Over 100 staff of the national carrier, RwandAir on Tuesday completed a two-week civic training programme during which they were urged to carry with them the Rwandan values to all the destinations the airline flies.

The training was held at the Rwanda Defence Force Combat Training Centre in Gabiro.

Upon completion, they adapted the name Inyogajuru.

While closing the training, the Minister for Infrastructure, James Musoni said that aviation industry, specifically RwandAir, is one of the core businesses of the country, and he urged them to hold onto the values acquired during training.

By upholding these values, Musoni said, they will not only project the image of the country but also attract more clientele for the airline.

Currently, the national carrier plies 23 routes across Africa, Asia and Europe.

"I’m sure you have learnt the values of Rwandan culture in which all people are equal regardless of where they come from or how they look like,” he said.

He reminded them of the values which have been the guiding tool for the country’s recovery process.

"You must attend to everyone that comes to you seeking service with humility. There have been cases in the global airline industry where passengers are discriminated against simply because of how they look. That is not who we are,” Musoni told them.

Most sectors have gone through civic training (Itorero )but this is the first time RwandAir has had its staff attend.

The chairman National Itorero Commission (NIC) Boniface Rucagu said RwandAir like other sectors is a key player that needed to undergo itorero adding that next to attend will be judges.

According to Col. Chance Ndagano the chief executive officer of RwandAir, the company has already considered and scheduled for all the staff members to undergo training.

"We have over 1300 personnel in 23 countries and the plan is that every four months a fifth of our staff will be attending Itorero until all will have the chance,” said Ndagano adding that their target is to have everyone on the programme in the next two years.

Ndagano added that the training is expected to make the staff feel more confident and take pride in being Rwandans.

"We do better if we fully know who we are and what should be our future,” Ndagano said.

Umuhoza Murasira, a cabin crew officer who attended the Itorero said she had learnt a lot during the training.

"When I was coming here, I thought of it as passing time but today I know that despite the knowledge acquired in school, the training has opened my mind and certainly, I will be more resourceful to my company and country in general,” said Murasira.

The 108 who attended this time, included cabin crew members, check-in assistants and pilots among others.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw