Over 1,800 graduates from the University of Kigali and their families on Friday, March 3, gathered for the graduation ceremony held at Intare Conference Arena in Gasabo district. The university was holding the graduation for the seventh time. Almost 60 per cent of the 1,826 graduates are female. Of the graduates, 342 completed Master’s Degree programmes and 18 completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE). A total of 1, 466 completed Bachelor’s degree programmes having 2 per cent with 1st class degrees, 20.6 per cent with 2nd class-upper degrees, 73.8 per cent with 2nd class-lower degrees, and 7.1 per cent 3rd class degrees. The School of Business Management and Economics graduated 1,029 while 315 graduated from school of computing and ICT, 122 graduated from school of law. Speaking during the graduation ceremony, Dr. Carlos Fernando Sotz, the Chancellor of the University of Kigali, said: “Over 1,800 graduates is a big achievement for the university and for the country. That is what we are celebrating. We did a survey and some graduates are immediately employed, others are employed after 12 months, 24 months and so on and that is the way you see the rate of success.” The University of Kigali’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. David Karungu Wang’ombe, said that the graduates have been equipped with relevant skills which make them competent globally and ready to make optimum use of available opportunities and create employment opportunities for themselves and others. “The graduates have been taken through programmes that were designed with the idea of what the market needs and what the society needs. These are graduates we are giving to society to solve problems, market problems, society problems, and family problems. They do not just have certificates but they have gone through an experience and transformation,” he said. Trained by professional staff Philbert Afrika, the Co-founder and Chairman of the Board, said more than 10 per cent of faculty members are professors, and about 40 per cent are PhD holders. The rest are Master’s degrees holders of whom the majority are pursuing doctorate degrees, he said. He noted that the university is working to establish a centre of inclusive education. “Inclusive education, in fact, we have started a pilot project of training and teaching the blind language. This is the way we can have an inclusive society in our country. It will be established very soon,” he said. Graduates commit to making use of knowledge Valens Nkubito, a graduate who completed Master’s Degree programme in information and technology, noted that as the country embraces digitization of all services with a target to become an ICT hub, there is a need to produce more graduates with skills in information and technology. “Graduates like us have a lot to contribute to the information and technology agenda to boost all sectors including agriculture,” he noted. Aline Mpinganzima, a graduate of master’s business administration in project management, said: “ We got teachers who equipped us with enough capacity to compete on the labour market. Having studied project management in a Master’s degree programme, I have gained a lot of knowledge to manage projects. These skills are needed by the public and private sectors. As the country encourages youth to create jobs, project management skills are needed.” Joy Ingabire, an undergraduate who studied procurement, added: “There are opportunities on the market. For instance, procurement skills in a country that is quickly developing are highly needed.” During the graduation, the University of Kigali and its partners awarded the graduates who performed well.
