BioMex certificate programme launches

BioMex qualification programme in cooperation with Koblenz University of Applied Sciences Germany, INES University of Applied Sciences, University of Rwanda and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

Biotechnology is an area in which Rwanda is currently looking to specialise with the aim of developing into an African centre for biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. Local vaccine production and other pharmaceutical products are a high priority in order to improve healthcare in the country on the one hand and reduce dependence on imports on the other.

In addition to the expansion of pharmaceutical production, the Rwandan government's initiative is focussing on the further training of specialist staff in order to ensure international quality standards.

The aim is to promote young people in particular in the fields of science, technology and engineering and to provide them with the necessary skills and knowledge with the help of qualifying further training opportunities. The aim is to promote training opportunities that are independent of time and place within the framework of blended learning education formats and to offer existing programmes in Rwanda that are already accredited in other countries.

The BioMex Project

The "Certificate Programme for Advanced Biomedical Expertise BioMex" is funded by the special initiative "Good Employment for Socially Just Change" of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in cooperation with the Koblenz University of Applied Sciences and the zfh - Centre for Distance Learning in Higher Education. The programme enables specialists to develop an individual profile on the basis of needs-based, flexibly designed further training courses. By selecting individual educational content, students acquire the knowledge and skills required for the rapid and targeted expansion of the biotechnology sector in Rwanda.

From 22.10.23 to 28.10.23, the GIZ organised a delegation trip to strengthen networking between the two educational institutions. Prof. Dr. Maik Lehmann (TH Bingen) as the designated head of the certificate programme and Marc Bludau, Managing Director of the zfh, took part in the trip.

Ministry of Education

The first stop on the trip, the Rwandan Ministry of Education, is planning to set up the African Biomedical Institute (ABI), where the certificate programme will be based. One aspect of the meeting was an exchange on the establishment and organisational structure of the ABI. The zfh, as a networker of university structures, is organised in a similar way to the planned ABI. As a scientific institution of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate based in Koblenz, the zfh supports 21 state universities throughout Germany in the zfh network in the development, organisation and implementation of part-time distance learning courses.

Claudette Irere, Minister of State for Education Rwanda, showed great interest in the planned programme. During the joint exchange, it became clear that everyone involved is keen to start the certificate programme without any delays. Ideally, the first participants in Rwanda should be able to start their further training as early as March 2024.

Further discussions during the trip

During their trip, the delegation visited other potential partners for the BioMex project: the University of Applied Sciences INES in Ruhengeri; the University of Rwanda's Institute for Continuing Education with the EAC Regional Centre of Excellence for Vaccines, Immunisation and Health Supply Chain Management; the company BioNTech SE; the University of Rwanda as the largest university in Rwanda and the Rhineland-Palatinate/Rwanda Partnership Association (Partnerschaftsverein Rheinland-Pfalz/Ruanda e.V.).

Rhineland-Palatinate/Rwanda Partnership Association

The Rhineland-Palatinate/Rwanda Partnership Association (Partnerschaftsverein Rheinland-Pfalz/Ruanda e.V.) is an extraordinary organisation whose successful cooperation as a country partnership between Rhineland-Palatinate and Rwanda has already existed for 40 years. In addition to other focal points, the educational cooperation between Rhineland-Palatinate and Rwanda is characterised by a strong commitment on the part of both partners, who see education as the key to social and economic development. This partnership has had numerous positive effects on the education system in Rwanda. In addition to the mutual exchange of teachers and education experts, the association supports the expansion of infrastructure in Rwanda and promotes the exchange of students and university professors from both regions. For example, Rwandan students have the opportunity to benefit from higher education in Germany in Rhineland-Palatinate.

The meeting with the management of the partnership association served as a mutual exchange about the BioMex project. The partnership association with its numerous networks in Rwanda is an important multiplier for publicising the project in the various communities.