www.NewFocus .com

Rwanda has emerged the best-performing country overall in implementing a continental policy framework for agricultural transformation, wealth creation, food security and nutrition, economic growth and prosperity for all. A report by the African Union Commission (AUC) presented at the AU Summit in Addis Ababa on Monday indicated that Rwanda’s performance – in implementing the 2014 Malabo Declaration of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) – improved from 6.1 in 2017 to 7.2 in 2019 against this year’s benchmark of 6.6 out of 10 marks. For that, the country was given the 2020 Best Performance Award for implementing the June 2014 Malabo Declaration for Agriculture Transformation in Africa. Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Dr. Gerardine Mukeshimana, said that implementing CAADP is well in line with Rwanda’s development agenda. She added: “We welcome Rwanda’s performance as a testimony to the government’s efforts in honouring the contin

Rwanda on good track in implementing the Continental Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programm Rwanda has emerged the best overall performing country in implementing the 2014 Malabo Declaration of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP). The latest report by the African Union Commission (AUC), which was presented at the AU General Assembly on February 10, 2020, has indicated that Rwanda’s performance improved from 6.1 in 2017 to 7.2 in 2019 against the benchmark of 6.6 out of 10 marks. The benchmark is the minimum score for a country to be qualified as being on track in implementing the CAADP Malabo Declaration. CAADP is Africa’s policy framework for agriculture and agriculture-led development since 2003 that aims at reducing poverty and increasing food security and nutrition on the continent. The 2014 Malabo Declaration is a commitment to the CAADP principles adopted by AU Heads of State and Government to provide effective leadership f

A heavy downpour that affected most parts of the country on Sunday – February 2 nd  caused 13 deaths and 2 injuries – the Ministry of Emergency Management has said in the provisional damage assessment report. Most shocking case was registered in Jali Sector, Nyaruriba cell, Rubona village where landslide destroyed a house killing a family of seven family members, leaving none to tell the story. The family members included a mother, her younger sister who was pregnant, her three children, her grandchild and her niece. The neighbors have no idea about the exact time when the incident happened because it poured till late at night. They woke up only to find that the house was no more, and started searching for their neighbors in the ruins. They found that all of them had already breathed their last. Ernestine Mukasekuru, the executive secretary of Nyaruriba cell told KT Press, that the rain was so heavy and it lasted for hours leaving the land in the hilly Jali sector very fragi

Rwanda will be on the alert to avert any possible invasion of dessert locusts which are now reported in Northern Uganda. According to reports in Ugandan media, swarms of the deadly desert locusts entered Uganda on Sunday through the north eastern part of Amudat District, located in Karamoja region. The invasion of the locusts which has ravaged northern parts of Kenya has caused panic in the region, leading the fears that they could spread further to Rwanda and other parts of the great lakes, ravaging crops and vegetation. Rwandan agricultural officials however, believe that chances for Rwanda to be affected are still minimum given their history in the region. “The locusts’ threat last affected Rwanda several decades ago. Right now, they are still far away from us. If you look at the movement pattern of these locust swarms, you note that normally they first eat up an area before they move on,” Dr Patrick Karangwa, Director-General of Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) told the medi