The Deputy Chairperson of the National Planning Authority (and Former Minister of State for Industry & Education respectively) has died early this morning.
News reaching our desk indicates that Dr. Abel Rwendeire succumbed to a heart attack.
He has been the Deputy Chairperson of NPA, holds a Ph.D. in Biochemisrty obtained in 1985 from the University of Canterbury in New Zeland. He joined NPA in July 2008 following his four year tenure as a Managing Director (2002- 2006) at the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, (UNIDO), in Vienna, Austria.
He was responsible for the formulation, implementation and evaluation of innovative programmatic initiatives in Industrial Promotion and Technology; Agro-Industries; Small and Medium Enterprises; Energy and Cleaner Production as well as providing strategic advice to the Director General of UNIDO on all aspects of technical cooperation services in Industrial, Technological and Economic issues for sustainable industrial development.
Prior to joining UNIDO, Dr Rwendeire was a Member of Parliament representing the people of Rubanda County East constituency in Kabale District from 1996 to 2002. During this time Dr Rwendeire served as a Minister of State (1996-1998 and 200-2001) for Tourism, Trade and Industry; Minister of State (1998-2000) for Higher Education in the Ministry of Education and Sports, laying the foundation, inter alia, for the establishment of Uganda Vocational Qualifications Framework with a view to integrating the informal sector into the main stream formal educational processes.
Before joining Politics, Dr Rwendeire had contributed significantly to the development and management of technical and vocational education when he was the Principal of Uganda Polytechnic Kyambogo (1992-1996) in the Ministry of Education and Sports. He forged mutually supportive partnerships with private sector players by promoting linkages between industry and the Polytechnic. He was the Chairman of the Joint Admission Board (JAB) that was responsible for the national admissions to all the tertiary institutions.
Dr Rwendeire brings to NPA a diverse blend of academic, political, technical and managerial skills coupled with Strategic thinking and analytical/conceptual skills as well as Innovative team-building skills needed to achieve optimal results in development planning process in Uganda.
May his soul rest in eternal peace
