Like many others, Emmanuel Nshimiyimana’s initiative of empowering young entrepreneurs with impactful programs to lift their businesses, was affected by covid-19, driving him to seek partnerships and other backing that could help his initiative recover from the pandemic. Nshimiyimana’s hunt for the support came to an end when he reconnected with Adam Bradford, founder of Adam Bradford Agency (ABA), during the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) that was held in Kigali, Rwanda, in June 2022. As a result of the duo’s connection, Adam Bradford Agency has partnered with Nshimiyimana’s initiative, Rwanda Opportunities Organisation (RwandOpp) to launch a series of programs for the next twelve months which will empower young people, develop rural communities and encourage entrepreneurship among the youth. ABA is a campaigning communications agency which supports enterprising people to achieve economic and social success. Speaking to The New Times, Nshimiyimana said that working with the agency is a great opportunity that will allow his initiative to maximise impact and reach out to many youths from rural areas of Rwanda who sometimes lack opportunities for success in their lives and communities. Another thing, he said, together with the agency, RwandOPP will equip young entrepreneurs from different parts of the country with development and entrepreneurship skills to shape them into entrepreneurs and change makers. “We thank Adam Bradford Agency for this impactful partnership and for furthering progress after the global Covid–19 pandemic’s challenges,” said Nshimiyimana. According to Bradford, attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali made him seek to forge meaningful and powerful partnerships with RwandOpp to continue its mission to make everyone a change maker in society. This, he said, involves equipping the next generation with the skills, confidence, opportunities and environment to thrive in their communities through business and social impact. Bradford further noted that the inaugural program of the partnership which is set for September 2022, will as well help teams of young people come up with ideas that might improve their local communities and be given corporate mentorship, training, financial assistance and access to global networks to take the ideas further. “As part of the success criteria, this program will identify and solve major rural problems by bringing together diverse groups of young innovative thinkers and potential change makers, hence, improving rural people’s livelihoods in a sustainable manner through their solutions,” he said. Bradford and Nshimiyimana, who have run a number of programs to develop entrepreneurship globally, are among recipients of the Queen’s Young Leaders award, an award which recognises the leadership of young people in their communities. RwandOpp is a non-profit organisation located in Nyabihu district, Western Province of Rwanda that relies completely on donations and other additional programs for community development.
