A leading US Information and Communication Technology varsity has announced 150 scholarships for Rwandan ICT students.

The programme will start with thirty students being enrolled to Carnegie Mellon University effective January, 2008.

The university’s dean of engineering Pradeep Khosla
(pictured above) disclosed the offer after meeting President Paul Kagame at Serena Hotel Kigali on the sidelines of the just-concluded ‘Connect Africa’ Summit on Tuesday
Pradeep said that the sponsorships were in the spirit of building the country’s ICT sector.

"Pradeep and the two lecturers who accompanied him promised a continuous support to the country and the programme of having these students sent to this prestigious university annually will take place for the next five years,” David Kanamugire, the Director of ICT in the Office of the President, said.

Pradeep said that the region has undergone a spectacular transformation in ICT.

"We have actually developed strong interest not only in Rwanda but also the whole region and we will be having some of our activities here after this summit,” he said.

He was one of the panellists invited for the high-level summit that drew participants from around the world.

During the meeting, it was agreed that Carnegie helps in the establishment of the African Centre of Excellence, an ICT university which will be set up in Rwanda.

"The initial planning of the university is expected to start next year and it will have been completed within three years,” Kanamugire said.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the UN Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID), Craig Berret, who also met Kagame pledged to support the new university.

The Executive Secretary of Rwanda Information Technology Authority (Rita), Nkubito Bakuramutsa, said that Berret is interested in helping emerging countries like Rwanda in the development of education through ICT.

Berret is also the chairman of Intel, an IT company embarking on promotion of global economy by use of ICT.

Other delegates that met President Kagame on the sidelines of the summit include Tom Phillips of the Global System for Mobile Telecommunication, who pledged to support Rwanda’s ambitious ‘One Family One telephone’ programme.

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