President Paul Kagame has appointed Dr Papias Malimba Musafiri as the new Minister for Education, replacing Prof. Silas Lwakabamba, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s office yesterday.

Dr Musafiri, who rose through the academic ranks to become the first principal of the University of Rwanda’s College of Business and Economics (UR-CBE) following a merger of several public institutions of high learning in 2013, boasts 14 years of experience in the country’s tertiary education circles.

Lwakabamba, 68, had been at the helm of the Education ministry since July 2014, a position he assumed after serving as Infrastructure minister for a little over a year.

In the statement, signed by the Prime Minister Anastase Murekezi, Dr Celestin Ntivuguruzwa has also been appointed as the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education.

He replaces Sharon Haba, who had served in the position since October 2009.

Prior to joining cabinet as Infrastructure minister in February 2013, Prof. Lwakabamba served as rector of the then University of Rwanda since 2006, after spending nearly ten years as rector of the then Kigali Institute of Science, Technology and Management (KIST) – now University of Rwanda’s College of Science and Technology.

Youthful Musafiri previously served as acting rector of former School of Finance and Banking (SFB) – now UR-CBE – after years working as faculty member at both SFB and KIST.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Who is Dr Musafiri?

Dr Papias Musafiri Malimba is the Principal of the College of Business and Economics of the University of Rwanda with extensive experience of over 14 years as Academician. Prior to his appointment, Dr Musafiri has been actively involved in teaching, research and consultancy. He has held several senior management positions including that of Director of Administration and Human Resources, Dean, Faculty of Management, Vice Rector Academics and Acting Rector, in former public higher learning institutions, before establishment of University of Rwanda.

Dr Musafiri received his Bachelor Degree in Commerce and Management at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and his Master’s degree in Business Administration majoring in Finance and Information Technology from the School of Business at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-Roorkee). He has Doctor of Philosophy in Finance from VIT University.

Source: CBE website