most people in Rwamagana town know her as the "Hardware Woman” but she prefers to call herself a farmer. Grace Dawe, a resident of Kigabiro in Rwamagana District, has found a niche in passion fruit farming.

The farmer started out as a hardware dealer, selling construction and building materials in the out skirts of Rwamagana town. When we arrived at the 2.5 hectare citrus farm in Rwamagana, Dawe was harvesting passion fruits as clients waited.

The farmer supplies passion fruits to individuals, hotels and supermarkets in and around Rwamagana town, earning millions of francs. The project plays a key role in supporting her other enterprises, which include a hardware store, bar and restaurant.

Dawe attributes her success as a passion fruit farmer to Rwanda’s Business Development Fund (BDF), the good leadership of President Paul Kagame, and support from her husband "who makes sure that I stay focused on my projects.”

Starting out

Dawe started out as a small trader with almost no capital. It has taken her 17 years to make her mark in the business arena in Rwamagana, thanks to the vast experience having been an entrepreneur for almost half of her life.

According to Dawe, starting out as a hardware dealer was not easy as she struggled to win consumer trust.

She adds that the business required a lot of capital to compete favourably, she says, noting that her husband supported her effort right from the beginning. The small hardware shop sold mainly paints, plumbing and construction materials. Despite the hurdles, Dawe soldiered on to pursue her dream of becoming a top business woman. "This ambitious goal forced me to diversify into other different projects, including passion fruit farming.

BDF support

Dawe says the decision was also informed by the fact that the hardware business had become more competitive as more players had entered market.

"So, I had to think of alternatives if I was to make it as a successful business woman. Things were better when I had just started the business, but later more traders joined making it hard to make a profit,” she explains.

With ‘weak dealers’ being forced out of the market by the growing competition, Dawe decided to venture into passion fruit growing.

She explains that, the project required investment capital and, yet she was not prepared to use the money from the hardware shop to fund the project at time when business was low.

"But since the project didn’t require a lot of money to start and passion fruits were more profitable at the time compared to other businesses, she made a gamble and pitched her idea at Business Development Fund (BDF).

Her gamble paid off as BDF agreed to inject initial capital of Rwf1 million, including a grant of Rwf300,000.

"Luckily, we had already bought land where we could start passion fruit growing,” he says. She bought seedlings and hired some workers to kick-start the project.

Challenges

Dawe says the project requires a lot of time and supervision, yet she had other businesses to take care of.

"I had to review my schedules and allocate time accordingly to ensure maximum supervision for the project. I was also not well versed with how the sector works. So, I had to constantly consult colleagues who were engaged in passion fruit growing for guidance.” She added, however, that this helped to broaden her skills as a farmer.

Achievements

Dawe’s 17 years of hard work are finally paying off. From a small hardware retailer, this Rwamagana enterprising woman is harvesting big from her projects.

She earns more than Rwf2 million from passion fruits per season. She has since diversified into other projects, including hospitality, entertainment and recreational business.

"We also host wedding ceremonies and other entertainment and conferences from all over the district,” she explains.

She says she has used the money from passion fruits to construct rentals, further widening her revenue stream. The farmer employs five permanent workers on the project.

Advice to women

Dawe advises women to be confident and take advantage of the various credit schemes offered by different financial institutions to pursue their dreams.

"Women need to understand that they, too, have a role to play in developing the country. That’s why I encourage fellow women to set up businesses as one way of making a contribution,” she says.

Future plans

Dawe plans to expand her passion fruit farm and also start growing other horticulture crops to boost her income.

Establishing a passion fruit juice processing plant is one of her targets as it "will help add value to the project”.