Rwandan Entrepreneurs attending a training facilitated by Jack Ma, a Chinese Billionaire
Rwandans have shown a growing appetite of acquiring extra professional skills, with more trainees who fly to China for human resource training programs increasing by 50% since 2015.
In 2015, 86 trainees flew to China for training. The following years the number increased to 127 and 187 trainees in year 2017.
In the same scenario, the number increased this year to about 400 trainees from 248 in 2018, according to the figures presented by the Chinese embassy in Rwanda during the Human resource trainings workshop held at Serena Hotel on Wednesday, December 4, 2019.
These human resource training programs are part of the deals signed between Rwanda and China to improve professional skills for economic and social development of the country.
Beneficiaries have been trained in Rwanda’s priority courses including dental surgery, civil engineering, Agriculture, development studies and Electricity engineering.
Other trainings programs were mining and petroleum, infrastructure development, logistics and mineral processing.
“The numbers of Rwandans who are trained in China have increased drastically by 50% since 2015 through human resource training program. This is a number of civilians. But also there is a certain number of soldiers and police men who also get trainings in their respective professions,” His Excellency Henry Rao Hongwei, Chinese Ambassador to Rwanda said.
“Through these trainings, Rwanda participants have opened eyes, acquired knowledge, sharpened skills and diversified experience. Most trainees have been equipped with required expertise for their duties and reached higher in their professions,” said the Ambassador.
Human capital development is among Rwanda’s priorities to become high income status by 2050 through four essential and interdependent drivers of the future growth including innovation, integration, agglomeration and competition.
“Rwanda plans to be a high income country, with Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita being at $12400 (about Rwf11Million). This needs equipping people with modern skills of doing things in farming, business and other areas,” said Niyonkuru, Deputy CEO of Rwanda Development Board.
Today Rwanda’s GDP stands at $850, over Rwf700, 000.
“We cannot reach these targets, if we continue doing things the usual way. Rwanda will continue working closely with China in training citizens best practices that are contributing to the country’s development.”
According to Niyonkuru In the medium term, by 2035, the country targets being middle income country, with the GDP being at $4035(about Rwf3.7M).
Other human resource trainings included leadership skills. This featured twenty Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) party commissioners and party members.
“All of the trainees were trained in different programs. Their presence is the fully affirmation and recognition of our cooperation. Over the years, the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the RPF have been maintaining regular contact, sharing practices of party-building and state governance with the aim of serving our people,” said Ambassador Hongwei.
