KIGALI - Rwanda Development Board (RDB), will today announce the details of major changes among its staff and structure, following the completion of a restructuring exercise aimed at overhauling the organisation.

According to the CEO of RDB, John Gara, the changes, that will see a number of staff laid off, are designed to streamline the operations of the organisation.

"This structure has reshaped the institution to reflect the rapidly developing nature of the economy and has benchmarked RDB against an ideal profile of personnel with a view to lift up individual and collective capacity of the institution.” Gara said in a statement.

The process to decide on the staff that will be retained was completed following an exercise of determining ideal profiles and then matching them against current staff while taking into account performance assessments.

The process also had to take into account the need to keep within the 287 staff complement for RDB that was approved by the Cabinet in January this year.

"We will have a smaller, but highly competent team, who we are confident, will move RDB forward,” Gara said. "This new structure aims at both addressing critical areas that were previously not focused on, while at the same time optimising the resources that RDB has so that we provide even better work and services than we did before,”

In a press release issued yesterday, the institution is retaining key management personnel needed to achieve the Development Board’s medium-and longer-term goals.

Clare Akamanzi, the new Chief Operating Officer (COO) and James Kamanzi, the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) appointed by the Cabinet last week have both been members of the senior management since the Board was created.

Also retained is Patrick Nyirishema who will continue to head the critically important IT Department. The COO and CFO will both be reporting to the CEO.

Under the revised structure, the Legal, Communications and Public Relations, Customer Care Units, and a new Strategy and Competitiveness Unit will operate directly under the office of the CEO.

The Heads of the major economic cluster Departments namely, Patrick Nyirishema (IT Department), and newly appointed Rica Rwigamba (Tourism and Conservation Department), Pipien Hakizabera (Trade and Manufacturing Department), and Paul Kayoboke (Human Capital and Institutional Development Department) will report to the COO.

Akamanzi, will also act as the Head of the Investment Promotion and Implementation Department till an appointment is made for the position. Daniel Ufitikirezi, the new Head of the Assets and Business Management Department will report to the CFO.

The positions of Head of Agriculture Development Department and Head of Services Development Department are now the only other senior management positions that remain vacant.

"All these changes will enable the RDB to better strategise and attract more investments into the country and to maximise the potential of its existing staff,” Gara said.

"We are dedicated to serving the best interests of our clients, and we remain focused on fast tracking development in a way that is profitable and sustainable for the country.”

Ends