This training took place at the University of Rwanda College of Science and Technology
The RWNOG 2022 edition took place from 31st of May till 3rd of June 2022. This workshop was attended by over 70 participants from 37 different institutions both governmental and private. These participants were Rwandan ICT Professionals, System Analysts, Server Administrators, as well as large networks and data centre operators. The aim of this workshop was to train Rwandan engineers by equipping them with knowledge and skills in Cybersecurity ,Virtualization and System Administration.
This latest workshop was centred on training a mass of equipped and skilled network engineers with sustainable technical skills required in a constantly evolving ICT space to substitute Rwanda’s reliance on foreign expertise with homegrown competent Rwandan engineers.
“So far RICTA has managed to train over 500 engineers and is targeting to reach 1,000 in the next five years,” Ingabire said. RICTA CEO disclosed this goal during her closing marks at the tail end of the four-day workshop.
“We plan to take this training beyond engineers, to lecturers and students at universities and this will be announced soon since we have already started signing memorandums with universities,” Ingabire said.
In a bid to ultimately improve service delivery, this year’s focus was on Domain Name System Administration (DNS) ,Virtualization and Cloud Computing and a day dedicated to Cybersecurity awareness.
The purpose of this workshop was to minimize institutional dependence on DNS services provided by major Internet Service Providers particularly when their services fail from time to time but also to enable engineers to create virtual workplaces to be able to maintain Internet-based services throughout.
Alex Ntale, the CEO of Rwanda ICT Chamber at PSF said that by 2024 Rwanda should be able to have skilled engineers who can maintain Internet-based services.
“We don’t need to outsource skills from outside the country. That is why we are focusing on increasing numbers of engineers to improve services to attract investment,” Ntale said.
Furthermore, he said that the eventual goal is to lessen reliance on external expertise and increase the number of equipped network engineers to enable Rwanda to grow into a flourishing digital economy that exports labour.
Currently, RICTA workshops, continue to benefit various engineers who have expressed appreciation. One of the participants, Victoire Uwase Isingizwe, said, “I was inspired by the First Lady, among many powerful women and this enabled me to join Information Systems to prove their words-that women can.”
RICTA wishes to thank its partners and sponsors who made this training a success namely, GIZ Rwanda, Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD), Gennext Technology, University of Rwanda (UR), Internet Society (ISOC), AOS Ltd, BSC, BICT and The Digital Transformation Centre
