The two-day meeting, hosted by the University of Rwanda, gave the network’s senior academic leaders the opportunity to take stock of ARUA’s programmes and activities over the past year — and to strategise on how the Alliance can deepen its impact across Africa’s universities.

Ahead of the meeting, ARUA Secretary-General Professor John Gyapong paid a courtesy call on the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Rwanda, Professor Didas Muganga Kayihura.

Opening the meeting of Deputy Vice-Chancellors, Professor Kayihura warmly welcomed delegates to Rwanda, describing it as a privilege to host such senior academic leaders. He introduced the University of Rwanda as an amalgamated public institution created in 2013 from fourteen standalone higher learning bodies, which has grown to span seven colleges and thirteen campuses nationwide, serving close to 35,000 students. He showcased the University’s institutional structure alongside its twenty-three research centres — including specialised African Centres of Excellence — which emphasise multidisciplinary research clusters and active global partnerships. Highlighting the University’s international appeal, he noted how high-quality, affordable education, combined with Rwanda’s unique regional attraction, continues to draw students from Africa, Europe and North America.

In his closing remarks, the Vice-Chancellor expressed his delight at hosting both the meeting and the public lecture, calling it a fitting moment for the University to demonstrate the work it is doing on the continental stage. He encouraged the academic leaders to engage deeply during their two-day meeting, to explore collaborative opportunities — and even to consider spending a sabbatical at the University.

The meeting sets the stage for the next highlight of ARUA’s Kigali week: the ARUA Distinguished Public Lecture, taking place on Friday, 16 October 2026, where Professor Leon Mutesa, Director of the Centre for Human Genetics at the University of Rwanda, will deliver a lecture on “Innovations and capacity building in bio-manufacturing to address health system gaps in Africa.”