Rwanda’s Higher Education Council (HEC), alongside the Ministry of Education, on Thursday continued its nationwide outreach to higher learning institutions with a visit to Mount Kigali University, where officials assessed the institution’s academic programmes, infrastructure, research capacity and overall readiness to contribute to the country’s knowledge-based economy.
The engagement forms part of HEC’s ongoing initiative to evaluate universities’ curricula, governance, infrastructure, research, innovation and quality assurance systems while gathering feedback from institutions on the opportunities and challenges facing higher education.
Speaking after the discussions, Mount Kigali University Vice Chancellor Dr. Martin Kimenya described the visit as a timely engagement that brought together key stakeholders to reflect on the future of higher education in Rwanda.
“This is an outreach we have been waiting for. It is a touch-base meeting where different stakeholders come together to discuss issues of mutual interest, particularly the future of higher education in Rwanda,” he said.
Kimenya noted that Rwanda’s ambition to become a knowledge-based economy requires universities to produce graduates equipped with both academic knowledge and practical skills.
He explained that the university’s 2026–2030 Strategic Plan aligns with the Higher Education Strategic Plan, the Education Sector Strategic Plan and the National Strategy for Transformation (NST2), ensuring its programmes respond to national development priorities.
According to him, Mount Kigali University is increasingly focusing on experiential learning through simulations, industrial attachments, clinical placements and close collaboration with industry in curriculum development.
“We are not only interested in producing knowledgeable graduates. We want graduates who can apply what they learn in real-life settings. That is why we emphasize industry engagement from curriculum design to practical training,” he said.
The Vice Chancellor added that universities require an enabling environment and stronger partnerships to fully support the government’s development agenda.
Addressing concerns raised by some international students regarding language barriers, particularly English, Kimenya said the university’s vision extends beyond serving Rwanda to preparing graduates for the global labour market.
“Our language of instruction is English, but we also provide support through a fully-fledged language laboratory where students can study English, German, Chinese, Kinyarwanda and Kiswahili. We are preparing graduates for global opportunities,” he said, citing partnerships that allow nursing graduates to pursue opportunities abroad, including in Germany and Austria.
During the outreach, Dr. Edward Kadozi, Director General of the Higher Education Council, challenged universities to shift their focus from infrastructure investment to measurable academic and research outcomes.
He observed that while many institutions have invested significantly in buildings, equipment and other facilities, these investments have yet to generate sufficient innovation, research outputs and intellectual property.
“We are seeing substantial investment in infrastructure across universities. The challenge now is ensuring those investments translate into outputs—research, patents, innovations and solutions that contribute to national development,” he said.
Dr. Edward emphasized that higher education institutions will play a central role in helping Rwanda achieve its development targets, including the creation of 1.2 million jobs envisioned under the National Strategy for Transformation.
“These jobs will largely come from innovation, and innovation must be driven by higher learning institutions,” he said.
He also highlighted the importance of increasing investment in research, noting that Rwanda currently spends about 0.79 percent of GDP on research and innovation—below national and continental aspirations.
To strengthen innovation capacity, HEC is encouraging universities to allocate at least 10 percent of their institutional income to research and innovation over the next five years.
“If universities consistently dedicate 10 percent of their income to research and innovation, we will significantly strengthen research capacity and accelerate innovation,” he said.
The HEC Director General further noted that Rwanda still has relatively low numbers of researchers and patent applications compared to peer countries, although recent years have shown encouraging growth.
The outreach programme is expected to continue across other higher learning institutions as HEC seeks to strengthen quality assurance, promote research and innovation, and ensure universities produce graduates with the skills needed to drive Rwanda’s socio-economic transformation.
