India’s Minister for Small and Medium Enterprises, Kalraj Mshra, yesterday paid a courtesy call on President Paul Kagame.

The visit marked the end of Mshra’s three-day trip during which he attended the launch of India-Africa Vocational Training and Incubation Centre in Nyarutarama, Gasabo District.

The centre will provide training to bridge skills gap and reduce unemployment. It consists of a bakery, tomato ketchup and fruit juice making, edible oil extraction, packaging and soya milk extraction.

"During my meeting with President Kagame, we discussed areas relating to mutual cooperation between India and Rwanda… With mutual understanding, we can achieve a lot. We are putting our focus on economic, skills development, and self employment,” he told the media.

According to the Minister of State in charge of TVET, Albert Nsengiyumva, who accompanied Mshra, plans are underway to open similar incubation centers in different parts of the country.

"In the past five years Rwanda-India relations have been blooming; a case in point is that soon we will officially launch the Nyabarongo 28MW hydropower plant.

In agriculture, India supports Rwanda in ensuring that our harvests increase; there are many Indian companies in agro processing,” said Nsengiyumva.

The incubation center targets unemployed youths with interest in creating small and medium enterprises. Only short course training will be offered for six months.

Rwanda and India signed a Memorandum of Understanding to set up the incubation centre in August 2013.

Mshra’s visit to Rwanda comes just two months after President Kagame’s visit to New Delhi, India where he attended the Indian Economic Summit hosted by the World Economic Forum and Confederation of Indian Industry.