RegionWeek 27th Edition

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AFRICA:

Burundi: Commemorative ceremonies for the 58th anniversary of the assassination of the Independence Hero

Need to support rural women’s access to sustainable infrastructures and social protection services

Burundians commemorate the 13 October of each year, the assassination of the Burundi Independence Hero, Prince Louis Rwagasore, killed in 1961 at the Tanganyika Hotel in Bujumbura.

Burundi Minister of Human Rights, Social and Gender Affairs, Mr. Martin Nivyabandi, launched a strong appeal to all Burundians to make rural women’s Day, celebrated on October 15 of each year, ....

5 rules young leaders should follow to build a successful business.

AFRICA:

5 mistakes to avoid with your money to be financially secure.

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BURUNDI AND EAST AFRICA WEEKLY BRIEFING

OCTOBER 19th 2019

$ 3.50

No 27

Nigeria:Burundian Sada Nahimana has won her first ITF Tennis title Eighteen years old Nahimana defeated Fanny Oslund, a Swedish star, in a straight set of 6-3,6-1 in the semi-final decided on Sunday. Sada Nahimana from Burundi has had a smooth sail into the final of the women’s singles of the first leg of 2019... A construction project of a modern cross-border market in Gatumba on the Cabinet meeting menu

The Cabinet met on Wednesday, October 16, 2019, at the Ntare Rushatsi State House under the chairmanship of the Head of State,

Mr. Pierre Nkurunziza, with nine items on the agenda, according to the statement issued by the General Secretariat of the Government.

Burundi: A new Campaign to sensitize communities and decision-makers about the risks of major disasters The Minister of Public Security and Disaster Management Chief Police Commissioner Alain Guillaume Bunyoni organized a news conference on October 10, 2019, to express his views on the eve of the celebration of the International...

The 2019-2020 coffee campaign is going well, according to the minister in charge of the agricultural sector

How Do You Measure Success? 10 New Ways You Need to Know. Burundi Innovation Hub officially launchBURUNDI: es Miss Tech Burundi 2019: Highlights


SPORTS

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Nigeria:Burundian Sada Nahimana has won her first ITF_Tennis title

Eighteen years old Nahimana defeated Fanny Oslund, a Swedish star, in a straight set of 6-3,6-1 in the semi-final decided on Sunday. Sada Nahimana from Burundi has had a smooth sail into the final of the women’s singles of the first leg of 2019 Lagos Open Tennis Championship, which is ongoing at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan, reports New Telegraphs.

Nahimana, the right-handed (two-handed backhand) player, will now face Brazilian Laura Pigozzi in Monday’s final. Pigozzi beat Indian Riya Bhatia in another straight set of 6-2,6-2. Interestingly, the Burundian star, Nahimana is coming to Lagos for the first time and she has shown since her first match of the main draws of the ITF World Tour that she meant business traveling down to Lagos, the Centre of Excellence.

Nahimana is well travelled having played at the junior tournaments of major grand slams. She played to the first round stage of the Australian Open Juinor 2019, so also was French Open 2019Junior where she played in the second round.

In 2018, she played in the second round of the Wimbledon Open Juinor and first round of US Open Juinor of that year.

Meanwhile, Frenchman Calvin Hemery defeated Zimbabwean Takanyi Garanganga 6-4 6-0 to reach the men’s singles final. Hemery will play Setkic Aldin from BIH who defeated Pichler David from Bosnia and Herzegovina 6-2,5-7,6-3 in another semi final. The finals of both the singles and doubles events were supposed to hold on Sunday, but were rescheduled to Monday because of heavy downpour in Lagos on Saturday which forced matches scheduled for that day to be shifted to Sunday. Sada Nahimana is a Burundian tennis player. Nahimana has a career high ITF juniors ranking of 12 achieved on July 15, 2019. Nahimana made her WTA main draw debut at the 2018 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem in the doubles draw partnering Sandra Samir


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BURUNDI

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The official launch of Teaching Coding Skills to Children by Africa Code Week and BiHub

The Africa Code Week together with Burundi Innovation Hub has officially launched the teaching sessions in a bid to instill coding skills to Children. It is an initiative by Africa Code Week to teach Information Communication Technologies. It is the initiative by SAP to introduce to children and young learners the ICT skills from their young age in Africa. Burundi Innovation Hub(BiHub) Co-Founder and Africa Code Week Ambassador, Natacha Nduwimana, told RegionWeek that this official launch of teaching coding skills will be going on to other schools in Bujumbura town and throughout the country. THE BIG PICTURE: The initiative by Africa Code Week with BiHub will help in instilling coding skills in the young students in three provinces such as Bujumbura, Ngozi, and Gitega. ‘Coding skills help young learners to have a creative mind’ Natacha Nduwimana said that ‘inculcating the coding skills in young children will help them to grow with the creative mind and critical thinking, which will ultimately help them designing programming projects in the future’.

“I want to be the best programmer when I grow up, such as programming the best game software for myself and my friends. I will also teach these coding skills to other young children who have not yet gained these coding skills”, said one learner of King’s School.

Natacha Nduwimana added that this initiative will lead the young learners to have a passion for ICT skills. Nduwimana added that the learners will then teach other children the coding skills. At King School, the Administration Director, thanked the initiative by BiHub and Africa Code Week together with SAP, that it will help the young children to grow with a ‘creative mind’. Administration Director calls for the parents to let their children pursue the ICT skills and develop their thinking and then to see in the near future that there are ‘some Burundians who will come up with the best digital tool helping in the lives of people’. The Director said that he would like to see Africa Code Week make these teaching sessions throughout the country and help the children of the countryside to benefit from this ‘golden opportunity’.

He also asked the Burundian Government in helping to boost the ICT field in Burundi and to invest much in it such as to provide sufficient electronic devices such as computers, and so on. ‘Information technologies, a prerequisite in today’s world’ The event continued at Lycee du Saint-Esprit where the teachers of Scratch coding software taught the learners the basic coding skills. The Director of Lycee du Saint-Esprit welcomed BiHub and Africa Code initiative to instill the IT skills in the learners.

“In today’s world, the Information Technologies skills are a prerequisite to fare well in this digital world. Learners have to be well equipped with the ICT skills in order to better having a well-cultivated mind and thinking”, the Director of Lycee du Saint-Esprit told RegionWeek.

The Director said that the government of Burundi should invest heavily in the Information Technology field by forgoing the taxes on electronic devices that are used by the learners and multiplying the electronic devices, such as computers, that will help in teaching them the new skills. During the sessions, the learners appreciate this initiative by Africa Codde Week with BiHub saying that it will help them to be good at coding and programming. All who have been benefiting from this Africa Code Week have encouraged it and BiHub to go and instill the basic coding skills in young children. The teacher of IT at Lycee du Saint-Esprit, Ngendangenze Audace, told RegionWeek that Africa Code Week and BiHub have helped their learners in ‘dispelling fears’ from the learners and help them to ‘muster the courage to be good at coding skills’. Audace Ngendangenze also calls for Burundi Government together with BiHub to step up efforts to grow this Information Technologies field in Burundi. “No children cant reach self-development unless he/she has basic computer skills”, Audace Ngendangenze added.


INTERNATIONAL WOMEN LEADERS’ 2 CONFERENCE EDITION nd

24-26 OCTOBER 2019

HOTEL CLUB DU LAC TANGANYIKA

Woman of Destiny, arise, be courageous and act, for peace consolidation concerns you

WWW.WOMENOFDESTINY.BI

First Lady of Burundi

H.E. Denise NKURUNZIZA MAIN SPEAKER


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Burundi Press Agency

Burundi: A new Campaign to sensitize communities and decision-makers about the risks of major disasters

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The Minister of Public Security and Disaster Management Chief Police Commissioner Alain Guillaume Bunyoni organized a news conference on October 10, 2019, to express his views on the eve of the celebration of the International Disaster Reduction Day 2019 edition, which was celebrated on October 12, 2019 in Ntahangwa Commune (Bujumbura City Council). The minister in charge of disaster management first recalled that this day was proclaimed in 1989 by the General Assembly of the United Nations and is celebrated on October 13 of each year. As in Burundi this date coincided with the commemoration of the assassination of the national independence hero Prince Louis Rwagasore, he informed that this year the ceremonies had to take place in the Ntahangwa commune on October 12, 2019 under the theme “Nothing undermines Development as a disaster: Reducing damage to essential infrastructures saves lives and avoids economic loss.” Chief police commissioner Bunyoni said the goal of the day is to sensitize communities and decision-makers about the risks of major disasters to prevent loss of life, property, economy and the environment from disasters. He added that this is an opportunity to bring together all technical and financial partners and humanitarian actors working in this field.

He said that in Burundi during the past decade, landslides and strong winds have affected public and private infrastructures in many parts of the country and disrupted education and health services.

He gave the example of high school Clarity Our Lady of Vugizo that was abandoned in 2009, some blocks of the university hospital center of Kamenge which were damaged by a large cracking, the basic school of Burima I and Myaba of Mutambu commune in Bujumbura province which are affected by a large crack, the RN7 is threatened with cutting at 18 km by a ravine of the Nyarurangara River, the RN3 threatened by landslides at Gitaza and Nyaruhongoka in Muhuta commune (Rumonge), impressive landslides are observed in the communes of Gashoho and Gasorwe (Muyinga) and others. The minister did not forget to point out that this situation is a concern to everyone, including the government, local authorities, civil society organizations, the private sector, religious denominations, NGOs, the Burundi Red Cross. He took the opportunity to make a strong appeal to humanitarian actors, technical and financial partners, and cooperation agencies to accompany the government in that vast project of rehabilitation of infrastructures destroyed by disasters for a better Burundi. He promised that as planned in the 2018-2027 NDP for axis 14 dedicated to risk prevention and disaster management, the Burundi government will spare no effort to save human lives and preserve its economy through reduction of infrastructure damage caused by disasters


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Burundi: Commemorative ceremonies for the 58th anniversary of the assassination of the Independence Hero

Burundians commemorate the 13 October of each year, the assassination of the Burundi Independence Hero, Prince Louis Rwagasore, killed in 1961 at the Tanganyika Hotel in Bujumbura. This year, commemorative ceremonies for the 58th anniversary of the assassination of the Independence Hero took place on October 14, 2019. These commemorative ceremonies were enhanced by the presence of the presidential couple, reports the national television. They began with a Mass in memory of the national hero celebrated at the Regina Mundi Cathedral in Bujumbura. The members of the Government, the Parliament, the senior officers of the defense and security forces, the diplomats accredited in Bujumbura and the family of the Hero of Independence took part in these ceremonies

In his homily, Bishop Anatole Rugerinyange, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Bujumbura, invited the country’s leaders to follow the example of Prince Louis Rwagasore to safeguard the independence of Burundi. He encouraged them to have the spirit of fraternity as Louis Rwagasore who, with his social status of the prince, did not hesitate to lead the fight of freedom for Burundians.

Bishop Anatole Rugerinyange also advised them not to be distracted by the dark episodes of the past that Burundi has gone through. He called on the authorities of the country to serve everyone without discrimination in order to better prepare for the next elections. he ceremonies continued in Vugizo at the Mausoleum of Prince Louis Rwagasore. They were marked by the reading of Rwagasore’s biography, the laying of the wreaths by the Presidential couple, followed by the representatives of the diplomatic and consular corps accredited in Bujumbura, the royal family and the representatives of the authorized political parties in Burundi. Participants then followed an excerpt from the speech made by Prince Louis Rwagasore after the UPRONA party won the 1961 elections on the eve of Burundi’s independence. The same commemorative ceremonies of the 58th anniversary of the assassination of the hero of independence took place across all provinces of the country.


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NEWS

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NEWS

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Kenya: EAC SG’s Condolence message on the death through a terrorist Attack of 11 Police Officers

It is with profound shock and grief that we at the East African Community have received the sad news of the demise through a terrorist attack of 11 police officers from the paramilitary General Service Unit (GSU) in Garissa County, Kenya on Saturday, 12th October 2019. On behalf of the East African Community and on my own behalf, I convey my heartfelt condolences to your Excellency, and through you to: the bereaved families, relatives and friends of the security officers; the National Police Service, the Government, and; the people of Kenya. We mourn the demise of these brave officers from the GSU’s Harehare Camp, who we learned lost their lives while on the line of duty along the Kenya-Somalia border.

The incident is a stark reminder of the threat posed by terrorists to peace and security in the East African region and the need for Partner States and neighbouring countries to sustain cooperate and maintain vigilance to counter the menace. The entire EAC and I share with the bereaved families, and the Government and people of Kenya, the feelings of great loss at this time of deep sorrow.


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BLOG

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How Do You Measure Success? 10 New Ways You Need to Know.

Life occurs within and outside of you. The two – yourself and everyone else – are interconnected. Their lives, and thus their success, are influenced by you and your success which is influenced by them. It becomes clear that any measure of “success” cannot be one dimensional. There are many metrics, but if a person looks only at those that directly affect them, then they lack a complete measurement. It is good to succeed in business, but it is important to succeed in life. The two are not mutually exclusive, and in some ways positively reinforcing. Take a look at these 10 ways of Measuring Success. A Successful Business Means… 1)Hitting your goals: Knowing and achieving your business goals is important. But goals in business have many manifestations. Aside from profitability, some business goals include growing your market share, disrupting a market, having very high customer satisfaction rates, reducing product defects, and more, and more, and more. However, you cannot achieve your business goals unless you know what they are, communicate those goals to your employees, and measure the results. Many people in business are vague about their goals. They are not clear in making everyone in the company embrace the goals or checking on progress. 2)Grow your business: “Growth” is quite personal, even to an executive. In this, a business is a bit like a child. As the business’s parent, you get a certain satisfaction in raising it, helping past the stumbling toddler years, seeing it blossom into adulthood, and ever expanding its horizons. In the process, you grow the lives and fortunes of your employees, your shareholders, your community and your country. 3)Low turnover: According to an article in Forbes, the turnover rate is the highest it has been in a decade. This form of success is a reflection of the corporate culture you created. A bad culture creates a high turnover rate, and a good culture a low one. 4)A well-balanced life: All work and no play make Jack a dull boy, and often a jerk. The reason is that life does not work, only a part of it. Measuring balance in your life is non-productive. But when you lack balance, it is easy to measure. The shortfall of joy, the failing health, the shattered marriages, the estranged children … these are the heavyweights placed on the wrong said of life’s scale, and they are a clear enough measure. 5)Sharing your success with others: Sharing is perhaps the true measure of all success, be it a wealth of money, time, patience, knowledge, wisdom or goodwill. A Successful Life Means… Which brings us to the non-business side of

business life. As your business affects your personal life, so too does your personal life affect your business. The two cannot be separated. Some elements that should be on your success scorecard include: 6)Good health: The enjoyment of life is at best incomplete in poor health. At worst, it is hellish. Now take poor health outside of your body. How does being sickly affect your company (when you cannot lead fully), your family (their support and their stress over you), your community (when you can no longer serve)? 7)Good family: Family is love and support. Every person’s role is to grow their family, to stay connected, to provide love and support. In that giving to others, you improve their lives while improving yours. It also lays the groundwork for you receiving love and support when you need it. If you are launching a business and taking the risks that go along with it, you will need that love and support. 8)Learning to do the Tough Things First: In or out of business, we are all faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles. But we humans have this funny knack of overcoming them. None of these things were accomplished instantly. They were the result of many small successes. The ones that happened fastest were where a person or a team looked at all the problems, took on the biggest and toughest first, then conquered it. They did the Tough Things First, which made the rest of the project much simpler and more exciting for everyone. 9)Being a teacher: Yet we all are, or can be, teachers. It may be providing basic life lessons to a child on your knee, instructing an employee in complex processes or technologies, or even teaching by example via living a good life. Life can be complex, filled with many topics and problems. By sharing knowledge and wisdom, we lead others past difficulties and on toward their own greater success. 10)Dignity and honor: Dignity circles around self-respect and honor involves acting with honesty, fairness, and integrity. The latter leads to the former. Indeed, you cannot have self-respect without practicing the basic virtues of honesty, fairness, and integrity. Honesty, fairness, and integrity are the cornerstones of trust, and thus the foundation of society. A person is truly successful when they add to society.


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Burundi Press Agency

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The 2019-2020 coffee campaign is going well, according to the minister in charge of the agricultural sector

The Minister of the Environment, Agriculture and Livestock, Mr. Déo Guide Rurema, said during a press briefing on Tuesday, October 15th that the 2019-2020 coffee campaign shows a remarkable improvement in the respect of payment deadlines compared to the last two campaigns (2017-2018 and 2018-2019). or this campaign, he said, the situation has improved thanks to the intervention of the State via the granting of the approval on the loans granted to certain actors. Indeed, most of the coffee peelers paid the coffee growers. Out of a total amount of more than 22 billion, more than 21 billion was paid or a payment rate of 98.38%. There are still more than 360 million to pay, which is 1.62%. He invited the coffee companies in debt to take the necessary measures to pay all the arrears by the 21st of this month at the latest. If not, drastic measures will be taken against them, he insisted. With regard to the production, on September 30, 2019, of a forecast of 75,000 tons of cherry coffee, 47,653 tons were collected, an achievement of 63.5%. As for fully washed parchment coffee, 8 573 tons is already sent to the shelling and packing plants. The green coffee already produced is 5,296 tons, of which 2,101 tons have already been sold for a value of more than six million US dollars. Regarding the return of foreign currencies, for the 20182019 coffee campaign, on a forecast of 47 506 943 USD,

an amount of 44 920 456 USD has already been recovered, or a recovery rate of 94.55%. Comparatively, the value of coffee already sold for the 20192020 campaign is 6,478,392 USD, of which the recovered amount is 1,464,327 USD, representing a recovery rate of 22.6 per cent.

The Minister also informed the public that the current price of cherry coffee B is 250 BIF / kg, and therefore the minimum price of washed parchment coffee is set at 1250 BIF / kg for the 2019-2020 campaign.

Transporting washed parchment coffee from a province to the plant for further processing must necessarily require provincial authorization including the route. Transport beyond 6 pm is strictly forbidden, said Minister Rurema, calling on the people, the administration and the police to remain vigilant in order to fight against the illicit trafficking of that product to neighboring countries and to comply with the price of coffee, set for the producer.


THE BRIEF

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Need to support rural women’s access to sustainable infrastructures and social protection services

Burundi Minister of Human Rights, Social and Gender Affairs, Mr. Martin Nivyabandi, launched a strong appeal to all Burundians to make rural women’s Day, celebrated on October 15 of each year, the expression of recognition and encouragement for rural women, pillar of sustainable development of the country. This was revealed in a statement made on Monday, October 14, 2019. The official ceremonies marking that Day in Burundi will take place in Ngozi province on October 18th under the national theme “Support rural women’s access to sustainable infrastructures and social protection services”. The international theme is “Sustainable Infrastructures, Access to Public Services and Social Protection for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Rural Women and Girls”. This theme proposes to reflect on innovative ways to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment, particularly in the areas of social protection, access to public services and the construction of sustainable infrastructures. Minister Nivyabandi said that this theme is chosen while the Government of Burundi has put social protection among its priorities, in order to advance this important sector that affects all sectors of human life.

He cited important progress achieved, including the implementation of the cash transfer program for more vulnerable households, namely rural women, the establishment of the National Solidarity Day, the improvement of mother-and-child health services, quality education for all, sustainable community infrastructures such as roads, hospitals, markets, water fountains. That improves women’s access to different basic services. According to Minister Nivyabandi, the objective pursued through the celebration of that day is to highlight, once a year, the fundamental role of rural women in society. It is an opportunity for various stakeholders to assess the step already taken in promoting the rural women’s rights, to identify the existing opportunities as well as the challenges that hinder their full development in their daily lives. With the evolution of the world, while keeping the cultural value of her country, the rural woman has tackled the driving forces of economic development, so as to contribute, as a full citizen of the nation, to her own development and that of her country. Burundi joins, on October 15 each year, other countries of the world in celebrating World Rural Women’s Day since its institutionalization at the United Nations World Conference on Women, held in Beijing, China, in 1995.


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A construction project of a modern cross-border market in Gatumba on the Cabinet meeting menu

The Cabinet met on Wednesday, October 16, 2019, at the Ntare Rushatsi State House under the chairmanship of the Head of State, Mr. Pierre Nkurunziza, with nine items on the agenda, according to the statement issued by the General Secretariat of the Government.

A bill on construction contract of the Burundi National Police Hospital,presented by the Minister of Public Security and Disaster Management, the bill revising Decree Law No. 1 / 037 of July 7, 1993 revising the Labor Code presented by the Minister in charge of Labor, -A note on the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education, -The ministerial ordinance bill on organization and operation of distance education in Higher Education in Burundi, -The ministerial ordinance bill on the organization and operation of night school in Higher Education in Burundi, the three presented by the Minister in charge of

Higher Education. -The report of the Commission in charge of analyzing the file concerning the viability project of the Kinyinya-Ruhogo site presented by the services of the 2nd vice-presidency, A presentation Note of a construction project of a modern cross-border market in Gatumba presented by the Minister in charge of Trade, The National Strategy for the revitalization of the cotton-textile-clothing sector presented by the Minister in charge of Agriculture and finally the miscellaneous.


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5 rules young leaders should follow to build a successful business. Young leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs who are leading other employees and partners should always keep up ahead of others in terms of knowledge and strategies, especially if they are vital in making success for their business.

Here are five rules that young leaders need to know and follow for them to have a successful business and a good working environment.

1. Motivate your employees. Motivating employees is one of the things which will make your business successful, here is why. Not only that with highly motivated employees your company will meet its goals, but the productivity will increase as well. Imagine having an employee who isn’t very motivated, they will use the time at their desk surfing the internet for personal pleasure or even looking for another job. Employee motivation is one of the most advised ways for managers to use to boost productivity, as a young leader, manager, and entrepreneur, you may ask your self how, but there are lots of ways you can motivate your employees, simplest ways include open communication, valuing co-workers opinions, and work appreciation like “Great job” or “Thank you”, these simple words sometimes build trust and encourage people to even work harder.

2. Share your profits with all your partners.

Sharing profits and treating your employees as your partners will bring all of you together, employes will feel the trust you have in them and will be so eager and motivated to work with you. But one thing to keep an eye on is to keep control while sharing anything in your company. Behave as a servant leader, lead by example. Make it with them, don’t make them make it for you if you want to have a strong and successful business.

3. Communicate all that can be communicated. The more you tell them the more they will understad.communication is a key feature for successful businesses, you don’t just

get to the goal anyhow, in planning, organizing and controlling your business you need effective communication to reach that. If you don’t trust your employees and partners to know what’s going on in the business, they will know you don’t take them as partners so they will work for you, not with you.

4. Control inputs and outputs well.

Well, we have to give our all to get to our goals but we have to calculate our all. As a young entrepreneur and leader, you need to know how your business will maximize profit and sales with the lowest ratio of expenses.

5. Listen to everyone in your company.

As part of communication, you don’t need to talk all the way alone but take into consideration what your associates tell you, they are the ones who know what its like in the business, the operations, and life, you better listen to them to tell you what they know. Put responsibility in them and listen to what they have to tell you, the ideas and views they provide might be the key to the door you want to open.

Generally, these 5 rules should be on every young leader’s mind, leading isn’t all about saying what you need, it is not all about the idea you have although they are very important, your employees also count, when you treat them well you’ll be stronger and will likely have a successful business.



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Global Legislators converge in Serbia for 141st IPU as EALA Speaker addresss General Assembly

The 141St Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly commenced in the Serbia capital of Belgrade, on October 13th, 2019, with a renewed focus towards strengthening mechanisms geared at enhancing international co-operation and collaboration, in the wake of increased violations towards international treaties and covenants. Serbian President,Mr. Aleksandar Vučić, opened the Global summit of legislators. EALA Speaker, Rt Hon Ngoga Karoli Martin, late yesterday addressed over 1750 delegates of the Assembly, calling on Parliaments to strive to pass relevant national and regional laws that anchor to the international laws and treaties in order to find lasting solutions to emerging threats from violations to global treaties. The EALA Speaker cited numerous challenges that include inward looking issues and pride as impacting on the desire to adhere to international treaties and called for enhanced collaboration between various stakeholders. He remarked that it was no longer tenable for nations to avoid co-operation between themselves, but rather, to collaborate more in the globalized world. “As a matter of fact, nations that ‘stand & walk together’ face the future with more certainty, deliver economic prosperity for their citizens”, the Rt Hon Ngoga said. ” International law is meant to serve the purpose of keeping Community of nations together as a glue of our mutual co-existence”, he added. The Speaker called for inclusion of approaches to enhance collaboration in realizing adherence systems to international laws and treaties.

“Recent approaches and reforms emphasize more interaction between national and regional Parliaments as well as multilateral institutions. Parliaments must provide leadership towards policy positions that break barriers and ensure compliance with international laws” the Speaker said.

Rt Hon Ngoga called on legislatures to bridge gaps that often results in non-co-operation of States, necessitated by national pride, political tensions, high co-ordination costs or the asymmetric distribution of costs and benefits among others. Rt. Hon Ngoga further rallied for adherence to the treaties saying any violations to international law tend to curtail attainment of SDG 16 – that calls for achieving peaceful, just & inclusive societies. With regards to the EAC region, Rt Hon Ngoga was emphatic that EALA would continue to ensure adherence to the treaties and covenants.

“Through EALA’s legislative, oversight & representative role, we ensure citizens’ concerns are fully addressed, resulting in collective responsibility in strengthening international law. I wish to reiterate my support and the Assembly’s towards promotion of peace and development and to attainment of sustainable development of our people” he added. The week-long Assembly is being attended by more than 1700 MPs, UN representatives and civil society representatives. In addition to discussing international collaboration and adherence to the tenets of international law, the delegates are further reviewing latest developments to improve gender equality, empower young people, defend MPs’ human rights, and achieve universal health coverage. Of the MPs in attendance, about 30 per cent are women and 17 per cent are young MPs under 45 according to a dispatch from the IPU. At the same time, the global Parliamentary body is celebrating 130 years since its existence. The IPU body used the opportunity to reflect on the past achievements and challenges as it charts its future. The EALA delegation is further comprised of Hon Abdikadir Aden, Hon Kim Ruot Duop, Hon Sophie Nsavyimana, Hon Paul Musamali and senior EALA Secretariat staff. The Members have been attending various Standing Committees in addition to the General debate. Other EAC Partner States’ Speakers in attendance include Rt Hon Rebecca Kadaga (Parliament of Uganda), Rt Hon Pascal Nyabenda (Burundi National Assembly), Rt Hon Kenneth Lusaka (Senate, Kenya) and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies in Rwanda, Rt Hon Donatile Mukabalisa. Meanwhile, Republic of Rwanda is set to host the !43rd IPU in Kigali, Rwanda in October 2020. Speaker of the Rwanda Chamber of Deputies, Rt Hon Donatile Mukabalisa took the opportunity to invite all delegates to Kigali, Rwanda, for the occasion. The Speaker met with the IPU Secretary General, Mr Martin Chungong on the sidelines of the global congress to pen down the hosting agreement.


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Burundi Innovation Hub officially launches Miss Tech Burundi 2019: Highlights The Miss Tech Burundi 2019 official launch, an initiative by Burundi Innovation Hub, took place today on October 17, 2019, in the premises of the International School of Bujumbura (southern part of Bujumbura town).

The Miss Tech Burundi 2019 competition is slated to run from October 17, 2019, through October 30, 2019. The Miss Tech Burundi 2019 session will focus on ‘expanding horizons and changing attitudes’. THE BIG PICTURE: The theme for this year’s event of Miss Tech is “Empowering girls with digital skills for a brighter future”. The event brings to the fore the girls ‘talents which are naturally inhibited due to a lack of social and cultural support. ‘Integrate Burundi girls into the IT sector’ Miss Tech Burundi empowers girls to keep abreast with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills in order to cope with today’s life challenges.

Natacha Nduwimana thanks Burundi Government through the Ministry of Education for its stepped up efforts to bring forth this event in helping girls to get needed knowledge about Information and Communication Technologies. ‘The ICTs expand the girls’ opportunities’ The Director-General of International School began to appreciate the already taken step. He said that ICTs are taught in his school. “The new information technology makes it possible to search for opportunities and help students to get by in the field of ICTs and encourages other schools to get involved in the Africa Code Week Initiative competition for the best in a bid to win”, the Director said. The Director added that ‘to train students in this new technology, the “When we started BiHub there were only three girls in strategy used by Bujumbura International School is to get secondary a hundred boys. Now we have tackled the issue of genstudents to learn these new ICTs skills’. der gap and disparity, we have relatively enough girls The students of the International School are interested in this field. The Director asks the BiHub to help him in integrating this curriculum into taking a big step in the technology field in Burundi”, the International School program. Natacha Nduwimana,Co-Founder of BiHub, told Region‘Girls encouraged to use their time wisely and engage in IT activities’ Week. Mrs. Director of Burundi English School first thanked the BiHub initiaMiss Tech Burundi urges Burundi girls to join today’s technologies, tive and talked on the importance of using ICTs in everyday life. Engineering and Mathematics in order to use them in a bid to solve She inspired young people in general and girls, in particular, to use their social conflicts and to ‘facilitate the integration of girls in inclusive time wisely and provide so much effort to develop their skills. and fair Burundi’. She told girls to demonstrate their talents because they are able to do things as good as boys. She ended by appreciating the BIHUB initiatives Natacha Nduwimana, Burundi Innovation Hub and calling on the BIHUB to step up their efforts in helping girls n the Co-Founder said that the objective of Miss Technology ICTs field. is to ‘inspire more girls to enter STEM education and to ‘Computer skills, a prerequisite of today’s world’ reduce the digital gender divide’. Brondon Niguel of Global Peace Chain thanked the BiHub for its initiaMiss Tech Burundi integrates all girls impartially in today’s technologies tive to promote ICTs skills for girls and women. such as ‘designing, programming some software and mobile applications Brondon Niguel said that inspiring young people, especially girls, falls in the part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. (Android) using Java and Html technologies’, Natacha Nduwimana added.

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‘Winners of Miss Tech Burundi 2019 to be awarded’ The winners of the Miss tech Burundi will be prized according to their rankings. The first winner of Miss Tech will get a brand new laptop worth 1000 000 BIF, cash of 500000FBU, travel to an international conference and coaching from BIHUb for 6months. The second winner of Miss Tech Burundi 2019 will get a brand new phone worth 500 000 BIF and coaching from BIHUb, Natacha Nduwimana announced.

“We thank our sponsors and partners such as HIGHERLIFE Foundation in Burundi and #BOECKBC1 in Germany who made it possible that this event takes place”, Natacha Nduwimana added.

“The Information and Communication Technologies field is a requisite element in everyday life in order to cope with today’s life challenges”, Brondon Niguel told attendees.

Brondon called for girls and women to be engaged in the ICTs and to love them, thus have a passion to grow in this field of Computer technologies. The ceremonies to officially launch the Miss Tech Burundi 2019 event were officiated by Burundi Innovation Hub in partnership with the Burundi Government through the Ministry of Education.


20

REGION WEEK

OCTOBER 12 - OCTOBER 18, 2019

N° 027


N° 027

REGION WEEK

OCTOBER 12 - OCTOBER 18, 2019

AFRICA

21

5 mistakes to avoid with your money to be financially secure.

Money helps everyone in a lot of things, well its the only thing which can help you buy anything you want, the less you have the fewer things you can buy, the more you have the more things you are able to buy. 1. Spending much more than you make. Well if you want to have a balanced way to use your money, or always have the money you need, is to spend equal to what you spend. Although at times it is hard to keep yourself from the life everyone is living, spending enough money, or even less than you make is the only option for you to always be safe. 2.When you spend more than you make, your debts will increase, not forgetting your bills. You need to learn and make it a habit to always use what you have, well and efficiently for what you really need, then you will be free, happy, and responsible which is better than to keep trying to be someone else. 3.Not having any goals with what you earn. When it comes to spending money and saving it, one of the most effective ways to save it is to invest it. Money without a plan ends in no time, therefore, you need to plan and set something you can use your money to make more money. It takes time and effort to be wealthy and secured financially. Setting financial goals will help you calculate well, your expenses and let you budget for a chosen purpose. If you have a need lets say, a car, new laptop or phone, you have to sit and see with what you earn how much you can use, save, or invest to get what you want. Not watching your expenses. Having a good eye on what you spend your money on will make you aware of how you spend and what you are actually using your

money for. Well, you might say, I have set goals but then not realize what you’re actually using your money for your day-to-day activities. Keeping track of it will let you know whether you need to keep buying that after lunch drink you like or to just have your water. Sometimes we find that those daily drinks and much snacks are just making your expenses more than you have. 4.Not calculating risks. Well, I said you should invest in your money, but part of planning for your good utilization of your money, you need to calculate whatever things you want to invest it in, don’t just say the best way to save is to invest and invest into something worse than just keeping your money, you need to plan and know the strategies which are best for you, to help your investment get profit. 5.Not having any side money for an emergency. Emergencies are just like accidents they happen at the most unexpected times, to anyone. Your laptop may have a technical problem or anything like that. Having some money for an emergency can protect you in such situations, saving you from running to ask for debts at the first moment and give you a peaceful mind when you face such situations. A lot of saving experts suggest that a person should save at least 3 months money for your salary, or even more. To do this you may start including this in your plans until you get it full.

RegionWEEK is a Weekly News Briefing about Brurundi and East Africa. Publisher: RegionWeek Ltd Editor in chief: Fabrice Iranzi Head of Africa Bureau: John Nshimirimana 11, Avenue du Gouvernement, Rohero Bujumbura-Burundi Tél: +257 79 43 28 86 P.O Box 6402 Bujumbura


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