Afrifoods in the Media
Rwandan entrepreneur Sakina Usengimana is the CEO and founder of Afri Foods, a premium horticulture company. We export fresh Rwandan produce across the world. Read our media review and get in touch.
The 60X Business Show, one-on-one conversation with Sakina Usengimana, CEO and Founder of Afri Foods Ltd.
Today we have the CEO and founder of Afri Foods, which is a horticulture export company of fresh foods. They export banana, pineapple, chillies and other products to the EU and Middle Eastern markets. Welcome, Sakina Usengimana.
(Agence Ecofin) – Les produits horticoles du Rwanda sont très sollicités sur le marché international. Sakina Usengimana, une jeune entrepreneure, a décidé de s’aventurer dans cette industrie en fondant Afri-Foods. Avec moins de 3 ans d’existence, elle réussit à exporter ses produits en Occident et au Moyen-Orient.
Setting up a business venture is not often without challenges and setbacks, especially in the case of start-ups and emerging ventures. While these setbacks can be discouraging, to Sakina Usengimana, they served to equip her with lessons and experiences that eventually led to her success.
The 28-year-old is an entrepreneur with a company known as Afri-foods Ltd, based in Gatsibo and Nyanza Districts – involved in exporting fresh vegetables and fruits.
Global Women Fresh (GWF), the international network for women in produce, has got together with the ITC’s SheTrades initiative to launch a microfinance pilot programme for women-led SMEs in Rwanda’s Ag Fresh industry.
Complex sets of circumstances often disqualify women in Africa from receiving investment capital and/or make it impossible to afford. GWF has been working in partnership with the ITC’s SheTrades Initiative for two years, supporting women entrepreneurs in the Ag Fresh industry. Most recently, it has launched a microfinance pilot programme for women-led SMEs in Rwanda.
Statistics by NAEB show that the value of horticulture exports increased from over $27 million in the fiscal year 2018-2019, to more than $28 million in the year 2019-2020.
Local exporters of horticulture produce have expressed concerns on the increase in airfreight fare brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, calling for a review in these charges to ensure smooth operation.
