From September 9 to 11, 2025, the Minister of Education, Dr. Joseph Nsengimana, and Dr. Edward Kadozi, Director General of the Higher Education Council (HEC), participated in the First Ministerial Conference on the East African Community (EAC) Common Higher Education Area in Kampala, Uganda.

The conference, held under the theme “Enhancing Regional Integration through Harmonised Higher Education Systems for Sustainable Development in East Africa,” was officially opened on September 9 by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.

It brought together Ministers of Education, heads of regulatory bodies, university leaders, professional associations, development partners, the private sector, and scholars from across the region.

Discussions focused on the harmonisation of academic policies and programmes, mutual recognition, quality assurance, credit transfer, curriculum benchmarking, and talent mobility within the region.

Speaking on a panel, Dr. Edward Kadozi, Director General of Rwanda's Higher Education Council (HEC), stressed the need to align policies, legal instruments, and systems for mutual recognition among East African countries. He emphasised the importance of adopting emerging technologies to strengthen curriculum development.

Kadozi highlighted Rwanda’s curriculum development framework, which is guided by national education policy and supported by legislation that balances the interests of higher learning institutions, professional bodies, and the private sector. He noted that the framework also addresses labour market needs by producing graduates with regionally recognised competencies that facilitate the free movement of the workforce.

In the evening, Minister Joseph Nsengimana held a sideline meeting with 40 Rwandan delegates, including vice-chancellors of higher learning institutions and leaders of professional bodies who attended the conference. The delegates were commended for their efforts and engagement in this regional ministerial conference.

The discussions focused on challenges hindering the effective implementation of the East African Common Higher Education Area, particularly curriculum benchmarking, the free movement of industry practitioners, and student mobility in the region.

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