{The government of Rwanda in the 2016/2017 national budget, presented last week allocated Rwf 7 billion to build a branch of America’s l university, Carnegie Mellon (CMU) in the country. The allocated budget will yield several benefits including minimizing costs of sending students to study in America for in technology.}
The government of Rwanda has requested Carnegie Mellon University to bring its activities to Rwanda as a way of supporting government’s and regional programs aimed at promoting an ICT-based economy.
Talking to journalists on the government decision to allocated part of its budget for Carnegie Mellon University after the presentation of the budget last week in the parliament, the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN), Ambassador Gatete Claver said that CMU is a vibrant university that imparts ICT skills across the world and so will train Rwandans from home.
“Carnegie Mellon is an international university offering academic services all over the world; it did not open a branch in Rwanda by accident.It was not easy to request it to come to Rwanda because it is for all Africans in general even though it is in our country,” he said.
Gatete said that for Rwanda to become an ICT hub, it requires broadband internet and a skilled breed of IT professionals to man it. “Do we need trainings? Yes! Indeed trainings done by a World’s reputable university like Carnegie Mellon. The amount of money we would spend has been reduced and they will continue playing a major role. This is why we are investing in buildings of Carnegie Mellon since we need to acquire enough knowledge from them. We will as well host students from other countries and create an IT learning hub in the process, ,” he said.
The idea of inviting Carnegie Mellon University was hatched during the Connect Africa meet held in Rwanda in 2007 and its implementation done in 2012 when Carnegie Mellon was launched.
Supported by AfDB loan, Rwanda became the first regional country to bring the branch of Carnegie Mellon. It registers students from East African countries in Masters Degree in technology studies.
So far 43 students have graduated from Carnegie Mellon University Rwanda, a number expected to rise with the establishment of new infrastructures.
Carnegie Mellon is the 16th world best universities in technology courses and emerged the 24th in the 2014/2015 list of world’s most reputable universities.
Currently, Carnegie Mellon University Rwanda operates at Telecom House, Kacyiru.
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