ubuhinzi bw'imizabibu bwa SINA GERARD

SINA GERAD was awarded by rotary club

AKARABO's song

SINA GERARD' s college foundation

A RAMBLING MIND : ....... and the award for the most innovative personality goes to!. SINA GERARD

 

Sina Gérard, Founder of Sina Gerard Urwibutso Enterprise

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are not for any publicity or advertorial purposes to the person and products to be mentioned here in, any influence to your consumer behaviours will be regarded as coincidental.
If you ask me why I had to put a disclaimer in the first place, it is because I don’t want this article to appear like another advert of Urwibutso Products, lest my editor refers me to the Marketing department to sign a proforma invoice or a space order, one of the two, am not sure which one.
The thing here is; I want to share some of the things I have managed to see, hear and touch in my not so short adventurous life.
I have gone places, seen and done things, some odd enough and it is imperative to share some of this stuff with you.
So earlier this week, I ended up at Nyirangarama (am sure you all know this place) unless you haven’t taken the road to the North and Western part of the country.
If you haven’t you should be ashamed for you don’t know your country and it’s high time you boarded the next bus.
Just like you, apart from stopping over for some juice and a bite and do some little shopping before hopping on the bus (or private car) to continue with my journey, I had never taken time to venture into this one-man town.
This man is called Sina Gerard-one of the most enterprising individuals of our time. The man who started with a bicycle way back and today owns a fleet of vehicles including trailers has made himself a name that the whole town and its surroundings runs on his  engine.
From the population to the street lights and fields, everything rotates around Sina Gerard. He owns schools, operates water systems, employs the whole surrounding population and knows how all the veins and arteries of the whole neighbourhood operate.
Back to the heading, Sina Gerard has never ceased to be innovative; the reason he has scooped several awards. The visit to ‘Sina’s world’ gave me an insight into the innovativeness of this man. Forget the juices, pepper or the banana wine.
I was seated there listening to his story and boom, he dropped the bomb! He is also rearing pigs but guess how?...under the influence of MUSIC.
First I thought I wasn’t listening good or he was probably using music as an idiom, but he went on to explain.
Apparently playing music in a pigsty for at least 6 hours a day will ensure that the ‘bu benzi’ will flourish faster than the ordinary pigs and guess what, more tastier and yummy than your ordinary pig.
So he said next time you eat a ‘kabenzi’ and it tastes differently, know it is one of his pigs imported all the way from Nyirangarama to Kigali.
Indeed the adage Music is food to the soul is true in the sense that the poor pig does not know the sweet melodies prepare it to be someone’s delicious food.
I saw this I swear, a full time DJ is hired to play the music to the swine and I noticed they enjoy the music as they move around the pigsty in a rhythmic way, looking very happy.
The music trick works kabisa!! He plays all kinds of songs, non-stop, from rock to gospel and hip hop depending on the mood of the animals.
Trust me, the DJ is quite good and could give some of these DJ’s playing in Kigali clubs a run for their money, the difference is that he plays for pigs. So, next time you eat pork and feel like dancing, it could be the side effect of the music-influenced pork.
I will not be surprised if one day Sina Gerard comes up with Bean or Maize Juice, everything is possible to this guy.
You see one time, I was listening to the Uganda President saying that value addition is the way to go for EAC, adding that other countries have taken value addition to another level giving an example of meat sellers in Japan who first massage to a cow while playing music to it for about 6 hours before slaughtering, just to make the beef sweeter.
I thought it was one of those hilarious jokes of the man but now I know it is possible and I did not have to travel to Tokyo to find out, the answer is at Nyirangarama. I hahad Sina you guy!!
Can you imagine in a bid to save the environment he also bakes bricks using water? I hear he converts water into heat to bake the bricks red hot, hard to believe but very true. read more...

A business with a unique spicy kick

 

different awards from different organization to Sina Gerard

Rwanda’s leading entrepreneur Sina Gérard is the founder of Sina Gerard Urwibutso Enterprise, among whose products is the highly successful and extra hot Akabanga chilli oil. Having built up his agri-business empire from scratch, Mr Gérard is keen to inspire other budding entrepreneurs and innovative minds to launch their own businesses too. Here he discusses the company’s challenges and successes, his foundation college encouraging innovation in the country’s youth, and his desire to make a difference in Rwanda by providing farmers with more business opportunities.

Africa is the youngest continent in the world and will have 1 billion workers by 2040. As agriculture employs the largest part of the population, what are the challenges and how should they be addressed?
It is more of an opportunity than a challenge. The difficulty is to enhance communication amongst African countries. However, with the regional integration efforts that have been developing, such as the construction of common routes, this problem of communication will be resolved. It is a certainty that regional businesses will be facilitated. At the moment, it is easier for us to sell to the European and American markets than the African ones. However, I am confident that thanks to the common growing infrastructural projects the region is undergoing our continent will become a favorable place for trade and business.

As Rwanda is embarking on mega projects such as the KivuWatt plant or the Northern and Central Corridors, how do you expect this will affect your company?
It will help us tremendously. Because we acquire a lot of our raw materials from neighboring countries, these projects are a necessity to facilitate our operations. Furthermore, the new routes that you pointed out will also greatly increase our export potential. At Sina Gerard Urwibutso Enterprise, we have recently increased our production capacity so that when these projects are finalized, we will be able to maximize their potential.

Since 2000, Sina Gerard Urwibutso has started a program of diversification of its products and services, opening restaurants and a catering service. You also introduced oil from passion fruit seeds in 2007, cereal-based flour in 2008, yogurt in 2009, packaged peanuts in 2010, wine in 2011 and mineral water in 2012. Where does this commitment to diversify come from and what future strategies will be implemented?
Diversification is key to us. Our brand participated in international expositions beyond the borders of Africa. We traveled to Europe and the USA to exhibit our products, and as we showed the world what we did, the world showed us what they do. This exposition to foreign products inspired us. We then started developing, in Rwanda, products that were originally produced elsewhere. As for the future, we invest heavily in knowledge transfer. We have opened a school – Sina Gerard Foundation College – to train and educate the youth with regards to innovation. This international knowledge we have acquired must be transferred to the youth so that they become innovators.

It is expected that agricultural exports will increase in average from 19.2% to 28% p.a. by 2018. In 2016, you acquired an important trademark certification to protect the Akabanga chilli oil brand. What are your future strategies to increase exports and what are the markets you want to penetrate?
We give a great deal of importance to the creation of new projects. Our company is forward-looking and innovative. We are currently working on concentrated juice for the European market. In Europe and the US there is a high demand for such types of juices. This will also help our farmers. Currently, we have agriculture workers who produce the right products, but they do not have the right demand to sell these products. We closely monitor Europe’s market demand. On the one hand, we want to export to Europe because it is attractive for us. On the other hand, we want to make a difference here in Rwanda by providing farmers with business opportunities.

In 2014, your main export destinations were EAC (Uganda, Kenya), Oman and Europe (Belgium, UK, France). Why is America not amongst your top export destinations?
The biggest problem is linked to transportation. I visited four states in America and I saw great potential for our products. In fact, we are already exporting to the US in small quantities. We have recently engaged in conversations with potential partners to increase our exports to this market. We are convinced that we can address the US’ demand as exemplified by the recent opening of the first Akabanga shop.
In terms of transportation, Europe is closer to us and it is easier to transport our products there, hence this focus on the European market. I am confident that we will find solutions to reduce cost of transportation, in fact, it’s already happening.

Is there a message you would like to send to our American audience in order to incite them to try your products?
We are ambassadors of quality and the US knows it. We received a quality award in New York City a couple of years ago for our products. We are also proudly ISO certified, proving our obedience to the highest standards of quality, and we are currently working to acquire another international certification.

Since its inception in 1993, your company has always invested in human capital. Employing today over 1,200 employees, the majority being from your region, you have also invested in the construction of a school through your Sina Gerard Foundation College, which today has more than 1,000 students from kindergarten to secondary school. What are the reasons for this dedication to a noble cause? Can you tell us more about your programs?
What pushed me to build this school were the technological changes I noticed on a daily basis. We are educating our children to be familiar with technology because in the future there will be no way around it. In the long term, this commitment to education will become a great advantage of our enterprise. We are training our youth to develop a brighter future.
As a traveler, I had the chance to experience innovation very closely. So my aim became to train my future employees and managers to be at the top of technology. It is useless to bring innovative tools if people don’t know how to use them. It is ideological and business oriented. We push our students to travel so that they become familiar with these new techniques. In the future, it will allow our children to bring back to Rwanda what they learnt in order to efficiently use this knowledge.

Rubavu: Exploring Rwanda’s popular holiday destination

People travelling in Rwanda said thanks to Nyirangarama

 There is no doubt that Rubavu is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the country. For those who have been there, it’s easy to understand why most people prefer Rubavu to unwind and soak in some fresh air.
As part of their campaign to popularize domestic tourism, the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) recently took local tourists and journalists to Rwanda’s north western district to explore the country’s unique tourist sites.
The district’s name originates from Rubavu Mountain. Rubavu which means a rib, was named so because “A rib is an indispensable part of a person” according to local residents.
The proximity to gorilla viewing in the Volcanoes National Park and across the DRC border in the Virunga National Park, positions Rubavu as an alternative accommodation base for leisure travelers in search of the region’s premier attraction.

 

Being near to Goma, a major city in Eastern DR Congo, also makes Gisenyi town a service gateway offering first-rate hospitality, banking, retail, transport and other services associated mainly with the cross-border trade.
Hiking along Congo Nile trail, Mount Rubavu Climbing, Gisenyi city tour, kayaking, boat riding, fishing, hot spring tour, coffee and tea tour, ecotourism in Mukura-Gishwati Park, historical and cultural experience are among the recreational activities that tourists experience in Rubavu.
After the tour, tourists were left with an indelible memory of the beauty of Rubavu. Needless to say, the trip was so breathtaking that everyone wishes for a come again.