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

Sudan’s strongman fired at least six ambassadors, including the envoys to the U.S., the European Union and France, after they condemned the military's takeover of the country, a military official said Thursday. The diplomats pledged their support for the now-deposed government of Prime Minister Abddalla Hamdok.

Also fired by Gen Abdel-Fattah Buran late Wednesday were the Sudanese ambassadors to Qatar, China and the U.N. mission in Geneva, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief media. The state-run Sudan TV also reported the dismissals. The ambassadors were fired two days after Burhan dissolved the transitional government and detained the prime minister, many government officials and political leaders in a coup condemned by the U.S. and the West.

The military allowed Hamdok to return home Tuesday after international pressure for his release. Burhan said the military forces were compelled to take over because of quarrels between political parties that he claimed could lead to civil war. However, the coup also comes just weeks before Burhan would have had to hand over the leadership of the Sovereign Council, the ultimate decision-maker in Sudan, to a civilian, in a step that would reduce the military's hold on the country. The council has military and civilian members.

Hamdok's government ran Sudan's daily affairs. The coup threatens to halt Sudan’s fitful transition to democracy, which began after the 2019 ouster of long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir and his Islamist government in a popular uprising. The takeover came after weeks of mounting tensions between military and civilian leaders over the course and pace of that process. Ali bin Yahia, Sudan’s envoy in Geneva, was defiant after his dismissal.

“I will spare no efforts to reverse the situation, explain facts and resist the blackout imposed by coup officials on what is happened my beloved country,” he said in video comments posted online. Nureldin Satti, the Sudanese envoy to the U.S., said Tuesday he was working with Sudanese diplomats in Brussels, Paris, Geneva and New York to “resist the military coup in support of the heroic struggle of the Sudanese people” to achieve the aims of the uprising against al-Bashir.

Earlier this week, a group of over 30 Sudanese diplomats in and outside Sudan condemned the military’s takeover in a joint statement, saying that the ambassadors in Belgium, Switzerland and France had pledged their continued allegiance to the Hamdok government. The Ministry of Culture and Information, still loyal to Hamdok, said in a Facebook post that the ambassador to South Africa is also part of this group. In another development, Burhan fired Adlan Ibrahim, head of the country’s Civil Aviation Authority, according to the official.

Adlan’s dismissal came after the resumption of flights in and out of Khartoum’s international airport resumed Wednesday. It was not immediately clear if Ibrahim's dismissal was linked to the reopening of the airport or whether the decision was made before then. The airport remained open Thursday morning. The country’s Civil Aviation Authority initially said flights would be suspended until Saturday, the day of a planned mass protest against the coup, but then reopened the airport Wednesday. Protesters, meanwhile, took to the streets of Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman late Wednesday in continued demonstrations against the coup amid heavy security across the capital.

By Thursday morning, security forces had cleared several makeshift stone barricades that protesters had set up in a few residential neighborhoods. No casualties were reported, but a young man died in a Khartoum hospital late Wednesday of wounds sustained in Monday’s protests, according to activist Nazim Siraj. This raised to seven the number of protesters killed since Monday. More than 140 people have been wounded since the military’s takeover, according the activist.

1 of 2 People protest in Khartoum, Sudan, two days after a military coup, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. The coup threatens to halt Sudan's fitful transition to democracy, which began after the 2019 ouster of long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir and his Islamist government in a popular uprising. It came after weeks of mounting tensions between military and civilian leaders over the course and pace of that process. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali) MARWAN ALI AP Source: Miami  Herald

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