The ministry of education has handed over a facility for Centre for Innovation and Technology Transfer (CITT) in Nyagatare District to the Integrated Polytechnic Regional Centre (IPRC)-East.

The facility will be used as a center of study of milk processing, where students will be awarded with certificates from Workforce Development Authority (WDA) after three, six, nine and 12 months of study.

The handover ceremony took place on Tuesday at the former premises of Kigali Institute of Technology (KIST) Nyagatare campus.

The facility will be hosted in newly constructed structures at IPRC- East.

While handing over the facilities, Marie-Christine Gasingirwa, Director General of Science, Technology and Research at the ministry stressed the importance of skilled labour, reflecting on the journey the country has taken in building skilled workforce for the last 23 years.

"Just a few years ago, as you know, we had much of our labour imported just because we had no skilled human resource even in agriculture," she said.

Gasingirwa called upon the youth to join technical schools to acquire skills for both personal and national development.

"Today we have shortage of labour in milk processing. Even the few we have can be too expensive in small dairy factories. This is why we have much hope in this centre to train appropriate labour force," Gasingirwa explained.

The Principal IPRC-East Ephrem Musonera said the facility would provide an answer to the challenge of agriculture skills.

"We have long been facing a challenge of operating as a polytechnic in the East where agriculture is dominant but without an option in agriculture," he stated.

He added that the facility was proximately located for dairy training and research.

"We're happy the facility is located in the right place where dairy farming is highly practiced and near University of Rwanda's Veterinary School. We'll produce labour directly to the work where they're needed," Musonera said.

The work of construction and renovation at the site started in 2014 funded by African Development Bank under Support to Science and Technology Skills Development Project (STSDP).

From study, renovation, construction and equipment, the facility took Rwf156million.

In the Northern Province in Musanze District, a similar facility was put in place for IPRC-North where they study cultivation farming especially root tubers like Irish potatoes.