Ambassador-Designate H.E. Henrik Nilsson of Sweden to Rwanda has commended the achievements of the UR-Sweden Program, highlighting its contribution to research, capacity building and institutional development over the past 24 years.
During his courtesy call to UR, Ambassador Nilsson reflected with University leaders on the longstanding bilateral research partnership between Rwanda and Sweden, implemented through the UR-Sweden Program.
Amb. Nilsson was accompanied by a delegation from Sweden and were received by both University and UR-Sweden Program Senior leaders
The discussions highlighted the Program’s achievements and the importance of strengthening networks and partnerships to sustain its impact beyond the current phase of cooperation.
“We are proud of the effort made to ensure the sustainability of the achievements made over 24 years,” said Ambassador Henrik Nilsson. He added that it takes courage to establish and sustain the wide range of initiatives that the University has developed in partnership with the UR-Sweden Program and Sweden more broadly.
Vice Chancellor Prof. Kayihura Didas expressed appreciation for Sweden’s longstanding support to Rwanda and the University, particularly the humanitarian assistance provided in the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, when Rwanda needed international support the most.
He noted that the current Sweden-supported initiatives at the University are aligned with Rwanda’s National Strategy for Transformation (NST) and the University’s research priorities.
“We cannot match this program with any other because it came with a very multidisciplinary approach; not only for training, but also for institutional development and systems support by strengthening the entire system,” said Kayihura.
Group photos after the discussions
Prof. Etienne Ruvebana, Senior Research Coordinator of the UR-Sweden Program, highlighted the Program’s contribution to developing doctoral-level research capacity at the University. He noted that the Program has so far supported the graduation of 112 PhD candidates, including three graduates in Applied Mathematics, one of the five PhD programmes established at UR through the partnership.
Prof. Ruvebana further noted that the UR-Sweden Program helped pioneer a culture of PhD studies at the University at a time when pursuing doctoral education was not yet widely embraced.