With over 20 years of experience, Uwituze aims to modernize Rwanda’s agricultural sector.
Solange Uwituze was appointed on Monday, December 1, as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), alongside Telesphore Ndabamenye, who took over as the new Minister.
Ndabamenye and Uwituze have previously served at Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB).
Uwituze, 51, arrives at MINAGRI with 20 years of experience in higher agricultural education, research management, and sector-wide capacity building. Prior to her appointment, she served as the Deputy Director General in charge of Animal Resources Research and Technology Transfer at RAB, where she played a central role in advancing research and innovation for the sector.
Her leadership spans across multiple national institutions. Uwituze is also the Board Chair of Gabiro AgriHub Business Ltd, an integrated service provider that supports modern and sustainable agriculture in Rwanda. Additionally, she serves as the Deputy Board Chair of Gako Meat Company Ltd, both institutions central to Rwanda’s drive for modern, large-scale agribusiness.
Uwituze also serves on the boards of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and the Kigali Collaborative Research Center (KCRC), further strengthening her role in advancing national development and research innovation.
In the education sector, Uwituze is a founding fellow of the Rwanda Academy of Sciences (RAS), where she leads the Agricultural and Environmental Sciences section. Her work has helped bridge academia, agricultural research, and policymaking, strengthening evidence-based decision-making in the sector.
Before joining RAB, Uwituze held senior roles at the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), a network of 106 African universities across 36 countries. She served as Program Manager for Partnerships and Business Management and later as Program Manager for Training and Quality Assurance.
She previously served as Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at the former National University of Rwanda, overseeing programs that strengthened national food systems, academic excellence, and research output.
Throughout her career, Uwituze has led teams that secured major capacity development projects funded by institutions including the World Bank, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Netherlands Universities Foundation for International Cooperation (NUFFIC). Her leadership has been instrumental in elevating Rwanda’s agricultural research capabilities and strengthening regional collaboration.
Her appointment comes as Rwanda accelerates efforts to modernize its agriculture sector, invest in value addition, and build resilience in the face of climate change.
Uwituze’s Academic Background
Uwituze holds a PhD in Animal Sciences obtained from Kansas State University in 2011, where she conducted research on strategies to improve Rwanda’s agricultural system despite limited arable and grazing land. She also holds a master’s degree in Animal Sciences from the same university, obtained in 2008.
She studied at the National University of Rwanda, earning a bachelor’s degree in 2002 and later serving as an academic secretary in the university’s agricultural research department.
After completing her studies abroad, she returned to Rwanda and rejoined the University of Rwanda as a faculty member, eventually becoming vice-dean and making history as the first female dean of the Faculty of Agriculture in 2012, a position she held until 2014.
Until her new appointment at the Ministry, Uwituze was the acting Director General of RAB, a position she had held since July, when Ndabamenye, then-Director General, was appointed the Minister of State for Agriculture and Animal Resources in the same ministry.
Key Points
- Solange Uwituze appointed as Minister of State for Agriculture in Rwanda.
- Brings over 20 years of experience in agricultural education and research.
- Previously served as Deputy Director General at RAB.
- Chair of Gabiro AgriHub and Deputy Chair of Gako Meat Company.
- Focus on modernizing agriculture and addressing climate change.
