The South Korean Embassy, in partnership with Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Friday, organised a Cultural Day. The event was held at the embassy premises in Kigali Speaking to the Sunday Times, Kim Sang-Chul, the Resident Representative of KOICA, said that the function was aimed at presenting several developmental projects regarding the bilateral cooperation between Rwanda and South Korea. “The objective of this occasion was to show the Korean culture to Rwandans who benefited from various scholarships which were offered by KOICA, but to also get feedback from them, whether they benefited from the scholarships and discuss with them how we can continue improving activities we undertake in the country,” Sang-Chul said. He noted that over 160 Rwandan students have studied in Korea in various IT areas. He added that the cooperation between the two countries is basically hinged on capacity building of various government institutions by providing trainings in Information and Communication Technology. Sang-Chul said they had also put in place a movie exhibition which will be shown every Friday at the Embassy beginning February next year. Speaking to the Sunday Times , Joseph Mfinanga, the Vice Principal of Academics and Training at Kicukiro Integrated Polytechnic Regional Centre (IPRC) said: “I think KOICA has done tremendous work towards improving the education sector in the country. For example, they helped IPRC get the best ICT equipment, and I believe, perhaps, our institution is one of the best institutions in Africa in terms of ICT”. He added that KOICA has also helped the college develop a curriculum for vocational training programs. Moses Turatsinze, the Chairman of KOICA Rwanda Alumni, said that KOICA has enabled knowledge transfer from Korea to Rwanda, especially in the areas of ICT and Agriculture. “They have enabled many Rwandans to acquire various skills and knowledge from their country and I am optimistic that this will help our nation to achieve sustainable development in the future,” Turatsinze said. stevenson.mugisha@newtimes.co.rw Ends
