It was held this Wednesday, July 15, 2020 at Bugabo Campus, a working session between Professor Kanigula Mubagwa, Rector of the Catholic University of Bukavu (UCB) and Madame Denise Luethi Crisan, Director of Swiss Cooperation Great Lakes – DR Congo. The two authorities reviewed the various research projects funded by the Development and Cooperation Direction before projecting new collaboration opportunities with institutions in Switzerland.

The Catholic University of Bukavu maintains very good relations with Swiss institutions. Until 2018, the Swiss Tropical Institute of Public Health (Swiss TPH) collaborated with the Regional School of Public Health (ERSP) for the organization of operational health research courses. In 2017, the Laboratory of Economics Applied to Development (LEAD) trained thirty entrepreneurs with the support of Swiss contact. Swiss Cooperation has been supporting the Faculty of Social Sciences for several months in seminars on HIV / AIDS for students as well as in other sectors. Other partnerships to accompany and perform service to the community are being established; as well as projects to improve the digitalization sector of the library in order to make an efficient database for students.

In office in Bukavu since March 2020, Madame Denise Luethi Crisan has expressed her intent to pursue relentlessly the collaboration started with the Catholic University of Bukavu. Another reason for her visit to Bugabo Campus was therefore to meet with UCB authorities. Swiss Cooperation works in several areas of common interest with our Faculties, Centers, Schools and Institutes. Internal needs assessment work should precede the identification of other potential partners – universities and companies – who can work alongside the Catholic University of Bukavu in Training, Research and Knowledge Sharing domains. A precious liaison role that Madame Denise Luethi Crisan wholeheartedly agreed to play. We hope for better results from this collaboration between Swiss Cooperation and the Catholic University of Bukavu for several more years.