Businessman François Twagirumukiza was elected the new Chairperson of Rwanda’s Private Sector Federation (PSF) on March 13.

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A father of five [three boys and two girls], Twagirumukiza brings 28 years of business experience. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in African Linguistics in 1992.

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He began his career as a teacher in 1992 before venturing into business after one and a half years.

He is a shareholder in CHIC Ltd and the owner of White Stone Apartments and Eastern Hope Ltd, a company that trades in steel and metal products.

CHIC, located in the Central Business District (CBD) in Nyarugenge District, was the result of a united vision of 59 leading businesspeople who pooled their resources to build a complex for retail, commercial and entertainment activities.

Before being elected Chairperson of PSF, he served as Chairperson of the Trade Cluster within the federation.

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"The first capital in business is hope. I commend the country’s good leadership for creating an enabling environment for doing business. Through Eastern Hope Ltd, we also conduct cross-border trade in steel and metal products used in construction, as well as cross-border transportation of goods,” he said.

His priorities

Promoting entrepreneurship among young people is one of his priorities.

"We have to support young people to create jobs and become entrepreneurs. New jobs for the youth must be created,” he said.

Twagirumukiza noted that the development of the real estate sector is also among his priorities.

The owner of White Stone Apartments said that real estate development helps address the shortage of affordable housing.

He also mentioned that there is still room for improvement in the service sector. "We have the hospitality sector and others where service delivery needs to be improved.”

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The serial entrepreneur said that jobs created by the private sector will enable the government to achieve the National Strategy for Transformation (NST2).

The success of NST2 depends on the collective commitment and action of all stakeholders — citizens, including youth and women, the private sector, faith-based organisations, civil society, academia, the media and development partners, among others.

Strong investment will be required to sustain growth during the NST2 period.

Total investment is expected to reach 32.1 per cent of GDP by 2029, mainly driven by private investment rising from 15.9% of GDP (USD 2.2 billion) in 2023 to 21.5 per cent (Rwf 4.6 billion) by 2029.

Total NST2 financing over the five-year period (2024/2025–2028/2029) is estimated at Rwf 63,559 billion. Of this amount, 43% is expected to be mobilised by the private sector through foreign capital inflows and domestic savings.

The interventions to attract private investment in the agriculture sector will be reinforced through de-risking strategies, including strengthening agricultural insurance for crops and livestock and scaling up tailored financing solutions across production chains.

These measures aim to increase credit to the agriculture sector from 6% to 10%, providing the financial resources required for accelerated growth and innovation.

Jean-Claude Uwizeyemungu, First Vice Chairperson

The First Vice Chairperson is Jean-Claude Uwizeyemungu, owner of Mahwi Grain Millers.

Mahwi Grain Millers Plc is a leading Rwanda-based company specialising in maize aggregation and processing into food products for human consumption and animal feed. The company is located in the Bugesera Special Economic Zone.

Uwizeyemungu began working for himself at a young age in 2009.

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As of 2025, his factory has the capacity to process 500 tonnes of maize per day and provides employment to more than 350 people, the majority of whom are young people.

The factory also collaborates with maize farmer cooperatives comprising between 27,000 and 30,000 farmers.

Mahwi Grain Millers Plc became the first SME to register on the Rwanda Stock Exchange.

"We are committed to boosting PSF’s contribution to national development. The country cannot develop without the contribution of the private sector. Under NST2, we have pledged to contribute. Our Made-in-Rwanda products and exports must increase,” he said.

He added that he would strengthen the advocacy platform to address challenges facing the business community.

"This platform enables us to interact with the government to address raised issues and propose solutions. We have national leadership with the will to support the private sector,” he said.

Diane Mukasahaha, Second Vice Chairperson

The Second Vice Chairperson is Diane Mukasahaha, proprietor of a clothing factory in the Kigali Special Economic Zone.

Mukasahaha, founder and CEO of the textile company DIKAM Ltd, was named one of the top 10 finalists for the 2025 Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) Prize Competition.

Selected from nearly 32,000 applications across the continent, Mukasahaha became the sixth Rwandan entrepreneur to reach the ABH semi-finals.

DIKAM Ltd focuses on empowering women and young people through the textile sector, blending innovation with social impact.

Mukasahaha is also an entrepreneur and public health expert whose career spans more than 20 years in health systems strengthening, HIV/AIDS prevention and palliative care.

As Rwanda’s National Coordinator for Palliative Care, she helped make compassionate care — including access to morphine — a core component of the national health system.

After transitioning into business, Mukasahaha founded DIKAM Ltd, which produces children’s clothing, school uniforms, corporate wear and medical scrubs. The company employs between 200 and 400 people, more than 80% of whom are women.

The company focuses on economic empowerment through apprenticeships and skills training, particularly for women and teenage mothers.

"I am committed to supporting women and young people to grow their businesses over the next three years under PSF leadership. More than 75 per cent of Rwandans are youth. Young people and women can start with small capital and achieve big dreams.

"We will work with TVET schools to train students in tailoring and garment manufacturing, and partner with banks to improve access to finance,” she said after being elected.