He was forced to abandon his dream of becoming a doctor after he was denied admission into secondary school due to the prevailing political situation at the time. This, however, did not to stop Athanase Ndagijimana from seeking opportunities to improve his life through other avenues.

Ndagijimana says when he realised that the odds against him in his home town in Nyaruguru District (former Mubuga District) were so big, he relocated to Muhanga District to continue his studies.

"During that time, we (Tutsi) almost had no rights... we were treated like refuges, they called us Inyenzi (cockroaches). In my area of birth, we were discouraged from joining secondary education,” recalls Ndagijimana, who was born in 1962 in Munini sector, Nyaruguru Disrtict in the Southern Province.

"When all the schools I approached barred me from enrolling for secondary education, I was like a lost sheep because I had based all my future plans on education,” he points out. 

He adds that when he realised that there was nothing he could do to change the situation, he slowly adjusted his mindset to accommodate the new realties.

Ndagijimana’s journey

Ndagijimana was born in a humble family which depended on peasantry farming. He also says his father used to sell banana wine commonly known as Urwagwa.

By the time he shifted to Muhanga to continue his studies he was 18 years old. He says he could not be allowed to enroll in any secondary school in the district like was the case in his home area.

 "Left with no choice, I joined Kavumu Centre, a vocational training institute in Gitarama, where I studied a three-year carpentry course,” he says.

Ndagijimana notes that after completing the course in 1982, he started working for established businesses.

"I wanted to save some money to start up my own enterprise. Though I was being paid little money, I persevered because all I wanted was to develop means of starting my own shop,” he narrates.

He says he worked as a full-time carpenter for three years until in 1985, when he opened up a small retail shop in Nyarugenge market.

"By 1990, I had saved Rfw350,000, quit carpentry and concentrated on the shop I had opened in Gitarama town,” he adds.

Ndagijimana says when his income improved he expanded the business and started supplying plastic shoes and second-hand items from Kenya in 1992.

"However, I lost all my wealth estimated at Rwf30m and my wife during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

"I escaped the killings with my two young sons, who were toddlers at the time,” he narrates.

Rebuilding his life after the Genocide

"After the Genocide, I was desperate as I did not have anything, yet I was taking care of 30 survivors, apart my two sons,” says Ndagijimana.

He says he was lucky that one of his friends gave him a loan of $2,000 in 1995, which he used to start up a small shop in Muhanga town.

"I repaid the money a year later and acquired a Rwf2.5m bank loan to expand the business,” he adds.

He says he later opened a stationery store in Kigali in 1996 and, by 2001 he had started importing papers, flour, tomato sauce, among others, from Dubai and Egypt, which he sold  to other traders in Kigali and other districts.

He points out that this is the line of business that helped  him set up  two high-rise commercial buildings in Muhanga town. 

He notes that he had earlier set up a supplies store and warehouse in Nyabugogo where he keeps merchandise he imports from the Middle East.

Achievements

Ndagijimanahas six children and looks after 15 Genocide orphans. He remarried following the death of his wife in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Besides the two commercial complexes in Muhanga both worth over Rwf800m, Ndagijimana owns four modern residential houses; two in Muhanga town and the two in Kigali. 

He has a Daihatsu truck and three family cars.

One of his two elder sons is studying medicine and the other is studying business administration, both at Indian universities.

Winning formula

"I have achieved many things because of honesty, professional customer care, hard work and commitment,” says Ndagijimana.

He advises business people to be honest in everything they do and to pay taxes on time. 

"Many people fail to make it in life because they want to become rich through dishonest ways. Traders and other business people must ensure excellent customer service and build a good reputation among people,” he counsels.

He adds that entrepreneurs should work with financial institutions to raise money to invest in productive activities, which create jobs for the youth.

He says though many people in the area suspect he possesses supernatural powers, his wealth has been earned through hard work.

"I am hard working.  It’s only lazy people who can entertain such idle thoughts. I have got all this wealth because I always want to take a new step forward assuming I still have a long way to go. That is why my businesses continue to grow despite the risks,” he says. 

Ndagijimana plans to expand his business empire by setting up two more commercial buildings; one in Kigali and another in Muhanga District.