Rwanda National Police

Gishari Integrated Polytechnic (GIP) has started a new agricultural programme to help farmers adopt the use of machines in their farming activities as the force moves to reinforce the country's drive to improve on productivity.

 GIP is a Technical and Vocational Education Training school and one of the wings of the Police Training School (PTS) Gishari in Rwamagana District established in partnership with the Workforce Development Authority (WDA), to promote, facilitate, and guide the development and upgrading of skills and competencies of the national workforce including police officers and civilians, in order to enhance competitiveness and employability.

 The mechanisation programme in the agriculture sector, therefore, saw the government establish an agricultural mechanisation workshop at the school.

 Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Sam Karemera, the Principal of the school, said  the new programme is meant to empower farmers by giving them access to mechanisation services and skills to operate  the agriculture machines.

 The school, he noted, will equip farmers with the modern farming skills.

 “We have started training our students in agricultural skills development. We acquired agriculture equipment, especially tractors that will be used in teaching the farmers the modern way of farming.” he said.

 “Most tractors are lying idle in  some districts partly because of lack of expertise. We are coming in to  support ,bridge this gap  and effectively use these resources.”

 The Ministry of Agriculture, recently, established the Village Mechanisation Service Centre’s (VMSC).

 The centres will be equipped with various agriculture equipments including tractors, power tillers, disc ploughs, trailers, water pumps and harvesters, among others.

 GIP also acquired Hydraform Machines that produce 3,000 bricks per day. This is expected to accelerate the setting up of GIP infrastructure.

 The main objective of GIP is to strategically respond to the skills development challenges  which will benefit  both police officers and civilians.

 It also offers diploma and other vocational training programmes to both Police officers and civilians in plumbing, electricity, construction, ICT, mechanical engineering, among others.

 Currently, GIP has a population of about 600 students with over 350 of them pursuing diploma course while others are under vocational training.