Lydie Hakizimana
Tribute
Lydie Hakizimana advances mathematical sciences across Africa as CEO of Rwanda's African Institute for Mathematical Sciences while calculating the countless ways to nurture her three children's curiosity, creativity, and character. Beyond her educational leadership, we celebrate the mathematical problems solved between helping with homework, the continental initiatives developed alongside family traditions, and the executive who applies her most complex equations to integrating maternal presence with professional impact.
Profile
Lydie Hakizimana is an entrepreneur and educator, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS). In this role, she leads efforts to advance STEM education across Africa, equipping young Africans with critical mathematical and scientific skills. Prior to joining AIMS, Lydie founded Happy Hearts Preschools in 2015, which has become the fastest-growing network of private preschools in Rwanda. These schools serve children aged 1 to 6, blending Montessori pedagogic principles with Rwandan cultural values to provide quality early childhood education. Before her work with Happy Hearts, Lydie co-founded Drakkar Ltd in 2006, a pioneering Rwandan educational publishing house. Under her leadership, Drakkar Ltd distributed over one million textbooks to more than 3,800 primary and secondary schools, reaching approximately three million children across Rwanda. Lydie holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and is a certified Montessori teacher from the North American Montessori Center in Canada. She has been recognized with several awards, including the Mandela Washington Fellowship in 2016 and the Archbishop Desmond Tutu Fellowship in 2013. In addition to her professional achievements, Lydie is a mother of three children.