The University of Kigali (UoK), on Monday, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Global Rules, Ethics and Economics (GREEN) Network, in a deal that will see the university become a research hub for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

GREEN Network is a global collection of research centres of excellence, which will act as hubs in extending its vision and mission around the world.

UoK becomes the third African university after Strathmore Business School in Nairobi, Kenya,  and the University of Fort Hare in South Africa to join this global network.

Philbert Africa, the chairman board of directors at UoK, said that the development will ensure a successful implementation of SDGs through training officials from private and public institutions, civil society and society at large.

"These goals were adapted by the United Nations a year ago, and are applied to both developed and developing countries. Rwanda, being among the countries that have been selected to host a centre of excellence for the implementation of the goals, we have a key  role in facilitating and implementing the Goals,” he said.

He said that, through the partnership, they will work with scholars from the University of Rome to build capacity of members of the academic staff and students on advanced research methodologies.

Prof. Danson Musyoka, the university’s Vice Chancellor, said the deal will go a long way in helping the country to benefit from the SDGs.

"As a university, we are going to use this in training and educating students, to work upon it in terms of propagating and disseminating the values, knowledge that are the sustainable governance and innovation,” he said.

Prof. Valerio De Luca, chairman of International Academy for Social and Economic Development (AISES) and director of the Network, hailed the culture of networking between academic institutions, saying it helps inculcate values, academic excellence, responsibility, accountable leadership and entrepreneurship among the youths.

The GREEN Network Centre was established in 2016 as a response to the need to redesign and offer programmes identified by various studies as critical to the development of the private and public sectors in Rwanda.

It aims at becoming the most respected training institution in the East Africa region in the area of governance, leadership and sustainability.

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