President Paul Kagame on Thursday, July 24, appointed Dominique Habimana as Rwanda’s new Minister of Local Government and Dr. Bernadette Arakwiye as the new Minister of Environment. Their appointments came a day after President Kagame named Justin Nsengiyumva as the new Prime Minister on Wednesday, July 23. Habimana replaces Patrice Mugenzi, who had served in the role since October 2024. Until his appointment, Habimana was the Secretary General of the Rwanda Association of Local Government Authorities (RALGA), a position he held since June 2024. He brings over 18 years of experience in international development, governance, and decentralisation. Prior to joining RALGA, he served as the Senior Governance Programme Officer at the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in Kigali. There, he led programs on civil society engagement, business and human rights, and local conflict resolution mechanisms. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Habimana designed SDC’s regional response, providing recovery support to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the Great Lakes region. He also contributed to the coordination of Rwanda’s Governance and Decentralisation Sector Working Group. ALSO READ: Four new faces as Kagame appoints Cabinet members His previous roles include serving as a senior expert with GIZ’s decentralisation and good governance programme, and holding project management positions at Trocaire and World Relief, where he focused on livelihoods, microfinance, and inclusive youth and women’s empowerment programs. Habimana has a Masters’ Degree in Development Studies obtained from University of Rwanda in 2014, an Executive Masters in conflict and fragility management, obtained from the Geneva Graduate Institute in 2022 and a bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences obtained from Universite Libre de Kigali in 2006. Who is Arakwiye The new environment minister, Arakwiye takes over from Valentine Uwamariya, who served in the position since June 2024. Before her appointment, she served as Senior Manager for Land Restoration Programs in Africa at the World Resources Institute (WRI). She led a team working on continent-wide initiatives such as Restore Local, which aims to address land degradation and promote sustainable resource management. Arakwiye holds a Ph.D. in Geography from Clark University in Massachusetts, where she was a recipient of the NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship. Her doctoral research focused on the dynamics, drivers, and ecological impacts of forest cover change in Western Rwanda. She also holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies from Antioch University New England and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Rwanda. ALSO READ: Kagame, new PM Nsengiyumva discuss national priorities With over 15 years of experience in conservation, restoration, and earth observation, Dr. Arakwiye has been a figure in projects that prioritise community involvement and strategic partnerships to tackle environmental challenges across Africa. At WRI, she chaired the Africa Restoration Executive Team, which provides strategic guidance to restoration programs and oversees their implementation. She previously supported restoration monitoring activities and contributed to various research initiatives. Before joining WRI, she worked with Conservation International in the United States and served as a research assistant with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International in Rwanda.
