NORDIC FORUM IN RWANDA – PROGRAM

Event Overview

 

Date: 3 – 5 April 2025
Venue: Kigali Conference and Exhibition Village (KCEV), Rwanda

Join us for an exclusive 3-day business & education forum designed for investors & educators seeking growth in key sectors such as education, agribusiness, health and financial services. Engage with Rwandan business leaders, government officials, and Nordic investors in insightful sessions, networking events, and cultural immersion activities.

DAY 1: TRADE & BUSINESS

Date: Thursday, April 3, 2025
Venue: Kigali Conference & Exhibition Village (KCEV)

08:00 – 09:00 | Registration & Networking

  • Location: Main Lobby
  • Attendees collect badges & materials

09:00 – 09:30 | High-Level Opening Plenary

Master of Ceremony: TBD

  • Welcome Remarks
    • 09:00 – 09:10: Afrika Jean Guy, CEO, Rwanda Development Board (RDB)
    • 09:10 – 09:20: Prudence Sebahizi, Minister of Trade & Industry, Rwanda
  • Keynote Addresses
    • 09:30 – 09:40: Ambassador Dag Sjöögren, Swedish Ambassador to Rwanda
    • 09:40 – 09:50: Peter Olesen, Head of Danish Project Office in Rwanda
    • 10:00 – 10:10: Teemu Laajasalo, Bishop of Helsinki, Finland
  • Why Rwanda?
    • 10:10 – 10:20: Michelle Umurungi, Chief Investment Officer, (RDB)

10:20 – 11:15 | Panel: Decoding the East African Financial Market

Moderator: Pierre Jallow (CEO, Remode)
Panelists:

  • Mubiligi J Francoise, Chairperson, Private Sector Federation
  • Mari Lymysalo, Managing Director, Invesdor
  • Zachariah George, Founder/Managing Partner, Launch Africa Ventures
  • Nick Barigye, CEO, Rwanda Finance Limited
  • Thapelo Tsheole, CEO, Capital Markets Rwanda
  • Antoine Kajangwe, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Trade, Rwanda

11:15 – 11:30 | Networking Coffee Break (15 min)

11:30 – 12:15 | Rwanda Green Business Agenda

Moderator: TBD
Panelists:

  • Teddy Mugabo, CEO, Rwanda Green Fund
  • Markus Silfverberg, Founder & Chairman, Block Solutions Oy, Finland
  • Nordic firms active in East Africa (TBD)
  • Rwandan enterprise with Nordic partnership (TBD)

12:15 – 13:15 | Panel: Nordic-Rwanda: Partnerships That Work

Moderator: Åsa Jarskog, President, Swedish Africa Chamber
Panelists:

  • Antti-Jussi Ahveninen, Head of Real Estate Funds, Africa, Taaleri Private Equity Funds Ltd, Finland
  • Denis Karera, Chairman, GC Investments, Rwanda
  • Larry Leksell, Founder & Chairman, Elekta, Sweden
  • Lacy Hubbard, President, Elekta Foundation, Sweden
  • Li Huaquing, CEO, Gynius Plus Ab, Sweden
  • Kari-Pekka Murtonen, Chief Specialist and Head of Global Action, Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences, Finland

13:15 – 14:15 | Lunch Break

14:15 – 15:15 | Financing and Resource Mobilization

Moderator: TBD
Panelists:

  • Mutesi Rusagara, Minister of State for Public Investments and Resource Mobilization, Rwanda
  • Patience Mutesi Gatera, MD, BPR Bank & Honorary Consul of Finland to Rwanda
  • Shori Zand, Founder & Chairperson, Avesina Investment Group
  • Sara Kappelmark, Co-CEO, Norrsken
  • Selena Rodgers Dikerson, President, SARCOR LLC

15:15 – 16:00 | Coffee Tasting Session

16:00 – 17:00 | Session: Agro-Business, FMCG, and Export Dynamics

Moderator:
Panelist:

  • Claude Bizimana, CEO National Agricultural Export Development Board
  • Angelique Karekezi, CEO — Rwashosco Coffee Company
  • Nordic FMCG investors (TBD)
  • Packaging experts (TBD)
  • Agribusiness (TBD)

17:00 – 17:30 | Closing Remarks & End of Day 1

18:00 – 20:00 | Cocktail Reception (Venue TBD)

 

DAY 2: TRADE, BUSINESS & EDUCATION

Date: Friday, April 4, 2025
Venue: Kigali Conference & Exhibition Village (KCEV)

Parallel session 1

09:00 – 09:15 | Welcome & Recap from Day 1

  • Summary of key outcomes

10:30 – 12:00 | Pitching Session: Funding & Investing

  • Host: Remode ME Oy
  • Companies pitch to investors in timed rounds (5 min per company)
  • Structured discussions post-pitching for investment matching

12:00 – 13:00 | Lunch Break

Parallel session 2

Education Track: A Gateway to Global Educational Collaborations

09:00 – 09:40 | Opening & Keynotes

Moderator: TBD

  • Didas Kayihura Muganga, Vice-Chancellor, University of Rwanda
  • Joseph Nsengimana, Minister of Education, Rwanda
  • Annika Sundbäck-Lindroos, EDUFI, Finnish National Agency for Education

09:40 – 10:00 | Rwanda-Finland Educational Partnerships

Moderator: TBD

Panelists:

  • Mireille Biraro, Director of International Relations, INES RUHENGERI University of Applied Sciences
  • Prof Leon Mutesa, Chairman of the Board, Catholic University of Rwanda
  • Sanna Lukander, Co-Founder, Fun Academy & The Campus Company, Finland

10:00 – 11:00 | Learning from International Experiences

Moderator: TBD

Panelists:

  • Prof Sam Yala, President, African Institute of Mathematical Sciences – Rwanda (AIMS)
  • Prof Martin Hellström, Vice Chancellor, Mälardalen University, Sweden
  • Associate Professor Ghislain Maurice Norbert Isabwe, University of Agder, Norway
  • Associate Professor Linley Chiwona Karltun, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
  • Dr Satu Ala-Harja, Chairman of the Board, Finland
  • Ms Cecilia N Quarshie, Founder & CEO, Ceci Educare Oy, Finland

11:00 – 11:15 | Networking Coffee Break

11:15 – 12:15 | Finnish Educational Experience in Rwanda

Moderator: TBD

Panelists:

  • Adjunct Prof. Sai Väyrynen, University of Helsinki, Finland
  • Olli Vainio, University of Turku, Finland
  • Dr Jaakko Hallila, President & CEO,                                                                                                                Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences (SeAMK), Finland
  • Kari-Pekka Murtonen, Chief Specialist and Head of Global Action, Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences (JAMK), Finland
  • David Tumusiime, College of Medicine and Health Sciences University of Rwanda
  • Dr Alphonse Nkurunziza, Director of African Centre of Excellence in Transport and Logistics, College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda

12:15 – 13:30 | Lunch Break

13:30 – 14:30 | Panel: Internationalization – Best Practices & Lessons Learned

Moderator: TBD

Panelists:

  • Dr Edward Kadozi, Director General, Higher Education Council, Ministry of Education, Rwanda
  • Prof Didas Kayihura Vice-Chancellor, University of Rwanda
  • Adjunct Prof Sai Väyrynen University of Helsinki, Finland
  • Martin Hellström, Vice Chancellor, Mälardalen University, Sweden
  • Dr Sylvie Mucyo, Vice Chancellor, Rwanda Polytechnic

14:30 – 16:30 | One-on-One Networking

  • 1h: Nordic educational institutions introduce themselves (5 min each)
  • 1h: Rotational one-to-one meetings (15 min slots)

16:30 | Concluding Remarks:

  • Anne Peltonen, EDUFI, Finnish National Agency for Education
  • Dr Florien Nsanganwimana, Principal, College of Education University of Rwanda

 

DAY 3: CULTURAL IMMERSION

Date: Saturday, April 5, 2025