Kigali, 18 May 2022

A three-day National Security Symposium 2022 jointly organized by Rwanda Defence Force Command and Staff College (RDFCSC) and the University of Rwanda (UR) has officially opened at Intare Conference Arena, Kigali capital.

The symposium is held under the theme: “Contemporary Security Challenges: The African Perspective”.

The symposium brought together academicians, government officials and subject matter experts including Generals and Senior Military Officers to discuss contemporary security issues. 

While officiating at the opening ceremony, Minister of Defence Maj Gen Albert Murasira underlined that the African continent is facing complex challenges ranging from surge of violent extremism, climate change, food insecurity, cyber security, economic uncertainty among others. He emphasised that no single country alone can address the highlighted challenges.
“The need to promote Inter – state, inter-agency collaboration and cooperation has become more urgent and important to respond to emerging threats.” he said.

The ninth National Security Symposium has attracted over 200 participants  including student officers of the Senior Command and Staff Course from Rwanda and allied countries namely Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

The symposium discussions will cover a variety of topics ranging from democracy, Climate Change, Science and Technology Development, Improving Agricultural Productivity for Food Security and Socio-Economic Transformation, Alternative Energy Sources to address Future Energy Demand, Role of the African Security Forces in National Development and Societal Transformation.