UNamur - Southern countries scholarships: a bridge to excellence and international openness

Launched at the initiative of Rector Yves Poullet (2010 - 2017) as part of a university cooperation project with the South, this South Country scholarship has several objectives. First and foremost, it offers scholarship-holders the opportunity to gain international experience and high value-added expertise in their field of study, as part of an enriching inter-university exchange on a human level. The exchange also complements the training offered by university partners in the South, where certain programs or specialization streams are non-existent. Finally, UNamur, faithful to the welcoming tradition of its Jesuit founders, thus strengthens its international ties and fosters intercultural exchanges.

Since 2016, this program has welcomed some twenty students to Namur from five partner institutions: the Institut Supérieur de Pédagogie (ISP) in Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC) near Cotonou in Benin, the Universidad Jesuita de Guadalajara (ITESO) in Mexico, St. Xavier's College in Kolkata, India and the University of Kinshasa (DRC). Xavier's College in Kolkata, India, and the University of Kinshasa (DRC). These students were able to take courses in a variety of disciplines: mathematics, computer science, biology, biomedical sciences, management sciences and international and development economics.

Legend: Boursiers 2024-2025 accompanied by the International Relations Department (SRI): Amélie SCHOCK (SRI), Manasse KUBANGA KUSONIKA, Cédric ABODE AGBANDOHOUNTO, Pascal KOKO BASHENGEZI, Isabella FONTANA (SRI) and Shekala TSCHEKE (SRI)

Christian Mugisho Zagabe, originally from ISP Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was one of the first recipients of the UNamur - Southern Countries Scholarship in 2016. "I had just graduated in pedagogy with a mathematics orientation when I was told about the existence of this scholarship," he recalls.

If Christian Mugisho Zagabe was a brilliant student at ISP Bukavu, he had to redouble his efforts to adapt to the pace of classes taught at UNamur. "I quickly realized that the level of study wasn't going to be the same as at ISP Bukavu ," confides Christian Mugisho Zagabe. "At UNamur's Mathematics Department, we use numerics a lot. However, this part is not at all integrated into the training I had had. I had to spend nights in the lab to learn new software and catch up. With a lot of willpower and hard work, I managed to keep up with the courses. In fact, the teachers liked me more for my progress than for optimizing my codes," he laughs.

Beyond the academic aspect, this year of study in Belgium also involves a profound change in lifestyle for the students. "On arriving in Namur, I was lucky enough to meet a student originally from Bukavu, who had been living here for a few years, and who was able to help me come to terms with the European way of life," recounts Christian Mugisho Zagabe. "His support was invaluable, and it made me want, in turn, to help Bukavian students arriving here." And so he co-founded the association "Les amis de Bukavu". The aim of this initiative is to create a support network for students, offering them a space to share their experiences, discuss their difficulties or talk about cultural differences. Each year, the association welcomes around twenty students from Bukavu.

In the eight years of its existence, UNamur has welcomed some twenty students thanks to this scholarship. Here are a few examples of what these former scholarship holders have become:

• Doctor of Mathematics at UNamur
• Developer at Capgemini in Paris
• Patient Safety and Quality Specialist at Alcon in Bengaluru (India)
• Teaching Assistant in Bukavu (Democratic Republic of Congo)
• Secretary General of the Réseau National des ONG actives dans l'agriculture durable, Coordinator NGO Sojagnon in Benin, blue-book intern at the European Commission in Brussels
• Assistant financial analyst at Compagnie financière d'investissement et de gestion in Cotonou (Benin)
• Freelance French-English translator in Japan
• Project administrator in Benin
• Procurement Associate at UNOPS in Kinshasa (DRC)