I&M Bank Rwanda in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation have launched a two-day training for over 50 tour guides from across the country.

The training that started on Thursday December 16, is through the Mastercard’s Hanga Ahazaza programme and will focus on increasing and educating the guides about the flora and fauna of the region, culture, service delivery among others.

Speaking at the launch of the training, the Chief Executive of I&M Bank Rwanda, Robin Bairstow, said that the Bank is excited to be involved in the training that will benefit the tourism sector.

Trainees during the workshop in Kigali.Craish Bahizi 

"We hope to elevate the skill level of these tour guides, who are the grassroots of the tourism sector because they deal with the tourists on a daily basis and are constantly dealing with them,” he said.

Beyond the training I&M Bank has been able to assist nearly 80 smaller and medium enterprises in the tourism sector, he said, with the aim of elevating their businesses and helping them become more business oriented and focus on revenue generation especially after the difficult time of the pandemic.

Daniel Sambai, the Vice Chairperson of Rwanda Chamber of Tourism; said: "We are very excited about the training because they are helping us shape our industry and our teams in delivering world class services.”

He added: "Tour guides are the pillars of the tourism sector because they are with the clients throughout their whole journey and it is crucial for them to have the training.”

"We focused on teaching them about plants and animals because of the diversity our parks and forests have, and we want our guides to learn about them, so they can be able to explain to the tourists in a more professional and informed way about them,” he added.

Serena Hotel Country Manager , Daniel  Sambai speaks during the training  in Kigali on Thursday, December 16,2021. Photo by Craish Bahizi

Peace Mutoni, one of the beneficiaries who has been a guide for three years, commended the training saying it will help them adapt and learn new ways to navigate their line of work during a pandemic.

"We have not been working for a long time due to Covid-19 restrictions, so this training will help us learn how to work in this situation ,contribute to our knowledge on our service delivery and I expect to learn more than what I have anticipated” she said.

Eric Kayiranga, the Director of Rwanda Safari Guide Association thanked the bank for the initiative saying they expect the training to boost their knowledge about the plants and animals that the country has.

He stressed the importance of the training, saying it will help them interact and better articulate the country's tourist attraction to visitors.

Dedicated to the Human & Economic development of Africa at Master Card,Dianne Dusaidi giving the remarks during the workshop in Kigali on Thursday 16, 2021 photos by Craish Bahizi