Dr. Bernadette Arakwiye is the Minister of Environment of the Republic of Rwanda since 24th July 2025. Previously, she was Senior Manager for Africa Restoration Programs at the World Resources Institute (WRI), where she mobilized resources for large-scale restoration, led a team of experts across seven African countries, and oversaw a portfolio focused on investing capital and in the capacity of restoration actors, enabling implementation, monitoring progress, and motivating stakeholders to scale restoration. She has served on advisory boards for regional and international restoration initiatives and has trained professionals and graduate students in restoration planning, implementation and monitoring.

Earlier in her career, she led restoration monitoring at WRI, generated and analyzed ecosystem services data at Conservation International in the United States, and conducted biodiversity research at the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International in Rwanda. She holds a Ph.D. in Geography from Clark University in Massachusetts, where she received the NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship, a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies from Antioch University New England, and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Rwanda.