What began as a small basketball training session for children in his neighbourhood after a career-ending shoulder injury has earned Elie Nsengiyumva Rwanda's top YouthConnekt entrepreneurship prize. The founder of Ujama Sports Ltd in Rubavu District was named the overall winner of the 2025 YouthConnekt Awards on July 14, taking home Rwf15 million for his enterprise that uses basketball to empower young people. Nsengiyumva was among more than 140 young entrepreneurs and innovators recognised during an awards ceremony in Kigali celebrating winners of the YouthConnekt Awards, ArtsConnekt Awards and the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF)-UNDP Rwanda AGUKA Ideation Entrepreneurship Programme. Together, the beneficiaries received Rwf643.6 million in cash prizes and seed funding. ALSO READ: Aguka Youth Fund, YouthConnekt Awards to propel young entrepreneurs’ growth For Nsengiyumva, the award crowns a journey shaped by resilience. I was a basketball player, but after suffering a shoulder injury I had to rethink my future. Instead of walking away from the sport, I decided to become a coach and establish a basketball academy, he said. I started by training my younger brothers and children from my neighbourhood on a court owned by a tea company. That small initiative has since grown into a thriving sports enterprise. Today, Ujama Sports Ltd trains dozens of young people, coaches a school basketball team and has helped produce players who have gone on to represent Rwanda's national junior basketball team. The club also competes in the country's second division basketball league. This award is a major boost for our vision. I will invest the prize money to expand our programmes, reach more young people and create a greater social impact through sport. My long-term dream is to become Rwanda's national basketball coach, he said. Young entrepreneurs rewarded for transforming ideas into thriving businesses Among the beneficiaries were 41 winners of the YouthConnekt and ArtsConnekt Awards, who received cash prizes ranging from Rwf2 million to Rwf15 million, while 100 entrepreneurs under the AGUKA Ideation Entrepreneurship Programme each received $3,000 (over Rwf4.4 million) in seed funding. Top prizes included Rwf15 million each for winners in the ICT, Manufacturing and Other Services categories, Rwf15 million for the overall ArtsConnekt winner, Rwf10 million for the AgriConnekt winner, and Rwf5 million each for winners in the Women and Youth with Disabilities categories. In the Visual Arts category, Elisa Niyogisubizo won Rwf8 million, saying the recognition would strengthen both her confidence and her creative business. This award is both an honour and a source of motivation. It inspires me to work even harder, improve the quality of my services and expand my business. I believe it will play a significant role in advancing my career and helping me reach new opportunities. Government urges youth to invest awards in sustainable ventures Speaking during the ceremony, Minister for Youth and Arts Dr Jean Nepo Abdallah Utumatwishima praised the determination of the winners and urged them to invest the funds wisely. Consistency and discipline is key; we want you to learn from each other and inspire others. This is a time for you to shine but also to uphold discipline and be consistent, he told the winners. On the AGUKA Ideation Entrepreneurship Programme, he said it was created to help young people turn promising ideas into businesses. These people who come up with idea and got $3,000 had just ideas and they were awarded to turn them into businesses, we have limited budget and we could only award 100 participants, he said. Our challenge to the youth is to use the received money to turn ideas into business, he said, urging the entrepreneurs to view the support as an opportunity to grow their ventures and create lasting impact. Utumatwishima said the AGUKA programme has created more than 128,000 jobs since 2022. According to a tracer survey, seven out of 10 businesses established through the initiative remain operational, beneficiaries have tripled their incomes, and each entrepreneur employs at least three people. ALSO READ: AGUKA drives 128,000 jobs, Rwf34bn income as Rwanda eyes next youth enterprise growth phase This year's YouthConnekt Awards recognised the top 41 entrepreneurs, while the AGUKA programme attracted 2,841 applications, from which 100 winners were selected to receive seed funding and continued business support. Partners highlight role of investing in youth entrepreneurship For UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Nana Teiba Chinbuah, the awards represent far more than financial support. Today's ceremony is therefore much more to us than an awards event. It is really a celebration of what becomes possible when a country chooses to believe in the potential of its young people, and then invests in it. Entrepreneurship is not measured by the cheque received today, but rather it is measured by your willingness to solve problems, to persevere through setbacks, and to continue believing in your own vision and idea when success still seems far away, she said. She encouraged the entrepreneurs to invest in people, observing that strong professional networks often become a key competitive advantage. The most successful entrepreneurs are not simply chasing profit. They are solving a problem. Improving communities and giving hope to others. Profit keeps the business alive is important, but purpose gives the business meaning. Most importantly, she said investing in young entrepreneurs is not a cost. It is one of the smartest investments a country can make. European Union Ambassador to Rwanda Belen Calvo Uyarra said the awards demonstrate the impact of partnerships in nurturing young entrepreneurs. The journey starts with an idea, but it succeeds through determination, through resilience, through courage, through vision, through staying in the journey to always build higher forward. She described AGUKA as a successful example of what can be achieved when government, development partners and other relevant stakeholders work together to support young entrepreneurs. Since 2022, through this AGUKA programme has invested not only in business, but above all, in people, in the future. It was invested in young women and men with ideas, with ambition, with determination, to shape your own future. She encouraged the young entrepreneurs to keep believing in themselves. Your creativity, your resilience, your ambitions are the greatest strengths. And we are proud to be your partners in this journey. Keep it up. Believe in yourself, she said.
