Participants comprising stakeholders from diverse backgrounds, including policymakers, academics, chief executives, media professionals and other professionals, spent the second day of their Kigali study visit at the Rwanda Cooperation Initiative (RCI) as part of the international training programme organised by Bayero University, Kano's strategic partner, the Women Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN), in collaboration with Prospects Development Services (PDS)-UK. During the visit, they examined how Rwanda rebuilt national cohesion following the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and explored how the country's experiences and lessons can inform leadership, strategic communication and institutional reform.
The training, titled Strategic Communication: Integrating Digital and AI-Driven Innovation for Sustainable Leadership and Peacebuilding, was designed to expose the Nigerian delegation to Rwanda’s approach to mindset change, inclusive governance and post-conflict reconstruction.
Officials of the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement (MINUBUMWE) outlined the policies and institutions that have shaped Rwanda’s transformation. They pointed to justice reforms, inclusive governance, a shared national identity, citizenship education and efforts to prevent genocide ideology as central pillars. Programmes such as Ndi Umunyarwanda, Itorero civic education, community dialogue and the Gacaca courts were cited as key instruments in restoring trust and social cohesion.
Unity and Social Cohesion Promotion Analyst Donatien Nikuze said the country’s progress had been driven by political will, inclusive leadership and sustained investment in peacebuilding and good governance. He noted that Rwanda recorded a National Unity Barometer score of 95.3 per cent in 2025. While acknowledging remaining challenges, including genocide ideology, hate speech, trauma and the pursuit of fugitives, he urged participants to adapt practical lessons from Rwanda’s experience to their own contexts.
Welcoming the delegation, RCI Chief Executive Officer Richard Niwenshuti said Rwanda’s recovery had rested on three principles: moving beyond the country’s darkest chapter, enforcing institutional accountability, and thinking at scale. He said reforms had delivered about 92 per cent health insurance coverage, universal access to primary and secondary education, and the digitisation of more than 240 public services through the Irembo platform.
Delegates also received briefings on Rwanda’s governance architecture, decentralisation, coordination and accountability systems, and digital transformation agenda from officials of MINUBUMWE, the Ministry of Justice (MINIJUST), the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, and the Rwanda Information Society Authority.
In a goodwill message delivered on behalf of Acting High Commissioner of Nigeria to Rwanda Ambassador Ibrahim Zanna, the Nigeria High Commission encouraged participants to apply Rwanda’s experience in governance, digital transformation and peacebuilding to strengthen institutions at home. The mission described the study visit as a practical demonstration of how strategic communication, digital innovation and sustainable leadership can support national development, and reaffirmed its commitment to deeper Nigeria–Rwanda institutional partnerships.
WOFAN Founder and Global Advocate Hajia Dr Salamatu Garba commended RCI for sharing Rwanda’s experience openly. She said many of the challenges discussed resemble those facing Nigeria and stressed that mindset change, accountability, policy reform and responsible followership are essential to lasting development. She noted that teachers were deliberately included in the delegation so that lessons from the visit could be passed on to younger generations, and expressed hope that collaboration with the Nigeria High Commission and RCI Rwanda would help convert the exchange into practical policy action and sustainable strategies for a step by step implementation that can yield positive and impactful results.
On behalf of the participants, WOFAN Technical Board member Professor Mahmoud Daneji delivered the vote of thanks, acknowledging RCI, the facilitators, the Nigeria High Commission, PDS, WOFAN and fellow delegates for a successful Day Two engagement.