MSU Graduate Appointed Minister of Agriculture in Rwanda
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EmailGeradine Mukeshimana, a former graduate student at MSU, was just appointed the Minister of Agriculture and Anatase Murekezi, a collaborating partner with MSU for decades was just named the Prime Minister.
Gerardine Mukeshimana has been appointed Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources of Rwanda. Gerardine is an MSU alum who first came to MSU for a master’s through the Rwanda PEARL project and then for her Ph.D. with Dr. Jim Kelly in plant (bean) breeding and biotechnology. In 2012, Gerardine received the prestigious 2012 Award for Scientific Excellence from the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development. She also received a Norman Borlaug Leadership Enhancement in Agriculture Program (Borlaug LEAP) fellowship for key contributions to breeding of the common bean. With her hard work in identifying the key components of bean genetic trait inheritance and developing a cost effective method from screening these components, the bean has become more resistant to disease and better able to withstand drought. For further information on Gerardine's awards and accomplishments, please click here.
In a statement released by the Office of the President of Rwanda, Anastase Murekezi was recently named Prime Minister of Rwanda. Anastase has been a very close colleague to many of Michigan State University’s faculty and staff over the years including counterpart to the Director of the DSA on the Food Security Research Project. Most recently, Anastase has served as Minister of Agriculture and then Minister of Public Service and Labor in Rwanda. Anastase, who has served as the labour minister since 2008, is the fifth prime minister since the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Additionally, Anastase is a member of the Rwanda’s second largest political party, the Social Democratic Party (PSD), a member of the ruling coalition and mentioned on his Twitter account that “My new appointment gives me a unique opportunity to keep serving my country Rwanda.” For further information on Anastase, please click here.
