Leonidas Manayubahwe Kazana, a University of Kigali graduate, was on June 1 crowned winner of the inaugural 2022 National Bank of Rwanda (NBR) Postgraduate Research Competition.

The March 2023 Master of Science in Economics graduate, whose research was titled: "Drivers of inflation during the pandemic: evidence from disaggregated consumption," beat competitors from the University of Rwanda and Kigali Independent University (ULK).

The winner and runner-up were awarded laptops and government bonds by the National Bank of Rwanda.

Another University of Kigali Master of Science in Economics graduate of March 2023, Moses Mudaheranwa, emerged among the six finalists and was awarded a certificate.

The competition had 26 participants enrolled from the three participating Universities; University of Kigali, University of Rwanda, and Kigali Independent University.

The award ceremony took place during the National Bank of Rwanda 2023 Research Conference held at Kigali Convention Centre.

Speaking during the conference, the National Bank of Rwanda Governor, John Rwangombwa, said that the inaugural research competition targeted a cohort of postgraduate students enrolled in accredited postgraduate programs in economics in Rwanda.

The supervisors, Dr. Afolabi Luqman and Dr. Richard Kabanda, from the University of Kigali Graduate School's Economics Faculty were also recognized. The Dean of Graduate School, Dr. Ronald Kwena, who was also present during the conference and award ceremony, appreciated the Faculty for the mentorship of the students. He noted that the School is privileged to have such highly qualified academic staff. Speaking on the sidelines of the conference, Dr. Kwena noted that the University of Kigali Graduate School has shifted its focus to producing quality research.

"This achievement shows the results of the quality of research we are targeting to produce," he emphasized.

The competition was aimed at bridging the gap between academia and applied research, hence creating a pool of young economists capable of contributing to evidence-based policymaking in Rwanda's economic development.