Rwanda Developmental Board in partnership with Korea International Co-operation Agency (KOICA), on Thursday unveiled her first innovation centre that will focus on audio-visual technology.

The centre is located at the Integrated Polytechnic Regional Centre (IPRC Kigali) in Kicukiro District and its launch was also attended by tech-oriented students and different players in the ICT sector.

Claire Akamanzi, the CEO of Rwanda Development Board, said that it is through the good partnership of Rwanda and Korea that both nations have seen vital projects being implemented and also urged the youth to take advantage of the opportunities that comes with the facility.

"On behalf of Rwanda, I appreciate and commend the relationship we have with Korea, through which we have seen different projects being implemented; I also want to urge students to take advantage of such opportunities so that they can become true drivers of our transformation,” she said.

E-gaming, film making, animations and other software that use audio-visual technology, have not been so familiar in Rwanda, says Alex Ntare, the CEO of Rwanda’s ICT Chamber.

He said that this will attract talent from all over the country, boost job creation, and excite young innovators hence developing the ICT eco-system of Rwanda.

The new centre will operate two different programmes; incubation for start-ups and training of students.

The 12 room building has five training rooms, three conference halls, three multimedia rooms and two testing rooms according to the project manager.

The Korean ambassador to Rwanda Kim Eung-joong, also said that such initiative was a result of the good and strong relationship Rwanda has with Korea, but adds that Korea looks forward to working with Rwanda on even more initiatives.

"We have entered into an era where ICT is at the centre of economic growth, yet Rwanda as a country has encouraged digital transformations on non-technology services, therefore a lot of young nationals are expected to promote the Audio-visual industry,”

For Sook Hee Baek, vice president at KOICA at the global level, "this centre will boost employability in this industry, attracting both talents and wide range of stakeholders and play a vital role in skill and capacity building thus accelerating innovations”

The facility that cost $5.6 million to set up already accommodates 12 start-ups and has already enrolled 28 students.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com