RWANDA GOVT. TO CONSTRUCT Rwf13BILLION VETERINARY LABORATORY COMPLEX

The government is building a Rwf13.3 billion Veterinary Laboratory Complex at the University of Rwanda, Nyagatare campus, in Eastern Province, to boost veterinary medicine, livestock production and technology.

The lab will carry out scientific experiments, analyses, and veterinary and animal science research for both domestic and wild animals across the entire country and the region, according to officials.

Raymond Ndikumana, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Strategic Planning and Administration at the University of Rwanda said that the Veterinary Laboratory Complex is a considerable resource for the university to deliver quality education, research, community outreach programmes and projects.

The project is expected to increase the number of veterinary doctors and technicians as the demand for animal products continues to rise, leading to an increase in livestock.

Currently, the veterinary council has over 5,000 members, implying there is a gap in animal treatment and production despite the demand.

“At its full completion, we also aim at hosting a variety of postgraduate programmes and nine Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programmes, meant to build capacity to a critical number of in-service professionals, equipping them with updated skills in veterinary medicine and animal and livestock production and technology,” he said.

Ndikumana said construction cost is estimated at Rwf8 billion while equipment for the complex will cost Rwf5.5 billion.

“If the whole needed budget is available, the complex could be completed by the end of 2024 or in the middle of 2025,” he disclosed.

New Animal Sciences college

The project, Ndikumana said, is part of UR’s ongoing reforms of programmes and colleges. The Veterinary Laboratory Complex is expected to be a resource for the proposed new College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Production and Sciences.

Veterinary Medicine, Animal Production and Sciences is still part of the School of Veterinary Medicine in the College of Agriculture, Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine (CAVM) which is located in Musanze District, Northern Province.

“We want Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine to be a college on its own and the proposal has been submitted to the cabinet for approval,” Ndikumana said.

Forestry students from the Huye campus have also been relocated to the College of Agriculture and Animal Sciences in Musanze District.

Reforms in other colleges

The reforms are also going on in other colleges such as Business and Economics Colleges. The University of Rwanda is carrying out a comprehensive review of all the 158 academic programmes it offers with a target to phase out those that do not reflect the realities of the current labour market.

One of the many highlights of this reform is the concentration of a particular College at a particular Campus.

The Business and Economics College was running campuses in Nyagatare (Eastern Province), Huye (Southern Province), Gikondo (Kigali City) and Rusizi (Western Province). It was decided that the College of Business and Economics will be consolidated in Huye, especially all undergraduate programmes.

University of Rwanda (UR) students studying at the Rusizi campus were, in November 2023, relocated to Huye District as Rwanda Polytechnic (RP) prepares to take over the campus to provide Bachelor of Technology degrees.

The relocated students are part of the College of Business and Economics.

“Students from the College of Business and Economics were moved to UR Huye Campus on December 24 as part of the ongoing review of the University of Rwanda. These are students doing Accounting and Finance degrees,” Ndikumana said.

Business and Economics students from the Nyagatare campus were also relocated to Huye to pave the way for the Veterinary Laboratory Complex and new college.

“The UR Review aims at consolidating the gains realised over the last 10 years since the merger of public Higher Learning Institutions that formed the University of Rwanda, remove observed inefficiencies towards developing UR into a premier University with quality education and research reflecting and supporting Rwanda’s ambitions and aspiration,” Ndikumana said.

The University of Rwanda was created in 2013 after merging seven public higher learning institutions.