When human resource capacity gaps are a huge problem like it is the case with Rwanda today, working to bridge them becomes the only answer.

Therefore the announcement that the School of Finance and Banking, in partnership with William Davidson Institute and Goldman Sachs are going to be offering 15 scholarships to ladies every year is great news. 

In terms of human resource needs, very few, if at all, countries are worse that Rwanda. Sound capacity development policies and strategies were non-existent during the colonial and post-colonial, pre-1994 period.

As if that was not unfortunate enough, even the little that there was went with the Genocide, since most died, or fled from justice.

Our post-Genocide severe human resource constraints explain why we are still ranked lowest despite the record-breaking budget allocations to the education sector for more than ten years now.

It is a case of how far the country was lagging behind, so much so that even after the highly impressive strides that have been made, it still looks as though very little has been done.

This is because it is a lot more about what has so far been accomplished, much less about the impact it is yet to have. Every effort is required, every chance needs to be grabbed and all the resources have to be pulled together.

Everything about these SFB scholarships is significant – from the profiles of the affiliate institutions in William Davidson Institute and Goldman Sachs, the number of scholarships, the package and routine, the choice programmes to be sponsored, to their targeting disadvantaged ladies – it is a scheme focused all round.

It is a scheme worthy of emulation by other top academic institutions in the country.

Ends