In honor of International Women’s Day, we’ve compiled a list of inspiring business women in Kigali who are solving issues, contributing to the Rwandan market, and building Rwanda’s creative scene
Christelle Kwizera, founder of Water Access Rwanda, is a socialpreneur on a mission to provide affordable, durable and simple water solutions in East Africa.
Water scarcity in Africa is a huge challenge today, but one young woman socialpreneur is building an enterprise that is looking to bring an answer that is both affordable and durable. Christelle Kwizera, founder of Water Access Rwanda (WARwanda), a company providing essential water filtration solutions, is already making a difference in her country. WARwanda is a social enterprise that is providing simple, affordable and durable water solutions in East Africa. The company provides water filtration devices, products and services aimed at finding and exploiting underground water, as well as providing full community water development schemes and training programmes.
Denise Umunyana and Celine Uwineza, founders of Right Seat, a company on a mission to help organisations find the best talent in the marketplace.
The challenge for any company or organisation is finding the right people and building great teams, and one entrepreneurial team is making this process a whole lot easier. Right Seat is a specialist talent management company in Rwanda, spearheaded by two young women entrepreneurs, Denise Umunyana and Celine Uwineza, who are focused on building a strong HR pipeline in the country. The company supports organisations in helping them to maximize their business performance through strategic Human Resource management. Right Seat further connects professionals to their matching interests across all industries in Rwanda. As a team and company, both are also passionate about identifying and mentoring young people to untap their hidden potential.
Linda Mukangoga Ndungutse and Pierra Ntayobya co-founders of Rwandan fashion and interior design brand, haute baso.
haute | baso in Rwanda was founded by Linda Mukangoga Ndungutse and Candy Basomingera, two creative women who joined forces with a common vision to make Rwanda the go-to place to find quality leather products. They share a common belief in the strength of their country’s unique aesthetic, drawing inspiration from Rwanda’s dynamic and culturally vibrant history while adding a modern touch. Their designs successfully merge different artisan skillsets and creative processes that produce unique and marketable pieces. Their mission is to translate their passion for fashion, art and design into a vehicle for positive change, providing a creative outlet for local and regional artisans while promoting job creation.
Lydia Hakizimana is a co-founder of Drakkar Limited a game changing company in Rwanda’s education environment.
For entrepreneur and passionate educationalist, Lydie Hakizimana, a specialist reseller and distributor of educational textbooks, it all started back in 2006 when this avid bookworm decided to follow her passion and opened a small bookshop. Before long, her entrepreneurial instincts had her developing relationships with numerous publishing companies. Eventually, she struck a deal that was to be the making of her company with UK publisher, Pearson Education. Drakkar rapidly evolved into a leading educational textbooks reseller in Rwanda, becoming an important enabler of her country's vision for building a knowledge-based economy. Today, Lydie manages 45 employees and thirty part-time distributors covering the five provinces of Rwanda. Lydie has also added exclusive distributor deals with Longman, Heinemann and Penguin to her Pearson contract. She also opened her first school in 2015.
Kevine Kagirimpundu and Ysolde Shimwe, co-founders of beautiful handcrafted shoe brand, Uzuri K&Y
In the world of beautiful handcrafted shoes, there is an exciting new brand emerging on the global scene. Kevine Kagirimpundu and Ysolde Shimwe are co-founders of Uzuri K&Y in Rwanda, a company creating beautiful handcrafted shoes with a unique Rwandan aesthetic. These two former college classmates shared a passion for fashion and a desire to start a business venture that would create much needed jobs for their community. Despite little means, they decided to kickstart their business whilst still studying, launching Uzuri K&Y back in 2013. Today, it is an exciting Rwandan shoe brand, tipped to win new fans globally.
Inzuki is a dynamic young Rwandan brand specializing in jewellery, accessories and interior decor that are handmade, of local materials. All products are Rwanda-made, Africa-inspired and globally-loved. Their products are a fusion of traditional craftsmanship and contemporary style. The design philosophy seeks to transcend traditional Rwandan design and customize it to suit modern needs. Inzuki works with numerous local artisans who use their skills to translate their authentic designs into vibrant quality pieces. Inzuki is part of a wider Rwandan cultural-renaissance. They are greatly inspired by the growing innovation scene inthe country and by the increasing number of young entrepreneurs and trendsetters that are propelling Rwanda to the next level.
Inzuki designs was created out of a combined passion for design, style and everything Rwandan. It started out as a hobby creating personalized jewellery, inspired by already existing products on the Rwandan crafts market and working with local craftswomen to produce them. In 2010, Inzuki designs officially evolved into a business entity. It has since grown into a renowned Rwandan brand with a boutique located in the heart of Kigali city. Inzuki is now aiming for international markets and will soon be accessible to clients in the rest of Africa, Europe, Asia and North America through distributors and an online store
Contact or follow Inzuki Designs
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST
Email - info@inzuki.com
Dominique Uwase Alonga is a multi-talented Rwandan social entrepreneur, author and blogger who won several prizes in youth entrepreneurship including Imbuto Foundation's prestigious Celebrating Young Rwandan Achievers (CYRWA) award, the Women Innovate Award and the Digital Change-maker Award by Reach for change. She is the driving force behind Imagine We Rwanda, a social enterprise dedicated to challenge the narrative of Africa through storytelling. It publishes original books by local authors to boost the reading culture among Rwandans, increase culturally relevant materials in schools and improve the self-esteem of African readers.
She argues that the best way to boost opportunities for our youth is by empowering them to discover their potentials and value their talents and abilities to innovate and find solutions within themselves. Young people need a push forward through mentorship, time and financial investment but most of all, creating an ecosystem that will allow their ventures to grow.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImagineWe/