Hills Connect Oy

Very happy to be home attending the Nordic Baltic Forum, organised by the Rwandan Embassy to the Nordics and the Rwandan Embassy to the Baltics, together with HillsConnect and Remode, supported by RDB and TradeMark Africa. Grateful to the Ambassadors of Finland, HE Theresa Zitting, Norway, HE Tone Tinnes, Sweden, HE Dag Sjörgen, Deputy Head of Denmark Mission Peter Eilschow Olesen , Lydie Hakizimana , Honorary Consul of Latvia to Rwanda, and to the 250 participants who contributed to the rich and forward-looking exchanges during the forum. This platform continues to demonstrate its value as a space where companies, academic institutions, and public sector leaders come together to explore partnerships and strengthen collaboration between Rwanda and the Nordic–Baltic region. Building on the momentum of the first edition held last year, it is encouraging to see the good progress being made on the partnerships initiated during that first gathering. The forum continues to serve as a catalyst for dialogue that is now translating into concrete engagement across sectors. It is particularly inspiring to witness a growing number of new cooperations being forged between companies and academic institutions, working together on initiatives that serve societal needs and foster innovation, knowledge exchange, and sustainable development. Special thanks to the Ambassador of Sweden for the warm cocktail that beautifully closed the day, and sincere appreciation to HillsConnect, Remode, RDB, and TradeMark Africa for their valuable support. Looking forward to continuing to turn dialogue into impactful partnerships.

The first day of the three-day visit to Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences brought together a delegation led by Minister of State for Education, Hon. Claudette Irere with representatives from the University of Rwanda, Rwanda Polytechnic, INES-Ruhengeri, Inyange Industries, and Hills Connect (a Rwandan diaspora-founded company in Finland that connects businesses and institutions with Rwanda). The day began with a warm welcome and introduction to the Seinäjoki region by the Mayor Mr. Jaakko Kiiskilä followed by discussions with the University’s leadership led by SEAMK President, Dr. Jaakko Hallila and Dean Dr.Anne-Maria Aho on how Rwanda can draw lessons from Seinäjoki’s successful model of linking academia with the private sector fostering innovation, practical solutions, and alignment with Rwanda’s NST2 goals. In the afternoon, the delegation met with Into Seinäjoki, the region’s business development agency, and the Chamber of Commerce to explore partnership opportunities. The embassy extended an invitation for the Seinäjoki business community to participate in the upcoming Nordic-Baltic Forum in Rwanda in March 2026.