Fabien Majoro

Project Manager

Sustainable Development of the Mining Sector in Rwanda

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

GRIPS Global Governance Program (G-Cube), Ph.D. in Advanced Policy Studies (’18)

Please tell us about your career path so far. What is your area of specialization and how did you come to work in this area?

I have over 20 years of professional experience. I began my career in international humanitarian work with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Rwanda in 2004, shortly after graduating from university. I later joined the civil service, where I served as Director General for Coordination at the Office of the Prime Minister and subsequently as Governance Advisor to the Prime Minister. In total, I spent ten years in the civil service.

Currently, I serve as a Project Manager with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, GIZ- Germany’s international development cooperation agency - in Rwanda, where I lead a project supporting the mining sector.

My main areas of specialization are leadership, strategic and policy advisory, and management. These competencies were significantly strengthened during my time at GRIPS. The cross-cutting courses and exposure I gained there helped me develop strong skills in strategic thinking, decision-making, and high-level advisory work.

You are currently serving in a senior professional capacity in the field of international development. Could you tell us about your current organization and your main roles and responsibilities?.

Today, I serve as a Manager at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), where I oversee a project co-financed by the European Union and the German Federal Government to support the mining sector.

My responsibilities include managing project resources—human, financial, and material—and ensuring their effective and efficient utilization. I also manage stakeholder expectations and ensure that the strategic interests of the commissioning parties, partners, and GIZ are aligned and effectively addressed.

Reflecting on your professional journey to date, what milestones are you most proud of, and what lessons have you learned along the way?

Reflecting on my professional journey, I am particularly proud of my current position, as it is a merit-based role. Accessing this post required passing a rigorous selection process, including leadership and psychometric assessments designed to ensure suitability for the role.

One of the most important lessons I have learned is the necessity of continuous learning. Formal education is comparable to a driving license. It provides the authorization to start driving, but one must continuously refine and upgrade Fabien during the gemstone cutting equipment handover to a mining school skills to remain effective. I developed this commitment to lifelong learning when I returned to formal education by enrolling in the GRIPS G-CUBE program.

From your perspective, what do you see as the main opportunities and challenges for development cooperation, governance reform, and public sector capacity building over the next five to ten years in Rwanda?

From my perspective, development cooperation is increasingly being challenged from multiple directions. In donor countries, public opinion and political actors are uestioning its value when it is not clearly linked to national strategic interests, which underscores the need for more targeted and strategic communication about its relevance and impact. At the same time, many partner countries, including Rwanda, are increasingly favouring foreign direct investment and, in some cases, direct budget support over traditional project-based cooperation.

This is not unique to Rwanda but reflects a broader global trend. Recent geopolitical shifts and policy debates in major donor countries, particularly in the United States under the current Trump administration, have reinforced a more interest-driven approach to development cooperation, where assistance is increasingly justified as a tool of foreign, economic, and security policy. While development cooperation is likely to remain relevant over the next five to ten years, it will become more selective and more closely aligned with donors’ strategic priorities.

In this context, sectors of strategic importance, such as critical raw materials, are likely to receive sustained or increased support. Development cooperation in these areas will increasingly focus on strengthening value chains, improving governance frameworks, and facilitating linkages between private-sector actors from donor countries and local companies and suppliers. The European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other OECD countries are all seeking to secure access to critical raw materials that are essential for new and emerging technologies.

For Rwanda, this presents both opportunities and challenges. The opportunity lies in leveraging development cooperation to build public sector capacity, strengthen governance, and attract responsible investment in priority sectors. The challenge will be to ensure that national development objectives, sustainability standards, and local value creation remain central as development cooperation becomes more strategically driven.

What are some of the biggest challenges you face in your work? And what have been the most interesting or rewarding aspects of your career thus far?

One of the biggest challenges I currently face in my work is the shortage of funding. This has largely resulted from reduced or withdrawn support by partner countries, driven　in part by political instability in the wider region, which has affected funding priorities and risk assessments.

The most rewarding aspect of my career has been my contribution to the transformation of Rwanda’s mining sector. When I began working in the sector, mining was competing with cash crops for second place as a source of foreign exchange earnings after tourism. Today, as a result of sustained reform efforts On a tantalum mine-Ngororero District, Western Province Rwanda and targeted support, the mining sector has become Rwanda’s leading source of foreign exchange earnings.

What professional goals are you currently working towards, and where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?

Currently, I am aiming to take on greater leadership responsibilities, either within development cooperation or in related fields. This is why I am actively pursuing additional training and courses focused on leadership in contemporary and complex settings. Over the next ten years, I aspire to hold a senior leadership position in an international organization, where I can influence decision-making across a broader policy spectrum.

What motivated you to pursue studies at GRIPS, and how has your　academic experience there influenced your professional development　and career trajectory?

My motivation to pursue further studies at GRIPS was multifaceted. First, I wanted to better understand political science theory in relation to legal theory. As a trained lawyer working closely with senior politicians, I was struck by the differences in our reasoning and decision-making approaches and wanted to understand the underlying logic.

Second, having been educated primarily in a Western academic tradition, I wanted exposure to Far Eastern culture and approaches to governance and management. Third, Japan had long fascinated me. Growing up, Japan was synonymous technology, innovation, and quality manufacturing, and there was a certain mythology surrounding Japanese work ethic and efficiency. Any opportunity to study in Japan was therefore one I could not pass up.

I was extremely satisfied at graduation, as all my expectations were met. My studies at GRIPS directly contributed to securing my current position, and I continue to apply the skills and knowledge I gained there in my daily professional work.

Have you had any involvement, professional or otherwise, with Japan since graduating from GRIPS?

Since graduating, I have not yet returned to Japan, although it remains a strong personal wish. However, I continue to engage with Japan through participation in various events and gatherings organized by the Embassy of Japan in Rwanda.

How do you maintain a balance between your professional responsibilities and personal life? And when you’re not working, what is your favorite way to relax or spend your free time?

I place great value on maintaining a healthy balance between professional and personal life, and I am fortunate that my current employer also actively supports this principle. Outside of work, I am involved in several economic and social activities. I am a farmer, support local tea grower cooperatives, and articipate in charitable initiatives.

To manage stress, I also engage in sports. When I have free time, I enjoy reading academic papers and books and conducting personal research, particularly on topics related to political economy.

What are some of your fondest memories of your time spent at GRIPS? Is there anything in particular that you miss about living and studying in Japan?

I particularly enjoyed the tutorial classes at GRIPS and valued the strong sense of community within our cohort, which truly felt like a family. I miss life in Japan, the orderliness, mutual respect, and social discipline. I studied there with my family, and they often ask when we will return. My children especially loved Japan.

If you could give one piece of advice to anyone considering studying at GRIPS, what would it be?

My advice would be to make the most of your time at GRIPS. Academically, there are many opportunities to explore, including exchange programs, internships, the GRIPS Forum, and numerous seminars. Building strong professional and personal networks is critical for life after graduation. Beyond academics, Japan itself offers rich cultural experiences that students should embrace without hesitation.

How would you like to remain involved with GRIPS as an alumnus? What do you expect from the school, and do you have any suggestions on how the GRIPS alumni network could be further strengthened or better utilized?

Unfortunately, there are currently very few GRIPS alumni in Rwanda, which makes regional networking challenging. It would be highly beneficial to establish more formalized regional alumni networks, for example, at the East African level, to help alumni stay connected to one another and to their alma mater.