An interview with Alexis Kabayiza, Government Coordinator in Rwanda
Dr Kabayiza is the Government Coordinator of the “Strengthening Food Control and Phytosanitary Capacities and Governance” in Rwanda. He has been Chief Technical Advisor at the Ministry of Trade since 2021. We wanted to learn more about him, about his background, what led him to our project and how he sees the project impacting his country.
Can you tell us about yourself? About your background and how you got involved in food safety and the project specifically?
I have held the position of Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) for the Ministry of Trade and Industry since July 2022. I work with the Ministry’s four affiliated agencies to provide technical assistance by aligning development, dissemination, and coordination to implement sector policies and strategies.
Before that, I was an Assistant Lecturer at the University of Rwanda for eight years and conducted various consultancies applying quantitative research methods for policy evaluations in the field of agriculture and trade. With a PhD in Agribusiness Management, an MBA and a BSc in Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, I have also been involved in various research projects and consultancies with a focus on agricultural food and Agri-value chains.
I am part of key technical and steering committees and have taken on specific assignments with the Ministry, including my role as Government Coordinator of this project for which I was officially nominated for by the Ministry of Trade and Industry. In my personal life, I am married with two daughters six and eight and one young boy four months old.
Let’s turn to Rwanda. Can you tell us a little bit about the food safety situation in the country? What do you think are the strengths of the food control system and what are the areas that need more work?
Rwanda is positioning itself to engage in trade opportunities in the region and within the AfCFTA especially exporting agricultural food products. One of its main goals is to compete in the high-end food market in the EU, the Middle East and across the continent. But the challenge here is meeting the market requirements, specifically obtaining food quality and safety certifications for export.
To overcome this obstacle, the government has established institutions in charge of food control, standards development, and quality and safety. The government has invested in infrastructure for research and testing and in capacity building for human resources, as well as awareness and inclusion programs targeted to business owners. All this has shaped the current progress in the national food control system. Labs with the required equipment to provide these services have been created.
However, the capacity of the labs is still limited and is not yet able to respond to all client demands promptly.
Areas to work on include increasing lab capacity, specifically enhancing infrastructure and equipment, and training on new and emerging technologies and human capacities. In addition, services need to be harmonized for the institutions to deliver effectively on quality and safety control.
Within this context, can you walk us through the food control assessment process and explain what it was like to work with FAO over the past eight months?
The assessment used an internationally recognized tool and an approach developed by FAO and WHO whose model is based on engaging staff from competent authorities (CAs) operating in the food control system in the country. To ensure the success of the project, representatives of DGs and CEOs of those CAs were engaged from the beginning.
The assessment involved an inception workshop with government representatives, partners and stakeholders involved in the food control system, followed by a data collection process, and a mission to validate the data. The process culminated in a strategic workshop to review the data and develop strategic plans for resource mobilization and to strengthen the country’s food control system.
We are currently in the resource mobilization phase which involves engaging with partners and donors involved in food safety and food control systems.
At the centre of the assessment was the capacity-building element of involving the staff from the CAs throughout the entire process. This was much appreciated by the beneficiaries and will allow us to replicate the same approach to re-assess the system and measure progress over time.
Would you have done anything differently in the assessment process?
The staff at the CAs need to develop better time management skills to fulfil all the project tasks promptly. Greater consideration must be given to the priorities and the needs of CAs regarding the necessary infrastructure and lab capacity during the costing process and when mobilizing resources.
Overall, I think theapproach used in the assessment was appreciated by the focal points and minimized efforts in collecting data while increasing their ownership and commitment.
As discussed in the interview in November, can you tell us where you see any synergies or overlaps between the food safety and the plant health component of the project?
Theproject’s two-fold component reflects the need for harmonization and collaboration between food safety and plant health. Creating synergies across these two areas that have so much overlap can help maximize the use of available infrastructure and human resource capacities.
Looking ahead, having seen the results that have come out of the assessment, what do you think the next steps will be for the food control system in Rwanda?
The next step is to mobilize resources, with the support of FAO, by engaging the government’s partners and donors to support the implementation of a developed strategic plan for identified gaps to strengthen phytosanitary and food control systems in Rwanda.