KIGALI, September 12, 2025 – Rwanda’s approach of turning local innovations into global examples was praised on Friday as the country marked the *International Day for South-South Cooperation* together with United Nations officials in Kigali.
The day celebrates how developing countries learn from each other by sharing knowledge and practical solutions.
Rwanda Cooperation’s Work:
Since it was set up in 2018, *Rwanda Cooperation* has hosted *more than 700 delegations from 70 countries, many of them from Africa. Visitors come to study Rwanda’s success in areas such as **digital services, decentralization, and governance*.
This year, Rwanda welcomed a high-level team from *Liberia*, led by the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, who spent five days learning about Rwanda’s citizen-centered services.
Other countries, including Guinea, Lesotho, and Eswatini, have also adapted Rwanda’s systems. For example, after visiting Kigali, Guinea adopted Rwanda’s e-procurement system (Umucyo) to improve transparency in public spending.
UN Leaders Speak Out:
Ozonnia Ojielo, the UN Resident Coordinator in Rwanda, said the country’s ability to transform its own challenges into solutions now serves as a model worldwide.
“What Rwanda is doing is showing how homegrown ideas can have a global impact,” he said, adding that even countries as far away as Jamaica have come to study Rwanda’s justice reforms.
Fatmata Sesay, UNDP Rwanda Resident Representative, said South-South Cooperation works best when lessons are not only shared but also put into practice.
“We move faster when countries learn from each other and take action together,” she said.
Fatmata “Giramata” Sesay
Government Reaffirms Commitment:
Clementine Mukeka
Clementine Mukeka, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs*, said Rwanda places South-South Cooperation at the heart of its diplomacy. “Our homegrown solutions come from our history and culture. They offer practical answers where other models have failed,” she noted.
She added that Rwanda is ready to share more of its experiences at the upcoming *80th UN General Assembly* in New York.
“We (youth) are not angry but hungry for government support to participate in the development of Africa,” Koumba Esperance Nenette (left), a Gabonese International Relations student, University of Rwanda, tells UN and Envoys at the event.
Dr. Willy Mugenzi, Chief operations officer RCI
