Rwandan President Reshuffles Cabinet, Names a New Finance Minister

Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame appointed Uzziel Ndagijimana as finance minister in a cabinet reshuffle, his office said.

Kagame swept to a landslide victory in a presidential election last year, securing a third term in office and extending his 17 years in power.

Late on Friday, he promoted state minister of finance Ndagijimana to replace Claver Gatete as finance minister, the office of the presidency said.

Gatete, a previous central bank head credited with overseeing a period of relative monetary stability, was named minister for infrastructure.

The economy has been rebuilt with a focus on technology, mining, tourism and agriculture following the 1994 genocide of 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and politically moderate Hutus.

Growth rates have averaged 5-6 percent over the last decade. This year, the International Monetary Fund expects its economy to expand by 7.2 percent.

In another move, Kagame named Yvonne Manzi Makolo as chief executive of the national carrier RwandAir. The airline sacked its previous head in April last year.




African News 

Dangote Faults Kenya over Corruption

Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote has faulted Kenya’s leadership for their greed and persistent failure to place matters of national interest first when it comes to development.

Speaking to a renowned Kenyan journalist Jeff Koinange, he shelved his plans to build a mega cement factory in Kenya after being put off by top decision makers in the country whom he described as “more corrupt than Nigerians.”

Speaking on his breakfast show in a local FM station, Jeff shared a private conversation he had with Dangote when he attended the billionaire’s daughter’s wedding in Nigeria last month.

“I asked him, ‘Al Hajj when are you coming back to Kenya?’ and he said ‘Jeff, there are people in that place (Kenya) who put greed and personal interest ahead of national interest. I didn’t think Kenya would be more corrupt that Nigeria.‘” Koinange narrated on air.

Dangote, who has been estimated to be Sh1.5 trillion by Forbes, visited Kenya in September 2013 as part of a high-powered delegation of 50 wealthy Nigerian businessmen accompany the country’s then president President Goodluck Jonathan.

The Nigerian tycoon recently pushed the factory’s entry to Kenya to 2021, having earlier planned to build a cement factory in the local market next year.

Dangote is widely known for using lower pricing to gain market share in new markets and its delayed entry will give some reprieve to existing players in a market that is already witnessing stiff competition.




AFRICAN NEWS 

Sierra Leone's New President pledges inclusive gov't

Sierra Leone’s new president, Julius Maada Bio, has appealed to the rival he defeated in an election run-off to drop a legal challenge against the result, and instead work with him in the new government.

Bio was declared winner late on Wednesday with 51.81 percent of votes and was sworn in hours later, but the ruling All People’s Congress (APC) candidate, Samura Kamara, who polled 48.19 percent, said the vote was marred by fraud and he would challenge the result.

“He is a resource. He has the expertise and the experience. And I think we can put those to work in addition to all that we have to make sure that Sierra Leone is a better place.”

The two men have previously worked together during Bio’s brief stint as head of a military junta in 1996.

In an interview, with Reuters, Kamara, who is yet to concede defeat, said he is always ready to serve Sierra Leone.

“Julius Maada Bio and I have worked … together,” he said, adding: “I have a passion to serve Sierra Leone at any time.’‘

Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP)‘s spokesman, Alie Kabba told AFP that the president had a “very warm conversation” with Kamara on the phone on Thursday. He added that they ‘plan to meet soon’.

Presidential win, parliamentary loss

The president is keen to establish a working relationship with APC which secured a parliamentary majority in the recent general elections.

While he won the presidential poll, in a parliamentary election held at the same time, Bio’s SLPP won only 47 of the 132 seats. Kamara’s APC got 67, a slim majority.

He has since appointed a transition team of 10 men and two women whose first task will be to “interface” between the new team and that of the outgoing president, Ernest Bai Koroma.

“The SLPP won the elections and we will form an inclusive government reflecting all aspects of Sierra Leone,” Kabba told AFP, refusing to say whether ministers could come from other political parties.

The vote to replace Ernest Bai Koroma, who could not run again for president due to term limits, was largely peaceful – a relief for a country of 7 million people which suffered a civil war in the 1990s that was fueled by the diamond trade and notorious for its mutilations and drugged-up child soldiers.



African News