The Workforce Development Authority (WDA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CISCO, an American multinational corporation that designs and sells consumer electronics, networking and communications technology and services.

The MoU was signed by the WDA Director General Albert Nsengiyumva and Nevine El Kadi, CISCO’s NetAcad Regional Manager. The Minister of Education Dr Charles Murigande signed as a witness to the agreement.

The memorandum effectively makes WDA the CISCO regional academy.

According to Philip Mudenge, the head of ICT instructors at WDA, the pact will ensure that the workforce body offers CISCO certified programmes at national level in the area of integrated Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), overseeing smaller CISCO local academies in the TVET system.

The Integrated Polytechnic Regional Centre (IPRC) Kigali and Tumba College of Technology (soon to be transformed into IPRC North) – both now under WDA as TVET centres of excellence in their respective regions – have already been serving as CISCO local academies.

And with the WDA now becoming a regional academy, each IPRC will effectively become a CISCO local academy along with selected Technical Secondary Schools (TSSs) and Vocational Training Centres (VTCs).

"WDA will gradually identify appropriate TVET centres to become CISCO local academies, which will be a major boost to our ICT programmes across TVET sector” explained Mr Mudenge.

WDA became a CISCO regional academy along with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), bringing the number of Rwandan CISCO regional academies to three. The National University of Rwanda (NUR) has hitherto been the only Rwandan CISCO regional academy.

With the Government keen to turn the nation into a knowledge-based economy and a regional business hub, ICT has for some years now featured on the list of top national priorities.

Ends