Miss Rwanda 2021 Grace Ingabire this past week kicked off her first week in ‘office’ as she officially began her tour of duty with partner appreciation visits.
The 25-year-old who took over from Miss Rwanda 2020, Naomie Nishimwe, in the grand finale on March 20, has had a busy week, moving from one partner to another, presenting them with certificates of recognition for their support to the pageant, which was held partly virtually and in a bubble.
Many had anticipated that Miss Rwanda 2021 would not be possible due to the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic but the organisers laid out a plan to hold the annual event under strict precautions, with Ingabire eventually beating 19 other finalists to become the reigning queen.
The tour of duty kicked off on March 31 with Miss Rwanda 2021 and the winner of the Most Innovative Project, Teta Hense Musana, visiting the premium sponsors Bank of Kigali where they met and held talks with the CEO, Dr. Diane Karusisi.
"Miss Rwanda 2021 Ingabire Grace and @MissMusana, winner of the Most Innovative Project to be sponsored by Bank of Kigali were received by our CEO @dkarusisi. They discussed her project and how the bank will help to implement it,” the bank tweeted.
During the session, Ingabire delivered a "Thank You" note on behalf of Miss Rwanda organisers, recognising the bank’s pivotal role in supporting this year’s pageant.
"We are grateful for your support and commitment in empowering women through financing the Most Innovative Project in Miss Rwanda competition,” the organisers said.
On April 1, Miss Rwanda 2021 accompanied by the 2nd runner-up, Umutoni Witness paid a brief visit to Hyundai Rwanda and Volcano Express Ltd Head office to deliver a certificate of appreciation on behalf of the organisers.
Hyundai Rwanda offered a brand-new Hyundai Creta 2021, as the Grand Prize for Miss Rwanda 2021 while Volcano Express awarded the 2nd runner-up and offered to retain her services for the whole year as an ambassador of the company.
The beauty queens met the CEO of Hyundai Rwanda Jean-Paul Muramira, the Deputy Chairperson and Public Relations Director of Hyundai Rwanda and Volcano Express Ltd Rwemarika Chantal and the Chief Finance Officer of Volcano Express Ltd Emery Habonimana to present the plaque of appreciation.
Other partners visited by Miss Rwanda 2021 include Kopa Telecom, Intare Arena, Smart Design, Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA), Africa Improved Foods, Health Development Initiative, Diamond Smile Dental Clinic, Café Camellia and Igihe Ltd.
Miss Rwanda in Numbers
Meanwhile during the visits with partners and sponsors, Miss Rwanda organisers presented the statistics of the pageant in terms of popularity and reach, revealing an exponential growth in how the pageant is followed and watched globally.
Miss Rwanda 2021 set the record as the most watched and followed edition of Miss Rwanda ever, partly owing to the fact that it was held in a virtual and a bubble, with no audience either at the pre-selection event and at the finale.
"Miss Rwanda 2021 set the record as the most watched Miss Rwanda edition ever, with the beauty pageant registering the biggest number of viewership both on the Television and Online and also set a record as the most covered edition of Miss Rwanda in the media,”
"A total of 423 articles were written about Miss Rwanda 2021, between November 2020 and March 2021,” a report from the organisers reads in part.
Organisers say "Miss Rwanda” was ranked among the most trending topics on ‘Google Trends’ over the last six months while Miss Rwanda 2021 was one of the most featured topics on social media platforms over the last one year, generating on average 25 million impressions monthly, particularly on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
"This surge in numbers across the board can be attributed to a number of factors, mainly because of the innovation Miss Rwanda organisers have been introducing in recent years and the nature of Miss Rwanda 2021, which can be described as the ‘Digital Miss Rwanda’ due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the report adds.
The organisers, Rwanda Inspiration Back-up, said Miss Rwanda 2021 in particular received more coverage and attention online because of its organisation format that prioritised safety and strict adherence to Covid-19 preventive measures from start to finish.
"Miss Rwanda online platforms including YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and the official website, continued to grow by leaps and bounds,” the organisers further said.
They revealed that the hashtag #MissRwanda2021 generated 25, 215, 999 impressions for a period of one month leading up to the Miss Rwanda 2021 finale on March 20, 2021.
The tracked period shows the impressions the hashtag was generating monthly, between November 2020 and March 2021, the lowest average impressions being 21, 000, 000 impressions.
"In essence this means that every year not only many Rwandans continue to be attracted to Miss Rwanda, but also viewers globally. We believe this is a direct result of the efforts to improve the pageant and being innovative every year,” said Meghan Nimwiza, the Miss Rwanda spokesperson.
The organisers further said that this year’s edition was the most rewarding, with at least all girls in the top 10 walking away with benefits while all the top 20 contestants had a scholarship offer from University of Kigali.