East

A delegation of 14 veterans from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) arrived in Kigali this tuesday on 25th November, 2025. Their visit focused on healing and shared experience. The trip is built on the profound historical bonds between Israel and Rwanda. The delegation includes veterans injured in service, many of whom are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The visit began with a stop at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, an event that resonated deeply with the former soldiers. Ambassador of Israel to Rwanda Einat Weiss, explained the deliberate choice of the destination, noting it goes beyond history alone. “We chose Rwanda not only because of the history, Rwanda has done tremendous steps in raising awareness to disability, to people with disabilities.”

Tanzania Drops Independence Day Festivities Amid Growing Protest Calls Over Election Violence

Tanzania has announced the cancellation of its upcoming Independence Day celebrations, following increasing public pressure and calls for nationwide protests over deadly violence linked to last month’s disputed general elections.

Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba confirmed on Monday that the annual celebrations, scheduled for 9 December, will not take place. He said that the budget allocated for the event would instead be redirected toward repairing infrastructure destroyed during the post-election unrest.

As the Afreximbank Compliance Forum 2025 is currently underway in Kigali, Rwanda, the continent’s plan to combat illicit financial flows became clear. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now Africa’s best defense against dirty money.

The forum brought together experts to tackle financial crime, a severe problem that’s far more damaging than just complex schemes.

Mahmoud Mhiri, an Executive Partner at Vneuron, explained that financial crime, particularly Anti-Money Laundering (AML), harms the entire economy. AML is the process where criminals hide funds generated from illegal acts like corruption or fraud by cycling them through the legal financial system.

Many Ugandans are celebrating the election of Zohran Mamdani as the new mayor of New York, expressing pride in his Ugandan roots and calling him “one of us.”

Mamdani, 34, was born in Uganda and holds dual nationality. His election has sparked excitement across Uganda, especially among young people who see him as a symbol of hope and inspiration.

Journalist Angelo Izama, who mentored Mamdani during a teenage internship at one of Uganda’s leading newspapers, told the BBC that “there’s a lot of excitement in Uganda about his rise, especially because of his young age.”

President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been re-elected with 97.6% of the vote, the Tanzanian Electoral Commission announced on Saturday. The landslide victory follows a tense election marked by the exclusion of major opposition figures, low voter turnout, and violent protests.

The final results, released three days after polls closed, confirmed what many observers had already expected. Most of Hassan’s main challengers were barred from running or detained months before the vote, leaving her with minimal competition.

The Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), in partnership with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) and the National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPD), has launched a nationwide training program to strengthen wheelchair service delivery in Rwanda.

With financial support from UNICEF, the week-long training focused on wheelchair assessment, fitting, repair, and mobility orientation, aiming to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. The session, held from October 27–31, brought together 39 physiotherapists, prosthetists, orthotists, and biomedical equipment technicians from district, provincial, and referral hospitals.

For years, the home of Bizimana Damascene and Tuyishimire Valerie in Cyahinda Sector, Nyaruguru District, was filled with pain and conflict. Constant family fights, often caused by alcohol abuse, created fear and sadness in their household.

Today, that same home is a story of peace, love, and progress, all thanks to training and support from the Joint Programme on Accelerating Progress towards Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment (JP RWEE).

Valerie Tuyishimire, 38 years old, recalls those dark days with emotion.

A simple, yet powerful farming method is driving huge increases in crop production for small-scale farmers in southern Province of Rwanda. Members of Urumuri Cyamukuza Cooperative in Gisagara District are celebrating bumper harvests after adopting Pfumvudza, a climate-smart agriculture technique promoted through the Joint Programme on Accelerating Progress towards Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment (JP RWEE).

This shift from traditional to modern, sustainable practices is reshaping food security, boosting incomes, and giving rural women a stronger voice in community development.

A quiet revolution is transforming the lives of rural women across five districts in Rwanda, turning smallholder farmers into confident entrepreneurs and community leaders. Through the Joint Programme on Accelerating Progress towards Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment (JP RWEE), a global initiative bringing together key UN agencies and the Government of Rwanda to strengthen women’s livelihoods and resilience in agriculture.

The program’s impact is vividly clear in Gisagara District, Southern Province, where women are moving beyond traditional subsistence farming to embrace modern, climate-resilient agricultural practices and market access.

At the Africa Healthtech Summit 2025, innovators from across the continent showcased life-changing digital health solutions. But beneath the progress lies a stubborn challenge slowing down impact poor internet access.

Joel Aderinto, Country Lead for Talamus Health in Nigeria, explained how their platform connects patients to pharmacies, hospitals, laboratories, radiology centers and policymakers.

“Our solutions help patients find and access the right care when they need it and how they need it,” he said.