Kigali, 15 October 2019

Fifteen military personnel from Rwanda Defence Force Engineer Brigade have today concluded a six-week UN Heavy Engineering Equipment training of trainers to enable them with capabilities to train others in line with the United Nations Triangular Partnership Project.

The Project brings together African troop-contributing countries, other UN Member States and the UN Department of Field Support. It aims to enhance the capacity of engineering contingents or sub-units through training and equipping.

While giving his closing remarks on behalf of the RDF Chief of Defence Staff, RDF Chief of Logistics, Brig Gen Dr Ephrem Rurangwa emphasised that RDF has no doubt that the trained personnel will use the acquired skills to effectively perform their tasks.

“Having an operator graduating from using one machine to using more than two machines is quite an achievement for our operators. Being able to train our personnel is important in capacity building, and this requires skills improvement for a good instructor as well as a good student. You will work with trainees all over the country where we have projects. Take care of the reference materials that you have been given, they will make your work easier,” Brig Gen Rurangwa said.

He added that the skills acquired are also crucial for deploying Engineering Component Squadron in UN Peacekeeping Mission, noting that the squadron is composed of combat engineers, construction engineers and equipment.

The training was in partnership with the governments of Rwanda, Brazil, Israel, Japan, Switzerland and the UN.