The two-day workshop, which took place from January 30-31, 2023, is sponsored by Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Welcoming participants to Rwanda, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Rwanda, Prof. Didas Kayihura Muganga, host of the workshop, described ARUA as a network where African researchers meet their peers with similar research agenda to jointly find solutions to Africa’s development challenges.  He said, “It is easier to work together when our vision to transform African is shared.”

In his introductory remarks, ARUA Secretary-General, Prof. Ernest Aryeetey said that even though universities on the continent are growing rapidly by introducing graduate programmes, the rate of growth appears not to match with the quality.  He said, today, almost all universities have large Master’s Programmes but few have credible PhD programmes.  He charged ARUA Member Universities to continue to work together to produce the desirable outcomes of the priority areas, namely, Enhanced Research, Expanded and Improved Graduate Training, Professionalised Research Management and Institutionalized Research Advocacy.

Each University gave a presentation providing suggestions on what ARUA can do with the HSRC report; what member university plan to do in response to the recommendations and in light of the  ARUA Strategic Plan, as well as what will be needed by their university in order to proceed.

As ARUA is preparing to develop collaborative PhD programmes for members, the Kigali workshop is expected to go over the review report to prepare the ground for this initiative.

In closing the workshop, ARUA Secretary-General mentioned the initiative with the Guild in the creation of Clusters of Excellence, noting that the work of the ARUA Centres of Excellence is only the first step in the process. He looked forward to a future in which the various principles agreed upon at the workshop will lead to new programmes that transform higher education in the region.