Huawei, a leading global ICT Solutions provider has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with University of Rwanda and Rwanda polytechnic to officially become Huawei ICT Academies in Rwanda.

The ceremony that took place this afternoon at Ubumwe Grande Hotel also flagged-off the 2021 edition of the Seeds for the Future training Program that will happen virtually.

The Huawei ICT Academy is a Huawei-authorized project for industry-academy cooperation. It aims to provide students the latest ICT technologies and knowledge, as well as to develop professionals that can meet the requirements of customers and partners from Huawei's industry chain. It is a non-commercial agreement between Huawei and universities, colleges that brings the latest professional certifications.

This partnership between Huawei, MINEDUC, MINICT and the universities of Rwanda is geared towards ICT talent development in Rwanda.

The ceremony was graced by the State Minister of Education Hon. Claudette Irere (Guest of Honor), the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of ICT and Innovation Mr. Iradukunda Yves, Economic and Commercial Counsellor, Mr. Wang Jiaxin and the Huawei Managing Director Yangshengwan.

PS of MINICT, Mr. Yves Iradukunda said that they are willing to work together with companies like Huawei that contribute towards the ICT development of the people of Rwanda. He also encouraged more institutions to join initiative like the Huawei ICT Academy that will quicken the teaching of new ICTs to the students in Rwanda.

The Hon. Claudette Irere noted a need to reform traditional teaching content in order for Rwanda to keep with the emerging cutting edge technologies in the world today such as 5G and A.I among others. She also expressed the need to have more certification programs to nurture the available ICT talent.

“As new technologies such as A.I, 5G rise, there is a general need to reform existing one and focus on the new so that we keep up with the times. This starts by reforming traditional teaching content to guarantee that it relates to industry practices. To meet this need our education sector needs to work with private sector such as Huawei to train, skill and jointly develop courses needed by the industry”, She said.

“I believe those will take part will make Rwanda proud as you interact, participate and share knowledge with other students,” she said.

The State Minister called upon the students to use the seeds for the future program to create networks that will further their ambitions in life and also added that she is honored to flag off the 2021 seeds for the future program.

The Economic and Commercial Counsellor of the People’s Republic of China, Mr. Wang Jiaxin said that he has witnessed Huawei Rwanda’s seeds for the future program since 2018 till today and he appreciates such initiatives Huawei Rwanda is doing for the people of Rwanda. He also stated that such initiatives from Chinese companies in Rwanda till this year also mark a milestone of the 50 years relationship between the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Rwanda. 

Huawei aims to establish more ICT Academies in Rwanda and with universities in order to skill more ICT talents of the country and contribute to the ICT talent pool. According to the Country Director Huawei Rwanda Mr. Toni Yangshengwan, the company looks to train and certify over 1000 students through Huawei’s various programs in the next two years.

“With the Huawei ICT academy in Rwanda, we aim to connect universities with industry to gain new insight into new technology trends, to open our doors for universities and students to access latest technologies and Huawei online learning resources and enhance student career competitiveness and employment rate among others. We shall train and certify more than 1000 Rwanda students and professionals in the coming years with our recognized ICT professional courses. So we request all universities in Rwanda to open doors for us,” he said.

The Huawei certification courses at associate, professional and expert level include; 5G, A.I, cloud, Wlan, Datacom and IOT among others.

The Seeds for the future program in Rwanda started in 2018 and over 15 Rwandan students have gone to Chine up to 2019. Since 2020, the program was moved online and since then the number of students tripled. This year’s online training program has attracted 30 students from majorly University of Rwanda, Rwanda Polytechnic and also a selection of students through MINICT from other institutions that are not yet Huawei ICT Academies.

This eight day virtual training consists of three hour pre-recorded courses and 13 hours of live stream in technology entry level and advanced sessions such as 5G, A.I and Cloud. The seeds for the future program shall cover hot topics of the tech industry such as cyber security and also give interactive visit sessions to the Huawei’s exhibition halls etc.

Mr. Tonni Yang Shengwan further encouraged the students to attend the virtual training fully for them to be able to graduate, acquire Huawei certification, goodies and internship opportunities. www.minict.gov.rw, ABC

MARYLAND — Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s remarks on Zimbabwean teachers at the inaugural Rwanda Zimbabwe Trade and Investment Conference on Wednesday, have set social media on fire with some professionals showing interest in working in the tiny central African nation.

A video clip captured by the Rwanda Broadcasting Authority’s Rwanda Television, circulating on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp, shows Kagame telling Zimbabweans that he is interested in hiring the country’s teachers.

Zimbabwean teachers are currently demanding salary increases of up to US$580. An ordinary family of six in Zimbabwe now needs ZWL$39,924 to cover its monthly expenses, according to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT).

Kagame is quoted by Rwanda TV as saying, “I heard the presentations made to us, very important things we can do together, what each country offers so on and so forth. I want to emphasize one thing. I think there is a deputy CEO of RDB (Rwanda Development Board) who mentioned in passing what Zimbabwe can offer in the area of education. He talked about equipment or something.

“Before equipment, I want people,” said Kagame amid applause from the audience, adding that “I think Zimbabwe can offer us good teachers. So please work on that as a sense of urgency … You can find whatever number you find of quality teachers. I think we can absorb.”

VOA Zimbabwe Service could not reach the Zimbabwean delegation in Kigali, led by Foreign Affairs Minister Frederick Shava, and local teachers’ unions.

ZIMSTAT reported Thursday that the Food Poverty Line (FPL) for one person in August 2021 was ZWL$4516.52. It increased to ZWL$4734.33 in September 2021 while the Total Consumption Poverty Line (TCPL) for one person stood at ZWL$6,653.65 in the same month, a 4.8% increase from the month of August, which was ZWL$6,350.25.

Zimbabwe’s education is highly rated worldwide. According to Africa Check, which identifies important public statements, interrogates the best available evidence and publishes fact-checking reports to guide public debate, ZIMSTAT’s labour force survey estimated that 97% of people over 15 were literate in 2011. “This figure is based on the percentage of people in this age group that had completed Grade 3 of schooling.”

Africa Check further notes that the country’s 2011 Demographic and Health Survey estimated that 96% of men aged 15 to 54 and 94% of women aged 15 to 49 were literate. “This figure was calculated from a nationally representative household survey but it only applied to certain age groups. Respondents were considered literate if they had attended secondary school (generally aged 15 and older) or could read a whole sentence or part of a sentence in a reading test.”

Africa Check said to evaluate Zimbabwe’s literacy rate in Africa, it consulted the most recent global literacy list produced by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, released in June 2013.

Africa Check said UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics estimated that 83.6% of Zimbabweans aged 15 and older were literate in 2011. “This estimation was based on Zimbabwe’s 2011 Demographic and Health Survey results.”

Africa quotes a senior statistician and policy analyst at UNESCO, Nicole Bella, as telling the organization that they had “made some re-estimations to include older age groups which typically have much lower literacy levels”.

According to Africa Check, the organization doesn’t consider people who can only read part of a sentence to be literate so they were excluded, unlike in the Demographic and Health Survey. - Gibbs Dube/Bathabile Masuku, Voice of America

The Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS) in partnership with the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) is set to visit the flood-affected people in parts of Unity State.

For nearly two weeks the two institutions were mobilizing journalists and well-wishers to contribute clothes and shoes to help both those affected by floods and violence in the country. They will transport nearly 10 journalists to cover the general flood situation in parts of the country.

In an interview with Radio Tamazuj, the President of the Union of Journalists of South Sudan Mr. Patrick Oyet Charles said: “As a Union of Journalists for South Sudan together with Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, we came with this initiative to make sure that journalists and any well-wishers contribute clothes, shoes, whatever they can contribute so that we take theses donations to the people affected by the floods." 

The two institutions said their partnership mission in solidarity with the victims of the floods in Bentiu begins this month followed by another visit to Tambura-Yambio.

“Our first point of contact is to take these donations to Unity State and that does not mean we are stopping there, we are also planning to go to other areas like Tambura where people are affected by violence. We believe that it is us as South Sudanese people to help one another first then we can go out and ask other people to help us,” Oyet added.

He also urged other partners to extend their help to assist the victims of floods and violence in the country.

“We also call upon all groups that can help in any way to do so because these are our people and it is our duty to help in whatever way we can help. Today it is those people who are affected by floods, and tomorrow it might be you and we also will need to lobby for help,” he said.

UJOSS President Patrick Oyet Charles said, it is time for all South Sudanese to begin thinking of helping one another in all situations in the country.

Okech Francis, a journalist working for Bloomberg is among those who will cover the flood situation and he says he would use his story for creating awareness on the risks of the environmental population due to spills of oil in the oil-rich Bentiu.

"We want to look at how the floods have aggravated the environment pollution problem, and then the story will try to create awareness on how huge this problem is, and what its effects will be on the community in the oil-producing areas and South Sudan at large," Francis said.

Both UJOSS and CEPO believe the solidarity mission is a call to all stakeholders and will help attract more responses to the humanitarian situation created by floods and violence in the country. - Radio Tamazuj