Rwanda : Monique Nsanzabaganwa, economist and deputy chairperson of the African Union Commission

Monique Nsanzabaganwa is a Rwandan economist. In 2021, she became the first woman to be appointed Deputy chairperson of the African Union Commission. Previously, she was deputy governor of the National Bank of Rwanda.

Since 2021, Monique Nsanzabaganwa has been in charge of Administration and finance within the African Union Commission. The economist has previous long years of experience in the financial world in Rwanda where she held several ministerial positions within the government.

After her high school, she graduated with a bachelor of economics from the National university in Rwanda. Then, she moved to South Africa where she enrolled at Stellenbosch university and obtained in 2002 a Masters degree in economics. She pursued her training with a PhD in economics from the same university. After her graduation, she returned to Rwanda where she worked firstly as a lecturer in economics at the National University of Rwanda from 1999 to 2003.

In 2003, she entered the governement as the minister of state in charge of economic planning in the ministry of finance and economic planning. A position that she held until 2008. During her 5 years mandate, she mainly contributed to create the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda. She also played a great role in setting up the legal framework and policy guidelines for microfinance in Rwanda.

In 2008, she was appointed Minister of Trade and Industry. During her tenure as minister, she led several reforms. She notably, contributed to formulating policies and implementing reforms with regards to consumer rights and protection, competition, as well as intellectual property rights, handcrafts, cooperative movement…

In 2011, she left her position to run the Rwandan National Bank, the country’s central Bank, as the deputy governor. A position that she held for 10 years. At the head of the Rwandan financial institution, she was in charge of setting the financial policy of the country and ensuring the stability of the Rwandan currency.

In 2021, she became deputy chairperson of the African Union Commission. She is in charge of administration and finance and assists the chairperson of the African commission in executing his functions to ensure that the commission functions smoothly. She also acts as the chairperson in his absence.

Monique Nsanzabaganwa also advocates for women’s inclusion in economy. She is a member of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion’s Gender Inclusive Finance Committee. She is also an alumna of Women’s World Banking, a non-profit organization promoting banking solutions for low-income women. She is a member of its African Advisory Council.