Rwanda and Sweden on Thursday marked 20 years of research cooperation which has played a pivotal role in driving the socio-economic transformation of the country.
The milestone was celebrated at Kigali Conference and Exhibition Village and brought together delegates from Sweden’s top universities, as well as those from the University of Rwanda, alongside various officials from both nations.
According to the Minister of Education, Valentine Uwamariya, the cooperation began in 2002 with the aim of building capacity among university lecturers.
To date, over 300 students have graduated at the Master’s level, while 80 have graduated at the PhD level. Currently, around 50 students are enrolled in PhD programs, said the Minister.
Uwamariya also noted that when the cooperation began, the university had 66 PhD lecturers, adding that however, today there are over 400, excluding those who pursued other ventures to contribute to the country’s development.
She highlighted that the cooperation has also involved research and innovation aimed at addressing the country’s challenges.
In its fourth phase which started in 2019 and is expected to end in 2026, the research cooperation aims to increase the production and utilization of internationally recognized scientific knowledge at UR and contribute to Rwanda’s development.
The Ambassador of Sweden to Rwanda, Johanna Teague said the programme has had an impact on the individual graduated and contributed to research and evidence-based decision making in Rwanda.
She noted that it started off as a humanitarian, traditional development cooperation, adding that currently, more Swedish universities want to work with UR, something she said is good because they need each other to solve the world’s challenges.
Teague also emphasized that there is now a shift in the focus as well as self-sustained relationships taking place, adding that the interface in the context between the two countries is broadening and the future is full of opportunities.
In his remarks, Vice Chancellor of UR, Didas Muganga Kayihura said Sweden became a reliable friend to lean on in the difficult times Rwanda was facing after the Genocide Against the Tutsi.
He emphasized that conducting research for socio-economic transformation in Rwanda has always been UR’s ultimate motive and was particularly an approach which Sweden was attracted to in the first place.
That, he said, led their partnership to deliver research capacities to be used in Rwanda’s development.
Beneficiaries speak out
Dr. Charlotte Bavuma, a medical doctor and lecturer at UR, shared that she received capacity-building and knowledge-generation benefits through the program, especially as a woman.
She added that she is also part of a network of other female beneficiaries working in Rwanda, and they plan to continue empowering women in research as part of their contribution.
Bavuma also mentioned that the program developed her confidence to strive for what she wanted, and she conducted research on the impact of malnutrition in children, which helped in tackling a type of diabetes that was not widely known.
Dr. Raymond Ndikumana, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Strategic Planning & Administration at UR, is also a beneficiary of the program.
He shared that he was recognized at the knowledge frontier and learned from others while contributing to literature and knowledge in project management, accounting, and control.
His PhD helped him in education, research, consultancy, and policy debate, and he also shares his knowledge with the students.
Ndikumana believes that as they learn, they become humbler because they realize how vast the knowledge is out there and what they do not know.
He emphasizes the importance of maintaining the spirit of research, understanding, and learning from others as things the program awakened in him.
