Vital training A pan-African initiative to equip Africans with marketable digital skills has launched its first in-country national digital academy in Rwanda. The launch follows an agreement between the Ministry of ICT and Innovation and the Smart Africa Digital Academy (SADA) – the capacity-building arm of non-profit Smart Africa – to improve digital skills qualifications and employability of Rwandans across the country. In its pilot phase, SADA trained more than 500 Rwandan security forces in digital literacy, including cybersecurity. The institute will now focus on the training and certification of government technicians in advanced computing, and train teachers, agri entrepreneurs and regulators in digital skills. ‘Rwanda is keen to develop digital skills across the entire spectrum and we hope to leverage this programme to equip our citizens with digital skills in different sectors to increase their participation in the digital economy,’ says Paula Ingabire, Minister of ICT and Innovation. 12 April 2022 Image: Gallo/Getty Images