Women's empowerment has been recognized as a complex and multifaceted issue that requires sustained commitment and collaboration from all actors to create an inclusive and equitable society where women and young girls in Africa can fully participate and equally contribute to their communities and countries. This was echoed during the second edition of the African Soft Power Summit that took place in Kigali from 23rd to 27th May 2023, attracting participants from across the globe to discuss topical issues directly impacting the continent. One of the exciting sessions during the summit was when the UN Resident Coordinator, Ozonnia Ojielo, interviewed His Royal Highness Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, the King of Onitsha in Anambra state, South-Eastern Nigeria. The King emphasized the need to pay attention, especially to women in rural areas who form the majority, by providing developmental facilities such as financial institutions, schools, hospitals, and good roads to uplift them from poverty. He stated, "More than 50% of the African population are women, and the majority of that percentage live in rural areas. My challenge is how do I empower these women, how do I grow wealth among them." Despite efforts by governments in Africa to bridge gender gaps, women still face various issues such as lack of access to quality education and healthcare, underrepresentation in decision-making and leadership positions, poverty and economic exclusion, as well as cultural barriers. However, to address such issues, Amb. (Dr.) Amina C. Mohamed, the former Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Heritage, and Culture, expressed the opinion that it is imperative to reform legal instruments to create an enabling environment for young girls and women to thrive. "We need to ensure that policies addressing these challenges are formulated, adopted, and implemented by governments. It is important to have institutional legal reforms to create the necessary spaces for nurturing and enabling the participation of young women in the economic, political, and social aspects," she said. According to the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Rwanda, Ozonnia Ojielo, the UN system in Rwanda is closely collaborating with the government through the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion on the gender machinery initiative aimed at promoting women in the country. He stated, "The UN System is working very closely with the government of Rwanda on gender equality and women's empowerment. We have the Rwanda Gender Machinery under the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, where we support research and analysis on the gaps women face and strengthen women through legal frameworks and policies in Rwanda." He further elaborated, "It is not about bringing women up to the same level as men; it's about the quality of success, enabling women to realize their full potential. This conversation explores various options such as the role of the private sector and economic empowerment as vehicles for change and transformation." In fact, Ozonnia attributed Rwanda's current socio-economic development to government policies aimed at promoting gender equality across all sectors, and he encouraged other African countries to emulate these efforts for the benefit of all citizens on the continent.  

The UN Rwanda Resident Coordinator Ozonnia Ojielo has called for more concerted efforts in ensuring the effective implementation of the “1000Health Posts in the Land of 1000Hills” Joint Programme that is set to benefit at least five million vulnerable Rwandans. Though the country has made tremendous strides in universal healthcare, it still faces some gaps in sustainable Primary Health Care service delivery. The Government of Rwanda in partnership with different actors is therefore embarking on expanding the number of Health Posts to deliver better health outcomes for all toward achieving Universal Health Coverage and the SDGs. The primary goal of the Joint Programme is to leverage Public, Private, and Community partnerships to accelerate SDG achievement through catalytic financing that ensures the sustainability of health posts. During the Steering Committee that convened some heads of UN implementing agencies, senior Government officials, and other organizations in the health sector, Ozonnia observed that the UN Rwanda considers this Joint Programme as having strong synergies to the ongoing Government and Partners initiatives as well as complementing delivery of basic services, including expounding on technical assistance in innovative health financing.  “Establishing Health posts, for example, is a remarkable reform in Rwanda’s health system and a key driver toward Universal Health Coverage. Having health posts at the cell level including hard-to-reach areas gives assurance that all people and communities including refugees can access health services without exposure to financial hardships”. He said.  In fact, according to the statistics from the Ministry of Health, 95 percent of disease burdens are treated at the Health posts making the programme a priority for the benefit of citizens in the country which immensely contributes towards Rwanda’s economic growth and development. “We are willing to participate and play our part in the proper implementation of this Joint Programme”. Said Dr. Corneille Ntihabose the Head of the clinical and public health services department at the Ministry of Health. Upon its successful implementation, it is expected that the programme will result in a more capable, and resilient Health Post network throughout the country and directly contribute to the reduced rates of mortality, morbidity, stunting, and wasting of young children. Experts believe that the intervention will also deliver predictable financial streams with some 3,000 decent jobs for individual entrepreneurs, especially females in rural areas. During the presentation, it was highlighted that the Joint Programme will enhance 1000 Health Posts through new financing and technological innovations to sustain and expand the current footprint including refugee camps -- through an integrated approach that reinforces and scales up partnerships and catalyzes new investments.

The Rwanda Space Agency (RSA) and United Nations in Rwanda are set to collaborate to provide effective space services that will immensely contribute to Rwanda’s social-economic development.  This comes after comprehensive conversations between the UN Rwanda's Resident Coordinator, Ozonnia Ojielo and RSA Chief Executive Officer, Col. Francis Ngabo. The meeting was attended by Maxwell Gomera, UNDP Resident Representative, and Veronica Rammala, Head of Vulnerability Analysis at WFP. Their discussions focused on building strategic partnerships to further leverage Earth-observation data for the country's socio-economic development goals and welcomed United Nations in Rwanda for partnership. "When people heard of our agency, many just thought of artificial satellites and other objects that are launched into space by rockets and placed into orbit around the Earth. We actually do a lot with Earth Observation data. With a few applications, we have developed it is possible to develop Rwanda's space sector and effectively use geospatial data towards Rwanda's socio-economic development," said Col Francis Ngabo, CEO of Rwanda Space Agency. RSA currently works with various government institutions to bring innovative digital solutions to various areas of Rwanda's development. In agriculture, the agency provides data on farmland segmentation, crop type classification, drought, crop health, yield, and forestation. Ozonnia Ojielo expressed his appreciation for the ongoing collaboration between Rwanda Space Agency and the United Nations Satellite Centre. “Rwanda Space Agency’s data can be leveraged to create an emergency response plan in which every partner can contribute, resulting in a sustainable contingency plan.” Ozonnia added. The Agency is also monitoring six greenhouse gas emissions to alert relevant government institutions on the air quality in the country. With the Ministry of Infrastructure, RSA plays an important role in urban planning and safe settlements with satellite images. "Data and Analytics should be considered in the next Rwanda's Strategy for Transformation. The UNDP’s Resident Representative further observed that to yield proper results, this will require advanced software and experts. This happens as the world continues to grapple with the deadly effects of climate-related shocks - meaning that Earth-Observation technologies can generate crucial data to trigger our predictive capacities especially by providing early warnings, developing weather stations, and information sharing. Established in August 2020, RSA has been actively involved in utilizing Earth-observation data for economic and social development, enhancing research development in space, and providing essential data for disaster and emergency management, using its three projects GeoHub, Satellite Communication, and Teleport. The Rwanda Space Agency is mandated to regulate and coordinate all space activities in the country while also creating an environment that encourages entrepreneurial and industrial development in order to enable the creation of products that are globally competitive for local consumption and export markets.  

Over the past seven years, Rwanda has significantly reduced the burden of malaria, with the infection rate dropping from 409 cases per 1000 people in 2016 to just 76 cases per 1000 people in 2022. Malaria deaths also fell by more than 89% over the same period. This achievement has been possible thanks to efforts by the government, in partnership with World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners, to expand and decentralize malaria control initiatives to the community level through a range of measures from public education to prevention, diagnosis and treatment.  Community health workers have been integral to the country’s efforts to combat the disease. Partnering with WHO, the country has trained 30 000 community health workers to provide comprehensive malaria treatment at home, saving hundreds of lives in the process. In 2022, 55% of all recorded cases were diagnosed and treated by community health workers, compared with 15% in 2016. Esther Urimubenshi, a 50-year-old farmer from the Bugesera district of Rwanda’s Eastern Province, used to dread the rainy season, when the constant threat of malaria loomed over her family. In 2016, Esther fell ill with malaria three times in just two months, despite taking medication. “The fever, chills, and weakness left me bedridden and unable to care of my family or tend to my crops. It was a dark time,” she says.  But Esther’s fortunes have changed. Theoneste Nezehose, a community health worker in Esther’s area, has for the past 12 years dedicated efforts to support Esther and her community to combat malaria.Theoneste educated Esther and her family on the importance of good practices to avert malaria transmission and on other prevention measures including the removal of mosquito breeding sites and the proper use of mosquito nets. It has now been more than two years since Esther had malaria.
“Malaria was constantly haunting us, but Theoneste has been our beacon of light,” she says.  In addition to disseminating critical information on malaria prevention, community health workers like Theoneste provide early diagnosis and treatment, distribute insecticide-treated bed nets and conduct indoor residual spraying to help prevent transmission. They also monitor and report all cases to the nearest health facility.

“I receive supplies and training support from Mayange Health Centre, seven kilometres from here. I send weekly updates and they help with referral cases,” says Theoneste. “Being able to make a difference in the lives of people like Esther and other fellow community members is a privilege I cherish every day.”  “Community health workers are the unsung heroes of the fight against malaria in the country,” says Dr Emmanuel Hakizimana, acting head of the malaria division at the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), the Ministry of Health’s implementing wing. “Thanks to them, we have been able to bring malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment into the heart of the community, which has also reduced the strain on health facilities.” This approach of community case management has worked in tandem with other interventions. This includes the distribution of more than 6 million bed nets, with one net for every two household members. A ratio of at least one net for every two household members is considered typically sufficient to achieve universal coverage in a population. In addition, indoor residual spraying has been scaled up from three to 12 districts which usually represent the highest burden of malaria cases.

The country has also increased access to health services for all through its Community Based Health Insurance scheme, helping to ensure that people receive free, prompt malaria treatment.  WHO has been a key partner in the country’s fight against malaria. The Organization has supported community health worker trainings the development of technical guidelines as well as the development and implementation of a national strategic plan for 2020‒2024, with the primary goal of reducing malaria morbidity and mortality by at least 50% compared with the 2019 levels.

“Community health workers are the backbone of community health programmes and contribute immensely to managing diseases like malaria,” says Dr Jules Mugabo Semahore, Head of Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases at WHO Rwanda. “They play a crucial role in reaching remote and underserved communities with life-saving interventions. WHO continues to partner with the Ministry of Health to capacitate this cornerstone of the fight against malaria.” The diagnosis and treatment of malaria was decentralized to improve the prompt treatment of malaria cases and target all age groups, says Dr Hakizimana.

He adds that in the coming years, the country plans to tackle the primary challenges to Rwanda’s malaria control programme. This includes the effective management of forms malaria transmission that can persist after achieving full universal coverage with nets and indoor residual spraying, for example, when mosquitoes feed on people who are active or outdoors, or feed on livestock. The country will enhance operational research and digitalize data on malaria cases at village and household levels, addressing the lack of aggregated data this level.

The programme intends to sustain the capacity of community health workers like Theoneste. He is proud of his ongoing contribution towards this fight. "What keeps me going is seeing first-hand the difference that my work makes in my community,” he says. “It’s an incredible feeling.”