On September 23, 2022, the Department of Legal, Political, Administrative and Management Sciences and International Relations of the University of Goma officially opened its first Law Library on the Green Lake campus of the University, located in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. With support from the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI), the University was able to establish a permanent law library of donated and purchased books needed by students and faculty to conduct research on campus and further their professional development in the legal field. This support was done through ABA ROLI’s Legal Scholarship (LS) Fund for Congolese Women, established in 2011 to support legal education opportunities for women. After the ribbon cutting ceremony, a library tour was offered to academic and ABA representatives, followed by a celebratory reception.
Over the course of 12 years, ABA ROLI’s LS program has supported more than 60 Congolese women legal scholars at three universities in eastern DRC, including the University of Goma. There have been several successful graduates of the program, who are now prominent lawyers and scholars, with one returning as an associate professor at the University of Goma. Of the more than 900 students at the University of Goma currently, only 30% are women.
Ms. Denise MUNYERETSE, a legal scholar at Goma University and a former LS beneficiary, delivered opening remarks at the ceremony. Ms. MUNYERETSE expressed her gratitude to ABA ROLI and the Department of Legal Sciences, emphasizing that the library will enhance the reading culture of the beneficiaries and promote their professional development.