Visit Kigali for a head-spinning mindset shift

Kigali is increasingly an attractive destination on the continent for those wanting to launch a tech startup.

In early 2020, before Covid-19 changed our lives, I travelled to Kigali, Rwanda, to better understand the tech, startup and social venture opportunities. What a transformational experience!

Africa's Past and Future

Beyond the pioneering reconciliation work, Rwanda is also becoming known for its economic dynamism and political discipline.

The Africa Tech Summit is a well-run global event that brings together tech innovators, investors, startups and policy experts to look at what is next for Africa. They host two big events annually – one in East Africa, and one in England. The summit attracted me to Kigali. For those of you who have never been, it is a must-visit destination for anyone interested in Africa’s past and its future.

I say Africa’s past, because Rwanda is well known for the genocide that unfolded in 1994 when Huti militias attacked and killed hundreds of thousands of Tutsi neighbours and fellow citizens. Kigali is home to the Genocide Memorial where I stood among the peaceful gardens where 250,000 victims are buried. This is a powerful space in which I reflected on humanity’s inhumanity. The museum describes the colonial creation of difference. It shows how the violence grew and began to spread. And it documents the resulting human tragedy. The museum also shows Rwandan citizens’ capacity to face these barbaric acts and try to heal through the extraordinary process of the Gacaca Community Courts. In small villages, victims and perpetrators have been brought together with the hope of interpersonal and national reconciliation.

But beyond the pioneering reconciliation work, Rwanda is also slowly becoming known for its economic progress and focus. There are huge political complexities for sure. And it is a small country with a small economy (the first KFC opened while I was there). But despite this it shows what is possible on the continent.

It is this dynamism that has attracted the Carnegie Melon University (CMU-Africa) to set up a world-class campus in Kigali and to attract some of the brightest engineering students from the region to study there. I had a chance to walk the campus and interact with a number of the faculty and leadership there. The mission of CMU-Africa is to ‘produce creative and technically strong engineers, who have been trained in the African context, and prepared to make transformative impact in their communities and the world.’ CMU-Africa is the only US research university offering its masters degrees on a fully staffed campus. Looking out from the large viewing deck at CMU-Africa into the hills around Kigali, I wondered why so few of us are aware of the positive change happening on the continent.

The city has also attracted the pioneering African Leadership University (ALU). ALU attracts young talent from across the continent to study together and to catalyze change. It is one of the visionary institutions that has been founded by Fred Swaniker to create the next generation of African leaders.

I had the chance to hear social entrepreneurs and startup founders pitch their ideas. They were so deeply committed to their innovative solutions to some of the region’s biggest challenges. These entrepreneurs are supported by the likes of the Kigali Impact Hub – part of a worldwide group of co-working spaces that I have always been so impressed by.

Rwanda’s sponsorship of Arsenal Football Club further amplifies this ambition – even as there is some controversy. The move was certainly bold and sought to capture the attention of potential tourists and investors, marketing Rwanda as a leading tourism destination and growing investment destination in the region.

Off the tourist track ...

I chose to stay away from the generic global conference hotels. I had the chance to understand the real economic and social issues outside of the conference halls and glamorous campuses and co-working hubs. For someone from crime-conscious Jo'burg it was surprising to walk the streets up until late. Occasional conversations at local taverns and restaurants helped me understand the ongoing challenges.

My morning walk to the conference venues followed a muddy dirt road cut into the hillside. The views were spectacular and the city streets sparklingly clean. My halfway stop was at the hip and elegantly designed Question Coffee Roastery & Café where a quality espresso gave me a lift. Question Coffee is supported by Sustainable Growers (formally the Relationship Coffee Institute) which in turn has been helped by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Question Coffee supports over 30,000 women growers across the country. It has increased the value for stakeholders through improving the quality of the crop and coffee experience throughout the coffee supply chain. Their story represents some of the benefits of an alternative approach to philanthropy – one that seeks to stimulate economic opportunity and work with local partners.

I was not surprised when in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, Rwanda emerged as an early responder. While many countries, including my own, were still waking up to the problem, Rwanda was acting. I can’t wait to go back when possible. And it would be intriguing to arrange startup and tech-oriented networking tours for potential US and other global investors.