Shekinah Institute

Shekinah Institute is a premier language education and professional training centre based in Kigali, Rwanda, founded by Dr. Desmond Walker Ogubi and Dr. Mercy Kalekye Nzioka. What began as a shared passion between two educators who met at the University of Nairobi has grown, in just three years, into one of East Africa's most distinctive learning institutions. What makes Shekinah genuinely unique is its integrated model — it is the only institute in Rwanda that combines world-class language proficiency training with professional and academic development under one roof. Most language schools teach words. Most training institutes teach skills. Shekinah does both, and that combination gives its learners a complete edge in the global job market. On the language side, Shekinah offers courses in English, French, Swahili, German, and Mandarin, as well as preparation for internationally recognised proficiency exams including IELTS, TOEFL, DELF, TCF, and TEF. This is particularly relevant in Rwanda's context — a country that has undergone a significant shift from French to English as its primary language, creating a strong and growing demand for quality, accessible language training. On the professional development side, Shekinah delivers programs in Leadership & Management, Finance & Accounting, Project Management, Monitoring & Evaluation, ICT & Digital Skills, Governance & Policy, Artificial Intelligence, and Supply Chain Management — programs benchmarked against international standards and backed by partnerships with the British Council, Walter Sisulu University, and African Leadership University. The institute serves a wide audience — individuals and young professionals, job seekers, corporates, NGOs, embassies, and government institutions — and delivers its programs through four modes: in-person classroom, online/virtual, hybrid, and on-site corporate training. This flexibility, combined with small class sizes and a Problem-Based Learning methodology, has earned Shekinah a 95% learner satisfaction rate and a loyal community of graduates across more than 20 countries. In three years of operation, the institute has trained over 500 professionals, served more than 20 corporates and embassies, and built a reputation — reflected clearly in its reviews — for qualified, passionate teachers, a supportive multicultural learning environment, and an approach that treats language not just as words to memorise but as a way of thinking, connecting, and unlocking opportunity.