When Clémence Murekatete graduated with a degree in accounting from University of Lay Adventists of Kigali in 2019, she expected to follow a familiar path: applying for jobs and hoping to secure a corporate job in the city.

But after months of unsuccessful applications, frustration pushed her to reconsider her future.

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Instead of waiting for employment, the 35-year-old from Huye District decided to create her own opportunity.

Today, Murekatete runs a growing agribusiness that combines poultry farming, animal feed production, crop cultivation and pig rearing. Her enterprise employs 10 permanent workers alongside casual labourers, while also training aspiring farmers.

Her entry into agriculture was driven less by passion than necessity.

"I spent a lot of time applying for jobs, but eventually I realised I was wasting time because the competition was very high and everyone was looking for employment,” Murekatete told The New Times.

Even while still at university, she had anticipated the possibility of struggling to find formal employment. To prepare herself, she took on small casual jobs and saved whatever money she could.

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"I did different small activities, including casual work and grazing animals, while saving little by little,” she said.

Over time, she accumulated about Rwf1 million, which became the seed capital for her first poultry project.

Starting small amid setbacks

Murekatete began with a small flock of chickens and modest expectations. Although profits were initially low, she continuously reinvested earnings to buy more chicks and expand the business.

She soon discovered that poultry farming was far more demanding than she had imagined.

"Feed is expensive, chicks are costly, and diseases can wipe out everything very quickly,” she said. "There were many challenges, but I kept going because I believed the business could grow.”

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One of her biggest setbacks came in 2021 when strong winds destroyed one of her poultry houses shortly after the Covid-19 period. Without insurance, recovering from the losses was difficult.

She also struggled with fluctuating market demand.

"There were times when many farmers brought chicken to the market at once, which reduced demand and pushed prices down,” she said. "Even so, I never gave up.”

The challenges eventually pushed her to rethink her approach and diversify beyond poultry production alone.

Expanding the business

As the enterprise grew, Murekatete sought support from financial institutions and development programmes to scale up operations.

She later joined the SERVE Programme, supported by the Mastercard Foundation, which is implemented across 10 districts in Rwanda to help 80,000 mainly female youth build sustainable and dignified opportunities in key agricultural value chains.

Through the programme, young agripreneurs are supported to transition from informal farming into structured businesses through training, mentorship, access to technology, and other growth opportunities.

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Before joining the programme, she produced animal feed manually using basic tools at home. A major turning point came when she received modern feed-processing equipment worth Rwf10 million.

"The machines helped me stop relying on external processing services and reduce transport costs,” she said. "Owning my own feed-processing equipment had always been my dream.”

The programme also strengthened her skills in financial management, record keeping and business planning.

Today, she raises more than 5,000 chickens across four poultry houses, each capable of accommodating about 3,000 birds. She has also established a training centre where cooperatives and individual farmers learn poultry farming and feed production techniques.

Her agribusiness has since expanded into chilli and vanilla cultivation, as well as pig farming with improved breeds such as Landrace and Pietrain.

Poultry manure is reused as fertiliser, helping reduce production costs through an integrated farming system.

She is also preparing to package and market animal feed products under her own registered brand.

Inspiring young people

For Murekatete, one of the biggest lessons from her journey is the importance of starting, even with limited resources.

"My advice to young people, especially women, is not to fear starting small,” she said. "Many want instant success, but building a business requires patience, persistence and courage.”

She believes agriculture continues to offer significant opportunities for young people willing to approach it as a business rather than a last resort.

Her ambitions continue to grow. One of her long-term goals is to establish a parent stock operation and produce chicks locally to reduce dependence on imports.

She is also exploring alternative feed sources as rising poultry feed prices continue to affect farmers.

"Through various trainings, we are learning new methods of animal feed production, including using grasses and insect farming such as black soldier flies,” she said. "Agriculture is constantly evolving, and there are many opportunities for those willing to learn and improve.”

From months spent searching unsuccessfully for employment, Murekatete now sees entrepreneurship as more than survival, it is a path to independence and long-term growth.