The Minister in charge of ICT in the Office of the President, Ignace Gatare,  has called on the youth to learn hands-on skills if they are to become job-creators other than seekers.

He said this Wednesday while addressing a group of students attending a six-week training course on computer programming at the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST).

"This is the only way we will be able to create more job, and hence fight unemployment,” the minister said, adding that hands-on skills were critical to the achievement of the country’s Vision 2020.

The training, conducted by African Information Technology Initiative (AITI), an organization of students from the US-based Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is aimed at promoting the use appropriate technology in African countries.

Dr Michael Gordon, a research scientist at MIT and leader of the team, said that the training would empower students with entrepreneurial skills in technology.

The trainees were split in seven working groups and each group was tasked to draft a business plan. The group with the best business plan was awarded $5,000.

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