Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the US-based Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) to work jointly to leverage technology to advance standards in the country.

The agreement was signed on Tuesday, in Kigali, between Srikanth Chandrasekaran, the Director, Standards and Technology at IEEE and Dr Mark Cyubahiro Bagabe, the outgoing director general of RSB.

 Cyubahiro was on Tuesday appointed as the new Director General of Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB).

The signing was also observed by Maj. Regis Gatarayiha, the head of ICT Department at Rwanda Development Board (RDB).

Cyubahiro said that with the agreement, he expects a boost in skills especially in the area of technology for RSB staff, which he said will ensure the best products get to the market.

"Partnering with this institution will enable us to detect any poor standards for materials used in the country through technology,” he said.

"The partnership will act as a reference on setting regulations on standards through leveraging this institution’s diversity especially since the IEEE has 160 member states. We expect more from the partnership,” he added

He noted that the partnership will also greatly benefit students in institutions of higher learning.

"We recently included courses on standardisation in curricula at institutions of higher learning,” he said.

Chandrasekaran said that Rwanda as well as the institute will both benefit from the partnership.

"We will work as a team in regulating the standards globally using technology. We have been here four times and we are back. Rwanda is a good country with many opportunities in the technology area,” he said.

Gatarayiha said the partnership will also help the private sectors to enhance the use of technology, adding that as industries come up in Rwanda this partnership will ease the inspection on the implementation of regulations on standards.

 IEEE is the world’s largest association of technical professionals with the aim of education and technical advancement of electrical and electronic engineering, telecommunications and computer engineering.

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