Jean Marie is Rwandan by nationality. He joined the WRI community on 3rd April 2023. He works as Portfolio Specialist, TerraFund for AFR100, Restoration Initiative. He supports and manages a cohort of growing community-based organizations and SME’s that are restoring degraded land across AFR100. Jean Marie will also join a team of sector experts to screen, score and interview organizations that are applying for funding and capacity training to restore priority landscapes in AFR100.

Prior to joining WRI, Jean Marie worked as Business Advisor for Agriterra (a Dutch Agri-Agency specializing in Cooperative Development) for over past five years. He was based in Rwanda with frequent travel in East and West Africa. His main responsibility was to provide farmer cooperatives and SMEs business development advice, smart-grant management, and change management to help them realize their business growth.

Jean Marie holds a BSc in Biology from University of Rwanda-College of Education, MSc in Agriculture and applied economics from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and certificate on professional course” Farmers as Partners in Agribusiness” from Wageningen University.

Jean Marie enjoys football, R&B and Slow music in his spare time! He is a father of two- a girl and a boy!