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The MasterCard Foundation has partnered with the Carnegie Mellon University in Rwanda to set up the MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program at the Carnegie Mellon University's College of Engineering in Kigali, Rwanda.

Carnegie Mellon University in Rwanda was established in 2012 by the global research university, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university offers degrees in nearly 20 locations across the world. CMU opened the Information and Communication Technology Center of Excellence (CoE) in Kigali, Rwanda, in partnership with the Government of Rwanda. The university offers two master’s degree programmes in Rwanda, namely, the Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) and the Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering (MS ECE).  

The partnership with MasterCard Foundation was announced on Monday during CMU's graduation ceremony, when 24 students received the MSIT and MS ECE. The graduation ceremony was attended by Subra Suresh, CMU’s President, and Dr. Jendayi Frazer, a member of the Board of Directors of The MasterCard Foundation.

According to a statement by CMU, to date, the programme has graduated 70 students from Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and the United States. The vast majority of these graduates are working in their home countries, making an impact in the private sector, government and academia, and the rest have created startup companies.

According to CMU, its centre in Rwanda has contributed to enhancing the quality of the engineering workforce in Africa. The university aims to address the critical shortage of ICT skills required for Africa to compete in the Fourth Industrial Revolution where physical, cyber and biological systems will transform the lives and livelihoods of citizens around the world through information, computing and communication technologies.

The MasterCard Foundation has pledged $10.8 million for the programme at CMU in Rwanda. With the support from MasterCard Foundation, CMU said it will be able to multiply its impact on higher education and the ICT sector in Africa, as part of the Rwandan Government's vision to create a Regional Centre of Excellence in ICT and to serve as a technological hub for the region.

"We are excited to partner with Carnegie Mellon University in Rwanda, an exceptional institution committed to training the next generation of African engineers, innovators and entrepreneurs to meet pressing global challenges," said Reeta Roy, President and CEO of The MasterCard Foundation. "Investment in STEM education is pivotal to Africa's future and will ensure that African nations have the opportunity to identify, develop and deploy their wealth of talent."

The programme is said to benefit 125 academically talented but economically disadvantaged students from Sub-Saharan Africa. It is expected to start in November 2016 and conclude in 2023.    

"With this generous support from The MasterCard Foundation, we can multiply the impact of our programme in Rwanda and educate a new cohort of exceptional engineers who will become catalysts for Africa's digital transformation," said Suresh.