The second annual CFO East Africa Summit, held in Kigali on 17 April, brought together the region’s finance leaders for an evening defined not by forecasts and models, but by reflection, introspection and renewed intent. Against the backdrop of a fast-evolving economic landscape, the gathering created space for CFOs to pause, recalibrate and engage with the deeper questions shaping their leadership journeys.
Hosted as part of the expanding CFO East Africa platform, the summit reaffirmed the community’s core purpose: to bring together senior finance executives from Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda to share knowledge, build meaningful relationships and strengthen the role of finance leadership across the region.
Josephine Mbabazi, head of corporate Services at Rwanda’s Capital Markets Authority, set the scene by grounding the evening in lived experience rather than theory. She spoke candidly about the realities of building a career in finance, emphasising that success is rarely linear. Drawing from her own journey, she highlighted grit and discipline as foundational traits, the consistent drivers behind professional growth.
A panel comprising three speakers, Christine Sesay, VP of finance at Kepler, Theogene Maniragaba, CFO of Crystal Ventures, and Lilian Budandi, finance director of Ishara Towers, then took to the stage.
Christine explained that one of her biggest success factors is ensuring that she is deeply involved in the business, not just sitting in finance and looking at numbers after the fact.
Building the right frameworks and culture
“You have to understand operations, strategy and the realities on the ground so that finance becomes a partner rather than a gatekeeper,” she said. “At the same time, I strongly believe in empowering business units to make decisions even when finance is not in the room , because if you have built the right frameworks, controls and culture, people will make sound decisions.”
Theogene reflected that despite the rapid rise of AI and technological change, certain success factors remain constant. Drawing on Matthew 6 in the Bible, he emphasised the importance of focusing on what is required today, noting that discipline, integrity and sound judgement will always sit at the heart of effective financial leadership.
Lilian Budandi shared that she relied on a combination of resilience, rigorous attention to detail and strong stakeholder management during the recent, demanding acquisition process involving IHS Towers and its eventual buyer. She noted that navigating a transaction of that scale required not only technical expertise, but the ability to remain steady under pressure, align multiple parties with competing interests and maintain clarity of purpose throughout. For her, disciplined execution, clear communication and an unwavering focus on the end objective were the critical success factors that ultimately carried the process through to completion.
CFOs then broke up into six groups where they shared the success factors that have defined their leadership journeys with their peers. After a pass-around dinner, Dunstan Stober, Acting CFO of MTN Rwanda, delivered the keynote address on leadership in uncertain times.
He outlined what he termed a personal “career operating system” designed to transform a professional from a “seat” occupant to a “signature leader”.
Becoming a signature leader
“My philosophy is centred around the acronym POWER,” Dunstan said. “Plan – you must plan before you perform. Organise through a board of supporters. Work on yourself because you must become more before you ask for more. Emotional intelligence is also key because technical skills open doors but emotional maturity keeps them open. Lastly, have Resilience – do not win publicly while drifting privately.”
A final panel comprising Ange Ntiranyibagirwa, head of finance of BK Group, Dan Mugisha, CFO of Africa Improved Foods, and Collins Otieno, head of finance of Ampersand, took to the stage to discuss their career-defining moments.
Ange spoke candidly about his journey into finance, having initially been set to follow in his parents’ footsteps as a teacher. Reflecting on his career, he shared a hard-earned lesson on delegation, noting that an over-reliance on others in a previous role had led to a fraud incident that could have been avoided had he maintained closer oversight.
Dan Mugisha emphasised that integrity remains non-negotiable in finance leadership, noting the importance of stepping away from the “dancefloor” to the “balcony” from time to time – creating space to reflect, see the bigger picture and make more considered decisions.
Collins Otieno closed the session by urging CFOs to lead with balance – keeping their heads in the clouds to think strategically, the business in their hearts to stay connected to purpose, and their feet firmly on the ground to remain practical – while emphasising the need for a strong bias for action, as ultimately it is execution that turns insight into impact.
Celebrating excellence
CFO East Africa Community Manager KC Rottok Chesaina then recognised the 2025 finalists who were presented with their finalist trophies on stage – Anita Umuhire, CFO of BK, Christine Sesay, CFO of Kepler, Lilian Budandi, FD of Ishara, Shime Baligira, former CFO of Liquid Technologies, Rahul Bedi, CFO of Silverback Tea, and Toussaint Maniriho, CFO of Rwanda Space Agency.
The 2026 finalists for CFO of the Year in Rwanda were also announced – Anita Kagenza, CFO of Admaius Capital Partners, Clarisse Umutoni, CFO of RAB, Dederi Wimana, CFO of I&M Bank, Innocent Murindabigwi, CFO of RSSB, Paulian Kazibwe, CFO of Airtel Rwanda, and Theogene Maniragaba, CFO of CVL.
The event was supported by principal partner PwC, represented by Brian Ngunjiri, who spoke on the importance of agility in navigating uncertain times. Anita Umuhire represented executive partner Bank of Kigali, showcasing three proprietary innovations available through the bank that finance leaders can leverage when banking with the institution. The event was also supported by associate partner GardaWorld.
