Leaving Kigali inspired.
This week reinforced one belief:
Africa is not capital-scarce. It is circuit-poor.
Whether discussing South-South Cooperation, seeing robots supporting public health, or celebrating closer ties between Rwanda and South Africa, the answer is the same:
Build stronger connections.
Between countries.
Between institutions.
Between capital and ideas.
Build the circuit.
Africa will do the rest.
#Rwanda #SouthAfrica #Africa #UNDP #SouthSouthCooperation
Growing up in Kigali: From NGOs to Start-ups, through government.
When I grew up in the early 2000s, the best-paying jobs in Rwanda were in NGOs and the UN. It took fifteen years for the government to match and surpass those salaries, incentives, but also validation. While our parents had had no choice, young talents became civil servants by sheer ambition.
The good old Rwandan private sector never really competed. Owned by foreigners or an old mentality, it was sort of "leapfrogged", save for companies powered by the government or the RPF, bearing the hallmarks of Paul Kagame's vision.
Those days are gone! Every brilliant Rwandan graduate wants to be an entrepreneur, start their own business, or a series of businesses! Some land in government for a few years to learn the ropes and build a network before going solo, but most are going straight to the market - many of them are young women...
It is a paradigm shift that defines where the country is, economically and developmentally.
The fact that they weren't raised with a silver spoon, told that Rwanda is rich, leaders are thieves, or taught to protest against their government, makes these young people even more resilient than any of their neighboring colleagues. With a little incentive, they will thrive.
Now, here is what I am learning, as a new entrepreneur myself, struggling to stabilise:
1. Young entrepreneurs in Kigali should understand the concepts of "ecosystem" and "game theory". They should partner and support each other. Being a "start-up" sounds fancy, but you do not have to "start-up" from scratch or struggle alone.
You can upgrade or support someone else's idea and collect upfront shares in the company. Competition is good, but synergy is even better - especially if you are still small.
Funds and incubators should encourage this, and:
2. There are still young people who complain about the unfairness of life, the alleged "know who" in recruitments, the fact that jobs aren't enough, life being expensive in Kigali, etc.
They will always be there, they are in every country, and they have a point! We all have to pitch in so that every Rwandan can have a decent income.
However, if you are young, do not make the mistake of identifying with other people's results instead of their struggles. Instagram photos aren't real; people tend to romanticise their journey, but there is no gain without pain.
Whenever you have a chance, jump off the whining train and join the entrepreneurs. Expect it to be hard. Very hard. I know this because I am in that phase.
But I am told the "View" is pristine up there...
I'm white. My adoptive parents are Black.
They didn't save me — they raised me right.
My birth parents were gone early, and I entered foster care young. Moves happened fast, so l learned not to expect much. Stability wasn't part of the plan.
Then Marcus and Denise adopted me from a hard neighborhood.
Marcus became Dad — clear, fair, consistent.
Denise became Mom - steady, precise, unmovable in the ways that mattered.
The rules were simple. Dinner happened every night. Mistakes came with consequences, not abandonment.
Growing up that way rewired me. Order started to matter. Showing up mattered. Doing the right thing without needing praise stayed with me.
Twenty-five years later, I chose to become a police officer. Not for power — but to protect structure and fairness the same way Marcus and Denise protected me.
That choice didn't come from nowhere.
It grew from a small home, steady rules, and parents who stayed 🙏
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Japanese researchers at the University of Tsukuba created CirculaFloor, robotic tiles that let you walk infinitely in VR without ever leaving your spot.
"My name's Raymond. I'm 73. I work the parking lot at St. Joseph's Hospital. Minimum wage, orange vest, a whistle I barely use. Most people don't even look at me. I'm just the old man waving cars into spaces.
But I see everything.
Like the black sedan that circled the lot every morning at 6 a.m. for three weeks. Young man driving, grandmother in the passenger seat. Chemotherapy, I figured. He'd drop her at the entrance, then spend 20 minutes hunting for parking, missing her appointments.
One morning, I stopped him. "What time tomorrow?"
"6:15," he said, confused.
"Space A-7 will be empty. I'll save it."
He blinked. "You... you can do that?"
"I can now," I said.
Next morning, I stood in A-7, holding my ground as cars circled angrily. When his sedan pulled up, I moved. He rolled down his window, speechless. "Why?"
"Because she needs you in there with her," I said. "Not out here stressing."
He cried. Right there in the parking lot.
Word spread quietly. A father with a sick baby asked if I could help. A woman visiting her dying husband. I started arriving at 5 a.m., notebook in hand, tracking who needed what. Saved spots became sacred. People stopped honking. They waited. Because they knew someone else was fighting something bigger than traffic.
But here's what changed everything, A businessman in a Mercedes screamed at me one morning. "I'm not sick! I need that spot for a meeting!"
"Then walk," I said calmly. "That space is for someone whose hands are shaking too hard to grip a steering wheel."
He sped off, furious. But a woman behind him got out of her car and hugged me. "My son has leukemia," she sobbed. "Thank you for seeing us."
The hospital tried to stop me. "Liability issues," they said. But then families started writing letters. Dozens. "Raymond made the worst days bearable." "He gave us one less thing to break over."
Last month, they made it official. "Reserved Parking for Families in Crisis." Ten spots, marked with blue signs. And they asked me to manage it.
But the best part? A man I'd helped two years ago, his mother survived, came back. He's a carpenter. Built a small wooden box, mounted it by the reserved spaces. Inside? Prayer cards, tissues, breath mints, and a note,
"Take what you need. You're not alone. -Raymond & Friends"
People leave things now. Granola bars. Phone chargers. Yesterday, someone left a hand-knitted blanket.
I'm 73. I direct traffic in a hospital parking lot. But I've learned this: Healing doesn't just happen in operating rooms. Sometimes it starts in a parking space. When someone says, "I see your crisis. Let me carry this one small piece."
So pay attention. At the grocery checkout, the coffee line, wherever you are. Someone's drowning in the little things while fighting the big ones.
Hold a door. Save a spot. Carry the weight no one else sees.
It's not glamorous. But it's everything."
Let this story reach more hearts....
Credit: Mary Nelson
Honored to welcome our President @PaulKagame to our booth today at #AviationAfrica2025. A true inspiration for all of us at @TRLspace as we continue exploring air and space together 🇷🇼🇨🇿
It is with deep sorrow that we share the news of the passing of Assistant Secretary-General Aisa Kirabo Kacyira, Head of the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (@UNSOS_), following an extended illness.
ASG Kacyira led UNSOS with exemplary dedication and vision, drawing upon over three decades of distinguished service in diplomacy, governance, and humanitarian affairs to support peace and stability in Somalia.
Her career spanned senior roles in governance and international service, and she is widely respected for her integrity, inclusive leadership, and commitment to multilateral dialogue.
We extend our sincere condolences to her loved ones, the @UN family, @aussom_, Somali and International partners and colleagues around the world. We honor her legacy of service and compassion, and we will carry forward her vision in support of #Somalia.
May her soul rest in eternal peace.
Wiriwe Rwanda🫂
Thanks to you our Heroes and visionary leaders ,I am Rwandan, I have an identity, I have peace and can enjoy life!
Let me talk to you my fellow Rwandans especially Young people.
We are priviledged today we have a name! We have stories to tell.
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