Our Team in Rwanda

Fatmata Lovetta Sesay has over 20 years of global experience in economic development, sustainable finance, policy program support, and strategic management. She is currently serving as the Resident Representative of UNDP in Rwanda.

Previously, she has worked as the Senior Economist for UNDP in Ghana and The Gambia and held various senior roles in South Sudan, Eritrea, Botswana, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Liberia, Uganda, Zambia and more, along with significant contributions to UN Women's East and Southern Africa Regional Office.

She also has hands-on experience in public service, having served in Sierra Leone's Ministry of Finance and Office of the Vice President. With a PhD in Development Economics and a background in law and economics, she combines academic rigor with practical experience.

Passionate about women's economic empowerment, Fatmata has advised on national development strategies and led strategic initiatives across diverse regions. Fatmata is married with three children, and she enjoys dancing and sports!

Andrew Mold is the Director of Subregional office for Eastern Africa of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Kigali. He has a Masters in Economics and Politics of Development from Cambridge University, and a Ph.D. in Economics from the Complutense University of Madrid. His Ph.D. thesis was on the role of American multinationals in processes of regional integration.

He has previously worked for the UN Secretariat in Chile and in Addis Ababa and also for UNICEF in Costa Rica. He worked from 2008-2011 at the OECD Development Centre in Paris, where he was a Senior Economist and in charge of their flagship publication ‘Perspectives on Global Development:
Shifting Wealth’. From 2004-2009 he was editor of the European Journal of Development Research.

Andrew has published in a wide-number of journals, including the Journal of African Trade, Journal of International Development, the CEPAL Review, the African Development Review, Development, the Journal of Common Market Studies, and the Journal of Agricultural Economics.

Ash CARL joined as the IOM Chief of Mission to Rwanda in September 2023. Having joined IOM in 2005, Mr. CARL has held a variety of positions including most recently serving as interim Chief of Mission in Nepal, as well as Australia, where he was also the Coordinator for the Pacific. He also served as Deputy Chief of Mission for IOM in Afghanistan over a very tumultuous period for the country from September 2020. He was privileged to establish IOM’s first country offices in the north Pacific where he served as the Chief of Mission/Sub-Regional Coordinator from 2009 until 2014. He has held senior programme management roles in Iraq with both IOM and UNDP. He has also worked with the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, based in Thailand, and as a Head of Office in Indonesia following the devastating earthquake in Yogyakarta and Central Java in 2006.

In addition, Mr. CARL has been deployed on special assignments to Vanuatu, El Salvador and the Philippines to support durable solutions to internal displacement, community-based planning, transition and recovery programming. Mr. CARL has a broad range of experience across a number of migration management-related areas, including humanitarian assistance, climate mobility, disaster risk reduction, labour migration, immigration and border governance, and resettlement, among others. He started his professional career in the migration field with the Department of Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs in his home country.

He possesses an Executive Master of Business Administration, Master of Arts (International Relations), Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Psychology and Bachelor of Behavioural Science. He is a solution-focused leader who believes in helping team members harness their unique talents to contribute substantively to the organization’s mission.

Dagmawi Habte-Selassie is the IFAD Representative and Country Director for Rwanda and Burundi where he manages IFAD’s investment and policy engagement in the countries. He has over fifteen years of professional experience working in private finance and international development, with the last ten being with IFAD.

He brings proven experience in structuring financial vehicles to fill specific gaps in the agribusiness financial ecosystem. Most recently, Dagmawi was the IFAD focal point for private equity finance and financial inclusion in Uganda where he led IFAD’s engagement in the Yield Uganda Investment Fund, an innovative impact fund supporting Agri-SMEs in Uganda.

Previously, he worked as a technical specialist working in setting up the Smallholder Agri-SME Finance and Investment Network (SAFIN), which aimed to foster a more effective and inclusive ecosystem for agri-SME finance. He also held various positions at the institution in Rome, South Sudan, and Ethiopia, in areas of access to finance, value chain development, strategic partnerships, and policy development. Prior to development work, Dagmawi spent a number of years working in the private sector in pension administration as well as retail management positions in Canada. He holds a Graduate Diploma in International Business Management from McGill University and a master’s degree in management of development from the Università degli studi di Torino.

Dr Brian C Chirombo, a Zimbabwean national, has more 30 years Public Health leadership experience in Government, Academia, International NGOs and the United Nations.

Prior to his appointment in Rwanda, Dr Chirombo was Coordinator for the Communicable Diseases and Health Emergencies and also Team Leader for the HIV Program in South Africa, and before that in Kenya. He was previously Team Leader in the WHO AFRO Inter-Country Support Team for Eastern and South Africa, and before that in WHO Headquarters in Geneva. He earlier worked for Save the Children in Malawi, UNAIDS Headquarters in Geneva, GIZ (formerly GTZ) in Eastern and South Africa, and the University of Zimbabwe MPH Program.

Dr Brian Chirombo is a qualified Medical Doctor with a Master’s degree in Public Health.

Dr. Olugbemiga Adelakin, a Nigerian National, is a medical doctor with more than 20 years experience in development and humanitarian settings. Before assuming duties as the UNFPA Representative in Rwanda, he was the UNFPA Representative for the DPR Korea.

Prior to this, Dr. Adelakin had worked for UNFPA in Africa, and in the Middle East, where he was the Regional Program Advisor, Monitoring and Evaluation overseeing this function in more than 15 country offices in the region.

He also previously worked as Senior Technical Advisor for the Family Health International (FHI360) after working in hospitals as a medical practitioner in his home country. In addition to his Medical degree (MB;BS), Dr. Adelakin holds a Master’s degree in International Health from the University College London; Humboldt University Germany; and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, with a Diploma in Public Health from the Charite Medical School in Germany.

He also holds an MBA degree from the University of Cumbria in the United Kingdom. Dr. Adelakin is a strong advocate for effective public policies for the advancement of the SDGs and the ICPD-PoA.

Dr. Richard is a medical doctor from Ghana with over 25 years of distinguished experience in global health and international development. Dr. Amenyah provides strategic leadership to accelerate HIV prevention, treatment, and care across the region. He is a passionate advocate for civil society engagement, gender equality, human rights, and the meaningful involvement of people living with HIV. In his current role, Dr. Amenyah leverages his expertise in resource mobilization and health systems strengthening to forge strategic partnerships with governments, multilateral donors, and community stakeholders — driving progress toward the global goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

Previously, Dr. Richard served as UNAIDS Multi-Country Director for the Caribbean, where he championed efforts for the decriminalization of HIV, secured funding from the Global Fund and PEPFAR, and strengthened HIV services across Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. His leadership contributed to major public health milestones, including the validation and certification of the Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission (EMTCT) of HIV in Belize, Jamaica, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Earlier in his career, he held senior roles with UNAIDS in West and Central Africa — including Fast Track Advisor and Global Fund & PEPFAR Implementation Advisor in Nigeria, and Investment & Efficiency Adviser at the UNAIDS Regional Support Team in Senegal. He also served as Technical Director at the Ghana AIDS Commission.

Over his career, Dr. Richard has mobilized more than USD 2 billion for HIV programs, supported the establishment of an HIV Trust Fund for the elimination of vertical transmission in Nigeria, and contributed to the development of the Global AIDS Strategy 2021–2026 and the Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework for HIV response. He has collaborated closely with WHO, PAHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, UN Women, and UNDP on HIV programming.

Dr. Amenyah holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBChB) from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana, and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Ghana, with a focus on epidemiology, sexual and reproductive health, biostatistics, and project management. He has completed executive leadership training with the UN System Staff College, including Leading for Transformational Change, Leadership in Times of Uncertainty, and Executive Management and Leadership. He is fluent in English and speaks Ewe as well as other Ghanaian languages.

Frank Turyatunga is the Acting Director and Regional Representative of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Africa Office. Prior to this appointment, Frank was the Deputy Director of the same office where he supervised delivery of all the organisation’s programmes and projects in Africa. He has an enormous wealth of environmental programme and policy implementation experience having served as Regional Coordinator for Africa, Early Warning and Assessment Sub Programme, and previously with GRID-Arendal, a UNEP Collaborating Centre in Norway where he coordinated its Africa Programme. Frank's first assignment at UNEP was as a Programme Officer with its Disaster Management Branch based in Nairobi, Kenya and later Geneva, Switzerland.

Before joining the United Nations, Frank worked as an environmental expert within the Government of Uganda during which he was part of a team mandated to set up the Ministry of Environment Projection and later the establishment of the National Environmental Management Authority. Following this, he worked at the local level as Chief of Party for a USAID funded project on Environmental Protection and Economic Development. During this period, he led a process for the resettlement of communities which had encroached on the Karuma Wildlife Reserve which is part of the Uganda Murchison falls National Park system.
Frank is a Ugandan Citizen who holds an MSc in Natural Resource Management from Edinburgh University, a BSc in Forestry from Makerere University and a Diploma in Geographical Information Systems and Remote Sensing from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne.

Ishaku Maitumbi is the Senior Advisor within UN-Habitat’s Regional Office for Africa, covering Eastern and Horn of Africa Region. He is a chartered Urban Planner (MRTPI) with over 25 years' professional experience in the sector, including more than 15 years with the United Nations. He previously served in Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Somalia, amongst other countries. Prior to joining the United Nations, he was a United Kingdom civil servant in local and regional/central government. Ishaku specialises in urbanization, displacement and local government systems strengthening access to basic services and urban resilience, especially in post-conflict and developing environments. This varied experience is backed up with an MSc in Urban Planning and International Development (Oxford Brookes, UK).
As of January 2023, He was appointed as the new Portfolio Manager responsible for Rwanda.

Jean-Philippe has more than 12 years of work experience in UNCTAD headquarters in Geneva, with activities mainly directed on inter-agency cooperation in the context of the UN System-wide coherence “Delivering as One”. Previous experience includes the International Trade Centre (UNCTAD/WTO), the Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). He has an Advanced University Degree in International Relations with focus on Economics and Development from the Sorbonne University, Paris.

Jonas Munyurangabo has been appointed as the UNIDO Country Representative in Rwanda, effective 1st May 2025. He brings to the position a strong professional background as an economist and policy analyst, with over 13 years of experience spanning the public, private, and non-profit sectors in Rwanda and the broader African region.

He has served as a Senior Associate Policy Analyst with the World Resources Institute’s Food Program in Africa, and held senior positions within Rwanda’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM), including roles as Economist, Private Sector Development Specialist, Director General for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Chief Technical Advisor to the Minister.

His leadership, technical expertise, and deep understanding of Rwanda’s development agenda position him well to advance UNIDO’s mandate in the country. In addition to his public service, Jonas has provided consultancy services to a range of national and international organizations, including UN agencies such as UNFPA and ITC, as well as the World Bank, USAID, DAI, IBI, RTI, and CNFA. He has also actively served on various boards of directors.

Jonas holds an MSc in International Trade Policy and Trade Law from Lund University, an MSc in International Relations and Diplomacy from Mount Kenya University, and a BSc in Development Economics from the University of Rwanda.

Lieke van de Wiel has over 20 years of global experience in humanitarian action, child rights, and strategic programme management. She was appointed the UNICEF Representative in Rwanda, effective 20th January 2025.

Prior to this role, Lieke served as the Deputy Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, providing strategic leadership and oversight for 21 UNICEF country offices. She has also held key leadership positions, including Chief of Programme and Planning for the Middle East and North Africa Regional Office and Deputy Representative in Syria and Turkey. Her extensive field experience spans Nepal, Yemen, Mexico, and New York, covering critical areas such as education, child protection, and humanitarian policy.

Before joining UNICEF, Lieke worked with the WHO in South Asia on emergency and humanitarian action and with the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) in Belgium. She has also collaborated with NGOs in the Netherlands.

A national of the Netherlands, Lieke holds two Master’s degrees in Public Administration and Sociology from the University of Leiden. She also holds certificates in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Education from the Ibero-American University in Mexico.

Ms. Lucy Ndungu (Kenya), Regional Manager East and Southern Africa, joined UNV from the Resident Coordinator’s Office as the Peace and Development Adviser, UN Uganda. Prior to serving with the UN, Lucy worked in civil society in Kenya as the National Coordinator for Partnership for Peace and Security.

Ms. Ndungu has extensive experience in the Eastern, Horn and Southern Africa and the Great Lakes Region, and has consulted widely for UNDP HQ working with the African Union and its Regional Economic Commissions to support the development of enabling policy and regulatory frameworks in their Member States for the development of infrastructures for peace.

Lucy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management from Maseno University, a Masters Degree in International Studies from the University of Nairobi, and executive certificate in leadership and management from the Northwestern University, Chicago, USA. She is a Fellow of Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, Cape Town, South Africa; Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), Norway.

Andrea Bagnoli became the UN World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director in Rwanda in August 2023.
He has worked with WFP since 2001, gaining extensive experience in international
development, recovery operations and emergency preparedness and response through many field deployments.
Prior to his current posting, he served as WFP Country Director in the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea (2021-2023), in the Kyrgyz Republic (2017- 2021) and Deputy Country Director in Tajikistan (2013-2017).
He also held the positions of Head of the Emergency Preparedness Unit in WFP Headquarters
in Rome (2007-2012), Head of Area Office for North and East in Haiti (2003-2007) and Programme Policy Officer in Mozambique (2001-2003).
Prior to WFP, Andrea worked at the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation.
He holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations and a Master’s Degree in Peacekeeping: Civil-Military Coordination.
He is an Italian native speaker and he speaks fluently English, French and Portuguese.

Prior to this assignment, since 2021, Michael served as Senior Human Rights Advisor in Lesotho. From 2018-2021 Michael was the Head of the Child Protection Unit in the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), responsible for child protection programming, advocacy, coordination, monitoring and reporting on grave violations against children.

He previously served as Human Rights /Protection Officer with UN peace missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sudan and South Sudan; and with UNDP and OCHA in Kenya; as well as with OHCHR in Geneva. Moreover, he also worked with the Uganda Human Rights Commission and the Danish Institute for Human Rights.

Michael has more than 20 years of work experience in the areas of human rights, rule of law, judicial reform, access to justice, alternative dispute resolution, protection of civilians and coordination of humanitarian response.

Michael is a national of Uganda and holds a Masters in International Human Rights Law from Utrecht University in the Netherlands, and a Bachelor of Laws from Makerere University in Uganda.

Mr. Mohamed Aw-Dahir is the Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rwanda. He is a senior development economist with over 30 years of experience in agricultural economics, rural development, food security, and institutional capacity strengthening.

He has worked in more than 30 countries, with extensive experience across Eastern Africa, the Middle East, and North Africa, including fragile and conflict-affected settings. Prior to his appointment in Rwanda, he held several senior leadership roles within FAO, including Senior Programme and Partnership Officer for Eastern Africa and Regional Economist for the Near East and North Africa. He also served with USAID’s FEWS NET as Country and Regional Representative for Somalia and the Greater Horn of Africa, and most recently as Officer-in-Charge of FAO Eritrea.

Throughout his career, Mr. Aw-Dahir has provided strategic leadership in policy dialogue, programme development, investment planning, and resource mobilization, supporting governments to align national priorities with global and continental frameworks such as the SDGs and Africa’s Agenda 2063.

He holds a Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from Makerere University and a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from Somali University, and has completed advanced professional training in economic policy, strategic planning, and development leadership.

Prof. Hubert Gijzen holds a PhD in Biotechnology, and has an established career of over 38 years in both academics and international cooperation for sustainable development. Throughout his career, he has lived and worked in various countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe, in a range of senior functions as Full Professor and Chair in Universities, as a Diplomat, Team Leader, Regional Representative, and currently as UNESCO Regional Director and Representative.

Besides his current work for UNESCO, he continues to hold academic positions as full Professor of Environmental Biotechnology at IHE Delft Institute for Water Education (since 1995) and other institutions. Hubert has published over 400 articles and books, and presented numerous keynotes in the fields of water management, microbiology, environmental sciences, biotechnology, and sanitary and environmental engineering. He also covered topics on international cooperation, sustainable development, the MDGs, SDGs, big data and climate change. He served in numerous international advisory functions and on Boards of prestigious Institutes and programmes.

Hubert joined the UN in 2006 as the Director of the UNESCO Regional Science Bureau for Asia and the Pacific based in Jakarta, Indonesia. In 2015, Hubert was appointed as the Regional Director of the newly established UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa in Harare, Zimbabwe. As per July 2021 he has been appointed as Regional Director for Eastern Africa (Nairobi Office), and serves as UNESCO Representative to Kenya, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Madagascar, Mauritius, Uganda, Rwanda, Seychelles, and Somalia. He is the UNESCO Representative to SADC, serves on the UN Regional Directors Team and is member of the UN Regional Coordination Platform for Africa.

Ritu Shroff has been appointed as the Representative of UNHCR in Rwanda effective 1st October 2025. She assumed her role following a five-year tenure as Director of UNHCR’s Division of Strategic Planning and Results (DSPR), which she led from January 2020 to October 2025.

As Director of DSPR, Ritu oversaw the consolidation and strengthening of UNHCR’s programme, budget, partner management, and results management functions. Under her leadership, the Division became a central driver for strategic planning, monitoring, and results-based reporting across the organization, supporting both annual and multi-year programme cycles. In this capacity, she reported directly to the Deputy High Commissioner.

Before heading DSPR, Ritu served as Head of UNHCR’s Evaluation Service from 2017 to 2019, where she revitalized the evaluation function- enhancing its role in promoting accountability and organizational learning amid growing demands from donors and partners.

Prior to joining UNHCR in 2017, Ritu built an extensive career in humanitarian and development work across Africa, Asia, and the United States. Her experience spans programme planning, design and delivery, monitoring, evaluation, learning, and accountability with NGOs, UN agencies, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she served as Deputy Director for Strategy, Measurement and Evaluation for over five years.