About 46 students graduated with diplomas in wild life management from Kitabi College of Conservation and Environmental Management (KCCEM) in Nyamagabe District, Southern Province yesterday.

The graduation, a collection of three intakes between 2010 and 2014, was the first for the institution, and featured students from the Albertine Rift Region (Rwanda, Burundi and eastern DR Congo).

"The graduates were mainly park rangers and tour guides,” said Marshall Banamwana, a lecturer and short courses co-coordinator at KCCEM.

Innocent Nsengiyumva, who has been a ranger for seven years at Akagera National Park, said the certificate gives him a "professional feel.”

"I studied new aspects like animal behaviour, dealing with poaching, among others,” Nsengiyumva said.

Telesphore Ngoga, the conservation division manager at Rwanda Development Board, said similar colleges on the continent can only be found in Cameroon and Tanzania.

Tourism fetched $293 million in revenue last year, while over the last decade, leisure and adventure tourism have risen significantly due to tourism experiences on offer.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw