The French Observatory of Apidology (OFA) has announced plans to open more bee schools in Rwanda, with the support of Prince Albert II of Monaco. The announcement followed the Prince’s visit to Rwanda, during which he toured different apiculture projects, including a school owned by the OFA.

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Speaking to The New Times on Monday, September 29, Thierry Dufresne, the founder of OFA, said the NGO will open at least one new bee school by the end of this year, with more schools planned in the future.

During his visit, Prince Albert inaugurated a new apiary school in Musanze District and toured OFA-run centers, including the Foyer de Charité "Virginie des Pauvres” in Ruhondo and the One & Only Parc des Volcans.

These facilities empower vulnerable women through modern apiculture, teaching sustainable honey production techniques that not only ensure financial independence but also contribute to biodiversity conservation.

"Prince Albert has been one of our strongest supporters since the creation of this NGO in France, more than 12 years ago,” said Dufresne, who was travelling from Kigali to Paris on Monday evening.

"In Rwanda, we already have our NGO and we are developing schools and we will open new schools. We have the objective to open one more school by the end of the year. So, at the end, we will have a bee academy school and we want to continue to expand and to continue to develop this program in Rwanda.”

Dufresne said his organisation wants to support the development of Rwanda by focusing their activities on vulnerable women who need financial independence.

He emphasized the close involvement of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation in OFA’s activities, both in France and Rwanda.

"The foundation of Prince Albert is very involved with us and is supportive. From the very beginning, the Foundation has helped us preserve biodiversity, protect bees, and raise awareness among young people about the importance of nature,” Dufresne noted.

Dufresne explained that the NGO’s presence in Rwanda was initially driven by a scientific research programme, but their team soon developed a deep connection with the country, which inspired the creation of bee schools.

"Three years ago, we decided to come to Rwanda to develop research, a scientific research programme about the propolis, which is a product of the bees that has a lot of effects on human health. And we are collecting some propolis from the Nyungwe Forest and we are studying this propolis,” he said.

"We came first for the scientific programme and, having an organization in Rwanda, we fell in love with the country and we decided to create this social programme, the bee school academy in order to teach or to train some vulnerable women to become beekeepers and give them financial independence,” he said.

Prince Albert’s visit, Dufresne added, was a sign of his personal commitment and support to the organization’s work.