The University of Rwanda (UR) and the University of Westminster have penned a deal aimed at boosting social entrepreneurship capabilities in Rwanda.

Information from the University Rwanda shows that the ground-breaking agreement enables both universities to develop collaborative opportunities which embrace a range of subjects, including business, life sciences, entrepreneurship, rural development and financial planning.

The partnership seeks to develop collaborative projects supporting the founding objectives of developing undergraduate and postgraduate social enterprise projects for implementation in Rwanda, identifying development opportunities for undergraduate and postgraduate course students, visiting scholars, as well as developing research opportunities.

Initial funding has been secured through the Quintin Hogg Trust, which will allow undergraduate students from both institutions to collaborate via inter-university teams.

Teams will be asked to generate ideas for social enterprise projects in Rwanda.

These projects will be assessed by a panel of academics, local entrepreneurs and funding bodies. The winning projects will then be considered for further development and funding.

This collaboration will also provide participating students with a unique transformative learning experience aimed at developing essential employability skills, such as cross-cultural communication, project management, business strategy and management, according to UR.

Speaking about the partnership, Professor Philip Cotton, University of Rwanda’s Vice Chancellor, said that the initiative provides "a great opportunity” for students from both universities to work together to develop projects as a part of their undergraduate learning journeys, to put knowledge into practice and to anticipate future success.

"This project is a great way to explore what employability means for universities while expressing essential values of community investment and community benefit,” he said.

Jon Pike, the Director of Internationalisation, Westminster Business School, said the University of Westminster is ‘‘dedicated to preparing students for employment across the world, inspiring them to grow intellectually throughout life and to add value by providing skills to help shape civilised and inclusive societies. This project fits this objective perfectly.”

The University of Westminster is a public university in London, United Kingdom. With students from 165 countries, staff from across the world and a highly international alumni community, the University of Westminster embraces global engagement in all its forms. The institution has a rich mix of international partnerships in over 20 countries worldwide, and place particular emphasis on providing international opportunities for students.

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