{"id":111031,"date":"2025-09-25T16:40:57","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T16:40:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/rwandan-official-named-chair-of-commonwealth-women-network"},"modified":"2025-09-25T17:49:54","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T17:49:54","slug":"rwandan-official-named-chair-of-commonwealth-women-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/rwandan-official-named-chair-of-commonwealth-women-network","title":{"rendered":"Rwandan Official Named Chair of Commonwealth Women Network"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>Odette Uwizeye, the Chairperson of the Rwanda Association of Local Government Authorities (RALGA), has been named the new Chairperson of the Commonwealth Women in Local Government Network.<\/p>\n

The announcement was made under the auspices of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF), an institution that promotes democratic local government across the Commonwealth and champions women\u2019s leadership in public life.<\/p>\n

For Uwizeye, this appointment is both an honor and a responsibility.<\/p>\n

Speaking to The New Times shortly after the news was confirmed on Wednesday, September 24, she attributed the achievement to Rwanda\u2019s record of progressive leadership.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am thankful to the Government of Rwanda and the visionary leadership of President Paul Kagame. Being appointed as the Chairperson of the Commonwealth Women in Local Government Network is an indication of the recognition of the strong leadership of our country and the trust placed in Rwandans,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am therefore honored and grateful for the trust that CLGF has bestowed on me, my country and Africa at large. I am committed to do my best in achieving these new responsibilities and look forward to contributing to the CLGF\u2019s success story.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Commonwealth Women in Local Government Network is closely aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 5 of achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.<\/p>\n

As its new Chair, Uwizeye has pledged to focus on strengthening women\u2019s leadership and advancing gender equality within local governments. Her strategy includes capacity development, mentorship, and advocating for women\u2019s representation in decision-making positions.<\/p>\n

\u201cRwanda has made significant progress in increasing women\u2019s participation in local government. Similarly, some Commonwealth countries have registered notable achievements, while others are still lagging. Our role is to ensure women\u2019s empowerment and promotion in all Commonwealth local governments,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n

Uwizeye said she intends to champion initiatives such as outreach programs, internships for young women, training and capacity development programs designed to inspire more women to take up leadership roles.<\/p>\n

She emphasized the importance of advocacy for gender-responsive policies and the visibility of women leaders, both locally and internationally.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeer-to-peer learning and experience sharing by women will be instrumental in increasing involvement and achievements in local governments. Digital transformation will also be a priority, as timely access to accurate information is key. Providing women and girls with digital skills is essential for enhancing their participation in governance,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

CLGF welcomed Uwizeye’s appointment, expressing confidence in her ability to advance women\u2019s empowerment across the Commonwealth.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe look forward to working with you on empowering women to serve in local government and advancing SDG 5. We are honored to have your participation and to continue our close ties with RALGA Rwanda,\u201d the organization said in a statement posted on X.<\/p>\n

Uwizeye brings a wealth of experience from local governance and academia.<\/p>\n

While she currently heads RALGA, she also serves as Chairperson of Rusizi District Council.<\/p>\n

Previously, she held leadership positions within Kicukiro District Council in Kigali, and at the Institute of Policy Analysis and Research in Rwanda (IPAR-Rwanda), where she served as Chairperson of the Board of Directors.<\/p>\n

Uwizeye also serves the Academic Registrar of the University of Rwanda, having previously served in senior management roles at the former School of Finance and Banking (SFB) and at the College of Business and Economics (CBE).<\/p>\n

She holds a PhD in Business Administration with specialization in Strategic Management obtained from Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology (JKUAT), Kenya.<\/p>\n

She has a Master of Business Administration in Banking, Master of Business Administration in Project Management both obtained from Mastricht School of Management, Netherlands.<\/p>\n

She also holds Bachelor of Science in Economics from the National University of Rwanda.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Rwanda<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. Odette Uwizeye, the Chairperson of the Rwanda Association of Local Government Authorities (RALGA), has been named the new Chairperson of the Commonwealth Women in Local Government Network. The announcement was made under the auspices of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF), an institution that promotes democratic local government across the Commonwealth and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":111030,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,30,14],"tags":[2478,8175,758,441],"class_list":["post-111031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","category-policy","tag-commonwealth","tag-equality","tag-rwanda","tag-women"],"yoast_head":"\nRwandan Official Named Chair of Commonwealth Women Network - Rwanda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Odette Uwizeye, the Chairperson of the Rwanda Association of Local Government Authorities (RALGA), has been named the ne ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/rwandan-official-named-chair-of-commonwealth-women-network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rwandan Official Named Chair of Commonwealth Women Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Odette Uwizeye, the Chairperson of the Rwanda Association of Local Government Authorities (RALGA), has been named the ne ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/rwandan-official-named-chair-of-commonwealth-women-network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rwanda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-25T16:40:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-25T17:49:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2025\/09\/sm_1758809976.130737.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"612\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/rwandan-official-named-chair-of-commonwealth-women-network#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/rwandan-official-named-chair-of-commonwealth-women-network\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Rwandan Official Named Chair of Commonwealth Women Network\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-25T16:40:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-25T17:49:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/rwandan-official-named-chair-of-commonwealth-women-network\"},\"wordCount\":627,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/rwandan-official-named-chair-of-commonwealth-women-network#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2025\/09\/sm_1758809976.130737.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Commonwealth\",\"equality\",\"Rwanda\",\"women\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Community\",\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/rwandan-official-named-chair-of-commonwealth-women-network#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/rwandan-official-named-chair-of-commonwealth-women-network\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/rwandan-official-named-chair-of-commonwealth-women-network\",\"name\":\"Rwandan Official Named Chair of Commonwealth Women Network - 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