He does his business from Kirehe District of the Eastern Province.
The head of Real Green Gold Company got his idea back in 2016 after completing university studies.
He says he conceived the business idea of exporting ripe bananas to the European market but found no way out.
“I challenged myself and wondered that if people in Europe consume ripe bananas from South-America, why Rwandans having such quantity of bananas do not export them? I had no farm for banana plantation and had no investment,” he says.
Nshimiyimana has started selling ripe bananas and different varieties of banana on the local market.
Nshimiyimana attributes his achievements to the support by an international non-profit organization, These Numbers Have Faces.
At the beginning, besides having the business idea, Nshimiyimana had no capital, mentor nor advisor on the ways to implement his business idea.
“After pitching my business idea to These Numbers Have Faces, they validated it and supported me in all ways towards implementation. At the beginning (in April 2016), they gave me starting capital of $500 non-refundable which facilitated me to rent a farm and planted new banana plantation. At this point, I had proved that the business was possible,” he says.
“In October, 2016 they gave me refundable investment of $1,000 which I successfully used and refunded,” he said adding that he targets to acquire new funding which would facilitate him to export ripe bananas to the European market.
“Recently, I was speaking to Rwandans living in Europe; they told me that bananas are expensive. As we have RwandAir flying Europe, I need to use such advantage and start exportation in the near future,” he explained.
Currently, Nshimiyimana employs five permanent workers and plans to start training 300 neighbors on modern banana plantation growing practices.
Like Nshimiyimana, Jeannette Umutoniwase, the head of Inzira Dreams Network, a handicraft business making clothes, bags and jewelries was also facilitated by the organisation.
The Nyarugenge based businesswoman was trained in making trendy objects.
“I joined this organization in November last year. My business was to recycle plastic bottles and make earrings; I was trained in making productive objects and currently, I am making bags, clothes and shoes,” she said.
According to Umutoniwase, the project has become successful in terms of financial income.
“At the beginning I used to earn Rwf20,000 per month, but last month only, I earned Rwf244,000 free from other expenses,” she said adding that she employs two workers.
The youth were sharing their business experiences Friday in Kigali at the graduation ceremony of 30 youth who were supported and mentored by These Numbers Have Faces through their Accelerate Academy.
According to the Director of Accelerate Academy, Olivier Habumugisha the programme supports youth with finances and materials to implement their projects.
“They are working in different sectors of the economy of the country; we support them in all ways so that they develop themselves and contribute to the country’s development,” he explained.
The Executive Director of These Numbers Have Faces, Jim Pressenell, said that the youth businesses are contributing to the development of communities.
“Young entrepreneurs are identifying a problem and creating solutions to that problem. They are making a difference in all kinds of lives in Rwanda,” he said.
He says that the biggest challenge they face is many entrepreneurs seeking to join the programme.
The Programme has graduated 82 business people since it was launched back in 2015.
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