RUBAVU - The Government of Rwanda yesterday renewed its commitment to focus on skills development, in particular, urgently investing in vocational training.

This was reached on the third day of the on-going National Leadership Retreat taking place at Kivu Serena Hotel in Rubavu District. A review of the recent skills audit report cited a critical lack of skilled technicians in every sector.

The retreat tasked the Rwanda Workforce Development Authority (WDA), established in 2008, to lead the initiative which will include, among other actions, immediate realignment of training and education to Rwanda’s labour requirements.

The leaders identified Rwanda’s human capacity gap and its impact on economic growth as a major impediment to delivery, which is top on the agenda of the week-long event that is being chaired by President Kagame.

"A skilled workforce is a critical component of attracting foreign investment and building domestic businesses - just as we need funding, you need suitable labour,” said Dr David Himbara, Principal Private Secretary to the President.

He added: "Therefore this is a determined drive to systematically address a missing link by continuously reviewing what Rwanda needs in terms of the right mix of quality and quantity of skills in relation to our development vision.”

A board of directors and budget for the WDA is currently being established to enable the institution to begin its work.

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