A high-level delegation from SUNY, comprising senior leaders and university presidents, concluded a two-day visit to Kigali on Friday, July 18, 2025, with a declaration of intent to collaborate, made in partnership with Rwanda's Ministry of Education.
Speaking during the event held at Serena Hotel Kigali, Dr. Melur K. 'Ram' Ramasubramanian, SUNY's Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost, emphasised the institution's long-term commitment to fostering mutually beneficial relationships with African nations.
'We're here to explore the possibility of deploying our Africa initiative and building long-term collaborations with the education system of Rwanda,' he said. 'We've been impressed by the commitment of the people and the opportunities we've encountered.'
The SUNY Africa Initiative is an intentional global strategy aimed at deepening academic and cultural ties across the continent. The delegation's visit to Rwanda followed an earlier stop in Kenya and will continue to other countries, including Nigeria and Ghana.
Dr. Ramasubramanian outlined key areas of interest, including student and faculty exchange programmes, joint research, online education offerings, and workforce development initiatives.
'We call this the SUNY Africa Initiative… Our goal is to build long-standing academic programmes where students from Rwanda can come to the United States to study at one of our 64 campuses,' he said.
'At the same time, we want our students to experience the culture and innovation happening here in Rwanda, the land of a thousand hills and a thousand smiles.'
Research collaboration is another key priority, particularly in fields aligned with Rwanda's national development goals. SUNY officials expressed interest in partnering in areas such as energy, mining, and materials science.
'We have research interests aligned with Rwanda's priorities, such as energy and minerals,' said Dr. Ramasubramanian.
'At SUNY Poly, for instance, Professor Soboyejo, an international expert in materials science, and his team, along with other material scientists within the SUNY system, are planning to collaborate with Rwandan counterparts to not only support the immediate use of extracted minerals but also innovate and modify these materials for future applications.'
Rwanda's Minister of Education, Dr. Joseph Nsengimana, welcomed the collaboration, noting that the government prioritises such partnerships in pursuit of its Vision 2050 goals.
'To achieve that vision, we must ensure that we have a workforce capable of delivering on it,' he said. 'Collaborations like this bring significant value to the country and help us build the Rwanda we want and deserve.'
The discussions also highlighted Rwanda's interest in tapping into SUNY's expertise in areas such as materials science, advanced manufacturing, and e-learning. Dr. Nsengimana noted that Rwanda is exploring 'e-internships' that would allow students to gain international experience virtually, expanding access to global opportunities without leaving the country.
Dr. Winston 'Wole' Soboyejo, President of SUNY Polytechnic Institute and Chairman of the Council of the Institute of Applied Sciences at the University of Rwanda, stressed the importance of aligning education with industrial needs.
'We listened to industry here in Rwanda articulate their needs for skilled human capacity to scale, and we believe SUNY can play a role in bridging that gap,' he said. 'We're thinking not just of students travelling to New York, but also of short courses and online education tailored to Rwanda's needs.'
Dr. Peter O. Nwosu, President of SUNY Oswego, pointed to SUNY's involvement in major U.S. industrial development projects as a model for collaboration.
'In Central New York, we're working with Micron Technology on a $100 billion investment in semiconductor manufacturing,' he said.
'This kind of transformation requires talent â€" the right kind of workforce. That's where universities come in, and we want to explore what we can learn from Rwanda and what we can offer in return.'
Rwanda's openness to innovation was another key point of interest. 'One intriguing idea we heard is Rwanda being open to acting as a proof of concept,' said Dr. Ramasubramanian. 'We have faculty developing new ideas, and Rwanda could offer a place to test and refine these ideas before scaling them globally.'
The SUNY delegation included university presidents from SUNY Oswego, SUNY Cortland, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, and SUNY Fredonia, as well as senior officials in international education and external relations. Among them were Dr. Joshua S. McKeown, Associate Provost for International Education and Programs at SUNY Oswego, and Wayne Westervelt, Vice President for External Relations at SUNY Polytechnic Institute.
During their visit, the delegation engaged with the University of Rwanda, Rwanda Polytechnic, and various private industry stakeholders.
Dr. Stephen H. Kolison Jr., President of SUNY Fredonia, expressed appreciation for the hospitality and vision he witnessed during the visit. 'The potential to do things here is just tremendous,' he said. 'We hope to return.'
The collaboration, still in exploratory stages, is expected to lead to a range of academic activities, including co-developed programmes, research partnerships, and expanded student mobility between Rwanda and the SUNY system, which serves over 375,000 students across 64 campuses in New York State.
'We believe in starting small and executing quickly,' said Dr. Ramasubramanian. 'It's only a matter of time before we return and move to the next phase of implementation.'
Wycliffe Nyamasege
