The National University of Rwanda (NUR)-Butare campus hosted members of the world Academy of Management this 19th June 2012. This visit is a part of a one week workshop in Rwanda which is part of central and east Africa Faculty of Management Development workshop from 17th- 22nd June 2012 hosted at the NUR-Kigali campus.

Prof. Manasse Mbonye, the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs of NUR while officiating the workshop, explained how Management is relevant in Rwanda. He said: “Management has a great relevance to the contemporary social economic development of Rwanda. Consequently there is a great need for scholars and practitioners in this field to spearhead and maintain activities based on this discipline as part of national development. Moreover, the number of students in Rwanda in Management is increasing significantly in higher learning institutions”.

Prof. Stella Nkomo, the president of Africa Academy of Management stated that it is important for Africa to assess the situation of management in Africa in order to come up with solutions for challenges. Nkomo said: “Management in Africa has many challenges such as lack of enough professors; weakness as far as research capacity is concerned and a small number of women in this field. It is significant to look solutions for all these problems”. Among other challenges of management highlighted in the workshop, there is time as resource which some people do not give appropriate value. Institutional constraints were also mentioned whereby subordinates face problems to the extent of losing their position when they challenge their managers.

This workshop was also the occasion for presentations of NUR education status before and after the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi. Prof. Herman Musahara, the Director of Planning and Development and Prof. Rama Rao using examples of NUR policies in place, explained how NUR is striving to deliver efficient education.

This Academy of Management workshop which is taking place in Rwanda has attracted different academicians from Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Nigeria, South Africa, and the USA. The Academy of Management is a professional association for scholars dedicated to creating and disseminating knowledge about management and organization. It has members from 110 nations all over the world.

NUR Vice Rector in charge of Academic Affairs presenting his Speech to the Members of the Academy of Management

By Jean Baptiste Micomyiza