Prime Minister Anastase Murekezi has stressed the need for human resource capacity building to facilitate the implementation of the country’s development targets. 

The premier was speaking, yesterday, at the inauguration of Human Resources Development for Civil Service Capacity Building Project, e−Learning Component at Rwanda Management Institute (RMI) in Muhanga District.

The institution is mandated to build capacities of public servants through training.

The three-year pilot project is expected to triple the number of trained staff per year.

"The ICT supported human resource capacity building project that we are inaugurating today, is in line with Rwanda’s Vision 2020 and the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy,” the premier said.

He stressed that government considers capacity building both in public and private institutions and civil society as prerequisite for quality service delivery.

He said through the new project, there is a plan to review and update the existing 25 modules that RMI has been offering and to develop 50 new courses that will be delivered online to civil servants, private sector and civil society members.

The move aims at helping Rwandans make the most of ICT, he said.

The in-house and online mode of training will have modules selected to meet priority orientations such as the induction courses that contain must-know skills for new staff and junior managers in public service.

Other areas would include new performance improvement models, leadership and change management, strategic planning, policy formulation and implementation, monitoring and evaluation, local economic development management information system, gender sensitive planning and management.

Premier Murekezi called on RMI to put special consideration to induction courses to equip new staff with required skills to do their work with proficiency; and performance module, where after the completion of the courses staff will be equipped with skills to enable them to set achievable performance goals.

He noted that the financial management module is a must to all staff in the public service in the country, especially those in management, because it will help institutions have clean audits.

The $4 million project is being funded with support from the Korean government.

"I keep very high expectation that the implementation of this project will see our two countries perform to the best of our capacities and contribute to the building of capable human resources in Rwanda which is the prime factor in development,” the premier said.

The Director-General of RMI, Wellars Gasamagera, said the new project will be cost-effective.

"We have been training between 1,600 and 2,000 public staff every year. Yet there are between 20,000 to 25,000 staff who need training every year. This new pilot project will help us train more people both in-house and online,” he said.

The Minister for Public Service and Labour, Judith Uwizeye, said the new project would increase access to training to ensure efficiency among public servants.

"We hope the number of trainees will triple the current 2,000 thanks to embracing both online and in-house training. Before, employees have been leaving jobs to attend courses at RIM, but now they will be able to follow training online even after work, which is efficient,” she said.

Gasamagera said plans are underway to set up regional centres for the same purpose, highlighting procurement, finance management and monitoring and evaluation among the areas of focus.

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