Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has signed a funding agreement with Rwanda for the implementation of Rwanda Coding Academy’s capacity development project worth Rwf7.1 billion. The signing ceremony took place virtually in observance of Covid-19 measures on Thursday, September 2. An additional counterpart funding of Rwf800 million is also set to be provided by the government of Rwanda. CHON Gyong Shik, the Country Director of KOICA Rwanda described this funding as a development that cuts across his institution’s two important sectors. “KOICA has three priority sectors in Rwanda, agriculture, education, and ICT, and this project cuts across the two important sectors, education and ICT,” he said. The project will contribute to Rwanda’s education and economic development plans. With this funding, RCA plans to upgrade its infrastructure. It is also believed the project will ultimately benefit the students as it will contribute to the sustainable development goal 4, education for all. According to Dr Valentine Mujawamariya, the Minister of Education, the project will make RCA a centre of excellence in software development. “We are hopeful that this project will provide practical quality skills with students,” she said, citing that it will also contribute to the national aspiration of making the country a regional ICT hub. Uzziel Ndagijimana, the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, described this support as a boost to the National Strategy for Transformation (NST 1) RCA started in 2019, benchmarking the model of Korea’s Software Meister High School, with the goal of developing competent software developers who can promote industrial and economic development of Rwanda. Since its birth, the school has accepted two intakes of students totalling 118. The third intake is slated for September this year.
