The Rwanda Football Federation has appointed former national team star Haruna Niyonzima as one of the coaches responsible for identifying young football talent under the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS).
The initiative focuses on discovering and nurturing promising young players through youth competitions organized as part of FIFA’s global talent development program.
In recent months, FERWAFA’s executive committee has been increasingly working with former stars of Rwandan football to support the development of the sport in the country.
Part of this effort includes collaboration with the association of former Rwanda national football team players known as FAPA, led by former goalkeeper Eric Eugène Murangwa, a legend of Rayon Sports.
FERWAFA believes that experienced former players can play a key role in mentoring young athletes and contributing to the growth of football in Rwanda.
Niyonzima, who recently began his coaching journey, holds a CAF C coaching license obtained in 2019 from the Confederation of African Football. He is currently preparing to pursue the CAF B coaching license, expected to take place later this year.
Haruna began his professional football career at Etincelles FC before joining Rayon Sports in 2007.
That same year, the then national team coach Josip Kuže, who passed away in 2013, called him up to play for Rwanda’s senior national team.
Niyonzima made an immediate impact. In his debut match for the national side, he scored two goals against Equatorial Guinea.
Over the course of his career, he went on to play more than 110 matches for the national team, placing him among the few players globally who have reached such a milestone with their country.
In 2015, when Niyonzima was captain of the national team, Rwanda achieved its highest-ever FIFA ranking of 64th place.
His impressive performances for top Rwandan clubs such as Rayon Sports and APR FC earned him opportunities to play abroad.
He later joined leading Tanzanian clubs Young Africans S.C. and Simba SC, where he further strengthened his reputation across East African football.
Niyonzima also played for AS Kigali and Libya’s Al Ta’awon SC during his professional career.
In February 2026, Niyonzima was among a group of coaches who successfully completed specialized training sessions delivered by coaches from Atlético Madrid.
Through Rwanda’s partnership with the Spanish club, the coaches will later travel to Spain to further develop their coaching skills and gain international experience.