Mr. Claude BIZIMANA

Claude BIZIMANA is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Export Development Board since August 14^th 2020.With over 20 years of experience as a lecturer, researcher and consultant in agricultural economics and development economics, Claude BIZIMANA led different initiatives at national, regional and continental levels, including the country office of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program, the most ambitious and comprehensive agricultural reform effort ever undertaken in Africa made by African Heads of States and Governments.

Mrs. Sandrine URUJENI

Ms Sandrine URUJENI serves as Chief Operations Officer at the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), bringing 13 years of professional experience. She holds a Master’s Degree in Agricultural Economics from Sokoine University.Prior to joining NAEB, Sandrine URUJENI held a Lecturer position at the University of Rwanda in College of Agriculture, Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine where she taught a number of agri-economics subjects.

Mr. Gabriel MPEZAMIHIGO

Gabriel MPEZAMIHIGO joined the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) on 25 January 2024 as Chief Finance Officer (CFO) of NAEB. He is a professional and Chartered Accountant. He is a Fellow Member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants – United Kingdom (FCCA) and at the same time, a Member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Rwanda (ICPAR).

He is currently completing his MBA from the University of Kigali in Accounting and Finance.Prior to joining NAEB, he served as the Audit Director in the Office of the Auditor General of State Finances of Rwanda for more than 10 years in enhancing the best practices in the Public Financial Management through audits. His consistent and outstanding performance was rewarded twice as the best employee in OAG. He successfully managed various audit teams under his directorates in Regularity Audits (Financial & Compliance Audits), Performance/ Value for Money Audits, IS/IT Audits, Programmatic Audits, Risk assessment and Internal Control reviews.

He was the vice chair of the tender committee in the Office of the Auditor General for more than 2 years and played a crucial role in the oversight of the automation of the audit processes in the OAG.For almost a year, he also served as the Commissioner of Finance & Revenue of the National Tax Administration (Rwanda Revenue Authority – RRA). He was responsible for the Authority’s budget execution and reporting of the Tax & Non-tax revenue collections. During his tenure, he successfully brought changes that led to efficiency that dramatically reduced the reporting time of RRA operations to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN). This was done through the initiation of the automated reconciliations of Tax collection systems and the Reporting system. He is proficient in English, French, Kiswahili and Kinyarwanda and other various dialects of the East African region. He is an enthusiastic and hard-working professional who enjoys working with and within teams.

Mrs. Janet BASIIMA

Janet Basiima is the current Division Manager of Export Market Development and Innovation Division at the National Agricultural Export Board (NAEB). She is a seasoned manager with extensive experience in the agricultural exports sector, having previously held various senior positions at both the former OCIR-THE and NAEB. Janet holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Maastricht School of Management.

Mr. Alexis NKURUNZIZA

NKURUNZIZA Alexis is the Traditional Commodities Division Manager at the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB). he holds a master's degree in Agribusiness Management from Rome Business School, along with certifications and specialized training in project management.

He has a diverse professional background with 10 years of experience in Agribusiness, having worked in various roles within the agriculture sector, including as an agronomist, zone coordinator, and Coffee Value Chain specialist. His experience includes leading the above value chains with a proven track record of specific accomplishments and contributions.

Mr. Jean de Dieu KAMURASE

he serves as Quality Assurance and Regulatory Division Manager at the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), bringing 13 years of experience and expertise in enforcement of Food Safety Regulations, Standardization and Quality Assurance.  With a passion for promoting agricultural exports and driving sustainable growth in Rwanda's agricultural sector, he plays a crucial role in leading strategic initiatives and fostering collaborations to achieve NAEB's mission.

As Quality Assurance and Regulatory Division Manager at NAEB, he oversees development of regulatory framework and guidelines for Agri-Exports, assessment of the quality of Agri-export commodities and relevant quality infrastructure, setting standard operating procedures and internal processes to ensure internal, national and international quality requirements and standards for Agri-Export commodities are met. He also contribute towards collaboration with other government institutions and private sector in formulating and developing comprehensive export quality procedures and related training needs.

Prior to joining NAEB, he held various positions including working as Head of Industry Inspection and Market surveillance at Rwanda Standards Board (RSB), Standard Expert at East African Community Secretariat (EAC) and Quality Management Specialist at Rwanda Development Board (RDB), where he demonstrated considerable contribution towards growth and competitiveness of Food Industry in Rwanda. He  possess a proven track record of  praying key role  in regulation of food industries  in Rwanda towards compliance with required guidelines set by regulators, certification of Agro-processing industries against international standards, capacity building of workforce  and harmonization of National, Regional  and International standards.

He holds a Master of Science in Project Management from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture, Technology, and Bachelor of Science in Food Science and Technology from Kigali Institute of Science and Technology. He also possess Standardization and Quality Assurance certificate from National Institute of Training for Standardization, Bureau of Indian Standards and certified Food Safety Management System Lead Auditor.

Mr. Jean Marie Vianney MUNYANEZA

he is the Export Services Division Manager in the National Agricultural Export Development Board since May 2023 where he oversees and coordinates all the activities related to export services for agri-exports sector, including warehousing, cold chains, quality testing infrastructure, logistics, etc.

Between 2014 and 2023, at different times, Mr. Munyaneza managed three different divisions mainly Tea, Diversification & Products Development and Emerging Commodities. Prior to this, he was the International Horticulture Marketing Officer under Rwanda Horticulture Development Authority (RHODA) where he was actively involved in promoting Rwanda horticultural products on international market with focus on Europe, Asia, USA and Africa.

He has the ability to understand the agricultural production factors, food systems and marketing in the complex business environment, with proven experience in farmer capacity building and strategic development to empower the agricultural smallholding farmers, farmers/cooperatives organization and agri-exporters.

Mr. Munyaneza holds a Master’s degree in Agribusiness Management from the Business Schools of Robert Gordon University in United Kingdom and also holds the Bachelors’ degree in Crops Production & Horticulture from the former National University of Rwanda (UNR). 

Mr. Eric RUGANINTWALI

“Eng. Eric RUGANINTWALI is a seasoned agri-food system professional with nearly 20 years of experience ranging from academia, consultancies, and public institutions with different senior positions, where he led, coordinated, and actively participated in different capacities aimed at, developing the Agri-Food systems across various areas including but not limited to, strategic planning, trade, compliance, and market access to enhance trade (export), strengthen the export business environment, sector policies, regulations framework drafting, agri-food safety, nutrigenomics, standardization, certification, and accreditation programs, small to medium enterprise mentorship including start-up business, producers, processors, exporters and importers,  resources mobilization and projects development in tandem with national, regional and international stakeholders and partners.

He holds a Master of Engineering in Food Science from Jiangan University (China) and a Bachelor’s degree in Food Science and Technology from the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology, where he also served as a lecturer and deputy registrar.

From 2011 to date, he led and supervised different directorates and divisions at the National Agricultural Export Development Board, where he currently serves, as the Planning Division Manager.  The planning division is among the core and strategic divisions that coordinate the entire institution’s strategies, programs, projects, and plans to deliver to its mission and responsibilities”.

Mr. Jean Bosco MULINDI

Jean Bosco Mulindi is a distinguished professional serving as the Division Manager for Emerging Commodities at the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) in Rwanda. With 9 years of extensive experience in Agricultural Sciences, Trade Promotion, and Facilitation, he is a driving force in promoting agricultural exports and sustainable growth within the sector.

Prior to his role at NAEB, Mulindi held a Director position at the Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) and served as a Lecturer at the University of Rwanda College of Agriculture Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine (UR-CAVM). His exemplary performance in these roles contributed to increasing the number of certified companies in Rwanda and attracting foreign companies seeking certification services. Notably, he played a pivotal role in establishing the Organic Certification Scheme at RSB and facilitated capacity building for certification staff through collaborations with higher learning institutions abroad.

His academic credentials include a Master’s of Science in Agriculture in Mycology and Plant Pathology from Banaras Hindu University (BHU), India. Additionally, he has undergone specialized training in market access, integrated pest management, food safety, and quality management systems, among others, from prestigious institutions such as Wageningen Agriculture University and Research (WAUR) in the Netherlands. His diverse skill set and dedication to excellence position him as a key figure in advancing Rwanda's agricultural export agenda.