Around 75,000 workers in the mining sector need to get the skills and qualification necessary to work in mines, according to the Rwanda Extractive Workers' Union (REWU).
The figure was disclosed at the closing of the Rwanda Mining Week on December 7 as 500 mine workers completed training through the Recognition of Prior Learning initiative, one of the workplace learning programmes established by the Ministry of Labor.
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"The workers who did not study mining at university and other higher learning institutions are around 75,000 and they need such skills through the Recognition of Prior Learning Programme," said Andre Mutsindashyaka, the Secretary General of REWU.
According to the union, the mining sector has over 81,000 miners registered in the mining syndicate.
Mutsindashyaka said that only five per cent of mine workers have been trained for the work.
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The training programme contributes to the formalisation of the sector, Mutsindashyaka said.
The union's target is to close the skills gap by at least 30 per cent in the next five years. More than 3,000 miners have so far been certified as qualified personnel.
Lack of essential mining skills can lead to accidents, and makes workers get low payment and social welfare benefits when they retire.
Jean-Pierre Gatari, the president of a mining cooperative in Nyamyumba, Rubavu district said training was beneficial to the mining sector as production tends to increase when workers have skills.
"We employ many workers who lack the necessary skills because we have no options," said Gatari, whose cooperative employs 800 people.
He said only 40 workers in his cooperative had been certified, stressing the importance of training programmes to address the skills gap in the industry.
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Leonidas Simpenzwe, the chairperson of the Rwanda Mining Association, emphasized the need for knowledge and skills in the mining sector to boost the country's production.
He noted that Rwanda exports 15 per cent of the world's coltan, cassiterite, and wolfram.
"We have to export more but this requires skilled labor to increase production in these minerals," he said.
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The Minister of Public Service and Labor, Christine Nkurikiyinka, said partnership among government institutions and mining associations was necessary to ensure miners to close skills gap in the mining industry.
"A national policy aimed at providing training and skills to workers, who have not received education in this specific field to allow them to obtain certificates that confirm their training, is crucial," Nkurikiyinka said.
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"This programme increases their chances of securing a job, allowing them to continue training and improving their skills, and ultimately enhancing their overall performance."
She said that recognizing workers' prior learning not only enhances employability and fosters entrepreneurship skills.
This would benefit both workers and employers, leading to increased productivity and a better work environment, the minister said.
Rwanda reached $1.1 billion in mineral export revenues in 2023 and the government target is to exceed more than $2 billion by 2029.
