Sadaka Ogata to receive NUR honorary Doctorate

SOUTHERN PROVINCE HUYE- Former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadaka Ogata, will be awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the National University of Rwanda during its 7th congregation, the University Rector, Professor Silas Lwakabamba has said. The award, according to Lwakabamba, is in recognition of the important role Ogata played in helping Rwanda get to its feet again after the 1994 Genocide which left over one million Rwandans dead. “Higher institutions of learning the world over give such awards. We find it befitting to award Madam Sadaka Ogata for her efforts in rebuilding Rwanda after the Genocide while serving as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and her continued support for Rwanda in her new position as the President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA,.” Said Lwakabamba. said he added that the award also serves to motivate graduates from the National University. “It shows that despite personal achievements of academic qualifications, people can be rewarded for their efforts in helping others,” said Professor Lwakabamba. The graduation ceremony which is slated for March 27 will also see, for the first time in the history of the 44-year old institution, the awarding of two PhDs from the Faculty Medicine. According to NUR’s Vice Rector in charge of Academics, Professor Martin O’Hara, the PhDs will be given in partnership with Universities in Belgium. The 7th congregation of the National University of Rwanda will see a big number of students graduating in Sciences. According to the University Registrar Dr Aloys Ruzibiza, 47 percent of all graduating students are from Science fields.Ends