Events

Launch of the 18th edition of the World Bank Rwanda Economic Update

February 2, 2022

Online

Background
Format of the Launch of the REU
SPEAKERS

The World Bank Group is launching its 18th edition of the Rwanda Economic Update (REU). Published twice a year, the REU analyzes recent economic developments and prospects, as well as Rwanda’s policy priorities. The REU is intended for a wide audience of policymakers, business leaders, other market participants, analysts of Rwanda’s economy, and civil society. It draws on data reported by the Government of Rwanda and additional information collected by the World Bank Group in its regular economic monitoring and policy dialogue. The update is a collective endeavor and involves staff from several parts of the World Bank. Each issue has a special feature spotlighting a particular topic. The current edition of the REU, Boosting Regional Integration in the Post-COVID Era, focuses on regional integration and cross-border trade.
I. Welcome: Rolande Pryce, Country Manager
II. Keynote: Hon. Béata Habyarimana, Minister of Trade and Industry
III. Video summarizing key report findings
IV. Presentation of the report: Calvin Djiofack, Senior Economist
V. Panel discussion
VI. Closing remarks: Rolande Pryce, Country Manager
Hon. Béata Habyarimana

Hon. Beata Habyarimana is an economist with over 15 years of experience in the financial sector. Prior to her appointment, she was the Deputy Managing Director at Bank of Africa. She also worked at Agaseke Bank as the CEO and at the Banque Populaire du Rwanda (BPR) where she held several senior positions.  She has also previously worked with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Ms. Habyarimana holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Rwanda and master’s degree in Economic Administration from Maastricht University in the Netherlands

Paul Brenton

Paul Brenton is Lead Economist (Trade and Regional Integration) in the Africa Region of the World Bank. Previously he worked in the Trade Department of the Bank where he worked for several years on issues related to trade reform with a focus on regional integration and preferential trade agreements. He has published work on the economic impact of trade policies, with a particular focus on trade preferences for developing countries, regional integration, rules of origin, foreign direct investment and the role of regulations in influencing trade and investment flows. Paul joined the Bank in 2002, having been Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Trade Policy Unit at the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels. Before that was a lecturer in economics at the University of Birmingham in the UK. He has a PhD in Economics from the University of East Anglia.

Amina Rwakunda

Amina Rwakunda is the Chief Economist at Rwanda’s Ministry of Finance since April 2018. She is also a Board Director of the Rwanda Stock Exchange (RSE) since 2012, and board Director of the NISR (National Institute of Statistics Rwanda). Mrs. Rwakunda is an experienced Economist and a seasoned negotiator on regional integration matters where she has been serving as the Deputy Chief Negotiator for Rwanda’s High-Level Task Force on the EAC Monetary Union and she is also involved in negotiations on fiscal related policies. Mrs. Rwakunda holds a Masters in Globalization and Development Economics from the University of Antwerp.

Antoine Kajangwe

Antoine Kajangwe is a trade and investment policy professional with the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM). He oversees the Ministry’s domestic and international trade and investment related matters, intellectual property rights, consumer protection and competition laws and policies. Antoine is also the Ministry’s chief trade negotiator and senior trade official. Antoine began his career as a paralegal at the New York County District Attorney’s Office and gained project management experience working with economic and youth empowerment projects at Global Communities Rwanda and the Imbuto Foundation. Antoine has a bachelors’ degree in History and minors in Political Science and General Business from Oklahoma Christian University and Master of Science in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Dennis Karera

Dennis Karera is a seasoned businessman in Kigali-Rwanda in the Real Estate and Hospitality sectors. He is the Chairman of GC Investments, host of investment vehicles like Savannah Creek Development Company which is currently developing a 600 homes residential estate in the Kigali City. He is a shareholder and Managing Director of Kigali Heights Development Company. Mr Karera owns Park View Courts Apart-Hotel in Kigali’s high end residential area of Nyarutarama as well as Crown Conference Hall, a conference facility in Kigali. He is a professionally a Criminologist from Cambridge University and trained extensively in leadership and management in the UK. He previously held senior positions in public service before retiring into business. He is a former Chairman and current Vice Chair of the East Africa Business Council, and the former Chairman of Rwanda Hospitality Association. Mr Karera is also the Honorary Consul of Ghana in Rwanda.

Mona Haddad

Mona Haddad is the Global Director for Trade, Investment and Competitiveness in the Equitable Growth, Finance, and Institutions Practice Group (EFI) Vice Presidency. Ms. Haddad, a Lebanese national, joined the Bank in 1992 as a Young Professional. She has since held various positions in both the IBRD and IFC, her most recent assignment being Director of the Country Economics and Engagement department at IFC, where she led the development of the joint WBG Country Private Sector Diagnostics. Prior to this, she held roles including as Practice Manager of the Trade and Competitiveness Global Practice in East Asia, Sector Manager of the International Trade Department, as well as Trade Advisor to the Minister of Economy and Trade of Lebanon.

Rolande Simone Pryce

Rolande Simone Pryce is the World Bank Group Country Manager for Rwanda. Prior to her current assignment, she oversaw the World Bank’s Indonesia and Timor-Leste programs and was based in the Jakarta office. Before joining the World Bank, Ms. Pryce served as legal adviser to the Jamaican Government on Public International Law and International Trade issues for over ten years, and as an Adjunct Lecturer on Public International Law at the University of the West Indies. She holds a master’s degree in Public International Law from the University College of London, a Juris Doctor from the University of Miami and a Bachelor of Science in International Business and Mathematics from the City University of New York.

Calvin Zebaze Djiofack

Calvin Zebaze Djiofack is the Senior Country Economist for Rwanda. He has contributed extensively to the Bank’s trade agenda in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region, focusing on regional trade integration, firms’ data analysis, and assessments of trade's impact on shared prosperity. Calvin's other area of interest is on natural resources management and its fiscal implications. His recent publications in this area include an article in the Journal of African Economies and an article in World Development Journal.