Article in German: https://www.uni-koblenz-landau.de/de/aktuell/archiv-2021/zifet-kooperation-rwanda/

“The cooperation between ZIFET at the Koblenz Campus of the University of Koblenz-Landau and the University of Rwanda already has a tradition and will be further strengthened by the DAAD funding,” explains Prof. Dr. Harald von Korflesch, founder as well as director of ZIFET and head of the new project.

Students and graduates of the University of Rwanda will be provided with practical skills for their careers in science and business and Rwandan companies will be given access to highly qualified personnel.

To this end, a consortium has been formed under the leadership of ZIFET, including Jacobs University Bremen, Koblenz University of Applied Sciences, and the University of Rwanda. The three German universities are supporting the professional development and career planning of the students at the University of Rwanda with offers from a wide range of competence areas.

In the field of applied research methods, for example, they learn how to conduct and evaluate empirical surveys. In design thinking, students learn a creative method for developing new ideas. In project management, they become qualified in project planning and implementation. They also develop many other practical skills, such as presentation techniques, methods of conducting talks and negotiations, and team leadership.

The second pillar of the project is the establishment of a professional network between the University of Rwanda and companies in Rwanda and Germany. Ten players from the private sector in Rwanda and Germany are already partners in the project here and offer internships as well as mentoring programs to Rwandan students and graduates.

“In addition, the business partners have the opportunity to bring the requirements of the labor market directly into the project by acting as an advisory body to the competence center for studies, research and careers that will be established during the project period,” explains Dr. Kornelia van der Beek, managing director of ZIFET.

The Competence Center for Studies and Career (KSB) at the University of Koblenz-Landau is the model for this competence center. The KSB has been promoting the acquisition of key competencies relevant to the labor market and practice among students at the Landau and Koblenz campuses since 2012.

The new competence center is the heart of the project, coordinating academic and business activities. It will be located at the College of Business and Economics (CBE) of the University of Rwanda. The CBE, with a total of around 4,000 students, is spread across four campuses of the African university within Rwanda.

“These students are future highly qualified professionals, managers and entrepreneurs who are the backbone of economic growth in Rwanda and the East Africa region,” von Korflesch said. His project is thus helping to add practice-oriented modules to the CBE’s existing degree programs and increase graduates’ chances on the job market. The project is also supported by the Rwanda Center and Office for Africa Cooperation at the Koblenz Campus of the University of Koblenz-Landau.

With the program “Practical Partnerships between Universities and Companies in Germany and in Developing Countries”, the DAAD has been promoting the development of labor market-relevant and practical study programs that correspond to the local context and the state of the art in science since 2012. The program is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).