Opening a large business in an area where almost 50 percent of the population live below the poverty line might deter some of the hardiest business people, not so Mr. Christophe Kanyandekwe, owner of Bugesera Agribusiness Company Ltd, also known as BABC.

A mechanical engineer, Mr. Kanyandekwe bought BABC which is located in Gashora, Bugesera district, Eastern Province of Rwanda, in 2014. Prior to his acquisition the company which started operations in 2008 was run by a farming cooperative called Indakuki Cooperative. When Mr. Kanyandekwe bought the factory, he retained the 328 members of the Indakuki Cooperative as suppliers of maize kernels, as he did not want the members to lose their livelihoods.

Today BABC is the largest agribusiness in Eastern Province and it has supply contracts with 86 cooperatives who represent approximately 70,000 farmers. In a province struggling to deal with poverty and with people thinking about how they will put food on the table, companies like BABC provide a lifeline. Each of the farmers that supply the company through their cooperatives are at the very least assured of having a captive market for their products. As many Rwandan farmers are at the bottom of the pyramid, agri-businesses like Bugesera Agribusiness encourage local farmers to see farming as a viable enterprise.  This is important in a country where agriculture is a mainstay for thousands of families.

In the first quarter of this year, according to the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda, agriculture contributed 31 percent to the country’s GDP. Agriculture is expected to play a vital role in reducing poverty and ensuring the country is self-sufficient in its nutrition needs.

Mr. Kanyandekwe is also a shrewd businessman in that he finds reliable buyers for his products. One of these buyers is Africa Improved Food Ltd., a company who is taking the fight against malnutrition in Africa head on. BABC signed a contract with the company to provide them with 600 to 1500 tons of soy beans a year for the next three years.

As BABC grew it found itself in need of finance and in GroFin it found a partner willing to help. GroFin, which has made a name for itself investing in small growing businesses(SGBs) has agribusiness as a sector of focus  across sub-Saharan Africa and MENA. Another large Rwandan agribusiness that GroFin supports is Yak Fair Trade. Therefore, partnering with a company like BABC made sense for GroFin. The financing allowed BABC to purchase new equipment, buy additional raw materials and expand its warehousing capability. In addition to the financing the GroFin Rwanda team provided business support to BABC, which started pre-finance, when the company was advised to properly register its assets. Post finance the company received help on how to better structure its sales and marketing strategy. Additionally, advice was provided on production process automation, improvement of packaging system, and looking into export possibilities. To further help BABC, GroFin Rwanda will introduce BABC to PUM experts who will be providing advice on product certification.

Through GroFin’s finance and business support, BABC is able to sustain 62 permanent jobs of which 24 are held by women and 51 are low skilled/semi-skilled.

“Thanks to GroFin, I was able to expand capacity and make a greater impact in our province of Eastern Rwanda. I think agribusinesses in Rwanda must not hesitate to invest in our agricultural sector.” – Christophe Kanyandekwe