President Paul Kagame has appointed Dr Papius Malimba Musafiri the new Minister for Education, replacing Prof. Silas Lwakabamba, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s office this evening.

Musafiri, who rose through the academic ranks to become the first principal of the University of Rwanda’s College of Business and Economics (UR-CBE) following a merger of several public varsities in 2013, boasts 14 years of experience in the country’s tertiary education circles.

Lwakabamba, aged 68, had been at the helm of the Education ministry since July 2014, a position he assumed after serving as Infrastructure minister for a little over a year.

In the statement, signed by the Prime Minister Anastase Murekezi, Dr Célestin Ntivuguruzwa has also been appointed as the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education.

He replaces Sharon Haba who had been appointed to the position in October 2009.

Prior to joining cabinet as Infrastructure minister in February 2013, Prof. Lwakabamba served as Rector of the then University of Rwanda since 2006, after spending nearly ten years as Rector of the then Kigali Institute of Science, Technology and Management (KIST) – now University of Rwanda’s College of Science and Technology.

Youthful Musafiri previously served as acting Rector of former School of Finance and Banking (SFB) – now UR-CBE – after years working as faculty member at both SFB and KIST.