and saw 23 baby gorillas receive names.

The ceremony was brightened by many rich cultural dances, music, drumming but the highlight was a moving poem from a 13-year-old Marie Aline Uwayezu.

The previous gorilla naming ceremonies and fundraising raised $2 million (about Frw1.1 billion). From this fund, the community has been provided with schools, hospitals and water tanks.

This year’s Kwita Izina ceremony was followed by a fundraising function at Kivu Sun Serena Hotel, projected to raise US$1.5million (about Frw825 million). Rugamba said that this year’s priority projects include installing an electric fence around Akagera Park, a community commercial complex in Kinigi for craft selling and the resettlement of the community evicted from gazetted zone and tea planting regions around Nyungwe National Park are also among the priorities.

The tourism sector of Rwanda recorded $33million (about Frw18.2 billion) last year as revenue against the target of US$31million (about Frw 17 billion), which made the sector the country’s third most foreign exchange earner.

By Grace

The famous world conservationist, Jack Hanna and his TV crew is in Rwanda to participate in the June 30 Kwita Izina gorilla-naming ceremony. They arrived in the country on Sunday, patently full of curiosity for the upcoming event which will take place in Kinigi, Musanze District, Northern Province – in the Volcanoes Mountain National Park, the home to the endangered mountain gorillas.

Hanna is also going to carryout a comprehensive documentary about safari or tourist attractions in Rwanda like the golden monkeys, chimpanzees, birds, landscapes in addition to the Kwita Izina event.

The annual gorilla-naming ceremony is aimed at promoting Rwanda tourism to the world, and to increase public support for protection and preservation of the endangered spices in the whole world. With this, the Office of Tourism and National Parks (ORTPN) of Rwanda has decided to extend Kwita Izina programme to other primates other than gorillas alone.

Upon his arrival at Kigali International Airport, Hanna disclosed that the designed documentary will be screened on DSTV’s discovery channel, where the programme is watched by over a million people worldwide. He added that, “Every time I go public on television in my country [USA] I say something good about the rising Rwanda, especially on tourism. And here we are talking about 40, 000 people watching.”

Chantal Rosette Rwigamba, the Director General of ORTPN confirmed: “We are indeed glad that Hanna has pledged to broadcast live for one hour—free, on discovery channel a documentary about Rwanda tourism.”

This year’s Kwita Izina gorilla naming event, with the theme, “Caring for Wildlife concerns us all”, will witness the naming of 23 gorillas. Rosette said: “We shall celebrate the efforts of all those that have contributed to the wildlife welfare and its conservation. Indeed, that is why many world conservationists like Jack were invited. Others are coming. This is just the first arrival.”

When asked what needs to be done to push Rwanda tourism sector to higher levels, Jack Hanna advised; “Increase animal population especially in Akagera National Park. Also ensure that the Park has variety of animals,” and also promised to work together with Rwanda in achieving this.

He urged Rwanda to diversify safari attractions to increase period of stay of tourists, “for it is a sure way of making more revenues.”

Hanna also came with Nick Baird as part of his crew, who is the Director of Public Health Services at America’s First Responses Solutions a full-size American firm providing value-driven technology solutions to public and private sectors.

Nick said: “Rwanda, a country with meager resources should be proud of its good leadership, for it is the main reason to its numerous success stories like fighting HIV/AIDs,” as he celebrated his first visit to the country.

Hanna owns a multi-million country safari lodge in Kinigi, Northern province, where he stays whenever he visits the country.

The number of criminal groups trading in rhino horns has boosted poaching in some countries of African, putting the endangered animals at risk of extinction, said the conservation groups and U.N. wildlife pact.

Although the international trade in rhino horns was banned to guard these wildlife species from extinction, many traders in Asia and the Middle East pay bulky prices for these horns since they are considered a powerful medicine as well as a symbol of status.

There is an increased demand for rhino horns from countries including Yemen and China that is driving this illegal trade in Africa mostly in Zimbabwe and Congo. These two African countries have the worst records in poaching and involvement in illegal shipments as revealed by the wildlife trade monitor TRAFFIC and environmental group WWF.

“The situation in Congo and Zimbabwe is a particular concern,” Steven Broad, executive director of TRAFFIC, said in a statement during a meeting that lasted two weeks in The Hague of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

“It tallies with an increase in the organization of criminal horn trading networks operating in Africa,” Broad said.

They exposed that fact that 60 percent of the rhino population was illegally killed by poachers between 2003 and 2005 in Congo, according to TRAFFIC data. Two-thirds of all mortalities over the same period, affecting one in eight animals was accounted to poaching in Zimbabwe.

In an effort to prevent poaching in Zimbabwe, the official media reported that the process of dehorning rhinos started last month.

To address the problem,

The 171-nation CITES pact that regulates wildlife trade, called for better cross-boarder collaboration between countries along rhino horn smuggling routes and tougher domestic controls as a way to solve this problem. They also urged better management of horn stocks to avoid horns leaking into illegal markets.

Relentless poaching in the 1970s and 1980s nearly drove the world rhinos to extinction. Black rhino numbers declined by a staggering 98 percent between 1970 and 1992 largely to supply the Far East medicine trade.

“CITES is concerned that some rhinoceros populations have continued to decline drastically and that four of the five species are threatened with extinction,” the pact said.

The biggest danger to rhinos remains horn demand and TRAFFIC realized a rise in illegal trade between 2000 and 2006, which it attributed to the increased complexity by which some Southeast Asian criminal trading networks operate in Africa.

Rwanda safaris and Tours

By Grace Nakawooya