It is said that children often emulate what they see their parents do. This is true for 24-year-old Patrick Afrika who watched his father toil to provide for the family with commitment, effort, and perfectionism as a manufacturer of leather bags, and shoes, among other products.
“Although I have always yearned to be a software engineer, I wouldn’t be happier if I hadn’t taken the same path as my father. Observing and learning how he did his work, I gained enough skills and expertise to enable me to start my own company,” he says.
In 2020, Afrika partnered with his brother Jean Claude Nsanzumuhire and co-founded a Kiyovu-based company dubbed ‘Afrolago.’ The company manufactures shoes and bags out of leather, car tires, and kitenge.
He says they didn’t have enough money but they couldn’t postpone the business, and had the zeal to be job creators, not seekers. And for this reason, they used the Rwf 45,000 capital they had to purchase some raw materials and borrowed their father’s machines.
Afrika is of the view that many people have relinquished their dreams for failure to acquire a certain amount of money, which has kept many people jobless, and others seated on talent.
“My father has been operating this business for over 50 years, he provided disabled people with internship opportunities so that they too could start businesses of their own.
*The views of the above article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Africa Speaks 4 Africa or its editorial team.