Business
Rwanda’s politicians and business brains step up to the challenge
Last year, Rwanda’s new lower house was sworn in under the leadership of long-serving Liberal Party politician Donatille Mukabalisa (2), whose rise to the helm of the Chamber of Deputies was no surprise. She was elected almost unanimously, winning 79 votes out of 80.
A lawyer by training, the new speaker is a veteran parliamentarian who served in the Chamber of Deputies before joining the Senate in 2011. Mukabalisa takes charge as the debate about the 2017 presidential election is beginning to take shape.
She seeks to demonstrate that she has the necessary independence in decision-making and to work towards improving the credibility of parliament, which is still widely viewed as a rubber stamp. Veteran journalist Arthur Asiimwe is settling in as the head of the newly formed Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA), which replaces the Rwanda Bureau of Information and Broadcasting.
His challenge is to convince Rwandans that the state broadcaster is worth the taxpayers’ money it has received over the years and to transform the RBA into a self-sufficient entity. There has been little debate about whether Valentine Sendanyoye Rug wabiza(3), the new CEO of the investment promotion agency, the Rwanda Development Board, is qualified for the job.
Not only is she a trade and investment expert, having served at the World Trade Organisation as deputy director general since 2005, but she is also a seasoned diplomat who was Rwanda’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva for three years. She takes charge at a critical time, as the government is under intense pressure to reduce its dependence on foreign aid.
Copyright The Africa Report 2014
