Mr. Prudence Sebahizi was appointed Rwanda’s Minister of Trade and Industry on 16th August 2024. He has more than 20 years of working experience in International Trade, Regional Integration & Policy Development, and has been extensively involvement in a wide range of development areas including global governance, leadership, international trade negotiations, regional integration, international relations, government policy formulation, institutional development and restructuring, strategic planning, private sector development and capacity building, training, and business counseling, programs/projects design and management, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

He has long-term experience in working with International Organizations and Regional Economic Communities including negotiations and implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area – AfCFTA.

From 2022 to 2024 he was Director for Institutional Matters and Programmes Coordination at the AfCFTA Secretariat, Accra, Ghana. He also served as Chief Technical Advisor on AfCFTA and Head of the AfCFTA Unit/Interim Secretariat, at African Union Commission. He led the process of AfCFTA negotiations since 2015.

Mr. Sebahizi advised the Government of Rwanda in the areas of International Trade and Regional Integration while working with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Office of the President, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation respectively.

He was Rwanda’s Chief Negotiator in the negotiations of the EAC Common Market Protocol since 2006. He was also a member of the team of Experts appointed by the EAC Summit to advise Heads of State on the way forward for EAC Political Integration in 2010. He was also a member of the High-Level negotiations on Rwanda’s accession to the East African Community (EAC) in 2006.

He holds a Master’s Degree in International Development Policy from Seoul National University – SNU (Graduate School of International Studies – GSIS), South Korea.

Antoine Marie Kajangwe was appointed as the Permanent Secretary on 23/08/2024. Prior to the appointment, he was the Director General in Charge of Trade and Investment in the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Antoine began his career as a paralegal at the New York County District Attorney’s Office, and gained project management experience working with economic and youth empowerment projects at Global Communities Rwanda and the Imbuto Foundation. Antoine has a bachelors’ degree in History and minors in Political Science and General Business from Oklahoma Christian University and Masters of Science in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Alexis Kabayiza is the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) for the Ministry of Trade and Industry where he provides technical assistance by aligning development, dissemination, and coordination of the implementation of sector policies and strategies with the mandate of the Ministry and its affiliated agencies. The position is a Cabinet appointment since 14th July 2021. Priori, he served as the Assistant Lecturer of the University of Rwanda since March 2013 to 2021. He was also involved in different professional assignments intended to policy evaluation for publications and consultancies by applying quantitative research methods for policy evaluations in agriculture and trade sectors. He has been also involved in the Climate-Smart and inclusion agriculture projects. He has a PhD in Agribusiness Management, MBA and BSc in Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness.   

Mrs. Claire MUKESHIMANA has been the Director General in Charge of Corporate Affairs in the Ministry of Trade and Industry since July 14, 2020. She coordinates the preparation and execution of the medium and annual budget plans in compliance with all provisions of the Public Financial Management (PFM); Coordinates the implementation of the audit recommendations of the Ministry of Finance and the Auditor General of State Finances; Manages the financial and non-financial assets of the institution and produces the required reports in accordance with laws; as well as manages all human resource and administrative matters. 

Prior to this, at different times, Mrs. MUKESHIMANA was the Corporate Services Division Manager, Acting Business Advisory Services Division Manager, and Acting Director General of the National Industrial Research and Development Agency. Before, she served the Ministry of Sport and Culture in the capacity of Director of Finance and Administration, among many other technical and managerial positions. 

Mrs. MUKESHIMANA has a Master of Business Administration Finance and Accounting option from Mount Kenya University and a Bachelor of Business Administration / Finance Option from Kigali Institute of Science, Technology and Management (KIST).   

She is a Certified Public Finance Management Accountant, among her numerous professional trainings.

Mr. Christian TWAHIRWA is the current Director General for Industry and Entrepreneurship, a position he has held since January 17, 2025. 

He leads the process of policy design, formulation of regulations and strategies on industrial and entrepreneurship development.  He also supports the competitiveness of local industries Additionally, he mobilizes partners and resources for the development of industry and SMEs, overseeing the implementation of strategies and policies related to industrial and entrepreneurship development.

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Twahirwa accumulated over 17 years of experience with various organizations, including the National Industrial Development and Research Agency (NIRDA), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and others such as SPIU MINICOM, GIZ, and RDB.

He holds a Master of Sciences in Economics from the National University of Rwanda.

Moses is a programs management specialist with over 15 years of experience in design and implementation of public programs and projects. He currently serves as the Director General of Planning and Monitoring and Evaluation at Rwanda’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM) since January 2025, where he leads a multi-disciplinary team in the processes of planning, monitoring, evaluation, reporting, policy analysis and programs coordination.

Prior to joining the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Moses worked with the Rwanda Development Board as M&E Manager; Rwanda Information Society Authority as Director of Planning and M&E; and the National Bank of Rwanda as Projects Management Technical Advisor.

Moses holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea, and is Certified in Monitoring and Evaluation of Public Programs and Information Systems.

Outside of his professional life, Moses enjoys going savannah and watching animals.

Ngenzi Kirenga has served as the Chief Digital Officer at the Ministry of Trade and Industry since July 2023, bringing 18 years of experience in public service, particularly in the trade and industry sector. He is responsible for steering the Trade and Industry sector’s digital transformation, promoting innovation, and implementing citizen-centric digital products that enable data-informed decision-making.

Ngenzi joined the Ministry in 2021 as a Business Analyst and quickly rose through the ranks due to his expertise in digital systems and strategic leadership. Prior to his current role, he was the Head of IT at the Rwanda Standards Board (RSB), where he successfully led the institution’s digital transformation journey, implementing international best practices and spearheading key projects within the East African Community (EAC).

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Rwanda and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), a Quality Management System expert (ISO 9001:2015), and a certified Lead Auditor. Ngenzi is also an alumnus of the African Leadership University Public Sector Fellowship.

His passion for leveraging technology to drive economic development is a cornerstone of his work.

Ms. Doreen NTAWEBASA HATEGEKIMANA is the current Director General of Trade and Investment, a position she has held since January 17, 2025. She leads efforts to promote trade, investment, and regional economic cooperation, overseeing key areas such as trade agreements, intellectual property, and oil reserves management.

Prior to this, she served in various leadership roles, including Acting Director of Trade Promotion and Acting Coordinator of the National Trade Facilitation Committee, where she drove policy implementation, market analysis, and WTO agreement coordination.

With additional experience in petroleum policy and trade logistics, she has consistently contributed to the development and execution of Rwanda’s trade strategy, enhancing its position in both global and regional markets.

Ms. Doreen holds an MBA in International Business and a BA in Business Management from the University of Gloucestershire, London, UK.

GAKIRE Godfrey is the Coordinator of SPIU (Single Project Implementation Unit) since February 2023- where he is in charge of Portfolio management of Development Projects at the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

He leads the process of project initiation, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. This involves stakeholders’ engagement, Management and fund mobilization to ensure the successful implementation of projects in Trade and Industry.

GAKIRE has 19 Years of experience in management of Public Projects and Public Finance Management (PFM). Prior to joining the Ministry of Trade and Industry he held managerial positions at different Public Institutions. He served in the following capacities; Project Manager -Office of the Auditor of State Finances (OAG), Director of Administration and Finance -Media High Council (MHC), Branch Manager -Rwanda Social Security Fund (RSSB).

He holds a post Graduate Diploma in Project Management from the Maastricht School of Management and Bachelors Degree in Accounting Sciences from the National University of Rwanda. He has throughout his career effectively engaged and worked with a big number of Development Partners and other stakeholders.