Focus Media (Kigali)
Rodrigue Rwirahira
10 January 2009
The Association of Hotels and Restaurants (AHR) and the Rwanda Workforce Development Authority (WDA) have joined hands to improve the standards of the sector by training of staff.
This was announced during the recently held general assembly of the association. The two organizations have signed a MoU to this effect. It is part of a bigger program that aims to set standards for the hotel and restaurant sector in which the establishments will be categorized from 1 to 5 stars.
Augustin Mukezangabo, the president of AHR and owner of La Palisse, said he was very satisfied with the partnership with WDA, given that there are still not sufficient schools to train people for the hospitality industry.
"Our employees mostly still lack the proper qualifications for the sector, which we hope to change through the agreement with WDA," he said. "It will allow us to work along the government's development lines, so we can fulfill what the government expects from us."
"The association together with WDA will also monitor restaurants and hotels on cleanliness. The ministry of health will no longer have to carry out inspections, we will be the first to know which businesses are not respecting hygiene standards and we will take serious measures against them before the intervention of the ministry," Mukezangabo remarked.
Chong Fook Yen, the director general of WDA, explained that they will help AHR to develop and implement curricula that are relevant to their skills need. He added that his agency is determined to establish and to provide a strategic response to the skills development challenges facing the country across all sectors of the economy.
Augustin Mukezangabo said they will learn a lot from Chong given that he comes from Singapore, a country which in the 1950s was comparable to today's Rwanda, but now tops the economically powerful Asian countries.
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