Rwanda and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) have strengthened a partnership to advance digital skills among citizens and digitise small and medium enterprises in the East African country.
A memorandum of understanding has been signed in the capital, Kigali, at the sidelines of the ongoing Deep Learning Indaba.
"At the heart of this partnership is a shared goal – empowering more women and girls to take up space in Rwanda’s growing ICT sector," said Yves Iradukunda, permanent secretary in the Ministry of ICT and Innovation.
The collaboration is under the aegis of the One Million Coders (OMC) initiative, a national programme aimed at equipping Rwanda’s workforce with essential digital skills to compete globally.
Owing to the gender divide in the East African country's technology landscape, women are seen as a priority demographic for the initiative.
Aiming to equip one million Rwandans with coding skills, OMC is a flagship programme under the National Strategy for Transformation.
"The Ministry of ICT and Innovation remains committed to using ICT for inclusive social development, through accessible education, empowerment for persons with disabilities and accelerated job creation," said Iradukunda.
In 2023, Rwanda and ILO announced a collaboration to enhance digital skills among young people, focusing on job creation and entrepreneurship in the digital economy.
This partnership aims to improve digital literacy and access to opportunities for youth.
The project, "Boosting Decent Jobs and Enhancing Skills for Youth in Rwanda's Digital Economy", has a budget of €4 million, with the support of the government of Luxembourg. It is to run until 2028.
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