Yeungnam University and Rwanda have agreed to expand their educational partnership beyond rural development training into engineering, agriculture, and full university degree programmes, in a move both sides say is aimed at building the human capital needed to sustain Rwanda’s long-term national development.

The agreement, reached during high-level talks at the university’s campus in Daegu, marks a turning point in a relationship that began in 2020 and was formalised through an accord with Rwanda’s Ministry of Education in 2021.

What was initially centred on the Saemaul Movement; the community-driven development model credited with transforming rural South Korea in the 1970s, is now being redesigned as a comprehensive academic alliance.

Under the expanded framework, both parties have committed to developing programme models that would bring Rwandan students into full degree courses at Yeungnam University.

Scholarship support and student selection criteria are among the specifics currently under negotiation. Approximately 50 Rwandan nationals have already studied or are enrolled at the university’s Park Chung-hee Saemaul Graduate School.

Yeungnam University President Choi Wae-chul said the institution would draw on its experience in international development cooperation to systematically design academic pathways for Rwandan students.

He argued that South Korea’s compressed development model could be replicated in Rwanda, citing President Paul Kagame’s leadership as a key factor.

The university says it plans to establish permanent consultation channels with the Rwandan government, with priority placed on producing graduates equipped to advance Rwanda’s agricultural, food security, and infrastructure sectors.

A special lecture delivered by President Choi in Rwanda in 2024 and the growing presence of Yeungnam alumni in Rwandan development work have added further momentum to the partnership.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​