Allow to express my desire, through our paper, to request the concerned authorities to find ways to professionalize the field of Project Management. When you see the world trends, Project Management skills are needed almost everywhere and we will continually need professionals in the field who can do quality work. When you see a lot of projects fail, the major underlying reason is lack of professional skills in Project Management.

I really envy Accountants these days because this is the field that is being professionalized in Rwanda. You will notice that Accountants in government or any other public institution are being encouraged and supported to do ACCA. We now have a good number of Certified Accountants with ACCA. This is tremendous progress our country has made. In this regard, I would also request that we diversify the professional qualifications by adding others like CIMA (for Management Accountants), CFA (for Financial Analysts), etc.

Coming back to the topic, I long for a time when Project Management will also be professionalized. One of the key steps is to have certified Project Managers. Project Management Institute administers a globally recognized professional credential program that promotes professional development and maintains an ISO 9001 certification in Quality Management Systems. The three most popular certifications you can get are CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management), PMP (Project Management Professional) and PgMP (Program Management Professional). There is another certification program offered by UK APM Group called PRINCE2.

As I conclude, I would like to request competent organizations like CEPEX to look into the issue of professionalizing the Project Management Profession. My desire would be to have people with relevant experience and education but also with Project Management certification being at the forefront in managing major projects in Rwanda.

 (Email: inyarwaya@gmail.com).