MINAFFET celebrates the first anniversary of the Rwanda Cooperation Governance Centre

The Rwanda Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has celebrated one year of activities of Rwanda Cooperation Governance Centre, highlighting its significant role in disseminating Rwanda’s Home-Grown Initiatives and Best Practices.

The ceremony was held in Kigali this Wednesday, May 15, 2024 at the Rwanda Cooperation headquarters.

Ambassador Christine Nkulikiyinka, CEO of Rwanda Cooperation, said that the Center has evolved to become an institution of knowledge and expertise, serving as a hub for international collaboration and learning.

“For the celebration of our first anniversary, we have deliberately chosen to shine a spotlight on partnerships. We recognize that close collaboration with our partners is not just valuable; partnerships are essential for our success,” She said.

Clementine Mukeka, Permanent Secretary, Rwanda Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, highlighted the significant role of the Governance Centre as an instrumental platform for disseminating Rwanda’s Home-Grown Initiatives & best practices and these initiatives embody the spirit of “African solutions to Africa’s problems.

“Rwanda Cooperation Governance Centre has emerged as a dynamic vibrant hub of exchanging knowledge, sharing skills and fostering innovation. In the face of unprecedented challenges, the concept of south-south cooperation emerges as a powerful force to shape development agenda.” She noted.

Mukeka went on to say that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, wants to reiterate the unwavering commitment to principles of south-south cooperation and triangular cooperation.

“Let’s carry forward the lesson learnt today and achievements attained and aspirations and visions as we embark on the next phase of journey. We look at lessons learnt, what we did best, what we could improve, and we work collectively with our development partners that provide inputs. So, what next for us is more exchanges, more capacity building and our hope is to hear of many countries having this dynamic way of exchanges,” she added.

In the future, there will be more partnerships with leading South-South and Triangular Cooperation, strategies SDGs specific training programs for public officers, training programs and workshops specific to Rwanda Second National Strategy for Transformation (NST 2) will be conducted.

“In less than three decades Rwanda has transformed into a peace-loving country with sustainable development”, said Mr. Jacinto Rigoberto, Vice Minister of State Administration of the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste who was invited to attend the ceremony.

He added that they have discovered that strong and visionary leadership, along with national unity, are two pivotal ingredients that have played a crucial role in shaping Rwanda’s trajectory towards peace, development, and prosperity.

The Rwanda Cooperation is a public company under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation that will manage (marketing and commercialization) the country’s Home-Grown and best practices.

The Rwanda Cooperation Governance Centre opened its door in May 2023. It is the knowledge sharing hub for all foreign parties interested to learn more on Rwanda’s experience and expertise through Study Visits and Training Programmes on various topics in an effort to advance the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Africa’s Agenda 2063.

Since its launch, over 536 delegations were hosted from 62 countries that have participated in workshops, training and study visits designed to promote South-South and Triangular Cooperation.

As the home for CIFAL in Kigali, the Governance Centre hosted the first of many capacity building and training sessions enabling knowledge sharing between local and regional authorities, international organizations, the private sector, and civil society.