Women must own their businesses–Anita Kwizera Kivuye

Pelagie N Mbabazi talked to the 30 year old Managing Director of Royal Services Agency. Below are excerpts from the interview I am the Managing Director of Royal Services Agency, an event management firm, a member of Chamber of Women Entrepreneurs in the Private Sector Federation (PSF) and a consultant. I was born and raised in Burundi where I studied my primary school. When I came back to my country I attended Rwankeri secondary school in Ruhengeri but after Interahamwe militia attacked the school I was forced to go back to Burundi where I continued my secondary school. I majored in accounting and management. I later returned to Rwanda, joined the School of Finance and Banking where I was awarded a Bachelor degree in Business Administration.What is your childhood dream and are you living it?When I was a young child I was inquisitive, always asking questions. I started dreaming of becoming a politician because I knew that they provided solutions. Today, I am a leader in the business world and I am not regretting it at all.What are some of the challenges you encounter on a daily basis?I find that some people are hesitant about new ideas and others have fear of the unknown.Do the positions you hold make any impact in your life?Working as a consultant has taught me to be creative and innovative because, most of the time, people expect solutions. Being the Managing Director of Royal Services Agency has made my decisive ad I’ve learnt that I can’t please everyone all the time.What do you think are the major challenges to Rwandan women?Many women sit and wait for other people to suggest business opportunities for them. They lack confidence in themselves. Some own big businesses but still refuse to register them in their own names. How do you spend your leisure time?I like reading my Bible when I am free. I also enjoy watching movies and staying at home. What is your marital status?I am single.Which advice would do you like to give to Rwandan women?I want to encourage women to meet and exchange ideas. They need be proud of what they are doing. When you open a business in someone else’s name it’s because you aren’t confident in yourself. Finally, women need to stop being limited to just within this country, they need to look beyond our borders for business opportunities.What are your future plans?The PSF Chamber of Women Entrepreneurs is looking forward to reach out to every businesswoman in the country, even the small vendors. We want to help them access financial institutions in order to improve their businesses. As for Royal Services Agency, it’s been a year since we opened but we have been able to achieve a lot. However, the road is still a long. While we presently work only in Rwanda, we want to open offices in different countries.