PEOPLE
INSIDE story
SERGE
NDEKWE
Why I’ll never give up
By Donah Mbabazi
B
orn and raised in
the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC), Serge
Ndekwe is a very
ambitious, hardworking and
respectful man who sees the
future from afar.
He came to Rwanda in 1994 and
did human resource management
from Kigali Institute of Science and
Technol
ogy (now the University of
Rwanda’s College of Science and Techonology).
At the age of 36, his entrepreneur’s
success story is overwhelming. Ndekwe is best known for setting up the
Kimihurura-based Papyrus premises
that accommodate a nightclub, a bar,
coffee shop, a restaurant and a fitness
centre. On top of that, he owns the
New Papyrus and the Masaka Farms,
the latter of which processes more
that 1,000 litres of milk very day,
churning out dairy products such as
yogurt, fresh cream, cheese and butter.
Ndekwe’s success stems from the fact
that he had passion for business at a
tender age.
Speaking to Chief Executive, he explains how he went from being a taxi
driver to owning a whole business
empire.
“I started working at the age of 18 because of financial difficulties. Also,
being the first born in the family gave
me a lot of responsibilities,” he says.
“By the time I came to Rwanda,” Nde26 - CHIEF EXECUTIVE
kwe goes on, “there was little possibility of jobs, so I got employed as a taxi
driver and did that for one year. When I
was 19, I got a job with a USAID project
called Africare, again as a taxi driver.
I worked there for three years, before
moving to Women in Transition (WIT)
for a year-and-a-half stint but by then I
also was doing little businesses. I owned
pharmacies and a number of public
phones,” he explains.
At the age of 24, he established Papyrus
and that was his break-through. It was
his luck to have a friend who inspired
him in the restaurant business, and
from then on it was always success on
the young entrepreneur’s side.
Not-so-rosy journey
As it always is hard in the beginning,
Ndekwe narrates his not-so-rosy journey while building his company from
scratch.
“One of the biggest obstacles I met
when I was starting was the parking
issue,” he says. “The situation in Kigali
was different back then and the noise
was also a hindrance to the residents,
which at one time brought issues with
the city mayor, leading to the closure of
my business for a whole year.
“Luckily we solved the problem in a
good