The new Director-General of Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB), Dr Mark Cyubahiro Bagabe, has pledged to ensure better management of national resources allocated in the institution and ensure the development of the agriculture sector.

Dr Bagabe said this week as he received the instruments of power from Dr Daphrose Gahakwa, the deputy director-general of RAB, who has been heading the institution in interim capacity since June.He said, in his own experience, team spirit, command structure, and accountability are the main factors that make an institution successful.

"Resources will always be limited, but there should be priorities as long as there is good governance,” Bagabe said, adding that financial management and resources are paramount.

He was, prior to his appointment at RAB, heading the Rwanda Standards Board.

"Heading an institution like this (RAB) is not a difficult task but what matters is good management of personnel and resources,” Bagabe added.

While presenting the institution’s organisational structure and documents to the new head of the agency, Gahakwa said she couldn’t have delivered unless there was cooperation with the whole staff and support from the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources.

Geraldine Mukeshimana, the minister for agriculture and animal resources, who presided over the handover, urged RAB staff in general to cultivate ownership spirit into their minds as a major way that will help them to deliver good results.

"The country is ours and we account to citizens, so when you don’t own something you can’t produce anything,” Mukeshimana said.

She reminded the RAB staff that they are masters of the agriculture sector, a reason that should make them work hard.

"It is everyone’s responsibility to work to deliver regardless to the situation you will be serving in. Rwandans need the best services they deserve from you,” Mukeshimana added.

Dr George Nyombayire, RAB board chairperson, cited some of the challenges that the institution still face in their daily work, including limited research to get good seeds that dogs the agency to the extent that all seeds are imported.

He also cited auditing challenges, old infrastructure and plants diseases, among others.

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