Rosette Chantal Rugamba

Rwanda

Trip:

Northern Ireland

Mentored by:

Samar Haj Hasan

Business

Managing Director, Songa Africa: The Tourism Company

Rosette Chantal Rugamba is the Founder and Managing Director of Songa Africa: The Tourism Company, a tourism consultancy firm and luxury tour company in Rwanda. 

She has been actively involved in travel and tourism for the past 20 years, beginning with Euro Star in the UK, and then as Head of Sales and Marketing for British Airways in Uganda and Central Africa, before returning to her native Rwanda to spearhead a revitalization of the tourism industry as Director General of Rwanda Tourism (ORTPN) and later as Deputy CEO of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB). During her eight years at ORTPN and RDB, she oversaw the transformation of Rwanda’s tourism industry.

Rosette is President of the Women in Tourism Chamber. She is also a board member of the Women’s Chamber in Private Sector Federation and a board member of African Parks Network. She serves as a special advisor to the Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and sits on various boards in Africa.

2014 Updates:

Since her participation in the Global Ambassadors Program, Rosette has been working towards several goals in order to expand Songa Africa. She has developed a plan to recruit and retain the right staff, while also delegating some of the responsibilities she had been overburdening herself with. This includes hiring a Finance and Administration department and implementing appropriate policies and regulations. She has also purchased additional land to begin construction of guest lodges.