By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Rwanda’s President has named the deputy governor of the central bank, once pardoned for a corruption conviction, as the new Prime Minister, replacing the long-serving Edouard Ngirente.
Paul Kagame, with the appointment of Justin Nsengiyumva, hands him over the role of being responsible for the government’s day-to-day operations.
The appointment of Nsengiyumva, the former prime secretary at the education ministry who holds a PhD in economics from the University of Leicester, was announced by the office of the government spokesperson in a post on X late on Wednesday.
No reason was given for the removal of Ngirente, who had been Prime Minister since 2017. He thanked President Kagame on X, saying: “This journey has been deeply enriching.”
Kagame appointed Nsengiyumva as deputy governor at the National Bank of Rwanda earlier this year.
The new Prime Minister’s official biography says he has worked for the British government, including as senior economist for the Office of Rail and Road.
Before working in the UK, Nsengiyumva served as the permanent secretary in his country’s ministry of education.
While in office, he was in 2008 arrested for alleged corruption and later convicted, state-owned New Times newspaper says in a report.
In March 2023, he was granted pardon by President Kagame along with 380 others in unrelated cases, The New Times reported.
Rwanda last held elections in 2024 when Kagame was re-elected with 99.18% of the vote, extending his near quarter-century in office.
