Dr Daniel Ngamije, Rwanda’s health Minister described the partnership as a capacity building move to the vaccine manufacturing plan. Photo Sam Ngendahimana

The government of Rwanda and Belgian Development Agency, Enabel have announced a partnership to build a robust ecosystem in the biotech industry in a bid to speed up the country’s readiness to manufacture vaccines and other pharmaceutical products, reads a joint statement.

In line with the agreement signed by the European Union and the Rwanda Development Board, the mutual cooperation also seeks to enhance the attractiveness of Rwanda for investments in vaccine manufacturing.

“This aims to strengthen the capacity of Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority through the provision of key laboratory software (Laboratory Information Management System) and curb Africa’s dependency on the global supply of vaccines,” reads the statement in part.

Commenting on the partnership, Dr Daniel Ngamije, Rwanda’s health Minister described the partnership as a capacity building move to the vaccine manufacturing plan.

“We are grateful for the partnership with the Belgian Cooperation and look forward to availing vaccines and other pharmaceutical products to a bigger number of beneficiaries by bringing vaccine manufacturing capabilities in the country,” he expressed.

Dirk Deprez, the Resident Representative of Enabel in Rwanda also reiterated that the partnership contributes to the global vision of health equity.

“Enable is delighted to be contributing to this noble cause of ensuring that the much-needed vaccines and drugs are accessible in Africa thus contributing to the global vision of health equity.”

In the recent cabinet meeting that convened on Wednesday, August 11, the cabinet was briefed on the cooperation agreement between Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and the International Finance Center (IFC) on the Vaccine Manufacturing plant in Rwanda. 

Rwanda is one of the three African countries selected mid this year to become regional vaccination hubs.

Also, the development comes at a time when more than 729,000 Rwandans have been vaccinated, as part of the effort to vaccinate 60 percent of the total population by the end of next year.

The priority groups include the elderly and those with high-exposure jobs. - Bertrand Byishimo, The New Times

By NANGAYI GUYSON

Rwanda-Uganda - Relations have deteriorated further following charges of espionage by the Kigali administration against Ugandan security forces.

Rwanda has come under fire after a slew of evidence implicated the government in espionage involving high-ranking political individuals and diplomats in neighboring countries such as Uganda, as well as attorneys and journalists.

According to a report by The Washington Post, The Guardian, Le Monde, and other outlets based on a leaked list of 50,000 phone numbers, President Paul Kagame's administration used an Israeli-made malware called Pegasus to spy on opponents, journalists, lawyers, and politicians in a number of countries.

Several Ugandan officials appeared on the leaked records, including former Chief of Defence Forces Gen David Muhoozi, former Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa, and former Prime Minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, “indicating that they were potential targets of the software,” according to the investigation.

External security boss Joseph Ochwet was also targeted.

“The picks (of numbers to spy on) corresponded with a visit by Kagame to Uganda,” according to a group of investigative journalists who undertook the investigation.

When Pegasus is installed on a smartphone, it practically provides an attacker full control over the phone. It can read and record messages and passwords, access social media, utilize GPS to find the target, and listen to and record the target's conversations.

Once the phone is compromised, end-to-end encryption, which is available through popular apps like Signal, does not protect against Pegasus.

Pegasus is unafraid of even the most sophisticated security systems on iPhones.

The hacker can even use your GPS to track your location, making assassination missions easier.

Furthermore, if you are at home, the hacker can turn on your phone cameras remotely, allowing the hacker to observe your children playing in the living room.

Pegasus is dangerously obtrusive in this way. The development comes in the wake of President Museveni's espionage warning to Rwanda. President Museveni warned a "nation in the region" against interfering in Uganda's domestic affairs shortly after winning the 2021 general elections.

“A country in the region has been sending operatives to come tamper in our politics,” Museveni remarked, adding, “But we have been counteracting them.”

Museveni didn't say which country he was referring to, but it's assumed he meant Rwanda.

Rwanda denies any wrongdoing. In a statement to the Pegasus Project team, Rwanda's government said, "These baseless claims are part of an ongoing drive to raise tensions between Rwanda and other nations, as well as to disseminate disinformation about Rwanda internally and globally."

Rwanda's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr. Vincent Biruta, has stated that Rwanda does not use or have access to Pegasus. He called the probable targeting of activists, journalists, attorneys, politicians, and others, as well as the hacking of opponents' phones, "false charges.

The Rwandan government also denied conducting spy operations in Uganda, but Ugandan authorities believe it is these acts that continue to sour Uganda-Rwanda relations.

Global accusations that Rwanda eavesdropped on the phone calls of top Ugandan security and political leaders have been dismissed by the government as "absurd and unfortunate."

Uganda's State Minister for International Relations, Henry Okello-Oryem, stated that such "wrong" behavior from a "usually fraternal" country was unexpected.

“We've seen the reports all around, and it's easy to dismiss them as mere assertions.

We haven't received an official record of the accusations yet, so there's no reason to make a formal statement,” Mr Oryem added.

“However, if this is true, it is completely intolerable; a neighboring country spying on its neighbors in the region and in Africa,” he added.

The quantity and content of the hacked Ugandan officials' chats are unknown.

Defence spokesperson Brig Flavia Byekwaso said Security will issue an official remark after reading the findings.

Following a meeting between President Museveni and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame in 2019, tensions between the two neighboring countries were defused. According to reputable sources, diplomatic relations between the two nations deteriorated after the conference since the two governments broke their earlier agreements, and Ugandan arrests and deportations of Rwandans have intensified since then.

Since March, Ugandan police have detained and deported many Rwandan nationals, primarily in the border districts of Kabale, Kisoro, and Kagadi. Rwanda also claims Ugandan immigration agents of snatching Rwandese visitors' identity cards.

Kigali accuses Kampala of supporting Rwandan dissidents aiming to destabilize the country, while Uganda has stepped up its crackdown on Rwandans suspected of being on espionage missions in the country.

The Pegasus Project, a collaboration of international media and non-governmental organizations, has shown how government clients used Israeli business NSO Group's Pegasus spyware to spy on journalists, activists, and politicians. Current and previous presidents, as well as prime ministers, are among the targets.

They were found on a list of about 50,000 phone numbers that NSO clients had allegedly designated as belonging to persons of interest. At least seven African countries were identified as clients in the leak, including Togo, Morocco, and Rwanda.

Rwanda is said to be one of the more avid users of the Pegasus malware, which can surreptitiously record phone calls, read texts and emails, access pictures and passwords, and discreetly activate microphones and cameras to record audio and video.

By JULIUS MBALUTO

The biggest challenge for Africa right now is how to navigate the hostile waters of life laden with Covid-19 pandemic infections. To speak metaphorically, the African ship seems not to have any experienced captain. It doesn’t seem to have any fuel to move its people from one point to another. All grope in the darkness of desperation and many wonder why things are the way they are. Africa oh Africa!

African countries’ economies have been hit by Covid-19 pandemic and the negative impact is so severe. So, how did we get where we are? In 2020, Covid-19 Pandemic came. As many nations of the world lost its own people to the pandemic and lockdowns implemented to stop the spread, some African countries followed what developed nations did to contain the pandemic.

Fast forward to August 2021, a lot has happened. Jabs to stop the virus have been manufactured by the Western multi-billion Pharmaceuticals Companies who kept the patents and copyrights to themselves under an international system which doesn’t seem to believe in Africa’s capacity to manufacture the same medicine.  

The western nations have had their most of their populations vaccinated and those who haven’t been vaccinated it’s just because some declined the offer or believed in conspiracy theories concerning the vaccines. The Western rich nations purchased more than their population requires. For example, in some cases in the UK now, they talk about booster jab, meaning those willing already got the first two jabs.

The US President was featured on media outlets telling US employers that they will be paid to allow their staff to take a day out and get the vaccination. Huge percentage of Americans have been vaccinated and those that haven’t mostly are those refusing to be inoculated.

In the case of Africa, the doses already on the ground have only managed to vaccinate 1.5 per cent of the over one billion population of the African continent. Africa gets it supplies of the jabs manufactured via UN Covax system and as rich nations over bought what was manufactured, Africa is still waiting for crumps to fall from the rich nations’ table full of jabs and no one willing to partake!

The idea situation would be African demanding those copyrights and patents to use its scientists to produce medication just like the rich nations have done. It makes economic sense for as sad as conid-19 has made us, some nations are making profits through the selling of the jabs, their economies have benefited and are stabilizing through the profits made after the selling of this medicine. 

Being able to manufacture own medicines is Africa’s way out of this covid-19 and other pandemic apartheid. That way, Africans will be in control and Africans will save their fellow Africans.

Right now, Africa is experiencing covid-19 apartheid. Most African nations are on UK’s red list traffic lights system meaning if you travel or come from such countries, in the UK you have to isolate for 10 days in a government chosen hotel and pay over £ 2, 000.

Remember, that the number of covid-deaths in the UK has previously been higher that all 54 African countries combined, yet no African country saw the UK as a red list country and applied such draconian measures to those coming from the UK.

The new end of lockdown measures in the UK got so many countries from the red-list to Amber on the UK’s traffic system of lockdown. Now, the US and China are on the Amber list of countries you can travel to and not self-isolate when you come back to the UK. However, most African countries remain on red-list.

US alone over half- a -million covid deaths and a huge population refusing to take the jabs, Africa, 54 countries 175,000 covid- deaths? What criteria is used here? What logic are we going with? Africa’s best interests will be served only when Africa become self-sufficient. Leaders and professionals from Africa do your best for Africa needs you!

Covid-19 apartheid perpetrators are like someone who shoots themselves on the foot. It is a matter of fact, that UK citizens and corporates, multi-national companies are investing in many African countries. Red-list status means travelling is paralysed, no one wants to waste money which is being made through isolation policies.

So, UK investors and other investors from red-list countries are hindered. How can this be changed to salvage the collapsing economies? By the same token, there should be global efforts made by all nations to ensure that all are vaccinated. People travel no matter what as we are living in a global village. The bottom line is no one is safe until all are safe!