RWANDA: Aviation Grows Rapidly

RwandAir started flights to Gatwick International Airport in London.

The first European destination of the airline will be serviced by a brand new Airbus A330 aircraft that boasts in-flight connectivity.

The addition of Gatwick, London takes the airline to 22 destinations served currently. The airline will fly to the English capital three times a week.

This direct flight, according to aviation experts, is an important milestone towards improving trade relations between Rwanda, the region, and Europe. It also makes the route more competitive and more efficient which will ultimately benefit passengers.

Rwandan exporters say they are excited and looking forward to taking full advantage of the opportunity.

We anticipate increased volumes in terms of exports to the European market through the UK, said Epimaque Nsanzabaganwa, the horticulture division manager at the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB).

RwandAir has already offered to cut freight charges for exporters to as low as $0.95 per kilogramme.

Donatille Nibagwire, the managing director of FLORIS Export Company, said the new developments are very likely to change the dynamics of the country's export business.

Meanwhile, experts say the flights will boost tourism between the UK and Rwanda. And, according to Osborn Kinene, the Rwanda Eco-Tours country manager, the flights will lead to increased number of tourists visiting the two countries.

Rwanda is counting on tourism to boost its exports, therefore creating a seamless connectivity between Rwanda and other markets means people can now find it easier to travel between destinations, he said.

Connecting Kigali to markets in Asia, Europe and later America, means an increase in volumes of trade as well as enhanced tourism which will drive economic development and sustainability, Kinene added.

In addition, Rwanda has recently become one of the countries that offer tourists a 'Big 5' experience, having reintroduced both lions and eastern black rhinoceros into Akagera National Park.

Last month, the airline launched direct flights to Mumbai, India's financial capital.

Meanwhile, RwandAir is scheduled to launch flights to New York as well as other Asian destinations.

On the African front, the airline plans to fly to Conakry in Guinea, Bamako in Mali, as well as Dakar, Senegal, Lilongwe in Malawi, and Durban in South Africa.

Last year, the airline acquired its first A330-200 and A330-300 Airbus planes, boosting its fleet to 11 aircraft and capacity to compete globally.

It is also scheduled to take delivery of another brand new Boeing before the end of the month.

Patrick Gakuru, a Kigali-based aviation expert, says: The growth of aviation business in Rwanda is a reflection of the general economic performance which has showed resilience under the good leadership of President Kagame.


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RWANDA: Most Expensive Tourist Destination In East Africa Community, After Rwanda Doubles Gorilla Permit Fees

Rwanda Development Board announced an increase in Gorilla Permits from US$ 750 to US $1,500 for all visitors effective immediately.

A new exclusive package for tourists who wish to book an entire family of gorillas was also introduced at US$ 15,000, and will receive exclusive personalized tour guide services.

The price increase will not affect tourists who had already purchased their tickets at the time of this announcement.

Tourists who visit other national parks,Nyungwe and Akagera for a minimum of three days, in addition to gorilla trekking will receive a discount of 30%. Similarly, conference tourists, who stay pre or post conference dates to see gorillas will be eligible for a 15% discount.

According to Rwanda tourism strategy, the price increase aims to strengthen conservation efforts and contribute more to the development of communities living around the Volcanoes National Park.

Along with the new tariff, the tourism revenue sharing rate for communities adjacent to the park, will also increase from 5% to 10%, which will quadruple the absolute revenues received by communities.

More than 400 community projects have been completed including hospitals, schools, business development centers and water supply systems to facilitate access to clean water. The projects surely benefit the people living around the parks.

Ms. Clare Akamanzi, the Chief Executive Officer at Rwanda Development Board says Gorilla trekking is a highly unique experience. We have raised the price of permits in order to ensure sustainability of conservation initiatives and enhance visitors experience.

We also want to make sure that the communities living near the park area receive a bigger share of tourism revenues to fund development projects and empower them economically, he added.

New, high-end lodges are opening in Musanze and plans are underway to improve visitors’ experience at Kinigi, including renovation of the information center to equip it with modern offices and tourism services such as conservation education, children’s learning space as well as digital facilities.

Mountain gorillas are an endangered species with only around 880 remaining in the world. Of those in in the Virunga Massif, Rwanda accounts for 62% of the gorilla population.

Stringent conservation measures have significantly contributed to a rise in gorilla numbers. There are currently 20 families habituated for tourism and research in Rwanda, making more than 9 families in 2010.

Reactions from the tourism fraternity in Rwanda were swift and harsh, denouncing the doubling of the tariffs without notice as unacceptable and calling for a suspension of the measure.

Many tour operators around the world have published package prices based in the tracking permit costing 750 US Dollars,, the highest among the three gorilla countries of Rwanda, Uganda and Congo,asking RDB to respect contractual commitments and giving a decent notice of the tariff increase of up to one year and not making increases abruptly all the time.

Apart from the wisdom to double the permit fee is the no notice period a major cause for concern. This will put Rwanda in a bad light abroad that we cannot respect proper notice periods like all other regional wildlife management bodies do, says a Gorilla tour operator in Rwanda.

Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania all give as much as a year notice of planned fee revisions. What is the urgency now to do this without observing regional practice?.

That is madness, says a lady gorilla Tour Operator,this will kill our business. Rare animals or not, there is a limit to what the market can accept and sell and I see sales nosediving which will affect all of us who invested in cars and marketing expenses.

Uganda in contrast not only charges just US Dollars 600 for foreign tourists but also offers tariff reductions to US Dollars 450 for the months of April, May and November, something Rwanda has never done even though they too experience a low season and lower demand periods.

Yet another Gorilla Tour operator says Uganda is now going to benefit from more than 50% of Rwanda destined tourists, they will not go for the new fees, they can not just double permit fees like that, she Lamented.

With the doubling of Gorilla permit fees, rwanda definately becomes the most expensive tourist destination in East Africa Community.

KENYA: Government Wants Game Parks Managed By Foreign Firm, Kenya & Qatar To Promote Tourism

The county government is pushing to have its game parks and reserves managed by a foreign firm. And in an effort to win the support of locals in its plan, the government has taken a team on a tour of a game park in Kigali, Rwanda, to see how a foreign company has managed it.

The group that was taken to Kigali has 26 people who include elders and NGO officials. They toured Akagera National Park in Kayonza District, which is managed by a foreign firm.

Akagera, a public facility measuring 112, 000 hectares, is managed by African Parks Ltd, a South African firm. The firm also manages game parks in Malawi, Zambia, DR Congo, Central Africa Republic and Chad.

In 2015, the county administration came up with the idea of handing over management of Shaba and Buffalo Springs national reserves to the South African firm.

Buffalo Springs measures 131 square kilometres while Shaba has an area of 254 square kilometres. In the same year 2015, Governor Godana Doyo, Speaker Mohammed Tubi and Tourism executive Suleiman Shunu toured Majete Game Park in Malawi, which is managed by African Parks as part of their study.

The officials said they were satisfied with the firm's wildlife conservation and management. Doyo and another team toured Akagera. At the weekend, the 26 were taken around Akagera by the park's manager and chief executive officer Jes Gruner to see how it is managed.

Grunner said all animals in Akagera, including elephants, lions, Buffaloes and zebras, were all killed following the Rwanda genocide of 1994. ''We came here in 2010 and there was no single animal. African Parks partnered with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) to create the Akagera Management Company (AMC), the entity that manages the park,'' he said.

Meanwhile, Kenya and Qatar have signed agreements to promote tourism, education and culture. The deals signed with the rich Persian Gulf nation are part of activities marking the Emir of Qatar's visit to Kenya.

The agreements were signed between President Uhuru Kenyatta and His Highness Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at State House.

Uhuru also presented proposals on new opportunities for investment to Qatar. The MoU on tourism provides for creation of conditions for long-term collaboration through exchange of expertise, statistics, marketing and promotion.

The pact on education provides a framework for cooperation in basic education, higher education and science and technology through exchanges of information, expertise and visits.

The two countries also signed an agreement that provides for co-operation in understanding and promoting each other's culture, through exchanges and participation in each other's activities such as festivals, symposia and exhibitions.

President Kenyatta hailed the visit by the Emir as testimony of the cordial relations between the two countries. He said the agreements will facilitate implementation of projects in various sectors. He other proposals will be presented to the Qatari leader during his visit.

Kenya will appreciate your country's support for development projects in infrastructure, education, energy, tourism and hospitality sectors among others, said the President.

He encouraged Qatar to continue using Kenya as a spring board for its investments in the Comesa market region noting Kenya has the right mix of being a regional business, financial, transport and industrial hub.

President Kenyatta also thanked the government of Qatar for the support it gave to the National Treasury to establish the Nairobi International Finance Center.

Financial services sector is one of the key drivers of Kenya's economy and therefore the Financial Centre will be a catalyst to international financial transactions both in Kenya and in the region once it is complete, said President Kenyatta.

The Qatari Emir said it was unfortunate that Kenya and Qatar have in the past failed to exploit their historical ties for the economic growth.

He said his visit will strengthen mechanisms to exploit new opportunities created after President Kenyatta's visit to Qatar in 2014.

Al Thani also lauded Kenya for its efforts in fighting terror. Terrorism is a global problem that requires the world to come together to provide a solution, he said.

RWANDA: Lion Found Dead In Akagera National Park.

One of the seven lions that were in 2015 translocated to the Akagera National Park from South Africa has been found dead.

Garuka is thought to have died of injuries sustained while attempting a kill following reports that her collar stopped emitting a satellite signal about a year ago.

“Rangers would regularly track her in the field, using the VHF transmitter, however, we were unable to follow her movements as closely as the others who continue to emit a satellite signal every eight hours,” Akagera National Park said in a facebook post.

“Rangers tracking Garuka last week came across her collar and remains. Garuka was in good condition last time she was seen by park rangers. There were no signs of illegal activity in the area and since she was hunting alone we suspect that she may have died of injuries sustained while attempting a kill.”

But it’s not all doom and gloom. On the heels of Garuka’s death, Akagera National Park has reported a boost for these endangered species as one of the lionesses has given birth to two cubs.
“We are pleased to share that rangers tracking Amahoro were able to confirm what we had been suspecting; she has given birth to two cubs! This is Amahoro’s first litter and the cubs are estimated to be around two months old,” park management said in a facebook post.

“Shema and her three seven-month-old cubs are doing well and sisters Umwari and Kazi have been seen with their four cubs by tourists for the first time recently. The sad loss of Garuka, and the addition of Amahoro’s cubs brings the number of lions in Akagera to 15,” Akagera National Park said.

DR.CONGO: Park Rangers Killed In Shootout With Elephant Poachers In DRC

African Parks has reported that three of its rangers have died of bullet wounds sustained during clashes with elephant poachers on April 23 in Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

"It is with sincere regret that we inform you that three of the rangers who sustained injuries, Dimba Richard, Anigobe Bagare, and Matikuli Tsago have since died. Ranger Kenisa Adrobiago and Park Manager Erik Mararv who both sustained gunshot wounds are now in stable condition," African Parks said in a press release.

Peter Fearnhead, CEO of African Parks, described the incident as devastating.

“We are devastated by this latest loss. Rangers put their lives on the line each and every day and are under real siege in Garamba protecting elephants from heavily incentivized and militarized poaching gangs who threaten the very survival of humans and wildlife alike,” Fearnhead was quoted in the press release as saying.

“Our heartfelt condolences are with the surviving family members of the rangers we have lost. We are extremely grateful to the support we have received from AFRICOM who provided for the timely evacuations and for the assistance of SANGARIS in CAR. We are doing everything possible to provide for all these men and their families during this very difficult time,” he added.

The body of one of the rangers was discovered on April 24 while the other three and the park manager were flown to a US military base in Nzara, South Sudan, African Parks said.

"Two of the three rangers were in critical condition and were stabilized prior to being transferred to a UN military hospital in Bria, Central African Republic (CAR). Tragically, however, Anigobe Bagare and Dimba Richard died there today (April 24)," the press release said.

Last year, five ICCN guards and three members of the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) lost their lives in similar attacks.

African Parks -- which also manages Rwanda's Akagera National Park has been managing Garamba, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, since 2005 in partnership with the Institut Congolais pour La Conservation de la Nature (ICCN), the DRC’s official wildlife authority.

The park, which is 4,900km2 and is part of the larger Garamba Complex of 12,500km2, and is the last stronghold for elephants and giraffe in the entire Congo.

Over the years, Africa's elephants have been drastically reducing in numbers thanks to ruthless poachers who slaughter the endangered species for their prized ivory tusks.

RWANDA: Akagera Mourns Five Year-Old Dog Barak

Just like in our real world where new life is welcomed with joy and death embraced with pain and sadness, at Akagera National park the mood is somber and sad after the sudden loss of the National Park's five year old dog Barak. Management of the park has just released a saddening announcement of the his loss and here we reproduce it verbatim;

"The management of Akagera National Park is very sad to announce the sudden death of Barak, one of the eight dogs making up the canine unit in Akagera National Park.

Barak was a five year old Belgian Malinois. According to the Canine Unit manager, Boaz, his death came as a shock. He was off his food for two days and being closely monitored leading up to his sudden death. Barak was one of the easier dogs to handle, he was calm, very disciplined and well-liked by all the canine unit dog handlers. A post-mortem has been carried out but the cause of his death is yet unknown.

The canine unit dogs were a donation to the Government of Rwanda and arrived in Akagera 18 months ago. With the dogs already highly trained in tracking and restraint when they arrived, handlers were recruited and trained during 2015 to operate the canine unit. Since the 16 handlers graduated from training late last year, the dogs had been deployed to the field daily, in rotation, to patrol the park and support law enforcement efforts.

Boaz had worked with Barak for three years, even before coming to Akagera, and is particularly saddened by Barak's death "Barak was very obedient and disciplined, but his dark features made him appear scary to those who didn't know him. He enjoyed bite work and was impressive to watch at this, he would literally fly at the target from metres away. He also really loved water and swimming."

The dogs have a strict routine of care involving daily medical checks for ticks and temperature, and a programme of de-worming and immunization. The dogs had suffered from the tsetse-transmitted canine trypanosomiasis and been treated several times since arriving in Akagera, however there has been fewer cases in the recent months suggesting they may have built up some immunity. Barak showed none of the usual signs of trypanosomiasis on this occasion.

Park Manager, Jes Gruner, would often take Barak out for the day when he was not on patrol. "The dogs have become part of the family in Akagera and the loss of Barak is a great sadness for us all".

"The dogs have become part of the family.. the loss of Barak is a great sadness..RIP Barak" Akagera tweeted.

RWANDA: Rwanda Reintroduces Black Rhino

The endeavour to reintroduce black rhino to the Akagera National Park in Rwanda received a massive boost with the announcement that the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs committed €200,000 to the Rwandan Development Board (RDB) in support of the project.

African Parks announced the sponsorship will go towards the sourcing, translocation, reintroduction and protection of black rhinos into Akagera National Park as soon as later this year (2016). This critical support was announced at the Save Wildlife Conference in The Hague. Since 2010, African Parks has managed Akagera through a public private partnership with its government partner, the RDB.

The rhino project in Akagera is a visionary conservation initiative that will see black rhinos restored not just to a park, but to an entire country. The species was nearly eradicated in the 1980’s due to wide-scale poaching, The last rhino was seen in the park in 2007. The reintroduction of rhinos will also cement Akagera’s Big Five status, a classification that will further stimulate tourism and generate additional employment opportunities for local communities who live outside the park.

“Restoring and protecting wildlife populations are cornerstones of the African Parks model” said Peter Fearnhead, CEO African Parks. “In a time where the main news coming out of Africa is about poaching and large-scale destruction of wildlife and wild places, this rhino reintroduction is a story of hope and of homecomings. We thank the Dutch Government for their generous contribution and congratulate our government partner, the RDB on receiving this support and the role they have played in the ongoing success of Akagera”.

The oldest of Rwanda’s three national parks, Akagera is 1,120km² in size. The only protected savannah region in Rwanda, the park also consists of rolling hills of acacia, woodlands and a labyrinth of lakes and papyrus swamps. It is home to more than 8,000 large mammals and more than 500 bird species. In July 2015, African Parks successfully reintroduced seven lions into the park, bringing the species back to Rwanda after almost 20 years.