GIKONDO - The Minister of Information Louise Mushikiwabo has said that government may consider exempting taxes on printing press stationeries like ink and paper as a way of facilitating local newspapers print at low costs.

Speaking after visiting the state-of-art machine at its location in Gikondo, Mushikiwabo said: "the printing will definitely not be free but the government will do all possible to ensure that cost of printing newspapers is very low to encourage local newspapers print from the country.”

Most of the local newspapers currently print from neighbouring countries, especially Uganda, while others use the current machine owned by the Rwanda Office of Information (ORINFOR) which is said to be incapacitated.

The new machine also belongs to ORINFOR, the government media organ.

According to Mushikiwabo, the printing press is expected to be operational in two weeks time, however no tariffs of the printing that have been set yet, an issue that made Mushikiwabo question production officers of ORINFOR as to why they had not come up with the printing costs. She said the high-tech machine will produce quality books and newspaper products with the use of unique stationeries.

Works on the installation of the machine are nearly done and according to Oscar Kimanuka, the ORINFOR Director General, they are only waiting for the arrival and installation of its customized generator so that the testing can begin.

"We are expecting the generator to be here some time next week so that we can take on the next steps,” said Kimanuka.

Presenting the machine to the Minister, the head of Production in Orinfor, John Ruhinda, said that the machine has the capacity of printing 30,000 copies of a newspaper in an hour.

He added that the two-towered machine has four ink banks with a folding section, a black and white printing section, and two sections of colour printing.

The new machine is also expected to serve eastern DR Congo.

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