Nordic Business Forum in Rwanda

Tapahtuman alkuperäinen kuvaus:

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