President Paul Kagame is on Thursday morning expected to meet residents of Southern Province's Ruhango District, as part of his citizen outreach programme. The Head of State’s tour, which last occurred in 2019, comes as Rwanda experiences steady recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic including the return of safe large gatherings. During his visit, the President will also meet and interact with residents of Nyamagabe District, also located in Southern Province. Kagame will then head to meet residents of Nyamasheke District in Western Province. The President will also hold discussions with Southern and Western Province opinion leaders in Huye and Rusizi districts respectively, a statement issued by the Office of the President noted. According to the statement, Kagame will also pay a visit to Rachel Nyiramandwa, a 110-year-old resident of Nyamagabe District who first met the President in 2010. Nyiramandwa, commonly known as The Listener lives in Ngiryi, a small village tucked away in Gasaka Sector in the hills of Nyamagabe District, approximately four hours from Kigali. Five years ago, she became a social media sensation after she was photographed greeting and whispering to an attentive President Kagame during one of his presidential campaign rallies. In an earlier interview with The New Times, Nyiramandwa revealed that she had personally invited President Kagame to pay her a visit in a bid to showcase what her local community had achieved. Through government socio-economic programmes including Gira Inka and the building of her home, Nyiramandwa’s life was transformed allowing her to retire in dignity, the statement added. Kagame will conclude his visit in Karongi District where he will tour the Rugabano Tea Factory which has a capacity to process 1,000,000 kilograms of tea per year. The factory aims to increase Rwanda’s total tea export volume by 3 percent within 10 years and provide local residents with a lucrative income that will improve their livelihoods as well as boost the regional economy. As it stands, the factory employs close to 2,000 workers and benefits over 4,000 community members through cooperatives.
