Students who undertake economic related subjects in different universities countrywide on Friday started a competition themed around the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement. The competition seeks to create awareness among students on AfCFTA and related comparative advantages of Rwanda, according to the Economic Policy Research Network (EPRN Rwanda) which initiated the competition. In Northern Province, about 500 students from INES-Ruhengeri and University of Rwanda (UR)’s College of Agriculture, Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine (CAVM) showed up in Musanze for the competition. The contestants were given multiple choice questions on AfCFTA, the country’s different development programmes, including the National Strategy for Transformation (NST1), Vision 2020, and Vision 2050, among other initiatives. A group of three students from INES-Ruhengeri emerged the overall winners and got the green light to advance to the national level representing the province. The national level competition is scheduled to take place on December 7 in Kigali. Helene Kabarebe, from EPRN Rwanda, said that, besides the competition, they also train students who undertake economic related subjects in a bid to fill the gaps in local research that the country faces. “We consider these students as potential economic researchers and crucial players in shaping Rwanda’s future,” She said. “We are looking forward to incentivising the students for them to become qualified and experienced researchers who are able to carry out research which can inform decision making,” she added. Lise Uwera, a student in Statistics Applied to Economy at INES-Ruhengeri, who will represent Northern Province, said the competition was an opportunity to for her to learn more about research and international policy. The competition on African Continental Free Trade Area will take place in nine institutions of higher learning countrywide. EPRN was jointly initiated in 2008 by University of Rwanda, IPAR-Rwanda, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, the National Bank of Rwanda, the National Institute of Statistics, and World Bank Rwanda. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
