Raoul Wallenberg Institute Sweden Deputy Director pays courtesy call on AU

24 March 2022

Africa University received Deputy Director of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights (RWI) Sweden, Deputy Director Dr.  Rolf Ring and Mr. Michael Johanssen, Director and Senior Policy Advisor on Anti- corruption and Human Rights , RWI, Harare Office. Dr. Ring is visiting Zimbabwe from Sweden and is touring key partner institutions to gain insight into the roll out of human rights programming sponsored by the institute and in the case of Africa University, progress in academic training that is being delivered by the university.

Meeting with the Interim Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Pamela Machakanja and the Dean of the School of Law, Dr. Tendai Chakarisa,  Dr. Ring expressed his appreciation for the level of professionalism and focus on excellence that the university has placed in the development, recruitment for and teaching of the RWI funded Masters in Human Rights that is currently being offered at Africa University.

The first cohort of the programme is currently in its second semester and has brought together a dynamic and interesting mix of professionals in the human rights field with backgrounds in teaching, activism, environment, development, gender and law. The 15 students drawn from all the provinces of Zimbabwe met with Dr. Ring and Mr. Johanssen in an informal session where the hopes, aspirations and dreams of the first cohort were discussed at length.

The university’s partnership with RWI also sees the latter making substantial donations to the Jokomo Yamada Library ensuring that critical texts on human rights and law are made easily and readily available at all times guaranteeing student success and bridging the knowledge gap. The Jokomo Yamada Library has made great strides towards increasing access to books through a number of e- resource platforms allowing knowledge to be attained at any time and any where.  Mr. Johanssen stressed that it is imperative  that students have access to e- resources to allow in depth engagement with course materials.

Africa University is proud to be associated with the RWI whose generous funding and support toward human rights programmes allows the 30 year old institution to expose more of the continents’ brightest and most promising minds to higher education.

The Raoul Wallenberg Institute combines evidence-based human rights research with direct engagement in close collaboration with its partners to bring about human rights change for all. RWI is a research and academic institution with offices, programmes, and convening power covering 40 countries. The institute is named after Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who saved tens of thousands of Jews and other people at risk in Hungary at the end of World War II.