In the news this week, we started off with a breath of fresh air as Kigali’s King Faisal Hospital finally threw off the coat of debts. The hospital successfully replenished the huge debts owed to various public institutions, including Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA), the former Caisse Sociale du Rwanda (CSR), among others, Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) heard early this week.The acting CEO of the hospital, Dr. Alex Butera, revealed this while responding to concerns highlighted in the report of the Auditor General for the financial year that ended June 30, 2011. He said debts amounting to Rwf7 billion were paid last year alone. MP Juvenal Nkusi, PAC Chairperson, had earlier noted that the hospital’s debt woes had been highlighted in two other AG reports outside the reporting period of July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011. Still early in the week, Rwanda joined a multitude of people around the world welcoming the first black American to become the leader of the world’s most influential nation after Barack Obama defeated his Republican rival Mitt Romney in Tuesday’s presidential polls. Louise Mushikiwabo the minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, welcomed Obama’s re-election, stating that relations between Rwanda and the US will continue to grow under his second four-year term. Asked what she expected Obama’s contribution on Africa’s growth to be, Mushikiwabo stressed that her important desire is to see progress and development for the continent.Later in the week, the Government unveiled online business licensing portal prospective where the investors will be able to access licenses allowing them to operate in the country through an online platform. François Kanimba, minister for Trade and Industry, said the initiative will help in easing doing business through accessing business licenses online, unlike the current process of procuring it from regulatory authorities. The portal, which is in a website format, will host over 189 licenses that were identified with detailed information to enable the user to be able to access them online. So far, the portal provides eight detailed licenses while others will be upgraded. The available licenses include transfer of land titles, clearing agents, driving license, road worthiness certificates, building permits, and import license for drugs, environmental impact assessment, and tax clearance certificate. The week was crowned with the news of a global award won by Rwandan women drummers, the Ingoma Nshya. This dance troupe comprises survivors of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and relatives of genocide perpetrators. The Huye-based group won this year’s Common Ground Award, an award that is given by Search for Common Ground, an international organisation.
