Accelerate young Rwandan entrepreneurs

Jean Bosco is a 21 year old AEC entrepreneur, and we have been supporting his growth in Rwanda.

He runs a waste collection facility in his home district (the poorest in Rwanda) and turns collected waste into organic fertilizers and clean burning briquettes. Not only is his company, Habona Ltd, providing great and affordable products to his community of 300,000 people, but he has also created 50 jobs, with the support of AEC's programming.

Jean Bosco was selected as a Young African Leaders Initiative Mandela Washington Fellow, a highly-competitive project of the US State Department that brings 500 young people from Africa to the US for raining. Below is a message from Jean Bosco about his experience in the US, and we're looking foward to welcoming him back to AEC in Rwanda.

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Greetings Friends at AEC!

I recently returned from a 3-month trip to the United States as a Young African Leaders Initiative Mandela Washington Fellow. I spent the first 6 weeks at Northwestern University, then I went to Washington for a summit with President Obama, and I finished the fellowship with an internship at the Wisconsin Biological Systems Engineering Center.

In the US, I have experienced more than I ever thought possible. While studying at Northwestern, I learned from world-class professors, analyzed business cases, and visited a variety of companies (Google, Oracle, Chicago's Mayor Office, McComick Foundation, and more).  I met other Young Leaders from across Africa who will help me in my journey to bring clean energy solutions to the people of Rwanda.

My internship in Wisconsin was amazing. The Wisconsin Biological Systems Engineering Center is the largest organization in the US dealing with bio-energy research, and learning from and shadowing their experts drastically improved my technical understanding of biomass and bio-energy. I can already see how these techniques and this partnership will help take my company to the next level once I return home.

This experience was also a time of personal reflection and growth. In a very short period of time, I developed into a very good public speaker, I am much more confident with my English, and I am becoming more mature as a young entrepreneur and leader.

Finally, I would like to inform you that I have been selected among 6 fellows who will be funded $25,000 by the US African Development Foundation and I am looking forward to improving even better and better!

It has been an incredible journey of learning, networking, and the more importantly "a life-changing opportunity" to learn about myself and to revisit my vision for bettering my community in Rwanda.

Best,

Jean Bosco Nzeyimana

Founder & CEO
HABONA Ltd

P.S. Don't forget to check out the attached picture! I was visiting the birth place of the Chicago deep dish pizza ..... Yuuuuummy!!!!!!