The Minister of State in Charge of ICT and TVET, Hon. Claudette IRERE together with the Country Director of Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Arthur GERMOND laid the foundation stone for the construction of IPRC Tumba Mechatronics Department.

The ceremony held on Monday 24^th January 2022, at IPRC Tumba, and was also attended by the Vice Chancellor of Rwanda Polytechnic Dr. James Gashumba, DG, Defence R & D Col. Patrick Nyirishema, Mayor of Rulindo district Mme. Judith Mukanyirigira and other dignitaries from Expertise France and Rwanda TVET Board.

In his welcoming remarks, the Vice Chancellor of Rwanda Polytechnic Dr. James Gashumba thanked the French Government through French Agency for Development (AFD) for funding the project and said the new department of Mechatronics will increase the number of skilled Mechatronics technicians and will increase the hands-on skills for the labor market.

Speaking to the media, Minister of State in Charge of ICT and TVET, Hon. Claudette IRERE said Mechatronics Department will increase the number of skilled mechatronics technicians for the labour market, especially modern and automated industries that are rising in Rwanda.

She thanked French Government for their contribution to support youth of Rwanda through modernization of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training and making a cooperation with Universities which are specialised in Mechatronics and building capacities of Mechatronics trainers. Thus, a cooperation agreement has been signed between Rwanda Polytechnic and the Université Paris Saclay, and the “Institut Universitaire de Technologie” (IUT) of Cachan.

The Country Director of the French Agency for Development (AFD) Arthur GERMOND, said the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron in May 2021 underlined the commitment of France to support youth of Rwanda through the modernization of the vocational training offer and to create the skills needed for the economic future of the country. He said that this new department will help young Rwandans to search job for the future.

Mechatronics is an interdisciplinary branch at the intersection of mechanics, electronics, and computing aiming at design and maintain automatic equipment such as robotics and control systems. Mechatronics is an essential foundation in automation and manufacturing, and as such is highly demanded in modern industry in many sectors as food processing, manufacturing, mining, aviation, robotics, defence, transport, amusement parks, etc. The Mechatronics department is made of 7 workshops covering all aspects of the discipline: mechanical, automation, pneumatics and hydraulics, manufacturing, industrial and domestic electrical, electronics, computing.

The Building is expected to be completed within 6 months and will have 12 classrooms, a new language laboratory to be equipped with specialised language learning application, and a library. The building will be fully accessible for Person with disabilities and is environmentally friendly both in construction and exploitation phases.

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