Rwanda Launches Quality Academy to Cut Reliance on Foreign Trainers Costing Up to $30,000 per Training Week

Rwanda on Wednesday launched the Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) Quality Academy, an institution aimed at reducing the country’s reliance on costly foreign trainers while building a domestic workforce of quality and standards professionals to support industrial growth.

The academy, established with support from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), is expected to help Rwanda increase the number of quality and standards professionals from fewer than 50 today to about 8,000 over the next five years, officials said.

Until now, Rwanda has often relied on foreign experts to deliver specialized training in quality management and standards, with the country paying between $20,000 and $30,000 for a one-week training programme serving about 20 participants, according to RSB Director General Raymond Murenzi.

“One of the challenges we faced was the high cost of bringing in international experts to train people in quality management,” Murenzi said. “We spent between $20,000 and $30,000 for one week of training for about 20 participants.”

He said the academy would make such training more accessible through classroom, online and hybrid learning, allowing experts from around the world to teach remotely while developing a local pool of specialists.

“Today, there are fewer than 50 quality professionals in the private sector who have received specialized training,” Murenzi said. “That number is far too small compared to the country’s needs.”

The academy has the capacity to accommodate 73 learners at a time and is expected to train at least 500 professionals in its first year. Graduates will support industries including agro-processing, light manufacturing, construction, laboratory services and quality inspection.

KOICA Rwanda Country Director Kim Jin-hwa said the initiative supports Rwanda’s ambition of becoming a knowledge-based economy under Vision 2050.

“Standardization is a key prerequisite for achieving Rwanda’s development goals,” Kim said. “The Ministry of Trade and Industry, through RSB, has set a clear objective of developing nearly 8,000 professionals in the standardization sector over the next five years.”

For manufacturers, the academy could significantly improve access to technical expertise that has long been in short supply.

Nema John Violet, a food scientist at Terova Africa Ltd, said many factories currently assign quality management responsibilities to a single employee, creating bottlenecks and delaying compliance with standards.

“In many factories, one person is responsible for everything related to quality management,” she said. “As a result, that person can become overwhelmed, while companies often face long waiting periods when seeking certification or technical support.”

She said many businesses mistakenly assume certification is simply a document that can be obtained quickly.

“The certificate is just a piece of paper,” Violet said. “What many people do not understand is the work that must be done beforehand—developing systems, implementing them and demonstrating compliance.”

According to Violet, increasing the number of trained specialists will make technical support more readily available as graduates establish consulting firms and help companies implement quality management systems.

Training at the academy is expected to begin in July, with courses delivered through in-person, online and blended-learning formats.

Officials say the academy will play a key role in strengthening Rwanda’s quality infrastructure, helping local businesses meet international standards, improve competitiveness and expand access to regional and global markets.