Two Rwandans elected to head the African Risk Capacity Group – a specialized African Union agency that support countries to better prepare for and respond to natural disasters.
These include Former Minister of Trade and Industry Dr. Jean Chrysostome Ngabitsinze was on Monday, April 29, elected as the new UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director General of the African Risk Capacity (ARC) Group.
Dr.Olivier Kamana, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, was also consensually elected as the Chairperson of the ARC Bureau.
Ngabitsinze and Kamana’s election was confirmed during the Fifteenth Session of the ARC Conference of the Parties (COP15), held in Kigali, where ministers, policymakers, and disaster management experts from across the continent gathered for a two-day meeting.
Ngabitsinze replaces Eva Grace Kavuma, who is from Uganda.
Who is Ngabitsinze?
The 47-year-old agricultural economist served as Rwanda’s Minister of Trade and Industry from July 2022 until August 2024. Prior to that, he had served as Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources since March 2020, before which he was Minister of State in the same ministry.
Among other key roles, Ngabitsinze served as a Member of Parliament, where he chaired the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Previously he was a Senior Lecturer in Agricultural Economics at the University of Rwanda.
He holds a PhD in agricultural economics obtained from Milan State University in Italy, a master’s degree in economics from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, and a bachelor’s degree in business economics from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.
Ngabitsinze also sat on various national boards including the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB). He also chaired the National Land Commission.
His election comes at a time when the African Risk Capacity is facing major operational and financial challenges, which he addressed directly in his speech during the conference.
Ngabitsinze used his platform to renew calls for treaty ratification and financial ownership among member states. Currently, only 17 of ARC’s 39 member states have ratified its treaty.
“Let us move beyond merely discussing signatures and ratifications here at the COP,” he said. “When we return to our countries, let us identify the factors holding up the internal processes and work to overcome them, and join us all to ratify the treaty by April 2026.”
He warned that the agency’s sustainability depends on deeper African ownership, both in terms of membership and funding.
“Financial sustainability is another challenge the ARC is facing,” he said.
“It is highly unsustainable that since the establishment of the ARC agency in 2012, it has exclusively been funded by donors.
“No one from outside needs to come to our rescue. No one, except ourselves,” he declared, urging countries to make pledges and contributions regardless of their ratification status.
He also thanked the outgoing ARC leadership and reiterated Rwanda’s commitment to lead by example. “We promise we won’t disappoint you. Let this conference renew our commitment to the tools and instruments that ARC provides.”
Ngabitsinze emphasized that the agency must embrace stronger collaboration and financial planning to safeguard the continent’s future.
“Africa’s future will be secured by how we plan to finance and protect our people and the uncertainties of our environment,” he said.
