Rwanda’s branch of the Adventist University of Central Africa (AUCA) is building a $130 million medical school that will be up and running in January 2020.
The college will have several campus including, among others, Bachelors of Medicine and Surgery, Laboratory Technology, Nursing.
Located in the Masoro industry, Gasabo district on the same campus that hosts other current faculties, the School of Medicine will begin with 55 learners from around the globe aspiring to become skilled medical doctors in multiple fields.
Construction is in four stages. The first involves the building of nine laboratories and four blocks of housing.
Before the opening, a college teaching hospital will be built in the other three stages to assist the college in practice, other accommodations, swimming pools, playgrounds and employee hostels will be built.
“The International association of Adventist church decided to build the school of medicine in Rwanda after several consultations. Our leaders were mostly convinced by the political stability coupled with steady growth of the country,” Dr. Roger Ruterahagusha, AUCA Kigali Rector told the press.
The college was originally planned to be constructed in Nairobi – Kenya
“Ours will have international standards both in equipment and lecturers,” Ruterahagusha said adding that lecturers in the seven schools will be able to teach in any of them.
This comes after Nigeria as the seventh Adventist medical school in the globe and second in Africa.
Reporters learned that the college tuition will be $14,000 annually upon inauguration.
Meanwhile, current programs at AUCA Kigali include, among others, a Bachelor of Business Management, Public Administration, Information Communication Technology.
Construction of the medical school has been sponsored by the International Association for Adventists, based in the United States of America, according to AUCA management.
AUCA Medical School joins two current medical colleges with campuses across the nation, including the University of Global Health Equity in the county of Burera, the Northern Province and the University of Rwanda.
Existing AUCA- Masoro Campus buildings. Other universities include Gishushu in Remera, Gasabo and Karongi in the western province .
Gitwe’s Adventist University also has a medicine faculty, but is still struggling with Higher Education Council (HEC) accreditation.