A cabinet meeting on January 17 appointed Edward Kadozi, 45, as Director General of the Higher Education Council (HEC), replacing Rose Mukankomeje, who led the institution since 2019. The father of three – one boy and two girls – who spends part of his “free time mentoring young researchers” holds a PhD in Economics with a specialization in the Political Economy of Development from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. He also holds master's degree in public policy and management from Tsinghua University in China, and a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Rwanda. His career spans both industry and academia, reflecting over 16 years of experience in policy and research, economic analysis, capacity building, private sector development, skills enhancement, employment, financial inclusion, local economic growth, and the economics of migration in Africa. Kadozi was the inaugural Executive Secretary of the African School of Governance Foundation, which established and oversees the recently launched African School of Governance (ASG)—a Pan-African postgraduate university founded by President Paul Kagame and the former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn. In this role, from 2022, hewas actively involved in the design and operationalization of ASG. ALSO READ: African School of Governance opens doors in Kigali, eyes 1,000 graduates Until his recent appointment, Kadozi has been serving as an associate professor and director of academic affairs at ASG, a post he held since last month. He combined the latter with being Executive Secretary of the African School of Governance Foundation. From 2019 to 2023, Kadozi served as a senior analyst at Rwanda Development Board (RDB), where he provided technical and strategic support to the management as well as public and private sectors in areas of capacity building, skills and employment, and private sector development. ALSO READ: Six things to know about newly launched African School of Governance Kadozi is also the Founder – in 2020 – and President of the Centre for Development Policy (CDP), a pan-African Policy Research Center, and serves on the boards of various local and international organizations involved in the social sector and higher learning institutions. Professionally, he works in areas of policy design and implementation, policy analysis, and evaluation in diverse fields, including private sector development, agricultural cooperatives, environmental and climate change policy, disability, employability skills development, and job creation. His research interests include the economics of migration in Africa, institutional economics, poverty, trade, energy, environmental economics, financial sector development, and employment. Kadozi is a senior lecturer in economic policies, environmental economics, migration and development, development economics, and development theories and strategies, teaching in the master’s programs at University of Rwanda and Kigali Independent University. Since 2013, Kadozi has been a lead trainer of policy formulation and policy analysis at Rwanda Management Institute. Additionally, he serves as an adjunct lecturer and external research supervisor for master’s and PhD students from the United States and Europe conducting research in Africa. Kadozi is a reviewer for the Africa Development journal and a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Policy and Leadership at Mzumbe University in Tanzania. Africa Development is the quarterly bilingual journal of CODESRIA published since 1976. It is a social science journal whose major focus is on issues which are central to the development of society. Kadozi is also a board member of the African College of Theology (ACT), an internationally accredited college offering non-traditional biblical education using a flexible, blended learning format, and the Global Give Back Circle Foundation, a not-for profit organisation that places at-risk adolescent girls in a circle of economic empowerment and leadership by delivering high-impact, grassroots, sustainable interventions in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Ghana. When he is not busy working or serving at his church, Kadozi who has been the head of the men’s ministry at New Life Bible Church, in Kicukiro District, since 2012, likes to keep fit mostly by jogging or swimming.