Rwandan officials in Singapore to tap skills

A delegation of Rwandan officials is in Singapore for a week long experience that will enhance their skills and knowledge in supporting socio-economic development in Rwanda and Africa in general.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

A delegation of Rwandan officials is in Singapore for a week long experience that will enhance their skills and knowledge in supporting socio-economic development in Rwanda and Africa in general.

The officials are part of the group from developing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, that has travelled to S. East Asia under the  third  South-South  study  visit,  organised by the World Bank Human Development Department for the Africa  Region  (AFTHD) and  the  government  of Singapore.

The study visit aims at promoting skills and knowledge development  for growth in Africa, which started on June 21 to 27.

The delegation is made up of;  Marceline Mukakarangwa , the Permanent Secretary in the  Ministry  of  Public  Service and Labour, Lewis Kabayiza Murara, Public  Sector  Management  Specialist   in  the World Bank Rwanda, Molly   Rwigamba, Director Capacity Building & Skills  development  in  the  Private Sector Federation (PSF) and Jean Damascene Gatabazi, the Director General of the Workforce Development Authority (WDA).

The training brings together more than 35 representatives including Ministers and practitioners from different sectors of six Sub-Saharan Africa as well as World Bank staff.

It builds on the premise that the key to economic success in a globalised world lies increasingly in how effectively a country can assimilate the available knowledge and build a comparative advantage in selected areas with good growth prospects.

It is also aimed at increasing the relevance of skills and knowledge in Sub-Saharan Africa that will enable the region to increase its comparative advantage by pushing the frontiers of technology through innovation and encourage the diversification of products and services.

Asia’s development experience emphasizes human capital as a driver of growth.

A key factor behind Singapore’s success is the country’s capacity for learning, adaptation and evolution, which enables it to stay relevant and competitive in an increasingly volatile and uncertain global economy.

Other African countries taking part in the initiative include Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria and Tanzania.

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