Ishimwe, who was born in Gikondo, Kicukiro, studied International Business with a specialization in Modern Logistics at WSG University in Poland. He now works for Thales Alenia Space, a Franco-European company specializing in satellite and space technologies.
Together with fellow students Shema Aime Cesar and Ishimwe Byiringiro Etienne, he developed Gerayo App, a mobile application designed to help passengers plan journeys and track Kigali’s bus services.
The idea emerged while the students were observing how technology was being used in Poland’s transport system.
“We are a group of three students who developed the application after observing how the transport system works here. We thought, ‘Couldn’t it be good if we applied technology to improve transportation in Rwanda?’” Ishimwe told IGIHE.
The team used knowledge acquired at university to develop the application and financed its initial online hosting and other costs through their personal savings.
Gerayo allows users to enter their current location and destination and receive information on available buses, routes and expected travel times.
According to Ishimwe, the application uses bus timetables provided by Ecofleet to determine departure intervals, distances and estimated travel times. It also uses Google Maps to estimate how long a passenger may take to walk to a bus stop.
The app can be particularly useful for people unfamiliar with Kigali’s public transport network, allowing them to plan their trips before leaving home.
“If you are walking on foot, the application uses Google Maps to show you how long it may take to reach the bus station,” he said.
The application has been in use for four months and has already attracted about 1,500 users in a week, equivalent to roughly 228 users per day.
Ishimwe said the users are mainly young people, students and other commuters, with a survey showing that people aged between 16 and 32 form the largest user group.
He believes the service can help passengers reduce waiting time and transport costs while making it easier to arrive at their destinations on time.
“I hope many people can take advantage of the app, spend less on transport and reach their destinations on time. It can also help people who may not be able to afford private transport,” he said.
The team is now looking beyond journey planning, with plans to introduce payment and e-ticketing features.
“We first want to integrate a payment system into the application based on feedback from users,” Ishimwe said.
The developers are also considering partnerships with existing payment providers and transport companies to eventually enable passengers to book seats and pay for tickets through the platform.
Ishimwe said collaboration with public institutions and private companies will be important as the project develops. He cited Ecofleet as one of the companies whose publicly accessible transport information can help improve the application.
The team also hopes to eventually expand Gerayo beyond Kigali to other cities across Rwanda.
For Ishimwe, the project was partly inspired by a personal experience. After a relative was involved in a motorcycle accident in 2023, he encouraged the person to use public transport. The experience later contributed to discussions that led to the development of the application in 2024.
Gerayo is currently available on Google Play and the Apple Store.
Shema Aime Cesar, one of the three students behind Gerayo App, contributed to developing the technology aimed at making Kigali’s public transport network easier for passengers to navigate.Ishimwe Byiringiro Etienne, a member of the Gerayo development team, is part of the group working to use technology to improve how passengers access information about public transport in Kigali.Kevin Ishimwe, Managing Director of Gerayo App, leads the team behind the public transport application and its development.IGIHE journalist during an interview with Kevin Ishimwe, one of the developers of Gerayo App, about how lessons from Poland inspired the team to develop a digital solution for Kigali’s public transport system.
The agreement was signed by Rwanda’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Antoine Kajangwe, and Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Rwanda, Naeem Khan, during the inaugural Rwanda-Pakistan Investment Forum held at the Kigali Marriott Hotel on Thursday, September 24, 2026.
The forum was organised by the Rwanda High Commission in Pakistan in collaboration with the Rwanda Development Board.
The new agreement is expected to support greater trade facilitation, stronger business-to-business partnerships, joint ventures and cooperation across sectors including manufacturing, textiles and apparel, agriculture, tourism and transport.
It also provides for greater cooperation between private-sector organisations, including Rwanda’s Private Sector Federation (PSF) and Pakistan’s chambers of commerce, as well as the sharing of information on trade and investment opportunities in both countries.
Kajangwe said the agreement would help deepen cooperation in priority sectors, including agro-processing, manufacturing, textiles, electronics, infrastructure and healthcare equipment.
“Pakistan is home to more than 250 million people. But more importantly, it has an established manufacturing base in emerging markets,” he said, highlighting Pakistan’s manufacturing capabilities in areas such as textiles, surgical instruments, sports equipment, pharmaceuticals and IT services.
Minister Kajangwe said the agreement would help deepen cooperation in priority sectors.
Rwanda, meanwhile, is seeking to attract more Pakistani investment and position the country as a base from which companies can serve wider African markets.
Rwanda Development Board (RDB) Deputy CEO Juliana Muganza said bilateral trade between Rwanda and Pakistan reached $236 million between 2023 and 2025, while Rwanda registered seven Pakistani investment projects worth more than $2 million.
She said Rwanda’s economic growth and investment environment offer opportunities for Pakistani companies looking to manufacture, process and export to regional markets.
“Rwanda is not only a place to sell products, it is also a place to manufacture, innovate, process, export, and scale across Africa,” Muganza said.
She pointed to opportunities in agriculture and agro-processing, pharmaceuticals and medical manufacturing, textiles and apparel, ICT and digital services, artificial intelligence, mining and mineral value addition, infrastructure, tourism and hospitality.
Muganza said Rwanda should be viewed as a gateway to a much larger regional market rather than solely as a market of about 14 million people.
She noted that businesses operating from Rwanda can access more than 80 million consumers within a 500-kilometre radius, while the African Continental Free Trade Area offers access to a market of about 1.4 billion people.
Juliana Muganza, RDB Deputy CEO, highlighted Rwanda as a gateway to a much larger regional market, beyond its 14 million people.
The RDB deputy CEO also highlighted the new Kigali International Airport and surrounding airport city development in Bugesera as part of Rwanda’s plans to strengthen its position as a regional hub for trade, logistics, tourism and investment.
The airport’s long-term capacity is expected to reach 14 million passengers, while the surrounding development is expected to create opportunities in logistics, manufacturing, hospitality, commercial services and innovation.
For Pakistani businesses, Muganza identified opportunities to supply agricultural machinery and inputs, food processing, packaging and other products while establishing production and processing operations in Rwanda.
Pakistan is also seeking greater access to Rwandan agricultural products.
High Commissioner Naeem said Pakistani companies are particularly interested in importing Rwandan tea, coffee, avocados, beans, lentils and other pulses directly from Rwanda.
“We want to import Rwandan tea directly to Pakistan,” he said during an interview with journalists.
He said Pakistan currently imports Rwandan tea through intermediaries and that direct trade could create opportunities for Rwandan producers to strengthen their presence in the Pakistani market.
He also highlighted interest in Rwandan coffee and other agricultural and mineral products.
At the same time, Pakistan is seeking to expand exports to Rwanda in areas including rice, surgical instruments, sports goods, agricultural machinery and technology.
High Commissioner Naeem highlighted Pakistani interest in importing Rwandan tea, coffee, avocados, beans and pulses.
Naeem said Pakistani companies could also invest in Rwanda’s construction, real estate, tourism, hospitality and agriculture sectors.
He cited Pakistan’s manufacturing capabilities in surgical instruments and sports equipment, arguing that some of these products could eventually be manufactured in Rwanda and re-exported to other African markets.
The two sides are also exploring closer cooperation in aviation.
Naeem said Rwanda and Pakistan are working on an aviation memorandum of understanding that could pave the way for stronger air connectivity and direct flights between the two countries.
He also said the newly signed trade agreement could serve as a step towards a preferential trade agreement, with the two countries expected to identify products that could receive preferential treatment.
François Twagirumukiza, chairperson of the Private Sector Federation, noted that the agreement would give greater institutional backing to trade that has previously been driven largely by individual traders.
“This trade agreement signed today will boost our trade cooperation with Pakistan considerably,” he stressed.
He added that bringing business communities from both countries together alongside the agreement would help identify concrete commercial opportunities.
The forum brought together about 30 Pakistani business leaders and more than 40 Rwandan business representatives.
Rwanda registered $2.62 billion in investments across 799 projects in 2025, according to RDB, with the projects expected to create nearly 40,000 jobs.
Kajangwe said the government would continue working with Pakistani investors and other private-sector partners to translate the growing bilateral relationship into concrete business activity.
The new agreement comes as Rwanda and Pakistan seek to build on renewed diplomatic engagement following the establishment of resident diplomatic missions in Kigali and Islamabad.
The agreement was signed by Rwanda’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Antoine Kajangwe, and Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Rwanda, Naeem Khan.The new agreement is expected to support greater trade facilitation, stronger business-to-business partnerships, joint ventures and cooperation across sectors including manufacturing, textiles and apparel, agriculture, tourism and transport.The agreement also provides for greater cooperation between private-sector organisations, including Rwanda’s Private Sector Federation (PSF) and Pakistan’s chambers of commerce, as well as the sharing of information on trade and investment opportunities in both countries.Minister Kajangwe said the agreement would help deepen cooperation in priority sectors, including agro-processing, manufacturing, textiles, electronics, infrastructure and healthcare equipment.Amb. Naeem said Pakistani companies are particularly interested in importing Rwandan tea, coffee, avocados, beans, lentils and other pulses directly from Rwanda.François Twagirumukiza (right), chairperson of the Private Sector Federation, said the agreement would give greater institutional backing to trade that has previously been driven largely by individual traders.
The forum was organised by the Rwanda High Commission in Pakistan in collaboration with the Rwanda Development Board.
However, some former FDLR members who have recently broken away from the group have said that many of its fighters are integrated into the FARDC, both on the battlefield and in Kinshasa.
In an interview with France 24’s Marc Perelman in New York, at the United Nations headquarters, Ndayishimiye said he had yet to see tangible changes since Rwanda and the DRC signed peace agreements in Washington last year.
Ndayishimiye said that before asking the warring parties to cease hostilities, Rwanda’s forces should first withdraw, arguing that they had not yet done so and that this could further escalate the conflict.
He also said that because AFC/M23 fighters are Congolese, they should first be taken to a designated facility where their security would be guaranteed, before reaching an agreement with the Congolese government.
Burundi’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Édouard Bizimana, recently wrote on X that the FDLR was an excuse created by Rwanda to conceal what he described as the real reasons behind the war in eastern DRC.
Rwanda’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Olivier Nduhungirehe, responded that it was unfortunate that a country leading the African Union was suggesting that the FDLR genocidal group does not exist.
Nduhungirehe has also pointed to African Union resolutions calling for the FDLR’s disarmament and repatriation.
Asked by the journalist to comment on Bizimana’s statement and Nduhungirehe’s response, Ndayishimiye said: “I think the issue of FDLR is becoming increasingly clear.”
Ndayishimiye said the Congolese government had committed itself to dismantling the FDLR and had begun by identifying the locations of its fighters.
“The Government of Congo had committed in the agreement that the FDLR must be dismantled, and it first started by finding out where the FDLR was located,” he said.
According to Ndayishimiye, the Congolese government has identified the locations of FDLR fighters, with some allegedly in areas controlled by the government and others in areas controlled by AFC/M23.
He added that Kinshasa had presented its plan to dismantle the FDLR to various countries, including those in the region, which he said demonstrated the Congolese government’s willingness to eliminate the group.
The plan Ndayishimiye referred to is an agreement between the FDLR and the Congolese government aimed at the “reintegration” of the group’s fighters into civilian life. Rwanda rejected the arrangement, arguing that it could divert attention from and delay implementation of the Washington agreements.
Rwanda maintains that the FDLR remains a security threat and that it operates alongside Congolese forces and Wazalendo fighters during the fighting. Kigali has also accused Kinshasa of continuing to provide the group with support, including weapons, money and supplies.
Ndayishimiye said Rwanda and AFC/M23 should first have dismantled the FDLR in areas he said they control, but that this had not happened. He said this made him believe that there could be undisclosed interests behind the conflict.
“If I see that Rwanda is doing nothing about the FDLR in areas it controls, because it is the one that should have dismantled it first, I think there is another hidden agenda,” he said.
The Burundian president did not address the fact that the Congolese government itself had not launched operations against FDLR fighters as provided for under the agreement signed on June 27, 2025, focusing instead on the reintegration arrangement rejected by Rwanda.
Ndayishimiye’s comments come as Rwanda continues to call for the FDLR issue to be addressed as one of the initial steps towards restoring peace in eastern DRC and the wider Great Lakes region.
Rwanda argues that lasting peace in the region cannot be achieved while the group, which it says has a history of destabilising the region, continues to operate in eastern DRC. Burundi, which has deployed forces alongside the Congolese army in fighting against AFC/M23 in parts of North and South Kivu, has itself been accused of cooperating with the FDLR.
Seeking to distance Burundi from the group, Ndayishimiye said there were no FDLR fighters in areas where Burundian troops operate because, he said, they would not find them there.
“Everyone knows that whenever Burundi has captured an FDLR fighter, they have been returned to Rwanda,” he said.
However, there is no publicly known instance during Ndayishimiye’s presidency in which Burundi captured FDLR fighters and handed them over to Rwanda, although the Burundian president said he had evidence to support his claim.
Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye has echoed DRC’s pretext for its failure to dismantle the FDLR.
Dr. Nsengiyumva made the remarks on September 23, 2026, in New York, where he delivered closing remarks at an event marking the 10th anniversary of the Kigali Amendment and the renewal of the Friends of the Kigali Amendment.
“The Kigali Amendment has shown us what is possible when countries come together around a shared environmental challenge and turn ambition into collective action,” he said, while stressing that “adoption was only the beginning.”
He said the real test now is how quickly countries can translate their commitments into improvements in people’s daily lives.
The Prime Minister linked sustainable cooling to practical development needs, citing healthcare, agriculture and energy costs as areas where progress can have a direct impact.
He said reliable and sustainable cooling can determine whether hospitals are able to safely refrigerate vaccines and medicines, while cold-chain infrastructure can help farmers preserve their produce, reach markets on time and reduce losses.
“This is why sustainable cooling cannot be treated only as a climate priority. It is a development priority,” Dr. Nsengiyumva said.
The Kigali Amendment, adopted in Kigali in 2016, expanded the Montreal Protocol’s scope by requiring countries to gradually reduce the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), potent greenhouse gases widely used in refrigeration and air conditioning.
Ten years after its adoption, the Amendment has gained broad international participation. As of August 10, 2026, 174 countries had ratified it, according to the Ozone Secretariat.
The Ozone Secretariat says the Amendment has helped drive the transition towards more energy-efficient and sustainable cooling technologies. Its 2026 anniversary campaign describes the past decade as a period in which the agreement has linked climate action with development, industrial capacity and innovation.
Officially reported data also show that global HFC production and consumption peaked in 2023 before beginning to decline. By 2024, consumption was reported to be 30 percent below the collective baseline established under the Kigali Amendment.
Dr. Nsengiyumva said Rwanda is seeking to contribute to this transition through the African Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-chain, which brings together technology, skills, research and investment to address challenges in food systems and healthcare.
He said Rwanda’s experience should serve as a “proof of concept” that can eventually be scaled beyond the country.
The Prime Minister identified four priorities for the renewed Friends of the Kigali Amendment: bringing every country into the agreement, accelerating implementation, mobilising partnerships and resources, and ensuring industry contributes to making efficient, climate-friendly cooling technologies available at scale.
He also called for greater involvement from philanthropy, civil society, the private sector, financial institutions and organisations such as the Climate and Clean Air Coalition.
His remarks come ahead of the 38th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol, which Rwanda will host in Kigali from November 2 to 6, 2026.
The meeting will take place in the same city where the Kigali Amendment was adopted a decade ago, giving Rwanda an opportunity to host countries as they assess progress and consider the next phase of implementation.
Dr. Nsengiyumva said Rwanda looks forward to welcoming participants back to Kigali, urging countries and partners to move “from commitment to implementation, from implementation to impact, and from ambition to results.”
The event was held in New York on September 23, 2026, bringing together government representatives and partners to mark the 10th anniversary of the Kigali Amendment and renew the Friends of the Kigali Amendment.Prime Minister Dr. Justin Nsengiyumva has urged countries to accelerate the implementation of the Kigali Amendment and ensure efficient, climate-friendly cooling technologies are available at scale.
Trump and first lady Melania Trump personally greeted Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, after their plane landed at the military base outside Washington.
The arrival ceremony included a 21 member honor guard, military platoons, the flags and national anthems of both countries, and a flyover by two B-1 bombers.
Xi’s visit comes as the United States and China continue discussions over trade, technology, artificial intelligence, rare earth minerals and other areas of disagreement.
On Wednesday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the two countries had agreed to extend their existing trade truce until January 10.
The arrangement had been due to expire in November and involves both sides scaling back tariffs and refraining from introducing certain new trade restrictions.
The extension gives Washington and Beijing additional time to negotiate broader economic issues.
Bessent said the additional period could allow Trump and Xi to continue discussions at international meetings planned for later this year.
Trade is not the only issue expected to feature in the talks. Artificial intelligence, access to rare earth minerals, Taiwan and US China relations with Iran are also among the issues facing the two governments.
Xi’s visit is the first state visit by a Chinese president to Washington in more than a decade.
His previous US state visit took place in 2015 during the administration of President Barack Obama.
The formal programme continues Thursday, when Trump and Xi are expected to hold talks at the White House.
Trump and Melania Trump are also scheduled to host Xi and Peng at a state dinner.
The visit includes several ceremonial events, reflecting the importance both governments place on their relationship despite continuing disagreements.
Xi is also scheduled to return to the White House on Friday for a private meeting with Trump and Melania Trump before visiting the National Archives with the first couple.
The leaders’ discussions come at a time when Washington and Beijing are seeking to manage tensions while addressing economic and security issues that affect their relationship and the wider global economy.
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping participate in an arrival ceremony at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on September 23, 2026, as Xi begins his state visit to the United States.
Nsengiyumva made the remarks while delivering Rwanda’s national statement at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.
“There is no lasting peace without confronting the root causes of the conflict and addressing the legitimate concerns of all those affected,” he told the Assembly.
The Prime Minister said the roots of the conflict in Eastern DRC are political and linked to long-standing grievances, exclusion and failures of governance.
“The solution, too, must be political,” he said.
Nsengiyumva affirmed that Rwanda supports ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the conflict, citing the Washington Accords between Rwanda and the DRC and the Doha Process between the DRC and AFC/M23 as steps in the right direction.
He also commended US President Donald Trump, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the African Union mediator, Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbé, for their efforts to advance the peace processes.
Rwanda, he maintained, remains committed to a region where countries can coexist peacefully, trade and develop together.
“We call on all actors, including the Security Council, to support these same peace efforts fairly, and to encourage all parties to honour their commitments,” Nsengiyumva urged.
FDLR remains a concern
In his address, the Prime Minister also raised the threat posed by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), describing the militia group linked to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi as a longstanding security concern.
“For more than three decades, the FDLR has spread genocidal ideology, committed grave abuses in Eastern DRC, and directly threatened Rwanda’s security, including through cross-border attacks,” he stressed.
Nsengiyumva told the Assembly that the FDLR operates alongside Burundian troops and DRC-sponsored militias and mercenaries, saying this violated international and regional conventions on mercenaries.
The remarks come amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to address the conflict in Eastern DRC, where Rwanda and the DRC have been involved in negotiations under separate Washington and Doha processes.
Rwanda has consistently called for the threat posed by the FDLR to be addressed as part of efforts to resolve tensions with the Kinshasa administration and the broader conflict involving AFC/M23 in eastern DRC.
Call for UN reform
Nsengiyumva also used his address to call for reforms that would enable the UN to respond more effectively to global challenges.
He said the organisation had yet to demonstrate that it can sufficiently adapt to a changing and uncertain world, arguing that its legitimacy should be measured by what it delivers.
“Institutions earn legitimacy not by what they promise, but by what they deliver year after year,” he stated.
The Prime Minister said the UN had often been more effective at responding to crises than anticipating them, citing pandemics, climate shocks, technological disruption and conflict.
He argued that prevention should extend beyond armed conflicts to addressing conditions that leave countries vulnerable to poverty, economic shocks and exclusion from opportunities.
“An international system that gives all countries a fair opportunity to determine their own development pathways must be central to the UN80 reform process,” Nsengiyumva said.
He also emphasised that Rwanda welcomed the session’s focus on restoring trust through prevention, inclusion and reform and said Kigali was ready to work with other UN member states toward those goals.
PM Nsengiyumva is representing President Kagame at the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly.
The high-level General Debate brings together heads of state, heads of government and other senior representatives from the 193 UN member states.
The session is being held under the theme “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.”
The agenda includes discussions on multilateral cooperation, peace and security, sustainable development, climate action, public health and human rights.
Beyond delivering Rwanda’s national statement, Nsengiyumva is scheduled to participate in high-level meetings, side events and bilateral engagements with international partners during his time in New York.
Rwanda’s Prime Minister Justin Nsengiyumva has challenged the United Nations to help address the root causes of the conflict in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, stressing that there can be no lasting peace without confronting them.
A hospital needs sophisticated equipment. A patient may require an advanced prosthetic device. A clinician depends on reliable imaging technology. Health systems increasingly rely on digital tools to manage information and deliver care.
Behind many of these needs is a profession that brings engineering into the world of healthcare: Biomedical Engineering.
For students in Rwanda who are drawn to both technology and health sciences, UMST is opening a new academic pathway. The university has received accreditation from Rwanda’s Higher Education Council for its Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering, becoming the first university in Rwanda to receive accreditation for an undergraduate program in the field.
The program comes at a time when healthcare is becoming increasingly dependent on technology and when countries need professionals capable of understanding, managing and developing that technology.
Where engineering meets healthcare
Biomedical Engineering combines engineering with medical and biological sciences to address practical healthcare challenges.
At UMST, students will be introduced to three specialized areas: Bioinstrumentation Technology, Medical Imaging and Medical Informatics.
The applications are wide range. Graduates can contribute to medical-device development and management, imaging technologies, rehabilitation, health information systems, research, innovation and other areas where technology intersects with patient care.
It is a field for students who want to ask not only what is the problem? but also how can we design a solution?
A program that demands strong science
Biomedical Engineering is not a shortcut to healthcare. It is a rigorous discipline requiring students to work across several areas of science and engineering.
At UMST, students can enter the program with PCB, MCB or PCM combinations. Their training will require a strong foundation in Mathematics and Physics alongside Biology, computing, engineering principles and practical problem-solving.
The interdisciplinary nature of the program is central to its appeal. A student may need to understand how the human body works, analyze a technical problem and then apply engineering principles to develop or improve a solution.
That combination requires curiosity, discipline and the willingness to learn beyond a single subject.
Learning from technology and experience
The program is supported by UMST’s state-of-the-art technology and modern teaching and learning resources, designed to connect theoretical knowledge with practical training.
Students will also benefit from the university’s combination of experienced professors and industry practitioners, bringing academic expertise and professional experience into the classroom.
For a discipline as practical as Biomedical Engineering, that connection matters. Understanding a device from a textbook is different from understanding how technology performs in a real healthcare environment.
Eng. Mushtaq Mahyoob, Dean, College of Biomedical Engineering said: “Biomedical Engineering requires students to think across disciplines. We want them to understand the healthcare problem, identify where technology can make a difference and develop the engineering skills needed to create safe and practical solutions. Accreditation is an important milestone, but our greater goal is to prepare engineers who can contribute meaningfully to healthcare innovation in Rwanda and beyond.”
Careers beyond the classroom
The career possibilities extend well beyond a traditional engineering workplace.
Biomedical engineers can work in hospitals, medical-device companies, research institutions, universities, technology companies, rehabilitation services and healthcare technology management. The field also provides a foundation for research, innovation and entrepreneurship.
For Rwanda, developing this expertise locally could help strengthen the country’s capacity to manage existing healthcare technologies while creating solutions suited to local needs.
The opportunity is not confined to Rwanda either. UMST’s graduates have built careers internationally, including in the United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, among other destinations.
For prospective students, that international reach demonstrates the potential for a career that can move across healthcare systems and national borders.
Different professions, one healthcare mission
A new academic milestone for UMST
UMST has been recognized as a university since 1996, building its academic identity over nearly three decades.
The accreditation of the Biomedical Engineering degree UMST-Rwanda Campus adds a new chapter to that history. It also reflects the university’s stated commitment to specialized education that responds to the needs of the healthcare sector while keeping pace with developments in technology and medical innovation.
For students, the significance is clear.
They are not simply choosing another engineering degree. They are entering an emerging profession at the intersection of two rapidly evolving fields.
A student’s perspective
“I chose Biomedical Engineering because I wanted a career where I could use engineering and technology to solve real healthcare problems. The program is challenging because it brings different sciences together, but that is also what makes it exciting,” says Margany Esam Mahjon.
Frequently asked questions
Who should consider Biomedical Engineering?
Students with an interest in Mathematics, Physics, Biology, technology and practical problem-solving.
Which combinations are accepted?
UMST accepts PCB, MCB and PCM, subject to the university’s current admission requirements.
Is Biomedical Engineering the same as medicine?
No. It is an engineering discipline applied to healthcare. Biomedical engineers and doctors have different professional responsibilities and work as complementary members of the wider health system.
Where can graduates work?
Potential areas include hospitals, medical-device companies, research and innovation centres, technology companies, rehabilitation services, universities and healthcare technology management.
Can the degree lead to international careers?
Biomedical Engineering is an internationally relevant field, although professional requirements vary by country. UMST graduates already work in several international markets, including the UAE, UK, Canada and Australia.
The future needs people who can build
Healthcare’s future will depend not only on those who diagnose and treat disease, but also on those who develop the technologies that make better diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation possible.
That is the opportunity Biomedical Engineering presents.
And at UMST, Rwanda’s first accredited undergraduate program in the field gives a new generation of students the opportunity to be part of that future.
For students who want to combine science, engineering and purpose, the next healthcare breakthrough could be theirs to build.
UMST has received accreditation from Rwanda’s Higher Education Council to offer an undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering, becoming the first institution in Rwanda to receive accreditation for the programme.Biomedical Engineering programme, combinines engineering, technology and healthcare training.UMST’s newly accredited Biomedical Engineering programme will train students in areas including medical imaging, bioinstrumentation and medical informatics.The new Biomedical Engineering programme at UMST is designed to prepare students to work with technologies used in diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and healthcare management.UMST’s accredited Biomedical Engineering programme offers prospective students a pathway that brings together engineering and health sciences to address practical challenges in healthcare.
Researchers visited Ningaloo Reef off the Western Australian coast to investigate Porites corals, a group of reef-building corals that play a major role in creating and maintaining reef habitats throughout the Indo-Pacific, according to a statement released Thursday by Australia’s Curtin University.
For the first time, the team determined when some of Ningaloo Reef’s key corals reproduce, providing a baseline to track marine heatwave impacts, reef recovery and restoration opportunities, the statement said.
Understanding coral reproduction was essential because reefs could not recover unless corals successfully produced the next generation, said PhD candidate David Juszkiewicz from Curtin’s Coral Conservation and Research Group.
A damaged reef recovers because surviving corals produce offspring that go on to “replenish and rebuild the reef,” said Juszkiewicz, lead author of the study published in Marine Biology.
The researchers examined 20 coral colonies from Ningaloo Reef and found evidence that two important reef-building species, Porites lutea and Porites lobata, were preparing to spawn during the reef’s annual early autumn mass spawning period, providing the first reproductive baseline for these species at Ningaloo.
No signs of reproduction were found in a third species, Porites australiensis, suggesting it may spawn at a different time of year and highlighting the need for year-round monitoring, according to the study.
The researchers said the regional differences in reproductive timing could mean the populations are reproductively isolated, potentially limiting their ability to replenish each other after marine heatwaves or cyclones.
A coral reef in the Gulf of Eilat/Aqaba in the Red Sea. Corals here and in the Persian Gulf are particularly affected by light pollution. Sahchaf Ben Ezra
In a post on social media platform X, Baghaei said a new round of “message exchange and clarification” took place between Iran and the United States on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
Baghaei listed some of Tehran’s conditions as the “cessation of aggressive U.S. actions, including the naval blockade and economic terrorism; ending the war on all fronts; release of Iran’s frozen or restricted assets; and acceptance of a safe shipping route (in the Strait of Hormuz) in the manner agreed upon between the two coastal governments (namely Iran and Oman).”
Citing its exclusive source, Iran’s state-run IRIB news agency reported Tuesday that Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi met earlier in the day with U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and conveyed the country’s “decisive positions” on reopening the Strait of Hormuz to the United States.
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei told IRIB TV on Wednesday that unless the United States fulfills Iran’s conditions, there will be no talks between Tehran and Washington and the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened.
On June 18, the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ending the war in the region on all fronts, including Lebanon. Under the MoU, they were scheduled to hold negotiations within 60 days, which ended on Aug. 17, to reach a final agreement, but the fate of the talks remains unclear following a series of recent escalations between the two countries.
Following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, Tehran restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz, while U.S. forces imposed a naval blockade targeting vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports.
A woman holds an Iranian flag as part of a pro-government campaign in downtown Tehran, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
The game went into overtime after the two sides were tied 103-103 at the end of regulation time.
Shanghai Sharks started strongly, taking the first quarter 30-17, before narrowly edging the second quarter 30-29 to build a halftime lead. The teams were tied 25-25 in the third quarter before Tigers produced a brilliant fourth-quarter comeback, outscoring the Sharks 32-18 to force overtime.
RSSB Tigers scored 14 points in the five-minute overtime period, while Shanghai Sharks managed 12, securing the 117-115 victory for the Rwandan side.
Shanghai Sharks’ American guard Brandon Goodwin led all scorers with 37 points, while Craig Randall II was Tigers’ leading scorer with 30 points.
The victory keeps RSSB Tigers in contention for a strong finish in Group A. The Rwandan side will know its final standing after Thursday’s game between Rytas Vilnius and Shanghai Sharks.
Tigers opened their campaign on September 22 with a 107-89 defeat to Lithuania’s Rytas Vilnius.
Under the tournament format, the top team in Group A will advance to the final to face the winner of Group B—which features Beijing Royal Fighters of China, Club Atlético Boca Juniors of Argentina, and NBA G League United of the United States. The second-placed teams in each group will contest the third-place playoff, while the third-placed teams will play for fifth place.
The tournament will conclude on September 27, 2026.
Craig Randall II was Tigers’ leading scorer with 30 points.The RSSB Tigers vs Shanghai Sharks game was a closely contested affair. Antino Jackson Jr dribbles past two Shanghai Sharks players.
Teafale Lenard Jr goes up for a shot as Shanghai Sharks’ Pengfei Yan attempts to block him.
