Gabriel Opio (born 9 November 1945) is a

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The south ...

n economist and politician. He was the Minister of Gender, Labor & Social Development in the

Cabinet of Uganda There are 32 Cabinet ministers and 50 Ministers of State in the Cabinet of Uganda (2021 to 2026). According to Section 111 of the 1995 Constitution of Uganda, as amended in 2005, "There shall be a Cabinet which shall consist of the President, ...

from 16 February 2009 to 27 May 2011. Before his service at the Gender Ministry, he served as the State Minister for Higher Education from June 2006 to February 2009.

Education

Opio holds a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree in economics from

Makerere University Makerere University, Kampala (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of n ...

, Uganda's oldest university. His degree of Master of Arts in Economics was obtained from the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Ruth ...

, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He also holds the degree of

Master of Science in Finance Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Career

Between 1993 and 1996, he served as a member of the National Resistance Council for Samia-Bugwe constituency in

Tororo District Tororo District is a district in the Eastern Region of Uganda. The town of Tororo hosts the district headquarters. Location Tororo District is bordered by Mbale District to the north, Manafwa District to the north-east, Kenya to the east, Busia ...

. In 1996, he was elected to the Ugandan Parliament, representing Samia-Bugwe South in the newly created

Busia District Busia District is a district in the Eastern region of Uganda. Location Busia District borders Tororo District to the north, Busia County, Kenya to the east, amyingoto the south, and to the south-west, and Bugiri District to the west. Busia, U ...

. In 1999, he was appointed State Minister for Finance, responsible for planning and investments, serving in that position until 2001 when he lost his parliamentary seat to

Simon Mayende Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

. Between 2002 and 2006, Opio served in various capacities, including as Director of

National Water and Sewerage Corporation The National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) is a water supply and sanitation company in Uganda. It is wholly owned by the government of Uganda. Location The company, as of July 2018, was in the final stages of construction of its new hea ...

, Director of

Centenary Bank Centenary Bank is a commercial bank in Uganda licensed by the Bank of Uganda, the central bank and national banking regulator. History The bank was founded in 1983 as a credit trust, Centenary Rural Development Trust (CRDT), by Simeon Lutaa ...

, and Commissioner of the Uganda AIDS Commission. He served as the State Minister for Higher Education from June 2006 to February 2009, and as Minister of Gender, Labor & Social Development from 16 February 2009 to 27 May 2011. In the national election cycle of 2011, he lost his parliamentary seat of Samia-Bugwe South to Julius Maganda, an independent political candidate. In the cabinet reshuffle of 27 May 2011, he was dropped from the Cabinet and replaced by

Syda Bbumba Syda Namirembe Bbumba (last name sometimes spelled Bumba) (born 7 January 1952) is a Ugandan accountant, politician and banker. She served in the Cabinet of Uganda as Minister of Energy and Minerals from 2002 to 2006, Minister of Gender, Labor a ...

References

External links

Full Ministerial Cabinet List, June 2006 Full Ministerial Cabinet List, February 2009Full Ministerial Cabinet List, May 2011
{{DEFAULTSORT:Opio, Gabriel 1945 births Living people People from Busia District, Uganda People from Eastern Region, Uganda Makerere University alumni Ugandan economists Samia people Government ministers of Uganda Members of the Parliament of Uganda National Resistance Movement politicians 21st-century Ugandan politicians