News

For the second time in history, Rwanda’s Pharmaceutical Students’ Association (RPSA) will host the 14th edition of the African Pharmaceutical Symposium (AfPS), a flagship event of the International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (IPSF) in Africa. The event is set to welcome students, professionals, academics, innovators, and investors from across the continent to discuss the development of the pharmaceutical sector.

The symposium is organized annually by International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation-African Regional Office (IPSF AfRO) and hosted by a member country that wins the hosting bid. Since its launch in Algeria 2011, it has been held in Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Nigeria, Mali, Sierra Leone, and Rwanda. In 2024, Rwanda’s bid for 2026 was accepted and later adopted by the IPSF AfRO Regional Assembly in Harare 2025.

Hosting the 4th symposium back in 2014 opened doors for RPSA to organize more international events. Three years later, the association hosted the World Healthcare Students’ Summit 2017, followed by the IPSF World Congress 2019. In addition, RPSA organized annual symposia, reaching their 14th edition in 2025.

UR has set a strong benchmark in supporting pharmacy students’ participation in international conferences. Recently, Gedeon Mbonabucya (former RPSA President, Chairperson of AfPS 2026) and Sano Samuel (Chairperson of IPSF AfRO 2024–2025) represented Rwanda at the AfPS 2025 in Harare and the IPSF World Congress in Nairobi.
This follows Rwanda’s success at the AfPS 2024 in Sierra Leone, where the winning bid to host AfPS 2026 was presented. With the university’s guidance, RPSA prepared the bid and later submitted a progressive preparation report in Harare, reaffirming university leadership in empowering young pharmacists to contribute to global pharmaceutical advancement.

RPSA Delegation to IPSF WC in Nairobi, kenya