Ms Kurwijila, a national of Tanzania, holds a B.Sc. Degree in Agriculture from the University of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania and an M.Sc. Degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of London, Wye College, United Kingdom. In addition, she holds a Master of Philosophy in Development Economics from the University of East Anglia, United Kingdom. Ms Kurwijila began her career in 1976 as Principal Agricultural Training Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture in Tanzania. From 1988 to 1995, she was Lecturer in Agricultural Economics and Rural Economy at the Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania. From 1995 to 2000, she worked as Programme Manager for Natural Resources Management at the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV), Tanzania, where she was mainly in charge of the improvement of traditional irrigation systems and community based natural resource management systems in Zambia and Zimbabwe. In 2000, she was appointed County Programme Director of Action Aid International in Tanzania, responsible for developing, managing and coordinating different programmes in the country. In 2003, she was appointed Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture at the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, responsible for developing policies and strategies. Ms Kurwijila succeeds Mr George Mburathi as FAO Representative in South Africa.