An orientation and welcome session for newly appointed Director Generals (DGs) and Analysts
at the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) was held at the ministry on
Monday (June 14, 2021), with top officials at MINAGRI urging for innovation to further
improve livelihoods for Rwandans.

Speaking at the session, the Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Dr. Gerardine
Mukeshimana, advised new staffs to shun the work as usual pattern; the daily routine of office
work, and instead move to be innovative with their work in order to improve lives of Rwandan
citizens that they serve.

“Our mission here, with all the science that we know, is to improve the livelihoods of
Rwandans,” she said.

She added: “It’s important that we don’t just take note of what is happening in the agriculture
sector but try and understand what is behind the numbers and what to make of it”.

The Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Dr. Jean-
Chrysostome Ngabitsinze, advised the new staffs to strive working as a team and in constant
consultation with other institutions in the country.

“The full potential of work is realised when you work as a team and you should really strive to
work as a team. The agriculture sector is crosscutting and you need to set up strong tools to work
well with the rest of institutions in the country in order to deliver,” he said.

On May 31, 2021, a Cabinet meeting appointed three new Director Generals (DGs) at the
ministry, a Chief Technical Advisor (Eric Gatera Iyeze), and four analysts.

DGs include Dr. Chantal Ingabire, Director General of Planning, who took over the office from
Octave Semwaga, who is now the Director General for Agriculture Modernisation and also
appointed by the same Cabinet meeting, as well as Octave Nshimiyimana, who was appointed
the Director General of Agriculture Value Chain Management and Trade, a new directorate at
MINAGRI.

The Directorate of Agriculture Modernisation has taken over the mandate of the former
Agriculture Development Directorate at the ministry, which has been transformed into the new
directorate under the name of Directorate General for Agriculture Modernisation.

The directorate monitors and evaluates the implementation of programmes related to crop
production and participates in the formulation of policies and strategies related to that sub-sector.

The four analysts appointed by the Cabinet to the ministry include Alice Mukamugema and
Egide Mutabazi as Crop Products Supply Chain and Market analysts as well as Arnold Ishimwe
and Sabine Abewe Hategekimana as Animal Products Supply Chain and Market analysts.
New staffs at the ministry also include the Chief Digital Officer for Agriculture, Martine
Nezerwa, who was appointed by the Cabinet on December 14, 2020.

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