When you arrive in Kyanya cell, Kigabiro sector, Rwamagana District—many people will tell you a story of a man whose story is nothing but inspiring. Jean Paul Ndayishimiye is not popular because he is super rich. No! His guesthouse, bar and restaurant are not popular in the area because they are the best but rather the story behind it. The 43-year-old moto taxi rider-turned businessman is renowned for defying odds, starting off doing a job many might have considered odd at the time, to a popular entrepreneur in the Eastern Province district. Upon completing his primary education, Ndayishimiye joined a vocational training school where he learned electrical skills but he did not immediately get a job upon finishing his studies. At the age of 18, Ndayishimiye started doing a moto taxi business, living in Nzige, Rwamagana. He did not live in Kigali then but he would ride from Rwamagana to Kigali daily and back. “It was someone’s bike. I didn’t have money to buy my own. I would just get the bike and remit Rwf3,000 daily. If I made Rwf5000, I would use 1,000 for a meal and save the other 1000,” “I didn’t have a bank account at the time. So, I would give the money to my sister to keep it for me. The savings accumulated. I also got used to Kigali, plus the losses, I decided to move to the city and rent,” he says. In Kigali, Ndayishimiye noticed he was saving enough from the fuel he used to burn riding back home. He also noticed that the moto business was on demand. “Those days, there were not very many motos. I lived in town, near 'kwa Rubangura’s'. All the time we would have someone looking to go. I also increased my working hours—working till late in the night,” he recalls. After three years, he had saved some money and he also fundraised from friends and relatives and bought his first bike at Rwf400, 000. It was a lot of money at the time, about Rwf1,200, 000 today. After buying his own bike, Ndayishimiye worked for another three years but he also knew the rigours of being a moto taxi rider. From enduring cold windy nights to accident risks, he thought it was the right time to venture into something else. “Normally I don’t like doing one thing. I want to try out different things to see what works. I am versatile in nature,” Ndayishimiye says, adding that he opted to rent out his bike and move into practicing what he studied. That was in 2010. “A friend of mine called and said there was an opportunity to work as an electrical technician at what used to be known as Electrogaz, now Rwanda Electricity Group (REG). I applied and got the job at Rwamagana station,” he recalls. With his motorcycle on the road, already making some money, he took on the job and continued to save more. He worked with the electricity utility for four years, until 2013 when he realised that again he had to move into something else. “I joined the hospitality industry. I had always wanted to run a bar and restaurant and after saving, I decided to venture into that,” he says. The secret of marrying early Ndayishimiye attributes his success to his determination to change his life but most importantly, he believes his decision to marry early played a role. “I married in 2006, when I was about 26. It means that every time I set out to work, I knew I had a family to take care of. I never squandered money in unnecessary ways,” says the father of three. Marriage came with responsibility, and the need to achieve more, for the better of his family. That is what kept Ndayishimiye going. Today, he owns a guesthouse, bar and restaurant in Rwamagana town. He has about 10 rooms and other amenities. At the facility, he has an office, where he follows up on his day-to-day business. He currently employs about 15 people, some on a permanent basis. When we visited him, he was at the restaurant, which was teeming with clients, following to ensure that all is well. Ndayishimiye has not stopped. He wants to expand his business to a fully-fledged hotel. “My dream is to build a much bigger facility, maybe a hotel with a good bar and restaurant. People need these services. If you are sad, you go to a bar and cheer yourself up,” “When you are hungry, you go to a restaurant and eat, same way when you are caught up somewhere and you need a place to sleep. These are services that are always on demand and they will always be as long as the world exists,” he says. Also given the country’s direction of promoting MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) and tourism, Ndayishimiye believes the hospitality sector holds a great future in Rwanda, which is why he is considering expansion. “I want to build a hotel in the future, so that I am able to receive more people from different parts of the world. My vision is to build something really big,” he says. He has already acquired land in Rwamagana town and he says he will start building the hotel, one step at a time, until he completes it, though currently the focus is to mobilise the funds needed. Ndayishimiye, who has been recognised and awarded by the Private Sector Federation (PSF Rwanda) for his role in promoting the growth of the private sector. “I participate in Expos and other activities where I get recognised for my work. I am a hands-on person. When I’m not here at the guesthouse, I am either attending an expo or national events,” “Otherwise, I am always here, making sure everything is going well, the place is smart and neat. Because of that, people recognise my efforts and I get rewarded. I don’t know how it happens but I think judges just notice what I do. From 2014 to date, Ndayishimiye has been awarded in different events, including PSF organised expos in Eastern Province, as the winner, second or third runner-up. Get out and work Ndayishyimiye could have remained a moto taxi rider for many years but that is not what he settled for. His mind was in the hospitality sector and whatever he did was driving towards that. “I wanted to be in the hospitality sector, to a point where I went to Kigali to seek for a job as a waiter in one of hotels, located in Kimironko because I wanted to see how it is done,” “I became a waiter, after sometime I asked to be transferred to the kitchen and later the reception. The idea was to see and learn how the hospitality sector operates,” he says. It gave him the exposure he needed. He took note of how things in the hospitality sector work, which helped him shape his own project. At the time, he was already in the hospitality sector but he wanted to learn more, which is why he took up the job. Most importantly, Ndayishimiye says for one to achieve the goal, they need to have the eyes on the prize, get out and work. Above everything else, he says saving is the only sure way to make it. Not easy for many given the demands of life but once you save, it becomes easier to achieve your goals. He also makes sure he takes note of everything and every transaction he does. Saving gives you the discipline and focus to achieve something. For Ndayishimiye, it is a combination of determination, desire and passion which translated into the resilient businessman he is today.
