Nyanya Project

Eugene Nyagahene is most likely the leading entrepreneur in Rwanda.  He is founder of that country’s Tele10 Group, and his conglomerate of various businesses stretch from East Africa to Asia.  He began developing his businesses in Rwanda shortly after the Genocide in 1994, and today his offices are in his own skyscraper in the country’s capital of Kigali.

He believes that entrepreneurs will change the future of African countries and that reconciliation can come through a shared vision of work – through businesses that encourage both Hutus and Tutsis to work side-by-side, share the profits, and give back to their communities.

In a meeting with Nygahene in Kigali last August, he said, “The best way is for Rwandans to forget about differences is to have one common goal.  What can we share?  With one common goal, there is nothing to lose.”

TNP grandmothers in the Jabana Hills outside of Rwanda

He also reflected on the importance of his own grandmother in his life and what a vital role grandmothers play – for their families, their communities and beyond.

“Grandmothers were the strong ones, tough.  They always showed us the way.  I remember my own grandmother this way. If grandmothers had been remembered, the genocide would not have happened.”