Innocent is a Food Systems Executive with over a decade of expertise in quality assurance, food safety management, and regulatory compliance across Africa's tea, coffee, food extracts, and dairy value chains is currently serve as a Tea Quality Assurance and Regulation Specialist at Rwanda's National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB)
A professional tea taster recognized across the African tea sector, Innocent has tasted and graded tea samples from factories throughout Africa, led factory performance evaluations and rankings, and organized tea and coffee tasting and awarding sessions at premier industry events, including the Annual Africa Coffee and Tea Expo and the Annual Tea Makers Calibration Workshop. His refined sensory expertise has been instrumental in shaping national tea profiling standards and elevating the quality benchmark of African-origin teas.
At NAEB, he has played a pivotal role in maintaining high-quality standards across tea, leading the harmonization of national tea standards with East African Community (EAC) and international regulatory frameworks directly improving export efficiency and market access for Rwandan producers. His technical advisory experience extends into food additives, including food extracts and synthetic compounds, reflecting the breadth of his regulatory and scientific command.
A driving force behind innovation in the sector, Innocent developed the Post-Harvest Infrastructure Management System, an app and web-based platform designed to track and reduce post-harvest losses. The system connects post-harvest infrastructure across the value chain and supports the training of infrastructure managers in both quality standards and the technical skills required for effective harvest management.
Innocent holds a Master's degree in Environmental Economics and Natural Resource Management from the University of Lay Adventist of Kigali (UNILAK), and a Bachelor's degree in Food Science and Technology from the University of Rwanda. He is FSPCA-certified and trained in ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 17025:2015 quality and laboratory management systems.
Combining sensory mastery, scientific depth, and policy insight, Innocent continues to champion the profitability, safety, and global competitiveness of African agricultural exports.
