On 8 May, a delegation from Institute for International and Area Studies (IIAS), Tsinghua University, visited the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) in Kigali, Rwanda. Delphine Uwase, Head of Strategy and Competitiveness Department at RDB, received the delegation and organised a symposium with experts from Strategy and Competitiveness Department.
Scene of the symposium
The discussion was moderated by Tim Niblock, Director of the Center for Global Studies at the IIAS of Tsinghua University and Professor Emeritus of the University of Exeter. On behalf of the Institute, Mr. Zhao Jinsong, Associate Director of the Institute, introduced to the RDB an overview of the Institute, the development history of the PhD programme in developing country studies, and the international cooperation. Delphine of RDB welcomed the delegation and introduced the history of Rwanda's national development since 1994 and its achievements, the background of the establishment of RDB and its vision and mission, the main development strategies and layouts of the Rwandan government, and the vision of the country's future development, and so on.
Professor Zhu Xufeng, Dean of School of Public Policy and Management of Tsinghua University, Professor Li Xiaoyun, Honorary Dean of College of International Development and Global Agriculture from China Agricultural University, Professor Yasuyuki Kono, Vice President for International Strategy from Kyoto University, and Dr. Yang Chongsheng, Assistant Director of the IIAS, together with the RDB officials, presented on the history and achievements of Rwanda since 1994, the background of the establishment of Rwanda and its vision and mission, the main development strategies and layout of the Rwandan government, and the future development vision of the country. The experts and scholars then exchanged views with officials of the RDB on how the Rwandan government can eliminate ethnic hatred in the post-Holocaust era, the role of the government under the New Developmentalism, the issue of agricultural development in Rwanda, the challenges of economic transformation in Rwanda, and the concrete solutions for the Rwandan government to cope with the pressure of debt.
Officials from the Strategy and Competitiveness Department of the RDB discuss with the delegation the role of the Rwandan Government under the new developmentalism
The delegation said that Rwanda, as one of the fastest growing economies in sub-Saharan Africa, has rapidly achieved social stability and peaceful development in just three decades. The visit of the IIAS delegation to Rwanda will take the cooperation with the University of Rwanda in building the Kigali Field Station as an opportunity to promote academic exchanges and cooperation between the two sides in the field of area studies. As an important decision-making department of the Rwandan government, the Rwanda Development Board is an important window for Chinese scholars to understand the economic and social development of Rwanda.
Group photo of participants
