It is said that children often emulate what they see their parents do. This is true for 24-year-old Patrick Afrika who watched his father toil to provide for the family with commitment, effort, and perfectionism as a manufacturer of leather bags, and shoes, among other products. “Although I have always yearned to be a software engineer, I wouldn’t be happier if I hadn’t taken the same path as my father. Observing and learning how he did his work, I gained enough skills and expertise to enable me to start my own company,” he says. In 2020, Afrika partnered with his brother Jean Claude Nsanzumuhire and co-founded a Kiyovu-based company dubbed ‘Afrolago.’ The company manufactures shoes and bags out of leather, car tires, and kitenge. He says they didn’t have enough money but they couldn’t postpone the business, and had the zeal to be job creators, not seekers. And for this reason, they used the Rwf 45,000 capital they had to purchase some raw materials and borrowed their father’s machines. Afrika is of the view that many people have relinquished their dreams for failure to acquire a certain amount of money, which has kept many people jobless, and others seated on talent. “My father has been operating this business for over 50 years, he provided disabled people with internship opportunities so that they too could start businesses of their own. “His kindness inspired me to start a brand that considers people living with disabilities for job opportunities. We hire 60 per cent of disabled people and 40 per cent others,” he says. Afrika is of the view that there is a big and untapped market for Made in Rwanda leather products such as bags, shoes, sandals, and so forth as some Rwandans lack the experience and capital to exploit the opportunity. He says that though his business is progressing, it’s quite expensive to import leather from neighbouring countries such as Tanzania and Kenya. The entrepreneur says that his knowledge about business has completely increased, unlike before when he thought business was all about buying and selling goods and services, he has been equipped with knowledge on the job about leadership, communication, passion, connections, and management. Afrika says that social media has played a big role in attracting different customers through the use of promotional posts, celebrity promotions, and word of mouth marketing. So far, his company employs five full-time employees and part-timers whose number depends on the load of the work. “We are looking forward to expanding our brand globally as the best brand for leather products, and making a good impact on people, mostly those living with disabilities. “We want them to believe in themselves, that they have the potential to shine and succeed. We anticipate accumulating their opportunity of accessing jobs at our company from 60 per cent to 80 per cent in the next five years,” he says. Afrika notes that creativity drives him and providing high-quality products on the market has been fulfilling. He explains that operating and growing this kind of business requires exceeding customers’ expectations, as that way, they will automatically market for you; offer discounts to customers, and establish a reputation for great customer service by following up to confirm that a client was satisfied with your product or service. He also emphasises that networking is key, especially with people who are more knowledgeable about what you do as they have unique viewpoints and visions that can boost your business. The businessman points out that it is necessary to conduct some research about your competitors, to know what unique thing they are doing that you aren’t, and focus on how you can differentiate your business from theirs, as that way, you will form a more creative business plan, highlighting how unique you want your business to be. He also recommends being flexible when adapting to change by trying out a few methods that work best for your business, with time, this will be a tool for expanding your client base, and most importantly, hiring talented people as they contribute to the fast growth of the company.
