The UK Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, on Saturday, March 18, presided over the graduation ceremony of the first cohort at ADHI Technical, Vocational and Education Training (TVET), a local organization that trains youth in green construction.

The ceremony saw 120 students graduate from the school commonly known as the Academy for Innovative and Sustainable Light Steel Frame (LSF) Construction.

Braverman, who is in Rwanda for a two-day visit, was given a tour around the training site which is also home to housing projects such as Bwiza Riverside homes, a housing project for eco-friendly and affordable homes being developed in Nyarugenge District.

The estates are one of the sites that could accommodate asylum seekers under the UK-Rwanda migration deal.

She said: "I am so proud of the tremendous work we have seen here in Rwanda. The graduates have undergone rigorous training under the expert guidance of the team from the UK.”

"And on behalf of the UK Government we are absolutely excited and delighted about our partnership with Rwanda to be a positive, beautiful and secure haven for many thousands of people. And I am truly proud of the contribution that these talented young people will be making to the prosperity of Rwanda and the security of many people.”

Braverman was accompanied by government officials including the Minister of Infrastructure, Ernest Nsabimana, the Minister of State in charge of TVET, Claudette Irere, and City Mayor Pudence Rubingisa.

"Ever since they (trainees) started, we have built a whole village, and I am very proud that today’s graduation is a testament to these skills,” said Irere.

"We believe that going forward this is going to respond to the housing needs, both the current and the future needs,” she added.

The training carried out by ADHC Corporate Group targets students who completed high school in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

Those trained are then employed to work on projects like Bwiza Riverside homes, which is also based at the training site.

"They have showcased incredible skills, and we are recruiting them even before they graduate,” said Soleman Idd, the ADHI Chairman. According to Soleman, it takes less than 20 days to assemble a unit at Bwiza Riverside homes. But with the addition of the new graduates, the period could potentially be brought down to 10 days.

He shared similar sentiments with ADHI TVET School Director, Geoffrey Gacheru Karanja, who explained that upon assessment, successful students are certified with the National Vocational Qualification level 2, an international certificate that is recognized in Rwanda, Commonwealth countries and Europe.

"This opens opportunities for our graduates in building and construction industries.”

According to Karanja, the first intake was fully sponsored by the government.

However, he said: "By virtue of cost, we are admitting less students compared to the number of applicants.”

"But we are also in talks with various development partners to see if they can give some of the applicants who qualify for scholarships,” he added.

With patented construction technology that uses modular parts, pre-made in a factory, for "plug-and-play" construction, the developers say the project aims to be environmentally friendly in both its construction methods and community layouts.

The method results in 53% on-site energy savings and future cost savings for homeowners. At the moment, close to 25 percent of the affordable housing units constructed in phase 1 of the project have been booked.

Bwiza Riverside will use green infrastructure to develop a sustainable community with a low carbon footprint.

The development comes at a time Rwanda aims to create 150,000 new dwelling units annually to meet the projected demand of 5.5 million dwellings by 2050.