R
:-), =; 76416-
IT IS RIGHT TO SAY NO!
FOCUS:
GUTEGURA KUVUGA USHIZE AMANGA
FO T O N
E L A S
ETABLISSEZ UN LIEN EMOTIONEL AVEC VOTRE CLIENT
Women in Agribusiness - Q&A with Donatille Nibagwire - Floris Rwanda Mushrooms for Business and good health - Mimi Denyse - Mushroom Cooperative Bugesera
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The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
50 55
FOR YOUR MANAGER
32. Comment détecter les problèmes ? 33. Ni Ayahe Makuru Y’ingenzi Wakenera Ugiye Gukora Umushinga? 34. Entrepreneur, 4 façons d’utiliser Google intelligemment
FEATURES
8. The Value of team Work 10. Hospitality Perspectives 12. Serivisi Nziza Mu Bigo Nderabuzima 14. 5 Reasons to do Business Online 15. When Cheap is Expensive
HAVE YOUR SAY
ADVERTORIALS
13. Sonarwa Repositions to lead from the front 26. BPR’s Sarura - Where small farmers have access to finance credits 53. SORAS - Don’t Take The Risk on fire
16. Etablissez un lien émotionel avec votre client 20.Gutegura kuvuga ushize amanga
HAVE YOUR SAY
35. Parler plusieurs langues, l’atout de demain 36. Help! My Colleague has a terrible body odor 38. Gukora ibyo ukunda 40. La beauté Africaine dans un monde professionnel 43. Kigali change et vous?
COVER STORY
21. BCR 50 Years Since 1963 - Growing Stronger
WOMEN ENTERPRENEURS 24. Marketing Your Business
PLUS
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44. Your Well Being Matters 46. Ask our Lawyer 48. ICT Corner 54. Where we have been 56. Travel Review 58. Cartoon 60. Pictorial 62. At Your Service
DONATILLE NIBAGWIRE Floris - Rwanda 28. Mushrooms for Business and Good Health
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RADIANT INSURANCE CEO Mr. Marc. Rugenera A Promise is a Promise
The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
3
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
GET OVER
SPILT MILK
MOVE ON Victor
opened a new business that did exceptionally well the first few months. It was the place to be for most young people in his area. But then, sales began to drop considerably and paying suppliers and employees became a real challenge until he had no option but to close the place. After this, Victor failed to get over it. He lives in the past and has found it difficult to accept the situation and move on. Like Victor, many continue to live in the past, reviewing their mistakes. The good news is that mistakes, even big ones, don't have to leave a permanent mark on your business, career, life etc. We all make mistakes and need to learn from them and move on. But before you can move forward, it is important that you own your mistake. Do not blame others; acknowledge your role, review what you could have done better. As you focus on the future, what will you do differently going forward? You will need to change some habits and ways of doing things if you want to avoid making the same mistakes again. As Albert Einstein says, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Don’t waste time on the many yesterdays that have gone by which you do not have control over anymore. Today is more important; it will shape and determine your tomorrow. Take lessons so that your tomorrow will be better. Being in business is not easy, every single aspect of it is important - Human Resources, Sales, IT, Finance, Legal etc… And we hope that this magazine will provide the knowledge you need to prepare for a better tomorrow. Banque Commerciale du Rwanda commonly known as BCR is 50 years and we are extremely delighted to feature them as our cover story of this issue. Additionally, we are bringing you stories of three women who have been bold enough to ventured into agribusiness, a sector usually reserved for men. In our last survey, customers voted for 13 companies in different sectors. We thank all our readers who participated in this survey and guests who attended the award ceremony held at The Gorilla Golf Hotel in Kigali. Our Youth Talk section is becoming very dynamic online with frequent articles on our social media networks. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to receive insightful and motivational resources. Enjoy the reading and move on!
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The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
PublisherSandra Idossou sidossou@theservicemag.com English Editors Aryantungyisa Otiti - aryantu@theservicemag.com Kinyarwanda EditorGaspard Habarurema gaspard@theservicemag.com French EditorDiana Ramarohetra diana@theservicemag.com Marketing ConsultantBea Umwiza bea@theservicemag.com +250 788 304 226 Marketing ConsultantEva Gara eva@theservicemag.com +250 782 029 803 Design & LayoutOl Wonders Ltd pat.okoth@olwonders.com ServiceMag Online EditorSimon Corden simon@theservicemag.com PhotographersTSM photography@theservicemag.com CartoonistNdarama Assoumani cartoon@theservicemag.com Contributors Minister Jean Philbert Nsengimana, Eric Rutabana, Gloria Iribagiza, Jean Bosco Ndikumana, K. Ezechiel Ouedraogo, Tazim Elkington, Eddie HEH, Dr. Rashna Pande, Katia Manirakiza, Joe Nsano, Olivier Biraro, Wolfgang T. Thome, Manisha Dookhony, Jerry O. Were, John Kageche, Jean Pierre Afdhali, Jean Pierre Lauzier, Aryantu Otiti, Diana Ramarohetra, Anthony Gitonga, Emile Niyonzima, Maia Gedde, Eric Dusabimana & Sandra Idossou
The following organisations supported us in producing this issue: DiamondBCR, RDB, MTN PlatinumEquity Bank, RwandAir, Radiant Insurance, BPR
GoldSerena Hotel, Akagera Aviation, Nyungwe Forest Lodge, Sonarwa, Soras, Kalaos Media
SilverGorilla Golf Hotel, Business Partners, Igihe, Drop Water
BronzeHotel des Milles Collines, Expand, Khana Khazana, The Downtown, Village Weavers, Carlsberg, , , Easy Info, Ol Wonders
*The opinions, articles and photos in The ServiceMag and The ServiceMag On-line do not necessarily reflect those of the editor, publishers or their agents. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
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The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
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LETTERS
Ese mwakunze inyandiko tubegehazo? Turabasaba ngo muduhe ibitekerezo. Kuri: letters@theservicemag.com
Email us at letters@theservicemag.com
Turabasaba umuganda wo kutwandikira inkuru nyinshi zishoboka mu Kinyarwanda!
THE SKY IS THE LIMIT! It was with great interest that I read the last issue of ServiceMag. I particularly liked the story on Inyange. Felt very proud that a Rwandan manufacturing company is doing so well. Will be proud the day I can see Inyange products in other parts of the continent. Please do more stories on Rwandan companies.... David
Handling social media like dating
I have cherished all your issues and I'm always looking forward for a new issue; This time, the article that made me laugh but at the same time learn a bunch was the one comparing social media to dating and relationships. It was well written and the examples brought out the real essence of why companies should take seriously social media. ~ Jeniffer Umutoni EWSA’s problem due to flooding may be a legitimate. They know we have a rainy season every year which is always a potential of flooding of rivers. Their claim that this hinders their ability to filter water should therefore be dealt with and not used as an excuse for poor service. EWSA is probably on top of my list of worst customer service. Their answer when we call is ‘they are trying’. In our case in Kimironko (Rukurazo) it took more than three weeks of trying and when they sent the water, the pressure was too weak to get it into the storage tank.It seems like they have a rehearsed speech to appease clients and get them off the phone but not really telling the truth about the problem. I just wish they would tell us the truth and because usually clients understand when you communicate a problem truthfully. ~ Parfait
OUR NEW PRIDE! I was impressed to read the achievements of RSSB since 2011 the two former companies were merged. I would like to know more about the new health insurance electronic cards for members and their dependants… Concerning the Mutuelle de Santé, we are proud that Rwanda is among the top African countries where there is a medical insurance for almost the entire population. This is a great assurance for us. Keep it up RRS. James Kayanga
UN TRANSIT AGREABLE A KIGALI GRACE A VOTRE MAGAZINE Je vous écris en ce moment assis dans la salle de transit de Kigali en route pour Brazzaville. J’ai passé un moment agréable de transit grâce au magazine que j’ai eu dans le vol qui nous ramenait de Libreville. Quelle audace de vouloir améliorer la qualité de service dans un pays Africain. Quand vous aurez fini avec votre pays, il faudrait venir aussi faire la même chose dans les pays Africains parce que franchement, on a l’impression que les Africains ont un problème général avec la qualité de service. Bravo une fois encore. ~ Bruno Kassou
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The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
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The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
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value of Team Work
FEATURE
The
By Manisha Dookhony
If
you want to walk fast, walk alone; if you want to walk far, walk together: This South African proverb summarises teamwork as a recipe for success. When I entered the job world, going fast was my prerogative. Apart from a few teamwork opportunities in my studies, most of my interventions had been solo. Few education institutions assess your team performance, at the end of the academic year it is your solo performance that is assessed. There are circumstances where working solo means success, but I soon understood that success is best when it is shared. Whilst working alone, the work I did was my sole responsibility, the glories were mine alone and so were the blunders. When working together we created a sense of shared identity. A study of lottery winners illustrates this idea. Often becoming rich is what people aspire to. But when they win a lottery, people become less happy. For success and happiness to match well, the key is what you make of the wealth. If it
is shared, there is a greater chance of success and happiness. The times when I have enjoyed work the most have been when working as part of a team. By the sheer look of the players one can assess that joy-o-metre of Real Madrid winning the Champions League is higher compared to Nadal winning Roland Garros. Nadal is alone. Real Madrid has a whole team to share the joy. The result of shared work is as graceful as the swan on a lake. It looks nice, yet underneath the surface of the lake ungraceful paddling is happening. Similarly, working as part of a team is great as ideas are shared, debates happen, team members have their own thoughts and agreement takes time to happen. In a team each person has his or her own opinion, character and mood.
Juggling all that is not always easy. Add to that cross cultural differences. All this makes the task of collaboration uneasy. However the result of great teamwork is a work that is shared and that yields commonality. Just being in a team does not mean success. If that was so, all football teams would win the Champions’ League. If we compare the success of football teams, it is not stars that make a team. Stars, like Beckham may help sell a lot of T-shirts and bring in money to PSG, but it is the interaction within the team and the understanding built by the team that brings success in tournaments. As in a great football team, differences in style create the beauty of teamwork. Different opinion forges the strength of the work. Cultural diversity enhances the content of the work. Working in teams does not come easily; it is a process that takes time; it is tedious yet teamwork is a fulfilling process and indeed the path to greater success.TSM
manisha.dookhony@post.harvard.edu
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The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
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FEATURE
By Jerry O. Were
Rwanda’s leading business magazine, The SERVICEMAG unveiled a list of top service providers in the country following a customer satisfaction survey. Multi- award winning Nyungwe Forest Lodge scooped the top slot in the Hotels and Lodges category. The Lodge, located on the edge of the Nyungwe Forest is the only 5-star lodge in Rwanda. At Nyungwe Forest Lodge, Service Excellence is an experience, created by a series of deliberate actions and starts right at the point of entry culminating into cherished memories as you drive or walk out of the property looking forward to your next visit. Even though “Service Excellence” starts with front-line people, the actions of the front-line people emanate from the top of the organization. “Service Excellence” is driven by and through leadership competency. Dubai World, the owners of Nyungwe Forest Lodge, have put forth their best effort and resources to develop the ideal guest experience. This takes into account aesthetics, entertainment, sensory perception and most of all personal interaction with front-line service personnel. I hope to use this column as an educative platform to demystify the concept of service excellence.
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Every article will end with a ‘Hospitality Service Challenge of the Quarter’ or goal aimed at helping readers put into practice, what they have read. These are The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
practical tips meant to help you improve service in your work place! The 5 Prong Dimension (The bigger picture) The first and most important formula of hospitality service delivery is to understand the process of service delivery holistically by examining and appreciating the different factors involved in the entire process and the impact each factor has on the ‘overall guest experience’ as they will only deliver their full potential and value if they are embedded into the organizational infrastructure. The 5 main factors of hospitality service excellence, which directly impact and determine customer satisfaction, are: Policies – the guide of action. It is the overall enabler and conditioner of the other 4 factors and parameter for the allocation of resources (time, money and effort etc.) to the achievement of the organization’s service excellence goals. Products/Services – the key reason why customers are engaging with your organization, build loyalty or leave to the competitors. Premises – major contributory factors to the guests’ overall impression of your hotel/lodge and can act as major attractors to new guests. Processes – one of the most crucial elements in the delivery of service excellence and guest satisfaction. Guests expect a satisfactory outcome after completing a transaction with the organization and it is the efficiency and effectiveness of the processes that contribute greatly to the expected outcome. People – the main resource of an organization. Their knowledge, competence, level of motivation and skills can positively influence the service quality performance and the success of the organization. In the next issue, we will show how organizations can use performance measurements as well as service recovery systems to maintain "Service Excellence".TSM The author is the Hospitality Operations Manager ~ Nyungwe Forest Lodge - RWANDA jerry@nyungweforestlodge.com
| www.simonsays.co.za | 5830
An unforgettable experience awaits you at
Nyungwe Forest Lodge Rwanda... Close encounters with free roaming chimpanzees and extraordinary bird life, explore one of many walking trails or take an exhilarating guided canopy bridge tour above the Nyungwe National Forest. For something more tranquil, why not unwind in the many comforts offered by this award-winning lodge, indulge in a spa treatment, savour a glass of wine and a great novel on the terrace overlooking the timeless forest; or take in your surroundings from the heated rim flow pool at the only 5 star lodge in Rwanda.
Central Reservations T: +27 (0)41 509 3000 E: reservations@shamwarigroup.com | www.nyungweforestlodge.com
2011 AWARD WINNER
The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
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FEATURE
Serivisi
Nziza
Mu Bigo Nderabuzima Byanditswe na Sandra Idossou
Mu
mezi make ashize, nabonye ikibazo cyabajijwe n’umusomyi umwe abaza niba koko abantu bakora mu buvuzi barebwa n’iby’imitangirwe ya serivisi biri gushishikarizwa. iki kibazo gifite ishingiro kuko abantu benshi bagihuza serivisi nziza gusa n’abikorera kugiti cyabo ndetse n’abashoramari mu kwakira abantu.
Ahantu hafite isuku kandi heza hatuma abarwayi biyumva neza. Ndahamya ko utakwifuza kujya mu bitaro bifite umwanda, aho abaforomo n’abaganga bambaye imyenda irimo ibizinga by’amaraso.
Muri iyi minsi idusaba kongera ubukungu, ibigo bya leta n’inzego za guverimona ndetse na buri kigo kigira aho gihurira n’anbakigana bigomba kunoza serivisi zabyo.
Usibye gutanga ubuvuzi bunoze ku barwayi, hari n’izindi ngingo zishobora kongera mu gutanga serivisi nziza mu bigo by’ubuvuzi:
Gushaka ibiryo byiza muri resitora cyangwa kujya guhaha mu iduka mu mujyi usanga akenshi biterwa n’amahitamo yacu n’ibyemezo dufata. Ariko kujya ku bitaro cyangwa ku kigo nderabuzima ntamuntu ubyishimira,usanga iteka biba ari nk’itegeko. Twifuza kuba tutajyayo ariko iyo turwaye nta yandi mahitamo tuba dufite atari ayo kujya gushaka ubutabazi mu by’ubuvuzi. Abagana ibitaro ni abarwayi, abavandimwe babo, abashyitsibaba bazanywe n’impamvu zitandukanye. Ikirenze ku gutanga ubuvuzi buboneye ku barwayi, ibitaro n’ibigo nderabuzima byakagombye kuba bizi gutanga serivisi nziza. Iyo tuvuga serivisi nziza, bivuga gukora kuburyoumurwayi avuga ko yabonye ibintu byiza ari ku bitaro. abarwayi baba bakeneye kumva bakiranywe urugwiro kandi bitaweho. bivuga kandi gufasha abarwayi n’abavandimwe babo kwihanganira ibihe bibakomereye mu kigo nderabuzima.
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The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
Ndibuka ubwambere njya ku bitaro bya kibagabaga, natangajwe cyane n’isuku yahoo kugeza uyu munsi nkaba nkibyibuka. Ibiti byiza n’intebe mu busitani bwiza bwaho byanteye kwibwira ko ndi mu kigo cyo kuruhukiramo.
Isuku ni ikintu cy’ibanze mu bigo by’ubuvuzi byose.
Gugusuhuza no kwakirana urugwiro: Abavuzi bagomba kumenya ko bagomba gusuhuza ababagana byanashoboka bakabibwira abarwayi amazina yabo. Nk’abarwayi, ntabwo tuba dushaka gutegereza amasaha mbere yuko hagira utwitaho. Ntabwo tuba dushaka kwirengagizwa. Kwakirwa vuba byizeza umurwayi ko ibitaro bizamuyobora no kumuha ubufasha mugihe abukeneye. Kwirinda urusaku: kimwe mu bintu byongera amahoro y’abarwayi ni umutuzo mu bitaro. abakozi b’ibitaro bagomba kwirinda inkweto zisakuza, telephone zirimo indirimbo zo kwitabiraho zisakuza ndetse no kuganirira muri za koridoro. Kubika ibanga ry’abarwayi n’umutekano wabo: serivisi nziza mu bitaro isaba ko umukozi w’ibitaro abanza gukomanga ku muryango mbere yo kwinjira mu cyumba kirimo umurwayi. Ibi bigomba g ukorwa nibura kugira ngo hasigasirwe icyubahiro cy’umurwayi. Ni byiza kandi ko amakuru arebana n’umurwayi agirwa ibanga hirindwa kuyasakaza hanze. Kongera uburyo bw’ubwumvane: nk’abarwayi, twishima iyo muganga yitaye kubyo tumubwira akadutega amatwi agamije kutwumva. sinzi niba nawe uzi ko abaganga n’abanyamategeko aribo bantu babaza ibibazo byinshi mbere y’isuzuma. Mu bitaro, abarwayi ntibita kumubare w’anbababaye, baba bakeneye kubona ko ibibazo byabo byumviswe n’abantu bashaka kubitaho. Nubwo tuzi ko abaganga bafite akazi kagoranye kandi kavunanye ko guhangana n’ibibazo bikomeye by’ubuzima bwacu, icyo tubashakaho ni ukutwereka ko batwumva kandi batwitaho.TSM
sidossou@theservicemag.com
SONARWAREPOSITIONS Mandatory Medical Liability Insurance
Although
the health status of the Rwandan population has improved significantly in recent years, it remains insufficient. Rwanda’s health system is financed both by state funds and by individuals’ contributions through health insurance and direct fees for services. Health insurance is provided through a variety of programs. Jacob Erhabor, Acting Managing Director of Sonarwa General Insurance believes that with the new policy on mandatory medical liability insurance, the sector is now well poised to witness the quality of service delivery and professionalism that are comparable with the ones obtainable in the advanced economies of the world. “Every health professional, whether public or private, must take out insurance from a state-authorized insurance company,” Erhabor quoted article 14 of the new medical liability insurance law that was released by the government in January this year and already gazzeted. The law goes on to say that medical doctors of various specializations, nurses, pharmacists and other paramedics are by this development statutorily required to maintain appropriate professional liability insurance covers which can be called upon in the event of any proven professional negligence on the part of the medical professional concerned. This is when sonarwa’s sterling insurance cover kicks in for the protection of the medical professional concerned subject to the limit of the cover in place-the sum insured This will inevitably help to raise the bar with regard to duty of care, customer care and quality of service delivery by medical professionals across the length and breadth of Rwanda. Sonarwa is in the fore front in the sensitization of this development to the stakeholders and the CEO was excited about the inquiries they have been receiving from various professionals in the medical field concerning the product.
...to LEAD!
unique requirements of corporate and individual clients. Cover can be taken from a minimum of Rwf 750,000 to as much as Rwf 75 million. The company believes that this broad range of coverage provides the flexibility required to meet the varying needs of the various medical professionals depending on their degree of specialization Erhabor explained that the policy would help medics get insurance covers which will go a long way to engender trust and confidence amongst their various patients ,both corporates and individuals. “It is really important that people working in the health sector get insured as this is a very risky area. A practitioner could inadvertently harm the health of people and the policy will ensure that the patients affected can get justice and also get compensated for proven cases of professional negligence Erhabor says that much more sensitization has to be done in order for the public to know more about the requirements of the new law and how Sonarwa has stepped up to the plate in this regard. Sonarwa has over the years maintained a leading position in the Rwanda’s insurance space with shareholders fund in excess of Rwf 9.2 Billion and asset base of over Rwf 18 Billion,which makes her the largest and most capitalized insurance company in the market. Sonarwa, with a brand equity larger than the size of its balance sheet is blessed with a resourceful and broad based board coupled with a well-horned professional ,focused and proactive Management.
benjis07@yahoo.co.uk
The medical insurance scheme is designed to meet the
Rwanda’s Insurers of First Choice
The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
13
5
FEATURE
REASONS to do
BUSINESS ONLINE By Jean-Pierre Afadhali
The Internet has become an indispensable tool for doing business in the 21st century. It provides business opportunities for companies to grow rapidly. Many Internet-based companies are making a lot of money, and other businesses are using the web to increase their sales. Here are five reasons for you to consider using the Internet to make money in the global marketplace. 1. Worldwide audience
Millions of people from around the world use the Internet to access information as well as communicate with one another. A business should go online to take advantage of this opportunity to sell its products and services and boost its growth in this extremely connected world. It is also an opportunity to connect, interact and stay in touch with clients and prospects any time. For instance, I created a blog a few years ago to publish stories on various topics that interest me; surprisingly, I have been receiving guest blog requests from people a thousand miles away from my country. This will also apply to your business. Don’t be surprised to receive emails and phone calls from prospects coming from different corners of the world.
2. Social media marketing opportunity
According to Lon Safko, the author of The Social Media Bible, social media “is the media we use to be social.” Social, business and professional networking have become a lifestyle. Almost every Internet user spends some time on social media websites. That is why as an entrepreneur you should use social media to market, promote and publicize your business. These sites provide an opportunity to recruit new clients by building your audience. They also offer the ability to provide customer care, as it is fast way to interact with your company’s online followers through various social media pages.
or services online. In addition to that, social media increases traffic to your websites via content you share. It is even possible to add e-commerce features to websites, which allows business people to sell their products online securely. A website is a cheap Internet solution which will boost your online marketing campaign.
4. The high speed of Internet penetration
The Internet is penetrating various countries at a high speed. There are many ways people connect to the Internet: wireless connections at public and private places, mobiles phones and wired Internet. As an entrepreneur, this is a huge opportunity to optimize your business using the worldwide web.
5. Email marketing opportunity
Marketing or publicity campaigns are vital in business development, email marketing service is therefore an effective and fast way to reach to an audience beyond geographic borders. It may be a newsletter or another message in any form of your choice. I have been receiving newsletters from many companies I subscribe to about their offers and other campaigns. There are companies that help businesses to be successful in their email marketing strategy by offering this important service for doing business online.TSM
3. Reduced cost for website design and development
Starting a website is a cost-effective way to market your products or services and make money online. If you own a website some prospects will visit it as they seek information, products
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The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
The writer is a Business Development Director and a Social Media Strategist. He also blogs at www.vijana.fm
When
FEATURE
is CHEAP EXPENSIVE By John Kageche
The
trials and tribulations of a growing business are numerous. Paramount is the constant struggle to stay afloat in the rising flood of costs. Caught in this struggle for air, the budding entrepreneur will find himself hiring staff as a compromise between quality and affordability. More often than not, the latter takes the day, sometimes with disastrous consequences. As a customer, you may have been grossly irritated by the receptionist who struggled to communicate grammatically. Not only did she intersperse, the local language with her (broken) version of the official language, she simply couldn’t answer the phone, talk to the customer and type simultaneously. With this inefficiency the queue grew longer and longer and your irritation increased. You curse, await your turn if you must and swear never to return. Switch positions with the entrepreneurimagine what this does to your young and growing business. Imagine the lost sales, the negative referrals from lost customers, imagine your lifeline (the customer) denying you the very oxygen you seek. In the quest to hire cheap staff you chose to completely ignore quality and now you experience how expensive that decision has become. Many a time, the decision to hire cheap is not driven by inability to pay but pure greed or stinginess. Among my unforgivable experiences of cheap being expensive is the waiter hired at a decade old flourishing coffee shop who looks at me blankly when I ask, “what do you recommend?” The owner recruited him purely because the waiter was happy with the measly figures he offered as pay. And the hapless fellow was over the moon at getting a job despite his inability to know
the basic aspects the job required. And the expensive price the owner has to pay? I don’t go back. Cheap is expensive is not restricted to losing customers. A cheap accountant who cannot interpret a bank statement nor distinguish a debit from a credit could cost you a fraud that paralyses your business. Judging from personal experience, another part of the challenge of hiring cheap is that almost always instructions must be given to the letter. Pro-activity and stretching the mind is too much to expect. Instructions may be executed, but if you are expecting a creative or bold step forward from that point, you have a long wait. For the sake of argument, it is usually assumed that cheap as regards to staff is often defined as “not qualified by virtue of education”. Life has taught me though, that this is not always true; expensive can be cheap. Consider the university graduate in a bank who cannot get along with customers or colleagues
because of his pathetic attitude. The level of education alone should not be construed as the yardstick for quality. Soft skills, top of which is a pleasant attitude should really be the driving force. Of course, for a customer facing job, ability to communicate grammatically and, in this day and age add basic computer skills. These however, do not equate to university graduate as O-level graduate or Diploma graduate could easily fit this bill. A staff member with basic education and the right attitude may be cheap to hire, and not expensive. A business owner can then grow this brilliant mind through training as the business grows. Those who have successfully done this have managed to retain staff through growth to successful stages of their business; they have grown with their staff. Thriving established organizations look at human resource a little different than a budding business. They can move a cheap (poor attitude or poor performing) employee within departments seeking a fit for them; they wouldn’t immediately fire him. The challenge for the budding entrepreneur then, becomes to keep searching for staff with the requisite attitude and education while in the growth stage of business and accept that getting it right may take a few tries. With this acceptance, the entrepreneur needs to monitor performance closely with a view to retain and train or review and release. TSM The writer is a Lead Facilitator - Lend Me Your Ears, a speech writing and sales coaching company lendmeyourears@consultant.com
The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
15
HAVE YOUR SAY
Établissez un lien
ÉMOTIONNEL POSITIF avec VOTRE CLIENT Par Jean-Pierre Lauzier
Dans
les sentiments et les émotions qui sont produit ou service, à votre entreprise. Il toutes nos relations avec nos clients, nous vécus pendant la conversation. évalue son bien-être relativement à ce Lorsque vous êtes en discussion avec que vous lui présentez. Il ne limite pas communiquons toujours à deux niveaux. Le premier est celui que l'on appelle un client et que vous communiquez au son intérêt au produit ou service, ceux-ci niveau logique de vente, rappelez-vous restent même souvent très secondaires niveau logique. Ce niveau est celui de que, pendant ce temps, son niveau lors du premier contact. la raison, du rationnel : le langage est émotionnel, inconsciemment ou non, technique et axé sur les caractéristiques participe activement à la communication. Si votre client perçoit que vous « du produit ou du service. En vente, les Il cherche à répondre à des questions de répondez » favorablement à ces apparences laissent croire que le client ce type : questionnements intérieurs, un lien prendra une décision émotionnel positif s'établit d'achat basée sur les entre lui et vous. Sans un raisons logiques que Le client ne limite pas son intérêt au produit, il tel contact affectif positif, il le vendeur lui exprime, évalue ce qu'il ressent par rapport à vous. vous sera très difficile de le mais il n'en est rien. persuader de la valeur de Les décisions d'achat - Est-ce que je peux lui faire confiance? votre produit ou de votre service et, sont prises, la plupart du temps, au - Est-il (elle) honnête et intègre? conséquemment, de faire progresser deuxième échelon de la communication - Sa firme est-elle fiable et responsable? la transaction. Qu'est-ce qu'un lien que l'on qualifie de niveau émotionnel. - La chimie passe-t-elle bien entre lui émotionnel positif? C'est un état de Ce niveau se caractérise par le ressenti, (elle) et moi? bien-être agréable, de compréhension - Est-ce que je me sens bien en sa mutuelle, de confiance, de complicité présence? et de chimie entre deux ou plusieurs - Dans l'éventualité d'un problème, va-t-il personnes. (elle) bien me servir? - A-t-il (elle) bien saisi mes besoins, mes préoccupations et mes défis? Vous remarquerez que ces questions concernent, toutes, le niveau émotionnel de la discussion. Le client évalue ce qu'il ressent par rapport à vous, à votre
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Pour ne citer qu'un exemple, souvenez-vous que, lors de l'achat de votre dernière voiture, il est peut-être arrivé que certains vendeurs n'aient pu vous inspirer confiance et, dans ce cas, la vente n'a certainement pas eu lieu et il serait surprenant que vous soyez retourné chez ce concessionnaire. Nous aimons négocier avec des gens qui nous sont agréables et avec qui nous nous sentons bien. Bref, nous collaborons mieux avec ceux qui sont sur la même longueur d'onde que nous. Alors, comment établit-on ce lien émotionnel positif avec un client? Les cinq éléments suivants favorisent un tel rapprochement :
1. En tant que vendeur, vous devez être bien dans votre peau.
Il est important, pour vous, d'être heureux, de travailler dans un métier qui vous passionne au plus haut point et que, même si vous n'étiez pas payé, vous le feriez de toute façon. Vous devez croire en vous, en votre entreprise et en votre produit. Sinon faites un autre travail, car vous serez toujours insatisfait, cela se ressentira dans votre communication de niveau émotionnel, vous aurez donc de la difficulté à conclure une vente et vous rendrez les gens malheureux autour de vous.
2. Ayez une volonté SINCÈRE d'aider votre client à obtenir ce qu'il désire.
Quand vous discutez avec un client, que voit-il dans vos yeux? Est-ce un signe de dollar ou bien a-t-il l'impression que vous voulez vraiment l'aider à résoudre son problème? En posant des questions sur ce qui le préoccupe, c'est-à-dire sur ses défis, sur ses besoins, et en écoutant attentivement chacune de ses réponses, vous établirez un lien émotionnel positif fort.
3. Soyez une source d'expertise. Les gens aiment faire affaire avec un expert.
Vous devez toujours acquérir des connaissances reliées à votre fonction. Lorsqu'un client se présente pour acheter votre produit ou pour obtenir votre service, il doit sentir que vous êtes compétent. Un vendeur qui n'apporte pas de valeur ajoutée aura TOUJOURS de la difficulté à vendre.
4. Ayez une attitude responsable et positive.
Lorsqu'un problème survient, consacrez moins de temps au problème lui-même et accordez-en plus à trouver des solutions. Cette attitude responsable empêche de vous mettre dans une position de victime et vous amène plutôt dans une position de contrôle qui rassure le client et lui donne confiance.
5. Soyez honnête et intègre.
Les clients veulent négocier avec des gens honnêtes et droits. Personne n'aime se faire arnaquer. Quand vous prenez un engagement, respectez-le. Si vous dites à quelqu'un : « Vos produits seront livrés dans deux jours » et qu'un imprévu vous empêche de remplir votre obligation, dépêchez-vous d'appeler votre client pour lui expliquer ce contretemps. Votre fiabilité renforcera la relation. Pour conclure, prenez comme résolution de vous demander, après chacune de vos rencontres : « Est-ce que le client se sent mieux, est-il en confiance, plus heureux, y a-t-il une bonne chimie entre nous?» Si oui, alors vous avez établi un contact émotionnel positif et vos chances de vendre sont excellentes. TSM
L’auteur est un conférencier, coach et formateur chez JPL Communications Inc. www.jeanpierrelauzier.com
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OUR MOTTO
A promise is a promise! RADIANT is a public insurance company with Headquarters in Kigali. With a dependable, technical and human resource capacity, RADIANT offers quality services and competitive insurance products.
CORE VALUES
• Satisfaction of our clients is our pride, foundation and growth
• Professionalism, excellent and
CEO Mr. Marc Rugenera
VISION
• Integrity and Respect • Humility • The staff that are continuously
• To provide total and competitive
• To be the leading provider of •
prompt service delivery
MISSION
quality insurance services in Rwanda. To continuously develop a sustainable relationship with the aspirations of Rwanda as a nation, for faster economic development and welfare of the people of Rwanda.
•
secure cover to our clients backed by unequivocal professional and personalized service. To be innovative in product development and remain proactive.
motivated by trainings and well packaged.
Although our underwriting policy is to tailor every insurance product to suit each client’s needs and environment, we offer the following standard Classes of Insurance and covers:
P R O D U C T S -
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Motor Insurance Property Insurance Health Insurance Third Party Liabilities Marine Insurance Money Insurance
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Travel Insurance Workmen Compensation Insurance Engineering & Technical Risks Agriculture Insurance Bank Insurance Micro insurance
OUR BRANCHES
You can access the same quality services from any of the following Radiant branches across the country:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Nyabugogo Remera Magerwa Kicukiro Muhanga Huye Rusizi Rubavu Musanze
10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17.
Gicumbi Nyamata Kabarondo Nyamagabe Gisozi Nyarugenge Rwamagana Rusumo
OUR RE-INSURERS:
BENEFITS TO THE CUSTOMER:
We have a very strong, well organized and dynamic Re-insurance program that gives us the capacity and technical support to take on any risk for the safety of our clients. This program is reviewed every year to increase capacity and take on any new risks in keeping with the International Insurance dynamism.
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OUR TREATIES ARE LED BY:
PROCEDURES FOR CLAIM SETTLEMENT IN CASE OF PARTIAL LOSS
MUNICH RE : The first Re insurer in the World SWISS- RE: The second Re insurer in the World AFRICA RE : The first African Re insurer CICA RE: The first Re insurer in CIMA zone SCOR: The fifth Re insurer in the World PTA RE: The first Re insurer in COMESA Zone. BEST RE: The second Re insurer in Middle East ARIG TRUST RE CONTINENTAL RE AVENI RE PARTNER RE
GLOBUS NETWORK :
As a member of the Multilingual Pan African Network-GLOBUS, RADIANT is positioned on the international scene. The main objective of Multilingual Pan African Network-GLOBUS is to offer its Corporate International clients global network services throughout Africa. This exposes us to new information trends and activities that widen our scope for the good of our clients.
1. 2. 3. 4.
Quality service Quick and personalized service Competitive rates Experienced and motivated staff.
Fill in a claim's declaration form not more than 10 days after the accident; Provide an estimate of FULL repair/loss (Proforma) from a client's Garage of choice; Provide a Police Report. In case of Partial Loss, RADIANT will fully repair the damages (100% repair).
PROCEDURES FOR CLAIM SETTLEMENT IN CASE OF TOTAL LOSS 1. 2. 3.
The client is required to fill the claim's declaration form within 10 days after the accident /Loss; Provide a Police Report. A cheque of the same value of the vehicle/assets before the accident will be given to the client immediately.
MAXIMUM PERIOD FOR CLAIM SETTLEMENT AFTER RECEIVING ALL THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Once all the required documents are submitted, the maximum period RADIANT Insurance Company requires to settle claims is only two days.
KN 76 Street, P.O. Box 1861, Kigali-Rwanda E-mail : radiantrwanda@yahoo.fr C: +250 28 666 421, +250 788 382 858
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FEATURE
Gutegura kuvuga ushize amanga Byanditswe na Anthony Gitonga
4.Garagaza uburyo
1. Garagaza igisabwa
Bake
muri twe nibo bafite impano yo kuvuga. nabonye ko abafite impano yo kuvuga ataribo bavuga neza cyane. Impano ntabwo ihagije, hari ikindi gikenewe. Amasaha tuvugira hanze, waba uri umuvuzi w’amagambo cyangwa umenyereye imisango, ugomba kongera ubumenyi bwawe ubuterura ubiteganya kandi unabikora kenshi. Baguhamagariye kuvuga. nzatanganzwa nuko abandi bazakumva uvuga uti ndemeye muri icyo gihe gitangaje. Ni he utangirira ubitegura? N’iki ukeneye gukora? Mu myiteguro, ugaragaza impamvu y’ibyo uvuga n’uburyo bwiza bunoze bwo kubikora. Mark Twain yari afite ukuri ubwo yavugaga ati: “ iteka bimfata ibyumweru bitatu birenga ntegura ijambo rihutiyeho.” Nabonye izi ntambwe enye zikurikira zafasha mu kwitegura kuvuga.
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N’iki ushaka kugaragaza? Icy’ibanze mu kuvuga nukugera kucyo ushaka hanyuma ugatanga cyangwa ugasaba igisubizo kinoze. None se ni iki ushaka kugaragaza kandi ni ikihe gisubizo ikibonera?
2. Garagaza uwo ariwe
Ni nde nshaka kubwira? ni nde ubwira? ufite icyo uvuga ugomba rero kugira uwo ukibwira. Natangajwe cyane n’abantu bavuga bazi gusa ibyo bavuga ariko batazi aho babivugira n’ibikubiyemo. Akazi kawe nk’umuntu uvuga ntabwo ari ukugira ngo ushimishe abantu n’ijambo ryiza ariko kandi shaka uburyo wahindura imyitwarire.
3. Garagaza impamvu
Kuki ntanga iki kiganiro? Nyuma yo kumenya icyo uvuga n’uwo ubwira,ushobora nanone gushaka impamvu zitarenze eshatu z’ikiganiro cyawe. Izo mpamvu ziba zikubiyemo intego z’ikiganiro-kuki? izo mpamvu zizakubera umuyobozi mubyo ukora n’ibyo ushaka ko abaguteze amatwi bamenya, bavuga kandi bagakora.
Ni gute nakora ikiganiro cyanjye neza? Ugendeye kuri bya bibazo bisesenguwe neza, icyo uvuga, uwo ubwira n’impamvu yabyo, ushobora kubona uburyo bwiza ushobora kubikoramo. Bumba amaso yawe maze utekereze ubwawe uriho ugenda. Shushanya aho ujya n’inzitra ugomba gufata. Ishimire urugendo rwawe maze ushake inzira inoze igera aho wifuza kujya. ibyo ngibyo bigereranye n’uburyo ushaka ko ijambo ryawe rigenda hanyuma ubikore. Benshi mu batanga ibiganiro twahuye, bambwiye ko bibasaba amasaha arenga 24 mu gutegura ikiganiro cy’isaha imwe. ibiganiro bikomeye murumva ko bitegurwa 95% bigakorwa 5%. Dushyira urubura munsi yacu kugira ngo tubashe kurunyereraho tukagwa. Mu gihe abantu bagusuzumira kuri 5% y’ibyo wakoze imbere yabo, umwiteguro uhagije uzatuma ubikora neza ku buryo butangaje. mu mivugire, ibintu bidushyira hejuru bifite akamaro kurusha uburebure gusa. Twitoze twihereye kugira ngo tuzakora ibyisumbuye mu ruhame.TSM
Anthony Gitonga ni umwanditsi,akaba n’umuhanga mu gutanga ibiganiro mbwirwaruhame. www. anthonygitonga.com
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COVER STORY A Presidential Decree Article 30 on the morning of April 19th, 1963 gave rise to the formation of the first commercial bank in Rwanda. The decree allowed the bank to operate under the name “Commercial Bank of Rwanda” and thereafter a banking licence was issued on May 25th, 1963 by the then regional regulator of Ruanda-Urundi (Banque d’Emission du Rwanda et du Burundi). This significant event triggered the opening up of a financial services industry in Rwanda. The local regulator, BNR (Central Bank of Rwanda) was established the following year. BCR has therefore pioneered the growth of the financial sector as we see it in Rwanda today. This pioneering spirit sees BCR in 2013 not only as a local financial player but now as a proudly recognised regional bank.
Ownership At inception the majority shareholder was SFOM (Société Financière pour les Pays d’Outre-Mer) based in Geneva who held, a 86 per cent holding in the bank. In June 1999 Banque Bruxelles Lambert (B.B.L) acquired the entire shareholding of SFOM. After being acquired by ING Group, the former B.B.L sold all its shares to the Government of Rwanda. In December 2004, BCR marked another milestone when it was privatized and acquired
by Actis LLP, a fund manager based in the UK who acquired an 80 per cent holding in the bank, with the Government of Rwanda retaining 19.8 per cent and individuals holding 0.2 percent. Since Actis’ acquisition the Bank grew rapidly over the years and is now one of the foremost banking institutions in Rwanda. This position was enhanced when in July 2012, Actis Capital divested from BCR by selling its shareholding to the Kenyan based, i&M Bank Group. The shareholding then became i&M Bank Ltd., 55 percent, PROPARCO 12.5 percent and the German
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Investment Corporation (DEG) with 12.5 percent. The Rwanda Government and individual shareholders still retained their 20% shareholding in the bank.
Achievements Over the years, the BCR brand has registered tremendous achievements having a strong reputation of reliability, solidity and innovation with a passion to serve and satisfy its customers; from its first client in 1963 to a more than 30,000 strong customer base today. BCR ranks second by profitability, having posted a Rwf 4.2 billion profit after tax in 2012, up from Rwf 2.86 billion the previous year. The bank’s management takes pride in observing that the ratios used to determine efficiencies are rated the best on the market. After 50 years of banking experience, BCR has pioneered the launching of most products used in the market today. These products have included Home loans, Trade Finance, Personal Banking, Lease Financing, Long Term Investment finance, syndicated loans and Online/Mobile Banking. BCR which is among the top five largest tax payers in Rwanda has received a number of accolades, including RRA’s recognition for being the first bank to successfully implement electronic Tax payment services (Bcr eTax). Internationally, the Global Finance recognised BCR as the Best bank in Rwanda, 2013.
The BCR brand has registered tremendous achievements having a strong reputation of reliability, solidity and innovation with a passion to serve and satisfy its customers
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esponsib
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ball Team BCR Foot anda is Bank in Rwin Rwanda The first Be st Bank now the
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Training
The Force behind BCR’s Success
Regional Presence
BCR considers its staff as its most valuable asset and is committed to fulfilling its vision “To be a company where the best people want to work”.
As a fully fledged member of the i&M bank group, BCR has widened its footprint to become a competitive player in the region, with 55 branches spread in Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania and Mauritius. This makes for easier banking for its clients who require cross-border financial services. The Brisk transfer product has proved very popular with cross border clients, whereby the bank arranges fast, secure and reliable transfer of funds between the countries mentioned.
The bank provides every opportunity for staff to develop themselves and to progress within the organisation. In this regard the bank has spent some Rwf 500 million over the past five years on training and development. During this period 10 sponsored graduates have qualified as MBA’s (4), Omega Certified Credit Analysts (4) and ACCA (2). Internal and external training continues as a high priority. Furthermore, the bank is gender sensitive and has gone a long way in achieving a good balance in its staff composition. Of its current 276 employees 47 per cent are female and53 per cent male. Executive management committee comprises of 6 female and 8 males. The bank boasts a staff retention rate of 98 per cent in the last two years. Community engagement, particularly in Health, Education and Environment, forms a key commitment of the bank, board, management and staff.
The Future In celebrating its 50th anniversary BCR remains focused on its customer obsession and continued innovative product development to best serve the expectations of its clientele and maintaining best quality people with the highest ethical standards. In striving for these goals management objective is that a customer will say with Pride- My Bank, A shareholder “I am proud to own BCR shares”, and Staff to say with a sense of pride and attachment “I Work for BCR”. 50@bcr.co.rw
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WOMEN ENTERPRENEUR
Marketing
tends to be seen by many business owners as a soft function, one of the first spending areas to be cut when times are tough. On the contrary, it is not only one of the most vital functions of a business, but, counter-intuitively, the slower the business growth, the more your investment in your marketing effort needs to be.
Here some ideas to help focus your marketing effort: 1. Cut the waste, but don’t over-prune You can be pretty certain that the Pareto principle applies to marketing efforts that are left to sprawl. In other words, 80% of your successes come from only 20% of your marketing efforts. You therefore have lots of opportunity to cut activities that yield no results if you have not been pruning your marketing activities. Be careful, however, because the results of your interventions in the marketing side of your business are not always immediately apparent. 2. Mine your existing customers It is a well-established fact that winning over a new client generally costs six or seven times more than winning repeat business from an existing customer. Although some component of your marketing plan should always be aimed at gaining new customers, a strategy to sell more to your existing customers will almost always yield more results. Each time you make a sale to customers, make the experience pleasant and memorable for them to tell their friends and family about it.
to market the other business every time you deal with one of your clients, while they do the same for you. 4. Don’t compete on price It is amazing how start-up business owners will often say they will out-compete existing, well established businesses by offering products at low prices. Most owner-managed businesses are too small to compete on price. Competition based on price is an unsustainable and deadly move for SME’s. 5. Repeat but de-clutter your message It is very difficult to measure, but some studies show that it takes about seven contacts to convince a customer to buy. This obviously differs from industry to industry, but whatever the average, the principle is that it will nearly always take more than one pitch to convince customers. Therefore, don’t do one pamphlet, and then drop the idea because the results were poor. Rather plan a series of them and evaluate it after the entire campaign. Cut the message down to the bare essentials. 6. Get a web presence If your business already has a substantial internet presence, skip to the next point. If you are not online yet, consider it. Even if you are happy with your customer numbers at present,
3. Team up with a complementary business Make a deal with a complementary business – an auto-electrician if you have a mechanical workshop, for example, or a card shop if you run a florist, to do joint marketing. You undertake
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By Eric Rutabana you are limiting your potential as the world becomes increasingly wired. 7. Develop Seasonal and Special Promotions Most customers and clients, tend to purchase in cyclical or seasonal patterns. It is advisable to work out a seasonal promotional calendar that is appropriate to your business. Always try to come up with unique and interesting ideas to cut through the general promotional clutter in both the trade and retail environments. 8. Emphasize consistent quality Whatever your investment in marketing, the basis of your whole effort lies in the quality of your product or service. An important part of your marketing strategy is to choose the right level of quality for the type of customer that you want to target, and stick to it. Consistently staying on your chosen level of quality and communicating with the relevant target market is what is important.TSM The writer is the Chief Investment Officer of Business Partners International Rwanda SME Fund, a risk Finance Company for formal SME’s erutabana@businesspartners.rw / www.businesspartners.co.za
4 star hotels in the city. Nestled in picturesque surroundings while still in the heart of the city, the hotel 24 hour room service or merely take the opportunity to relax the evenings away in our scenic gardens next to the iconic poolside. Ideally located 15 minutes from the airport, with112 executively furnished rooms with air
B.P.1322 Avenue de l’ArmÊe | Kigali - Rwanda Tel: +250 252 576530 | Fax: +250 252 577059 E-mail: info@millecollines.net | Web: www.millecollines.net
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WOMEN IN AGRI-BUSINESS
BPR's ‘Sarura’
Where small farmers have access to finance credits By Gloria Iribagiza
Sarura’ a loan scheme by BPR has proved to be successful in empowering women to think outside the box and learn to save and access credit to boost their agri-businesses.
Many
small scale farmers especially women in the agricultural sector have had challenges with accessing credit to improve their farming output. As a result many have relied on meager harvests throughout the planting seasons and this has affected their livelihoods and those of their families.
Around that time, Tumukunde, who specializes in farming maize and beans, says she had big plans for her farming business. “Because of the inadequate harvests, I had challenges supporting my family and children’s education,” Tumukunde said,
The lack of the latter is one the major barrier for women in agriculture seeing as, even when they have reasonably large harvests, the lack of financial literacy has hindered the proper management of their outputs hence, limited profits from their hard work.
“I only made a maximum profit of Rwf1700 from the few sacks of produce I sold after a season. Considering the amount of time and energy invested in the planting and harvesting, that was very little money. It was a real challenge selling my harvest on the market.” When Tumukunde heard about BPRs new product, she applied to be among the pilot beneficiaries of the project. She saved Rwf500,000 and accessed a total sum of Rwf1.5M. As part of the Sarura package, she received financial literacy training through her cooperative and learnt better farming methods that she implemented and used on her 35m × 80m plot of land.
In line with this, ‘Sarura’ a loan scheme by Bank Populaire du Rwanda Ltd, has proved to be successful in empowering women to; think outside the box, learn to save and access credit to boost their agri-businesses.
“I have benefited greatly from the loan and I am happy to say that I produce an average of 3tons of beans and 6tons of maize in one season and I now make an average profit of 2,500 per sack,” Tumukunde says.
Greater market value for farm produce Sarah Tumukunde is one beneficiary of BPRs Sarura project in Kirehe District, in the Eastern Province of Rwanda.
Additionally, Tumukunde’s success story was a great lesson learnt by other members of her cooperative 12 of whom followed suit and applied for the Sarura loan.
At 28 years of age, she belongs to a local cooperative called, ‘Ibyiza Birimbere’ that comprises of 100 members. Tumukunde joined the cooperative six years ago.
“My plan is to start trading on a larger scale. I hope to make field visits to other large scale farming cooperatives in other parts of the country whose members are successful so that I
Rwanda is largely an agro-based economy and over 70% of its women are involved in the agriculture sector. In order to jump out of the vicious cycle of poverty and go up the value chain, there is a need for them to have basic knowledge about better farming methods as well as a basic understanding on financials.
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can learn from them,” she says. Tumukunde lives in the village of Kigarama, in Kigende village. Married to Jean Pierre Ntakirutimana, she has two children whom she supports from her bean and maize farming business. Financial literacy and ten-fold harvests in Burere District in the Northern Province of Rwanda, 45-year-old Pascasie Nyirabakunzi, an Irish Potato farmer has been practicing better farming methods for 13 years now. “Up until the year 2000, I used to practice mixed cropping and planted every crop without a plan on the same piece of land. I always had a pathetic harvest year in and year out. However, when I joined COAMV cooperative, I learnt how to farm better,” she says. Even with this new found farming knowledge, Nyirabakunzi says she had several limitations on my harvest. It was not until she heard about the Sarura loan project last year, that she too saved up Rwf500,000 in a period of six months and was successfully granted three times that amount to invest in her farming business. “Before being part of Sarura, I had no capacity to maximize outputs in the half hectare of land I had,” she says. “When I acquired BPRs Sarura loan, I was able to buy quality seeds, employ more workers, and I felt equipped to plant within the seasons.” Irish potato farming is a delicate and precise practice which when done wrong, especially on a large scale, leads to significant losses, explains Nyrirabakunzi. Together with my workers, we spend one week digging the land which is already terraced and prepare it for planting, one week planting the seeds and as the plants grow, we carefully weed and after three months, we harvest. Nyirabakunzi was able to hire 30 workers after getting the Sarura and as of April 2013, she harvested 10 tons of Irish potatoes on the half hectare of land she owns—a first in all her life farming. “From the profits, I was able to pay off the remaining loan amount, and save enough and can’t wait to apply for another Sarura loan,” says an excited Nyirabakunzi.
About BPR’s Sarura ‘Sarura’ HARVESTING farmers’ POTENTIAL
Arnold Tijdens the Agri Project Manager at Banque Populaire du Rwanda Ltd (BPR) says the new product was developed for small holder farmers who would like to purchase inputs on credit. The product “Sarura”, which means harvest in Kinyarwanda, Tijdens says is primarily based on savings. “The idea is that the farmer saves for their own loan to support inputs like seeds, pesticides, and labor. Once they have saved a certain amount BPR will triple this amount based on the input need of the customer,” Tidjens said. For example if a farmer has saved Rwf500,000, they can obtain a loan of a maximum amount of Rwf1.5M. “It concerns relatively small amounts and the loan process will be fully automated to reduce the processing time for the farmers. It allows customers to start dealing with a bank and stimulates them to save for their own benefit,” Tidjens further explains. “The product has been very well appreciated by the first group of farmers who were part of the pilot phase. Before enrolling into the project, they didn’t have access to finance due to the fact that most banks require fixed collateral that most small scale farmers don’t have,” he explains. The ‘Sarura’ project is implemented in such a way that it’s easy for farmers to pay back. According to the bank, the tenor of the loan aligns with the crop seasons and repayment takes place after harvest and sales of the agriculture produce. “The product underlines BPR’s commitment to the agricultural sector and will be rolled out in the coming years throughout BPR’s large network of (sub)branches.” Tidjens concludes.
Nyirabakunzi is one of the 15 members of COAMV (Cooperative yA’bahinzi Mukarere ka Virunga), a cooperative that specializes in maize and Irish potato farming in Musanze District. Married with eight children studying in primary, secondary and TVET schools, Nyirabakunzi says she feels like she is on the path to prosperity. “I encourage other farmers to work hard and improve their status. We Rwandan farmers should stop complaining and waiting for free handouts, this doesn’t help. From the little you have, endeavor to save and join a cooperative where you can acquire better farming practices and financial management skills which will result in greater crop returns,” Nyirabakunzi advises.
THE PEOPLE'S BANK Banki yacu. Hafi yacu.
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FOCUS
By Maia Gedde
Mimi
Denyse is an enterprising young woman. She is an employee (Branch Manager of the Youth Bank COJAD), a member of a cooperative (working with mushrooms) and has just started her own business (a local store) in her home town of Nyamata. Mimi shares the story of their mushroom cooperative. “I was part of a group of ten. We wanted to create some financial opportunities for ourselves so we started the cooperative in 2008. I was 25 at the time and had just started studying management at Kigali Independent University.” Each of us invested 200,000 RWF to start the business. They discussed ideas, and mushrooms won. “Bugesera is dry. We needed something that didn’t need much rain, didn’t need much space but had high yields and market potential. Mushrooms offer all of this” Mimi says. Mushroom Cooperative Bugesera District (MUCOBU) was established. Although it is not a traditional crop, the government is encouraging growing of mushrooms as an affordable source of protein, preventing children from getting kwashiorkor. The cooperative started by growing mushrooms, but soon realized that there was also a high demand for the specialized tubes in which the mushrooms grow. “In 2010 we applied for and received a grant from World Vision which enabled us to buy the equipment we needed to produce
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"Don’t just sit with your arms crossed, wondering what to do, and seeing only difficulties. Take challenges as opportunities, be creative and don´t be scared to do anything ” mushroom tubes. They also trained us in management of cooperatives, writing business plans…etc. The District gave us a plot of land and the Rwanda Agricultural Board (RAB), with support from the Chinese, helped us to purchase the machines from China and gave us technical training.” The World Vision grant allowed them to purchase three machines to produce the mushroom tubes: a grinder, a mixing machine and filling machine. T he first grinds straw from rice or wheat and the second mixes this in with lime powder, urea, and rice bread. The third packs this mushroom food into round tubes, which then go through a sterilization process, before passing through the inoculation boxes, where mushroom spores are added. By growing mushrooms in this way, rather than in the conventional sacks, yields are much higher. The cooperative now employs a full time technical manager and an accountant, along with casual labourers when they have a high volume of orders. “We now sell both the fresh mushroom and the tubes for production. We sell
the tubes to other farmers, but also to individuals who want to grow mushrooms at home. Mimi explains how the mushrooms are grown; the mushroom tube is placed in damp soil in a humid shaded place. One tube - costing less than 500RWF - will produce mushrooms for around three months on a daily basis, over 3 kg of mushrooms, with a retail value of over 6,000RWF. Although this is a good business, marketing is still a challenge for the cooperative. Presently, they rely on word of mouth but realize they need a marketing team to reach out to the wider market. “We are known as one of the few places to buy mushroom tubes, but we sell fewer mushrooms. We would like to establish relationships with hotels and supermarkets to become their regular supplier” Mimi says. The challenge with a cooperative is that no one is able to respond quickly and take decisions on their own. “We all have other jobs and are very busy. If you put in more time, you don’t necessarily get more returns. We are now exploring how we can overcome this.” One advantage of being in a cooperative is that there is much more support available to you than as an individual.
“The machines we have would have been prohibitively expensive without the grant. But anyone can start growing their own mushrooms, either for their own consumption or as a business. You will quickly double your money,” she says encouragingly. Mimi has this to say to other women, “In business, don’t get discouraged by men who appear to be assertive and make decisions pretty fast. You are just as capable as they are. Women tend to think through decisions more carefully, and are actually better in business. Trust your decisions, speak out and go for it” she says. “Don’t just sit with your arms crossed, wondering what to do, and seeing only difficulties. Take challenges as opportunities, be creative and don´t be scared to do anything. If you don’t have the means, you can get together and do something with shared resources. Just get started, something good will come out of it.” If you are interested in growing your own mushrooms or buying in bulk from the cooperative, you can contact Mushroom Cooperative Bugesera (MUCOBU) on 0788403957. TSM
maiagedde@gmail.com
The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
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FOCUS
Donatille
Nibagwire, the proprietor of FLORIS RWANDA , an agribusiness export chain that has been running for more than 12 years spoke to the The SERVICEMAG about her decade-long journey in agribusiness. She is also the Chair of Rwanda at the Africa Women in Agribusiness (ASA) platform as well as the Chair of the Chamber of Women in Agribusiness at Rwanda’s Private By Gloria Iribagiza Sector Federation (PSF).
Below are the excerpts: TSM: How did you start your business In 2001, I started my business exporting flowers and Rwandan décor but after three months I found other clients who wanted me to export fruits and other plant products. Eventually, I met a business partner from Belgium who was interested in exporting organic bananas and since he was interested in finding market in Europe, I ventured into it. So I started mobilizing banana farmers that grow TSM: What is unique about your products? Our products are unique because they target poverty alleviation by working with about 538 farming households who organically grow crops. We chose 22 farmers to provide oversight to the different zones of farmers in order to meet our standards of quality. This involves ensuring that the farmers maintain their plantations using better farming techniques. It is cheaper to grow crops organically and yet the returns on the export market are quite high. We don’t use manufactured fertilizers when growing our crops and for this reason we are meeting the demands of the European market. More so, this production system protects our environment and health. Besides fresh bananas, we also export banana wine, baby food, Champaign and are looking towards exporting dry bananas and growing organic vegetables using the greenhouses technics.
"I believe women have to work hard to achieve their goals
TSM: What are some of the highlights of your business? I am happy to say that Rwandan bananas are currently the best on the European market. Following a survey based on samples taken in Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Kenya and Tanzania were tested in the European agri-labs, our bananas have been categorized as the best for three years now.
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TSM: Has it been a smooth ride all these years? Of course not, our biggest challenge has been the high cost of air transportation. We currently export organic bananas to Belgium. Depending on the demand, we export one-two tones weekly. We also have to incur costs related to inspection of out growers ‘ plantations. This is done by a German Company based in Mauritius that gives us a Certificate of exportation that’s renewable annually. Additionally, there is a general challenge when it comes to packaging for export—we have to import boxes from Uganda or Kenya because there is no company or industry that produces packaging material in Rwanda. TSM: Do you face any competition at all? In Rwanda we are the top exporters of organic bananas and our competition is regional—Uganda is our tightest competition. Floris is also one of the top three finalists at the Trademark East Africa challenge Fund (TRAC). Our agribusiness project was selected out of 172 other projects and this has challenged us to not only compete locally, but regionally.
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TSM: What is your view regarding women’s participation in agribusiness in Rwanda? I believe women have to work hard to achieve their goals. For example, I always ensure that our farmers are equipped to better manage their farms and tell them not to wait for someone else to come and do the work for them. We make them understand that even when the funded projects stop they should be in position to run their farms successfully. TSM: What inspires you to do what you do? Most of my inspiration is derived from the joy I find in life. I generally like living a simple life, socializing and networking with other people. I like to pray, laugh and meet new people. I love my family so much—I have four children and they are the reason I’m inspired to do what I do. TSM: What makes you sad? Unfortunately, in 1994 I lost my entire family and that is the only thing that really makes me sad. But I thank God that I have another family that I am proud of. Also, the life that my late father led really inspires me. He was a
popular farmer and I watched the way he worked; he successfully ran one of the country’s model farms growing coffee, avocados among other crops and many farmers came to our farm to learn from him. TSM: What big plans do you have for Floris? In the future, depending on the increasing demand for our organic exports, I hope to increase the number of farming families we work with to thousands. I am looking towards initiating more partnerships with companies in Europe; within the UK, Germany, France and Sweden. I have already sent samples over for testing and we are ready to export organic produce when their markets are ready to receive us. I look forward to a time when people walk into leading agriculture stores or supermarkets in Europe and find fresh produce from Rwanda. Additionally, I am focused on leaving a legacy for the next generation. I am building my company in such a way that it keeps running for generations after I’m gone. I’ve visited several companies that have been passed on from one generation to another and it is amazing—this is what I want for Floris.TSM
"Her agribusiness model aims at impacting hundreds of farming families for generations."
glo.irie@gmail.com
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FOR YOU MANAGER
Comment détecter les problèmes ? Par Jean-Bosco NDIKUMANA
A la
relationnelle, les entreprises devraient s’attacher les services des psychologues du travail pour mettre en place des stratégies permettant de créer une certaine proximité entre les cadres et les employés. C’est ce qui favorise la communication en entreprise. Ces psychologues devraient également mener des audits de la dynamique relationnelle des entreprises dans le but de mettre à nu leur système relationnel. Un tel audit permet en substance de régler les questions de la cohabitation entre les structures formelles et les structures informelles et de la collaboration entre les services formels.
suite de notre dernier article, nous allons ici évoquer la manière de détecter les deux types de problèmes de communication interne dans nos organisations. La détection des deux formes de problèmes de communication interne nécessite des actions. Mais pour les connaître, il faut d’abord procéder à un audit. Cela a pour mérite de permettre aux dirigeants d’entreprises de savoir si, oui ou non, les deux aspects de la communication – information et relation – sont pris en compte dans leur système de communication. Par la suite, un certain nombre de d’actions doivent être réalisées pour le premier et le deuxième aspect afin que cette prise en compte soit effective. •
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Pour le premier aspect concernant la circulation de l’information, les entreprises doivent faire appel à des spécialistes en communication pour dispenser une formation aux employés. Ces formations insisteraient sur l’efficacité des supports de transmission des instructions de travail, la gestion des messages organisationnels, l’encodage et le décodage des messages, les canaux de circulation de l’information, la gestion des rumeurs, les entraves à l’application des instructions de travail, etc. Pour le deuxième aspect concernant la communication TheSERVICEMAG The SERVICEMAGMar Jun--May Aug2013 2013
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Aussi, faut-il noter que ces spécialistes en communication et ces psychologues doivent travailler de concert pour plus d’efficacité.TSM
jeanboscondikumana@gmail.com L’auteur est un formateur et plaidoyer pour Parcem Burundi.
NI AYAHE MAKURU Y’INGENZI WAKENERA UGIYE GUKORA UMUSHINGA? Byanditswe na Emile NIYONZIMA 1. 2. 3. 4.
Ni akahe karere kazakorerwamo umushinga wawe? Mu bakiriya bawe ni bande bagura igicuruzwa cyawe bagamije kugikoresha Abo baguzi wabashyira mu ruhe rwego ukurikije umutungo wabo? Uratenganya kugurisha igicuruzwa cyawe ku muranguza ? Niba ari yego reba urutonde rw’ibyo uranguza yibandaho. 5. Urateganya kugurisha igicuruzwa cyawe ku mudandaza ? Niba ari yego, reba urutonde rw’ibyo umudandaza yibandaho. 6. Ni ibihe byihariye abakiriya bakunda? (Reba urutonde rw’ibyo abakiriya bibandaho) Hagurwa ibingana iki ku kwezi / umwaka (shyiram n’ihindagurika rijyanye n’igihe)? t Umubare w’ibikenewe,Ibara,Icyanga,Ubwiza fatizo,Imipfunyikire. 7. Ku isoko hamaze kugera abakeba bangahe? 8. Abakeba ku isoko bafite umusaruro ungana iki? 9. Abakeba ku isoko bafata izihe ngamba zo kumenyekanisha ibicuruzwa byabo? 10. Ni bihe biranga ibicuruzwa by’abo mupiganwa? 11. Ibiciro by’abo mupiganwa biteye bite?: Birahanitse ,Biri hasi cyane, Biraciriritse? 12. Haba hari ihindagurika rijyanye n’igihe ku biciro? 13. Ni ibihe bikoresho ukeneye? 14. Ushobora kubigura hehe? 15. Ibikoresho bigura bite? 16. Niba ugomba kuvana bimwe mu bikoresho byawe hanze haba hari amategeko yihariye yo kubitumiza? Ukeneye uruhushya rwo kubitumiza hanze? Warukura he? Byatwara igihe kingana iki? Hari amafaranga bisaba? Ugomba gutanga umusoro? 17. Ni ibihe bikoreshwa ukeneye ? 18. Wabigura hehe? 19. Buri kimwe mu bikoreshwa byawe kigura gite? 20. Ushobora kugabanyirizwa igiciro hakurikijwe umubare w’ibyo waguze? 21. Haba hari impugenge z’uko wabura ibikoreshwa? 22. Niba zihari, icyo gihe wabyifatamo ute? 23. Ukenera uburyo bwo gutwara ibikoreshwa ? Ukenera gushyira ibicuruzwa byawe abaguzi, abaranguza, abadandaza 24. Niba ari byo, ni ubuhe buryo buhari bugufasha gutwara ibintu ? 25. Ni ikihe kiguzi nyakamwe cyo gutwara ibicuruzwa? 26. Niba ukeneye izindi mbaraga, ni ibiki bisabwa? Hari abakozi bahagije? Ikiguzi cy’umukozi giteye gite (umushahara, ibindi byo mu rwego rw’ubwiteganyirize bw’abakozi n’ibindi)? Ni iby’ingenzi gutangira umushinga wibanze kuri aya makuru kugira ngo ukore umushinga ufatika kandi ufite ireme.TSM www.duhange.com.
Photo Courtesy of Cloud Images
The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
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FOR YOU MANAGER
Entrepreneur, 4 façons d’utiliser intelligemment
Plus est le dernier réseau social à la mode et il peut vous simplifier la vie grâce à sa polyvalence. En effet, il répond à plusieurs besoins que tous les entrepreneurs ont.
•
Utilisation 1 : les vidéo-bulles.
Google Plus propose à ses utilisateurs un service de chat vidéo. Pour le moment, 10 participants peuvent échanger simultanément, mais la vidéo-bulle est accessible à n’importe qui.
Quelle est son utilité pour les entreprises ? Vous pourriez utiliser les vidéo-bulles pour : • Mettre en place des réunions avec les employés (utile si certains des
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Par K. Ezéchiel OUEDRAOGO
employés travaillent à domicile). Vous pouvez aussi le faire avec des partenaires. Réaliser des conférences avec des clients potentiels. Il est toujours intéressant de pouvoir s’adresser directement à ses prospects. Ainsi, vous pourrez obtenir des remarques et des questions sur vos produits permettant de les améliorer par la suite. Mettre en place un service client différent. La majorité des entreprises proposent à leurs clients un service client par email. Certaines mettent à disposition un numéro de téléphone. La vidéo est inexistante ou à de très rares occasions. Si vous décidez d’utiliser Google Plus pour votre service client, cela ne doit pas être la seule possibilité. Effectivement,
certains de vos clients préféreront passer par l’email ou le téléphone pour vous poser une question.
Utilisation 2 : le chat.
La messagerie instantanée de Google Plus peut vous être très utile si vous êtes, par exemple, en déplacement. Il suffira d’installer l’application sur votre téléphone portable et, en quelques clics, vous pourrez envoyer ou répondre à un message. Ainsi, vous pourrez garder un lien permanent avec vos contacts.
Utilisations 3 : les déclics.
Google Plus a une fonction recherche poussée vous permettant de garder un œil sur votre marché (concurrents, prospects, critiques de votre entreprise et de vos produits).
Utilisation 4 : votre référencement.
Photo Courtesy of Cloud Images
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Puisque Google Plus est un service proposé par… Google, cet outil a des répercussions directes sur les résultats de son moteur de recherches. Notamment le bouton « +1 » qu’on voit apparaître sur de nombreux blogs depuis déjà quelques semaines. TSM
ezechielo@successvaluablepartner.com Source: Conseils-Marketing.info
Photo Courtesy of Cloud Images HAVE YOUR SAY
L'ATOUT DE DEMAIN
Parler
Par Eric DUSABIMANA
une ou plusieurs langues étrangères est l'une des compétences les plus importantes pour les futurs diplômés. Tel est l'un des choix nécessaires permettant de bien se placer dans son service ou de faire de bons contacts de recrutement.
Au fur et à mesure que le temps passe, l'on découvre l'importance de parler plusieurs langues. Ceci se remarque par le fait que le monde est devenu comme un seul village où tout le monde veut dépasser les limites de son voisinage pour mieux découvrir le monde et traverser tous les chemins amenant au développement. On voit dans presque toutes les offres d'emploi provenant de différentes entreprises et institutions, des questions sur les compétences et connaissances estimées essentielles dans le recrutement. Sur ce point, on remarque que les polyglottes ou les gens qui maitrisent plusieurs langues étrangères sont les premiers à avoir plus de chances d'obtenir l'emploi suivant leur capacité de pouvoir s'exprimer clairement. Etudier ou travailler à l'étranger peuvent aider à acquérir ces compétences appréciées par les employeurs. La mobilité dans l'apprentissage des langues étrangères et les initiatives à toujours vouloir apprendre des langues, aboutissent à de nouvelles compétences pour de nouveaux emplois. Ainsi en apprenant une langue l'on acquit les compétences qui amélioreront les perspectives d'emploi. En plus de l'importance de la connaissance des langues étrangères, les employeurs identifient les compétences suivantes comme essentielles: la capacité de travailler en équipe, la capacité d’adaptation à des situations nouvelles et des compétences en communication. Aujourd'hui nous pouvons communiquer avec des personnes du monde entier et voyager par internet. Il faut donc être ouvert au monde et quoi de mieux que de parler plusieurs langues pour découvrir véritablement les autres pays et leur culture ? Mais les cours ne suffisent pas toujours ... Le meilleur moyen de parler une langue est encore d'aller dans
le pays natif de cette langue ou alors de faire des échanges avec des personnes de différentes nationalités. La lecture des livres de littérature étrangère, permet aussi de s'habituer très vite à la langue et la comprendre de mieux en mieux. Aujourd’hui, dans nos sociétés modernes et mondialisées, dans ce monde où tous les pays communiquent les uns les autres, où il est possible de travailler dans un autre continent que le sien, l’apprentissage des langues est très important voir primordial. Dans n’importe quelle branche d’études il faut savoir parler une ou deux langues étrangères. Cela permet d’être ouvert à tout le monde ou au moins de pouvoir transférer ses savoirs et ses idées aux autres. Parler une seule langue, c’est limiter ses chances. Beaucoup de gens aujourd’hui apprennent des langues étrangères pour avoir les « bagages » nécessaires pour communiquer partout dans le monde. L’apprentissage des langues étrangères semble être un élément important dans beaucoup de domaines d'activités et de services. La connaissance des langues étrangères n'est pas seulement nécessaire aux interprètes et traducteurs, qui, dans leur travail quotidien, doivent maitriser parfaitement beaucoup de langues. Elle est aussi nécessaire à tous les gens, dans tous les domaines, qui veulent se distinguer par la qualité de communication dans la promotion de leurs services. Les domaines comme le marketing, l'administration et les relations publiques ne peuvent pas se développer sans la connaissance des langues. Ne dit-on pas qu'une meilleure communication ouvre les portes à tous les horizons ? Les réponses à cette interrogation sont sans doute dans un même angle.
L’auteur est professionnel en traduction et interprétation ericdusa@gmail.com
"Parler une seule langue, c’est limiter ses chances d’évoluer. The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
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HAVE YOUR SAY
Help! My Colleague has a terrible
Body Odor By Sandra Idossou
Jennifer
shares her office with three other colleagues. John sits just next to her. For some time now, going to the office has become an ordeal for Jennifer who seems not to know how to handle the delicate situation she is facing. The truth is that John has a very strong body odor and this is affecting all the other colleagues as well. What makes this story more pathetic is the fact that both Jennifer and John deal every day with customers.
'Bad odor is a challenge especially when you are at the receiving end. How then do you inform a friend, a colleague, a relative that his/her odor is a problem affecting you?'
Matt also told me about this restaurant he loves going to but has decided to stop patronizing it because of a particular waiter who simply “stinks”. Apparently, the waiter’s bad body odor can knock down a camel. He wonders how such a person could be kept as a waiter.
You may as well consider bathing more often than once a day with good antiseptic, anti-bacterial soaps. Then you should also invest in strong
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Bad odor is a challenge especially when you are at the receiving end. How then do you inform a friend, a colleague, a relative that his/her BO is a problem affecting you? Very few would be ready to talk about this issue, especially in our society here where most people do not say exactly what they think or feel. Believe me, the best way to solve this is to be honest and tell the person directly as sometimes, the person concerned isn’t even aware of his/her problem. Calling the person aside and telling him/her in a nice way is probably the best way in helping the person find a solution.
Well, situations such as the above are very common yet very complicated to deal with. Body odor sometimes simply called (B.O.) is the smell of bacteria growing on the body where the bacteria rapidly multiply in the presence of sweat. Sweat itself is virtually odorless but it is the rapid multiplication of bacteria in the presence of sweat that eventually causes the unpleasant smell. As this is a very delicate issue, let’s assume you are ”John” here. Maybe your bad odor is creating discomfort among your friends or colleagues. It is for this reason that we all need to adopt personal hygienic standards. Have a bath at least once a day with warm water. It’s said that warm water helps kill off bacteria present on the skin.
Another solution to bad odor is paying attention to your clothing. Use natural fibers that can allow your skin to breathe and evaporate better your sweat. Change your shirts, undergarments and socks every day.
antiperspirants deodorants. Some good home remedies for bad odor from the armpit are, lemon, white vinegar baking soda etc. Body odor can also be influenced by diet, lifestyle, gender, genetics, health and medication. Most body odor occurs in our feet, groin, armpits, genitals, belly button, hair, ears etc. Spicy foods with curry, garlic, pepper have the potential to make some people's sweat more pungent. Some experts even believe a diet high in red meat may also raise the risk of developing more rapid body odor.
When we are not bold enough to challenge people right in front of them, we can use this other way by sending anonymous messages. I am not personally in favor of this method as nothing is better than being honest with people we live or work with. Then lastly, if the problem still persists, report the situation to the supervisors if the problem is with a colleague. Even if being the boss doesn't make it any easier to confront employees with such delicate situations, it is the manager’s duty to make sure that all employees have comfortable, inspiring and appropriate working environment. In conclusion, bad odor issues are sensitive but need to be dealt with seriously and tactfully as these can ruin relationships and reputation.TSM
sidossou@theservicemag.com
Z10 FEATURE
By Tazim Elkington
NO!
NO, NO! This word has a strong connotation associated with rejection, bad manners and unacceptable societal behavior. It is a word that most people do not want to hear. Usually one avoids saying NO in the hope that they will not hear it either. The whole reasoning around the YES is ingrained in us at every turn and corner as an approval and acceptance mechanism. When one says YES then people will like or love you more, or think you are a good person, or praise you and the list is endless. When one says NO, they are regarded as difficult and rude with no place in society and certain circles. When we start breaking down this phenomenon, the person with strongest YES will start learning to say NO. Take for example, in the work place, when a timely promotion seems unlikely, this could be for many reasons. It could mean that your performance requires improvement; or that your boss does not really agree with you; or that it’s time to move on. Alternatively it could mean you are not assertive enough to get what you deserve. This could also mean you are better off finding another space where you will be better appreciated. However, most people will sit in the same spot wishing and wanting what is not going to happen. Resentment and self-condemnation become the toxic spaces that one creates remaining in such scenarios. Basically this is a complete NO from life that ought to be taken as a wakeup call to change something that’s not working.
Let’s take this to relationships, when a person says NO to another there is a sense of deep rejection. Instead of being thankful for the honesty of the other person we take it upon ourselves to belittle and shrink ourselves for receiving a NO. It would be foolhardy to think that every YES is a long lasting relationship as most end up as short lived experiences.
BY Tazim Elkington
The more I have learned to say NO to what does not resonate with me, the easier my life has become. NO to those who are energy vampires; NO to work that goes against my values and principles; NO to the person who says he loves me and is dishonest and unfaithful; NO to being imposed on by others and a definite NO to bystanders with idle time to gossip on their hands. It is important to understand and accept that unless one knows what they want and what they don’t want, it is not easy to set boundaries. One can become a garbage disposal and be taken advantage of without drawing these lines. Start experimenting saying NO when you feel you are exhausted or when you do not have the time and you will be surprised at the results. Some will suddenly not care about what you feel and be upset with your NO and others may even have some things to say that will astound you. Life is not about getting other people’s approval or acceptance. It is really about your Yes and NOs defining what you stand for and the quality of life you want to live!TSM
Get the BlackBerry® Z10 experience. Now available at MTN for Rwf 460,000. Re-designed. Re-engineered. Re-invented. www.mtn.co.rw
MTN.Rwanda
@MTNRwanda
The Indian Black Butterfly! http://www.tazim.net
The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
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HAVE YOUR SAY
Gukora ibyo
ukunda
Kora ibyo ukunda kandi ukunde ibyo ukora Byanditswe na Anthony Gitonga
Twese twumvise inama igira iti: “ Shaka icyo ukunda gukora cyane, icyo ushobora gukorera ubusa hanyuma wige kugikora neza kuburyo abantu bishimira kukiguhembera.”
ingamba zo gukora ibyo dukunda gukora. Tuba mu isi aho abakoresha bake bonyine aribo bazagabanya akazi bakurikije ibyo ukunda ariko twakagombye kubigabanya tugaragaza ubushobozi bwacu no kugira ibyo dukunda iby’agaciro gakomeye mu kazi kacu. Isoko ryishimira kandi rikanahemba umusaruro.
No mu bihe bikomeye by’impinduka hazitwa ku kazi kakozweneza. bazanita kandi ku buryo wakoze neza kandi bikoroheye ibyo wasabwaga gukora.
Bazakomeza guha agaciro amagambo yavuzwe na Salomo umwami wa Isirayeri Nubwo harimo ukuri kudashidikanywaho wa kera mu binyejana byatambutse. muri iyi nteruro, abantu bake nibo bashobora kuba bita kuri iyi nama. Aho wajya hose “Impano y’umuntu Gukora ibyo ukunda ni urufunguzo mu kubona imbaraga zawe. uzahasanga abantu bashaka ntushobora kugera kugihera udahereye kukibanza.-John C. Maxwell imuha umwanya kandi kunezerwa mu buzima ikamuzana imbere y’abantu bakora ibyo banga kandi bakomeye.” Waba wifuza kugabanya umurimo wawe banga ibyo bakora. Ntushobora kuzagera no kwishima? niba ubishaka, kora Kugera kuri ibi si ikintu ku ntego yawe ukora ibyo wanga. cyoroshye. Gisaba bwa mbere kwizera ibikurimo. bikore cyane kandi ubiteze ubushobozi bwawe, kwiyemeza kubukuza imbere. Iga ubwenge bwose bushoboka Impano uzayisanga hake mubyo bubyerekeyeho bushobora gushyigikira no kubugeza kubuhanga buhanitse dukorana umuhati cyangwa ibyo twanga ndetse no kwiyemeza kubusangiza isi ibyo ukunda byakuvana kucyifuzo buhoro. ntishobora kuboneka mu gukora igaragar ko ariyo itabyitayeho cyane. bikakugeza ku buhanga buhanitse. ibyo abandi babona ko ari byiza cyane Bigire intego kugira igitekerezo cyo kuri bo, ahubwo tugomba kumvisha Igitekerezo gikomeza: Sinigeze ngira icyo gukorana ubushake ibyo ukunda gukora abatuzengurutse ko bagomba kongera nkora mu buzima bwanjye.byose byari ku kazi. imikino-Thomas Edison. TSM
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www.anthonygitonga.com
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TheSERVICEMAG 2013 The SERVICEMAGJunJun Aug - Aug 2013
DJ Joe Mfalme
The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
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HAVE YOUR SAY
Par Eddie HEH
J’ai
trouvé ceci sur internet et je voudrais le faire partager avec vous parce que je me rends compte que de plus en plus de jeunes femmes pensent qu’il faut être comme les femmes occidentales pour se sentir belles. “La femme africaine est belle. La beauté de la femme africaine n’est pas assez mise en valeur. Certes, il y a eu Naomi Campbell, Halle Berry, Beyoncé, et j’en passe. Mais je pense à la femme africaine qui vit en Afrique, car contrairement à ce que l’on pense, les plus belles africaines se trouvent là-bas. A mes yeux, la femme africaine est moins belle lorsqu’elle se met des cheveux lisses, se blanchit la peau et se pare de couleurs tristes, comme le font les femmes blanches. La femme africaine est belle au naturel, avec ses nattes, sa belle peau foncée, sa peau douce, parfumée, ses gestes gracieux, sa voix et ses courbes sensuelles.Nul besoin de se blanchir la peau, nul besoin de s’affubler de perruques enlaidissantes, qui ruinent notre image et décrédibilisent notre beauté originelle. La femme blanche est belle également mais elle n’a pas, fort heureusement, le monopole de la beauté... Nous vivons dans un monde qui veut gommer les différences, mais l’humanité demeure. L’humanité est plurielle et diverse. Etre une femme ou un homme c’est aussi respecter l’humanité qui est en nous et respecter ce que l’on est “ En lisant ces textes, je me suis rendue compte à quel point beaucoup de femmes africaines ont dévalué les richesses culturelles qu’elles avaient au profit ce celles occidentales. Je me désole de voir toutes ces belles filles africaines dans les bureaux qui essayent d’être comme des stars européennes ou américaines. A Dakar, à Bamako et d’autres villes africaines, une constatation me navre au plus haut point : les femmes africaines sont nombreuses à s’éclaircir la peau. Malheureusement à Kinshasa et a Brazzaville, ce n’est plus une pratique réservée qu’aux femmes mais aussi aux hommes qui se dépigmentent sans honte leur peau … Apparemment, ceci est un signe de beauté et quand je croise tous ces hommes avec des tâches noires sur les coudes et sur les articulations des doigts, je ne peux que me désoler. Autant j’aime bien qu’on soit habillé en occidental au bureau, mais autant j’aime bien aussi comment les femmes ivoiriennes s’habillent pour aller au bureau. Grace au génie créateur de nombreux couturiers, le pagne africain a trouvé sa place de noblesse dans les bureaux. Le wax est cousu de façon chic et se porte aussi facilement que les tailleurs occidentaux. Le port du pagne Wax ou du Bazin n’est plus encombrant même dans le milieu professionnel.
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The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
J’aime aussi comment le boubou est devenu au Mali, au Nigéria, au Bénin etc, un habillement de travail des hommes chics et élégants. Les hommes se pavanent avec beaucoup de fierté dans ces tenues riches en amidon qui leur donnent une image d’élégance.
Au Rwanda, les boucles d’oreilles faites à base de vannerie, les colliers à base de papiers sont d’une telle finesse qu’ils ne devraient choquer personne dans les bureaux. Au Ghana, le Batik, cousu en robes pour les femmes ou en chemisiers pour les hommes trouvent bien leur place même dans les banques les plus prestigieuses du continent.
De même pour les produits de beautÊ. L’avocat, autrefois utilisÊ par nos grands-mères pour nettoyer la peau a cÊdÊ sa place aux produits occidentaux non adaptÊs à nos peaux. Le beurre de karitÊ qui est un des produits phares dans la plupart de la cosmÊtique occidentale devrait être le produit par excellence de la beautÊ africaine soit pour le corps ou pour les cheveux.
MTN Rwanda in ‘Tunga TV’ drive
Chers frères et sœurs africains dans le monde des affaires, nous n’avons nul besoin aujourd’hui de nous blanchir la peau, ni de nous affubler de perruques qui enlaidissent et puantes pour nous valoriser. L’Afrique regorge de biens, de trÊsors souvent mÊconnus ou inutilisÊs pour nous. Il est temps de reconnaitre que ce ne sont pas que d’objet d’art ou de dÊcoration qu’on trouve dans notre continent. TSMTSM
eddieheh@gmail.com
“Le beurre de karitĂŠ qui est un des produits phares dans la plupart de la cosmĂŠtique occidentale devrait ĂŞtre le produit par excellence de la beautĂŠ africaine soit pour le corps ou pour les cheveux. En Egypte, au Maroc et dans la plupart des pays sahĂŠliens, le hennĂŠ (qui est un produit de beautĂŠ par excellence en Egypte, au Maroc et dans la plupart des pays sahĂŠliens) sont d’une beautĂŠ immense sur les mains et les pieds.
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En Mauritanie, les voiles aux couleurs chatoyantes sur les femmes n’est qu’une agrÊable vision de la beautÊ et de l’ÊlÊgance de la femme maure. Au Kenya, les perles Masai et au Niger, les bijoux Touareg sont d’une beautÊ que je ne comprends pas pourquoi on dÊpense des fortunes à s’acheter des bijoux d’ailleurs. A Madagascar, les sacs en raphia ne sont achetÊs que par des touristes qui les ramènent chez eux comme une grande trouvaille‌ C’est rare de voir aujourd’hui les filles  modernes  les porter. Au contraire, elles ne veulent être vues qu’avec des grandes marques telles que Vuitton, Longchamp à leur bras.
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SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
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The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
Kigali change et vous ?
MTN Rwanda in ‘Tunga TV’ drive
Par RHD
Pendant plusieurs années, l’offre à Kigali était toujours la même en matière de restauration, de services, de produits. J’en étais arrivée à me demander si la créativité faisait peur les entrepreneurs. Un jour de 2010, un ami m’appelle pour m’informer qu’il vient de s’acheter une grande parcelle et qu’il voulait investir. Je lui répondis qu’il devait se lancer dans la transformation de légumes vu que jusque là, le marché était dominé par les kenyans. Mais pour lui, le seul business à faire c’était le café. Evidemment !!! Hors en matière de café, la concurrence est rude au Rwanda et le marché bien développé. Pourquoi investir dans ce qui existe déjà si vous n’êtes pas capable de vous démarquer ? Mais après, tout est question de motivation. Si pour vous entrepreneur, le but est juste de se faire de l’argent sans penser à votre clientèle, les formules classiques sont faites pour vous. Un peu comme tous ces restaurants qui pullulent à chaque coin de rue et qui offrent tous le même service : buffet, african tea et brochettes. Il y a 3 ans, après 2-3 mois à Kigali, on avait vite fait le tour des restaurants et des activités.
Loin des formules classiques Mais depuis quelques temps, les choses bougent, beaucoup osent. Oser la différence. Offrir autre chose que le classique buffet ou le pain coupé. En effet, si vous vous êtes baladés du côté de Kacyiru, vous aurez remarqué depuis un an, sur cette rue assez étroite, le restaurant “Meze Fresh”. La formule est simple. Vous composez vous-mêmes votre borrito. On reste un peu dans le même style buffet mais en lieu et place des haricots rouges et banane sauce, vous avez avocats, viande porc. Le concept est bien, le goût différent. Evidemment, le prix plus élevé que le buffet classique. Un peu plus loin, à KBC, toute de noir vêtue, l’enseigne vous invite à un voyage délicieux fait de crème pâtissière et pâte brisée. Vous l’aurez compris “Brioche“ c’est la nouvelle pâtisserie de Kigali à ne pas rater. Pour être franche, je rêvais depuis longtemps d’un bon gâteau au chocolat, forêt noire, le genre fondant dans la bouche, ici mon vœu a été exaucé. Pour les amateurs de pâtisserie et viennoiserie, à coup sûr, vous allez tomber en amour. Tout cela pour dire que OUI à Kigali, il est possible de faire les choses différemment. Et que les offres commencent à se diversifier pour le plus grand bonheur de nous consommateurs qui en redemandent encore et encore.TSM
rhd_communication@yahoo.com
The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
Photo Courtesy of Cloud Images
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WELL BEING MATTERS
AVOIDJUNKFOOD “Junk”
food is the type of food which has no nutritional value and is high in calories and also poses health hazards. This term was first used by Michael Jacobson in 1972 and has been in usage since then. “Junk”, literally means something useless and worth throwing out, for example like garbage. Various studies have shown that this type of food is as useless and harmful as junk.
But now scientific studies have demonstrated the health hazards of these fast foods as many are suffering from adverse health due to junk food. Junk or fast food is tasty, and does not need many efforts in preparation. It has a good shelf life due to the preservatives, hence easy to store for many days. There are multiple chemicals involved in processing and preserving it. Fried foods have lot of saturated fats which are harmful.
Over the past few decades, along The good taste of junk food comes from with development, there has also hydrogenated fats. These fats lead to been increase in the use of junk food, all over the world. In the past, obesity, atherosclerosis, hypertension, women would cook or supervise diabetes and heart diseases preparation of fresh meals for the family. Meal times were sacred. The good taste of junk food comes from The whole family would sit and eat tohydrogenated fats. These fats lead to gether after saying grace. obesity, atherosclerosis, hypertension, But now the scenario has changed diabetes and heart diseases. Obesicompletely. With more women joining ty even among children in developed the work force, nobody has the time to countries is due to consumption of this prepare a fresh whole meal at home. kind of fast food. White sugar used in Reliable domestic help is not easily many fast foods, is a source of obesity available as before. Long distances, and has no nutritional value whatsoevmakes it difficult for people in big cities er. Thus it accelerates atherosclerosis to go home for lunch. Hence majority of (deposition of fat on inner layer of blood the working people take to eating fast vessels) and also diabetes, hence infood in canteens or restaurants during creasing risk for cardiovascular diseasthe day. They land up eating burgers, es. Apart from this it is damaging to the sandwiches, fried potatoes, e.t.c. teeth. Children and youngsters’s taste have A study done few years ago suggests also changed. Burgers and fries, instant that using fast food chronically lead to ready to eat chips, noodles and pudalteration in brain activity similar to abudings, have become their favorite meals. sive substances, thus one gets addicted Ready to eat fast foods, processed and to them, after some time. A person canned foods have become the favorite after eating any of these substances few of most people. Most of the times, it has times craves to eat more. become substitute for a whole meal, Artificial sweeteners like saccharin and particularly mid day meal in case of aspartame are implicated to be producoffice workers. ing cancer.
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The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
By Dr. Rachna Pande
Monosodium glutamate(MSG), used in ready to eat instant foods and snacks, is a very controversial chemical and is known to be a cancer producing substance. Butylated hydroxyl toluene(BHT) and BHA(Butylated hydroxyanisole), have also been proved to be carcinogenic in experimental animals and these 2 chemicals are widely used in fast foods. Junk foods are implicated in causing liver diseases and also cancer of the liver, pancreas, e.t.c. Studies have shown them to be more damaging to the liver than alcohol. The wide range of chemicals used as food preservatives, additives, flavoring and coloring agents are a source of allergy in susceptible people. There is increase in prevalence of bronchial asthma and related allergic disorders like allergic rhinitis, eczema, e.t.c., in developed countries, where there is an increased consumption of this kind of food. Statistics show rising prevalence of bronchial asthma in western countries, reason being consumption of junk food. One individual can develop bronchial asthma due to fast food consumption. Due to alterations in the genetic material, this asthma is passed on to next generation. Therefore it is high time that people become aware of the health hazards of fast food. It is O.K. to eat it once a while for a change. But by consuming fast food regularly or very frequently, after some time, one spoils his/her health apart from the money spent.TSM
The author is a Specialist internal medicine-Ruhengeri Hospital rachna212002@yahoo.co.uk
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ASK OUR LAEYER
Reader’s question: Qn: I am a management consultant. When I submit my WHFKQLFDO DQG ҕQDQFLDO SURSRVDO WR SRWHQWLDO FOLHQWV , DP DOPRVW FHUWDLQ WKDW VRPH FOLHQWV XVH P\ SURSRVDO WR EDUJDLQ ZLWK RWKHU VHUYLFH VXSSOLHUV RU XVH P\ WHFKQLFDO SURSRVDO WR XSJUDGH WKH RWKHU ELGGHUV¼ SURSRVDO +RZ EHVW FDQ , SURWHFW P\ SURSRVDOV" Photo Courtesy of Cloud Images
Non - disclosure agreement Dear Reader, It is quite difficult to totally protect your technical proposal especially unless you are proposing a unique service that can be patented which will therefore give you the exclusive right, as the patentee, to prevent others from making, using, selling, or distributing the patented invention without your permission.
Joe Nsano
Legal & Financial Consultant Email your questions on askourlawyer@theservicemag.com
Otherwise, you can make your potential customers sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement, which is defined as a legal contract in which the recipient agrees not to divulge this information to anyone else. It is simply a contract through which the parties agree not to disclose information covered by the agreement especially the recipient. A Non-Disclosure Agreement should create a confidential relationship between you and your potential client to protect whichever technical proposal you have submitted to them. However, the Non-Disclosure Agreement will not be valid if your potential client had prior knowledge of the information; the recipient gained subsequent knowledge of the materials from another source; the materials are generally available to the public etc.
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IKIBAZO CY’MUSOMYI Muraho, mu kigo cyacu dufitemo abakozi bagiye kujya mu kiruhuko cy’izabukuru umwaka utaha, ariko ntituzi icyo itegeko ribateganyiriza. Ese mushobora kudufasha mukadusobanurira uko twabyifatamo. Murakoze.
IGISUBIZO
Katia Manirakiza
Directrice du Département Légal de Ecobank Rwanda Envoyez-lui vos questions à askourlawyer@theservicemag.com
Question du lecteur
Je viens d’acquérir une propriété qui n’a pas accès sur la route. Ai-je un droit légal d’accéder à ma propriété à travers les parcelles de mes voisins qui me séparent de la voie publique.
Servitude de passage
Etant propriétaire d'un terrain enclavé vous avez le plein droit de réclamer un droit de passage appelé « Servitude de Passage » sur le terrain de l’un de vos voisins. Dans ce cas votre terrain est appelé le « fonds dominant » tandis que celui du voisin est appelé « fonds servant ». Ce droit de passage comporte le passage sur le sol mais aussi, sur le sous-sol (canalisation d’alimentation comme d’évacuation). Cette servitude de passage peut être convenue à l'amiable entre vous et l’un des voisins dont la parcelle vous sépare de la voie publique. Et dans le cas d’un accord entre vous, vous devriez verser au propriétaire du fonds servant une indemnité ; qui est fixée de commun accord. En l’absence d’un accord, vous devrez saisir le Tribunal compétent qui tranchera en fixant les modalités du droit de servitude. Le juge déterminera notamment l’endroit exact du passage, en s’assurant autant que faire se peut de causer le moins de dommages possibles au propriétaire qui vous cèdera le passage, les dimensions du passage, le montant de l’indemnité… La durée du droit de servitude est fixée par la loi et vous devriez en jouir pleinement au cours de cette période. La servitude de passage cesse lorsque l’objet n’est plus, c'està-dire lorsque votre terrain ne sera plus enclavé ou que vous n’emprunterez plus le passage qui vous a été cédé pendant une longue période, pour l’une ou l’autre raison.
Ibi ni ibintu byiza kuko bireba abakozi benshi mu Rwanda kandi abakozi benshi ntibazi neza uko babyifatamo. Icya mbere ni ukumenya ko itegeko rigenga umurimo mu Rwanda ntacyo rivuga ku gihe umukozi agomba kugira mu kiruhuko cy’izabukuru ku bakozi bakora mu bigo byigenga. Ni na ko bimeze ku bijyanye n’uko bigenda kugira ngo umukozi ashyirwe mu kiruhuko cy’izabukuru. Uko bikorwa bitangirira ku nteguza igomba kubahirizwa ndetse n’amafaranga agenerwa umukozi ugiye mu kiruhuko cy’izabukuru. Izo ngingo zombi ntizigaragara mu itegeko rigenga umurimo mu Rwanda. Ariko hari bimwe mu bisubizo twasanga muri iryo tegeko. Ku birebana n’integuza, bagira abantu inama gusoma ingingo ya 27 igaragaza ko integuza itagomba kurenga iminsi 15 niba umukozi amaze ku murimo we nibura umwaka umwe, integuza imara ukwezi igihe umukozi amaze igihe kirenga umwaka ku kazi. Dushingiye kuri ibyo, turabagira inama yo gutanga integuza ihagije kugira ngo umukozi yitegure neza kujya mu kiruhuko cy’izabukuru. Ibigo bimwe bikunze gutanga integuza y’amezi atatu. Ku bijyanye n’amafaranga ahabwa umukozi ugiye mu kiruhuko cy’izabukuru, ingingo ya 36 isobanura ko abarwa hakurikijwe ibiteganywa mu ngingo ya 35. Iyo ngingo yerekana umubare w’amafaranga agenerwa umukozi wirukanwe. Iyo umukozi agiye mu kiruhuko cy’izabukuru, itegeko riteganya ko ibyo ahabwa bingana n’iby’uwirukanwe. Urugero ku mukozi wakoze hagati y’imyaka 5 na 10, ahabwa imperekeza ingana n’imishahara y’amezi 3. Ku mukozi wakoze mu gihe cy’imyaka 10 na 15 ahabwa imperekeza ingana n’umushahara w’amezi 4. Ku mukozi wakoze igihe kingana n’imyaka 15 ahabwa imperekeza ingana n’amezi 6. Ku bindi, ni ukugira igitabo cy’imikorere kivuga neza uko icyo kibazo cyakemurwa kugira ngo bizafashe abayobozi b’ikigo cyanyu kumenya uko bakemura ikibazo cy’abakozi bagiye mu kiruhuko cy’izabukuru.
The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
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ICT CORNER
By Jean Phibert Nsengimana
Golden Triple - ‘S’
Just
imagine… on a sunny morning, beautiful view, sipping a nice coffee, served with a smile, while checking RTV and Al Jazeera or CNN for the local and global headlines on your tablet! As Rwanda embarks on its next 5 years development journey, dubbed EDPRS 2, with such ambitions as reaching the cruise speed of 11.5% annual GDP growth by 2020 and keeping the focus on poverty reduction, it’s clear that business as usual won’t be acceptable. This piece is about connecting three dots of our daily lives that would contribute to strengthening Rwanda’s position in three key, export oriented industries.
SIP…creating a coffee culture
The whooping $55/kg of roasted, fully washed coffees cooped every year by the golden cup since 2008 is indeed a testimony to the quality of coffee Rwanda produces. Despite producing one of the best coffees in the world, we don’t have the highest number of coffee bars per capita and our hotels, homes and offices do not serve the excellent coffee Rwanda produces. Quite a big number actually still serve imported, low grade, instant coffee concoctions, mixed with powder milk, at a time when our diary industry still faces a demand problem and milk consumption still lags below the global average. There are however a growing number of places in Kigali where I have enjoyed the best coffee experience in my life. Burbon coffee shops in Rwanda and now in USA are my personal favorites. My wish is that this company and a few others in this space would lead an effort of creating a coffee culture by expanding their own network or franchising their brands and creating a model for coffee catering that should replace the current poor refreshment business in public offices, hotels and events.
SMILE…excellence in customer care
A good, steaming hot cup of coffee while browsing your best news outlets would make you smile. But when served with a smile, what was a product becomes an unforgettable experience that is engraved on your subconscious mind. You will find yourself back to the same place to enjoy the same experience. You may be a first time visitor to Rwanda, but this triple “S” will bring you back again and again and encourage you to invite your friends on your next trip. What this means for Rwanda is strengthening its position as a leading business and leisure destination, translating into more income for our farmers, increased foreign exchange and…eventually achieving the 11.5% economic growth by 2020.TSM
SURF…making broadband experience a reality for Rwandans Recently, Rwanda was hailed in different reports as having the highest mobile broadband penetration in the East African Region, the fastest internet in Africa, and the most dynamic ICT market on the continent. The wholesale price of broadband has fallen by more than 500% over the last few months, from $700/Mbps to around $100/Mbps. Those and other gains from the sustained ICT investments that the country has made over the last couple of years are yet to translate into a world class broadband experience for the average consumer. The ISP industry should move fast to change mindsets and fix business models that are delaying the transformational communication, business, playing and learning experience that broadband promises.
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The author is the Minister of Youth & ICT - Rwanda
Par Olivier Biraro
La
réalité du chômage après les études est source d’une profonde angoisse pour les jeunes universitaires et elle donne des insomnies et maux de tête à ceux qui ont déjà terminés, sans job. Tous sont conscients que créer un emploi plutôt que d’en chercher est plus payant. Mais comment y arriver sans cash ? Curieusement, ce dont ils ont plus besoin, ce n’est pas de l’argent, mais des assises plus robustes que de l’argent: des valeurs. Si nos pensées sont des données stockées sur notre bio-ordinateur (cerveau), alors nos valeurs sont à la fois processeurs et logiciels qui leur permettent de fonctionner avec vitesse, intensité et précision. Rien de plus navrant qu’un ordinateur lent qui contient de formidables données. Voici un megaprocesseur (9 giga !) qui te propulsera plus loin que l’argent et l’intelligence : 1er giga : Sans devenir opportuniste, deviens une personne qui trouve des opportunités cachées dans chaque difficulté, plutôt que de détecter les difficultés cachées en chaque opportunité. 2ème giga: Prends des risques majeurs, si tu vises de grands accomplissements. Ne crains pas les défaites temporelles inévitables. Valorises-les plutôt : elles constituent tes plus grandes leçons. 3ème giga: Fixe-toi des objectifs clairs. Un homme sans buts est un navire sans destination.
4ème giga: N’oublie pas : la loi des boomerangs n’est pas un vieux cliché. 5ème giga: Valorise ton temps : une minute d’un roi coûte des carats de diamant. Si une minute ou une semaine coûte juste un dollar Zimbabwéen pour un perdant, ça importe peu. Gaspiller le temps est plus dément que jeter des dollars et des diamants par la fenêtre : on peut les retrouver après un dur labeur, mais on ne peut jamais rattraper le temps perdu. 6ème giga: Informe-toi continuellement. Abraham Lincoln, la plus célèbre figure historique aux États-Unis a dit un jour qu’une personne qui sait lire et écrire peut devenir tout ce qu’elle choisit d’être. 7ème giga: Adaptes toi rapidement: le changement est la force du caméléon. Ca le protège de ses prédateurs. Dans le monde féroce des affaires, l’incapacité de s’adapter rapidement aux changements signifie une mort certaine. 8ème giga:Souviens-toi toujours: rien ne peut remplacer l’action. La route vers l’enfer est pavée de bonnes intentions. Ne fais pas de grandes choses. Fais juste de petites choses avec un grand amour, comme des gouttes d’eau qui tombent sur un roc et finissent par le briser. 9ème giga:Un peu d’humour s’il te plait ! Le monde a besoin de ton sourire radiant !TSM
N.B. : Si ces megaprocesseurs ne marchent pas, tu pourras exiger dommages et intérêts en m’envoyant tes plaintes à oliver@theservicemag.com ou me pendre.
‘Tunga TV’ drive to connect ICTpoor areas What is Tunga TV? Tunga means ‘own’. ‘Tunga TV’, is an initiative that was started by the Government of Rwanda aiming at broadening TV coverage in Rwanda. It was launched in Gisagara, Southern province recently. The aim of ‘Tunga TV’ is to drive Rwanda to go digital and increase TV viewership in different corners of the country. Why is MTN Rwanda involved in this initiative? A TV set is classified as an ICT tool. MTN Rwanda is playing a role in educating Rwandans about the benefits of having a knowledgebased economy, and this can be accelerated through the use of ICT tools. MTN Rwanda supports Rwanda’s vision to have all Rwandans benefit from TV sets in their communities. What is MTN Rwanda doing to be involved in this initiative? MTN Rwanda is participating in this initiative as a supportive partner. MTN has already offered a TV set with DSTv connection for public viewing in Gisagara, a district which has the least ICT literacy levels. MTN Rwanda has pledged to set up at least 60 fully equipped TV rooms to support this campaign across the country.
The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
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YOUTH TALK
Taking youth literacy a Notch Higher By Gloria Iribagiza
At 23 years, Gilbert Rwabigwi is the President of the Youth Literacy Organisation (YouLI), a writer and social media enthusiast. He is currently pursuing his studies at the National University of Rwanda’s School of Journalism and Communication and is very passionate about nurturing his writing gift.
Below are the excerpts TSM: What role(s) do you play among the Rwandan youth? Being among the leaders of a non-profit organisation aimed at advancing reading and writing to transform literacy and learning, I feel that my premier role is to inspire and advocate for the next generation of leaders so that we ensure a brighter future of our nation. I am also an active social media advocate, interested in education and expanding Rwanda’s voice across the globe. TSM: Why is (are) the above role (s) important? Literacy is vital to education and it is through YouLI’s (Youth Literacy Organisation) mission - to facilitate the youth to encounter opportunities to advance their reading, writing and creative skills –that I play a part in the development of my country. Besides, I believe that the social media has speedily become such an essential facet and platform for Rwanda to tell her story to the world. Consequently, my work mainly involves building skills and aptitude with tools and applications required to make the most out of major social media platforms. TSM: What is your biggest success story? Being able to collaborate with friends, colleagues and mentors to establish a youth-led organisation to serve an important purpose — literacy
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development—is so far a success. Doing this made me realise how everything can be possible once you are both dedicated and committed towards achieving your visions, especially in a country where youth empowerment comes on top of the Government’s agenda. TSM: And your biggest challenge? I am not sure it’s the biggest one, but getting enough time for everything that matters to me seems more challenging these days. TSM: What motivates you? I am mostly motivated by my passion for education and a strong belief in change, besides the opportunities enabled by the current leadership of our country to empower the next generation of leaders. TSM: What are your aspirations? I aspire to inspire and make a positive impact in the Rwandan society by especially serving causes of national interest. TSM: What is your take on service delivery in Rwanda especially in your field? We are only improving - like never before - and quality education will ensure more progress in all other sectors. TSM: What is your message to the Rwandan youth? There are opportunities out there; open
up your eyes and seize as much as you can. But it all starts from you. TSM
Happiest when: “…I meet good friends and anyone to, particularly, discuss education, youth empowerment and any other issues affecting my country.” Sad when: “…Not sure it happens often, but seeing a survivor not being taken care of hurts so bad inside.” Favorite hangout spot: “…Bourbon coffee, KCT, from where I usually meet with friends and colleagues.” Favorite Drink/ Dish: “…Anything healthy and chips - with a Coke and, occasionally, one and only one small Heineken.” Dream Car: “…I am not sure I am so passionate about cars but if I had to, I would dream of the recent Mercedes-Benz, Concept GLA.” Gadget or accessory you can't do without: “… My phone; which gives me enough options to do whatever I could do to stay connected to family, friends and colleagues, and the world at large.” Celebrity/ famous person since time begun: “…Craig David, my favourite singer of all time. He’s inspired me ever since I was a high school student and I have learnt a lot, especially from his song lyrics and his writing style.” Most Inspired when: “…I see young Rwandans struggling to better their lives and contribute to the growth of our nation.” Relationship status: “…I am proudly dating – one of the most beautiful and brilliant young ladies in town.”
glo.irie@gmail.com
YOUTH TALK
Byanditswe na Olivier Biraro Mu gitabo cyitwa “Ubushobozi butagira umupaka”, Anthony Robbins avuga ubushakashatsi bwakorewe ku banyeshuri bari barangije mwaka w’1953 muri Kaminuza ya Yale muri Amerika: babajijwe muri bo abafite intego zihamye, kandi zanditse, basanze 3% gusa muri abo banyeshuri aribo bafite intego zanditse, banafite gahunda ihamye y’uburyo n’igihe bazagera kuri izo ntego. Kugira ngo barebe itandukaniro riri hagati yo kugira intego no kutazigira, nyuma y’imyaka 20, ba bashakashatsi bongeye kugenzura abo babajije, nuko basanga ubukungu bwa ba bandi 3% ubuteranije bwose hamwe, burenze kure ubukungu bwa ba bandi 97% ubushyize hamwe. Basanze kandi 3% babaho mu buzima bufite umunezero, ugereranije na 97% basigaye. Igitangaje muri byo, ni uko 3% batari bafite ubwenge kurusha abasigaye. Ntibari bafite igishoro cyo gutangiriraho kurusha abasigaye. Umuntu udafite intego n’imihigo ni nk’ubwato mu nyanja nini budafite ubutwaye, imiyaga ijyana aho ishatse.
gukora, n’imitungo wifuza kugira. Andika ibyo wifuza, wikwandika ibyo wibwira ko bishoboka gusa. Niba wifuza kuba nka Bill Gates, byandike. Kuvuga ngo urashaka kuba umuntu ukomeye ntacyo bivuze.
Vuga uti : ndashaka kuba umucamanza, cyangwa umucuruzi, cyangwa umwanditsi. Andika ibyo umutima wawe wifuza byose utitangiriye. Hari ahantu ugomba kugera hatazagerwa n’undi muntu. Hari ikintu ugomba gukora kitazakorwa n’undi muntu. Hari mission ufite ku isi.
Iyo utihaye icyerekezo, hari undi muntu byanze bikunze uzakujyana mu cyerekezo cye. Iyo ugize amahirwe icyo kerekezo kiba ari kiza, wagira ibyago ukisanga aho batifuza: mu biyobyabwenge, mu buroko, mu bitaro, rimwe na rimwe no mu mva.
3.
Noneho kuri buri kifuzo, andika impamvu eshatu wifuza kukigeraho. Kuki wifuza kuba nka Bill Gates? Kuki wifuza kuba umukinnyi wa filimi? Kuki wifuza kuba umucamanza? Ibyo wifuza kugera ho byose utaboneye impamvu nibura eshatu, bikure ku rutonde rw’intego zawe.
Niba utaragena inzira ubuzima bwawe buzacamo, reka ngufashe guca akabando k’iminsi hakiri kare.
4.
Mu bisigaye, fatamo bitatu wifuza kugera ho byanze bikunze, ibyo wumva byarutwa n’uko waba atariho aho kubaho utabifite.
1.
Shaka ahantu hatuje, aho ugiye kumara iminota nka 30 nta muntu ukurogoya. Shaka impapuro n’ikaramu, maze wicare, witegure kwandika.
5. Kuri buri kifuzo, funga amaso wibone wakigezeho. Hari intambwe zibisabwa kugira ngo ugere kuri iryo herezo. Tangira ugende usubiza inyuma intambwe zose imwe ku yindi, kugeza ugeze ku ntangiriro. Izo ntambwe zandike.
2.
Tangira wandike icyo ushaka kuba mu buzima, icyo ushaka
6.
Buri kifuzo gice mo ibice byinshi bishoboka kandi buri gice ukigenere uburyo n’igihe bikwiye, maze ukore gahunda y’ibikorwa uzakora umunsi ku wundi kugira ngo ubigereho. 7.
Andika ibyo utekereza bishobora kuzakubuza kuzuza gahunda zawe, wandike n’icyo uzakora nuhura nabyo. 8. Tangira gushyira iyi gahunda mu bikorwa uhereye aka kanya.TSM
oliver@theservicemag.com The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
Photo Courtesy of Cloud Images
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YOUTH YOUTH TALK TALK
Impamvu 3 Zituma Ugomba Kugira Umwihariko Byanditswe na Anthony Gitonga
Ibikorwa
byihariye ni agaciro abandi bantu bakumenyeraho. N’ ikiza mu ntekerezo z’umuntu iyo agutekereje. byinshi mubyo watekereje ko ushobora gukoresha ingufu kubikora utabishaka cyangwa ubishaka. Abayobozi bakomeye bibwira ko imyitwarire n’ibikorwa byabo bigaragaza bidadasubirwaho abo aribo. Ushobora kwibaza uti: “kuki nakwishyiraho umutwaro wo kugira ibikorwa by’umwihariko? Uko ndi ntabwo bihagije? Ntibyaba ari ibintu byizana? Nibyo koko birashoboka niba ari ishusho gusa. Ariko nanone niba ushaka gukora ibirenze uri ibyo, ikindi gitekerezo gishobora kugufasha. ntekereza impamvu eshatu ushobora kugira ikintu cy’umwihariko.
Kigaragaza uwo uri we
Umwihariko wawe uramenyekana ukagutandukanya n’abandi. uko utekereza ku gikorwa cyawe cy’umwiharo niko uhereza agaciro uko uri kwihariye n’ibikorwa byihariye ugomba gukorera hano ku isi. ibyo byombi ni ishingiro ry’uwo uri we. kubimenya bituma usobanukirwa n’icyo ubuzima ari cyo.Umwanditsi n’umuhanga mu kuvuga witwa Pamela Gilchrist yagize ati: “Mu rugendo rw’ibikorwa byawe niho uzavumvura imbaraga zawe. Izo mbaraga zishobora gusobanurwa nk’intangiriro zo gushigikira icyo utekereza.”
Bigufasha gusangira ubunararibonye bwawe
Nk’umuntu w’umuyobozi nibaza iki kibazo: “ Ubutumwa bwanjye ni ubuhe kandi ni kuki abantu bateranira kunyumva?” Iki kibazo gituma nika ku buryo nasangiza abuhanga bwanjye abandi. Gituma nibanza “ n’iki?” kandi kigatumba menya impamvu. Ushobora kuba ukora ibitandukanye no kuvuga ariko ibyo bibazo byombi byaguma ari ingenzi mubyo ukora. Umwihariko wawe utanga umucyo kucyo umarira abakiriya bawe. Uzagera kure mu kazi kawe ubona uwo mucyo. Sobanura neza ukomeze urugendo.
Byongera agaciro kawe
Abantu bagura agaciro k’ibyo utanga, baba bashaka inyungu. Ibintu byawe iyo bisobanutse byongera agaciro kawe kubakugana. Bashobora guhitamo bakurikije agaciro kawe cyangwa ak’ibintu byawe. umwihariko wawe ugaragaza ubuhanga bwawe wihariye kandi bikongerera icyizere abakugana babonye agaciro ubihereza. Ugomba kwita ku gishimisha abakugana, uwo niwo mwihariko wawe. Bigaragaza niba bazakomeza guhorana nawe. Niba wita ku kubaka ibikorwa byawe, gufata umwanya wawe uhanga unongera udushya mubyo ukora ni ihame.TSM
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www.anthonygitonga.com The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013
Photo Courtesy of Cloud Images
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53 The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug 2013 Financial Stability - Excellent Quality of Service
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WHERE WE HAVE BEEN
Lounges Talking about
As
a frequent traveler I use airport lounges where available and hotel lounges where on offer for guests staying on Executive or Club Floors or using suites. For those in the know, the lounges in the Gulf region are legend, in particular of course the First Class and Business Class lounges of such carriers as Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad or Gulf Air in their home airports, and much else then is a bit of a letdown, being both spoiled and able to compare quality and how PR talk matches up to reality. In Kigali the Pearl Lounge is a recent addition, spacious enough for most times except when Brussels Airlines, KLM, Kenya Airways and RwandAir all have outgoing flights at once. Still, the atmosphere there is calmer and with snacks and drinks on offer, free Internet and reading material, plus a direct view on to the apron from the window seats, it is well worth even paying a nominal fee if not travelling in the front cabin with the accompanying entitlement for a lounge pass.
&
Lounges
The Kenya Airways lounges at JKIA are bursting at the seams, again, as a result of more flights, more premium class passengers and more SkyTeam partners now coming to Nairobi, but an extension of the upstairs lounge is soon to be opened, again doubling the available space to give some peace and quiet even during peak connection times. Seychelles another world, even at their airport lounge which as during previous visits presented itself as smart, clean and calm, the double glazing of the windows overlooking the runway and apron keeping all the noises out. A centre piece business centre offers 4 desktop screens for internet access, which for users of laptops or handheld devices also comes via wireless connection, and a little buffet set up has a variety of snacks, sandwiches, finger food and even a cheese board available, plus a decent wine selection, savoir vivre on the ground before taking to the skies.
By Dr. Wolfgang H Thome Compliments to them for keeping that little gem in good shape and their friendly staff ever ready to rush to ones side the moment a head turns more than once or twice . Hotel lounges are quite different in their function and for access. Some of Nairobis leading hotels have residents lounges where all residents can enter, read papers, have a cup of tea in some cases chargeable and move away from the public areas which tend to become busy in particular if the hotel restaurants and bars are popular with the locals. Such facilities definitely contribute to making a business visit to Nairobi a success and many chance meetings with fellow travelers have subsequently yielded results, simply by having opted for the right hotel with the right facilities. TSM www.wolfganghthome.wordpress.com
In Kigali the Pearl Lounge is a recent addition, spacious enough for most times except when Brussels Airlines, KLM, Kenya Airways and RwandAir all have outgoing flights at once.
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WHERE WE HAVE BEEN
Sunday Breakfast
Serena Hotel Kigali There is no better place to treat yourself or your family than with breakfast the the Kigali Serena Hotel. Healthy, delicious, wide variety of fruits, juices and pastries at your disposal. You will not need to eat anymore that day! Business Lunch
Hotel des Milles Collines
Tired of the same usual lunch buffets in town that serve the same dishes every single day? Try the Business Lunch at Hotel des Milles Collines and what’s even more amazing about it – they have your busy schedule in mind, it takes less than 15 minutes to get your order to you and you can go back to work as soon as you hoped!
Un chauffeur hors pair Said Murabirwa est le premier chauffeur de taxi que j’ai eu qui m’a envoyé un mail à la fin de notre contrat de 2 jours pour me dire à quel point il était content d’avoir travaillé avec moi. Tout au long des jours, il a été disponible, ponctuel, gentil et jamais trop bavard. Il pouvait même me faire des suggestions par rapport aux clients qui pourraient être intéressés par le travail que je proposais au marché rwandais. Appelez le sur le 078 851 1211 ou simplement écrivez à samur12001@yahoo.com
Notre meilleure cuisine indienne
Khana khazana
Cuisine indienne incroyable dans un cadre très agréable. Personnel courtois et disponible! Le naan au fromage, les boulettes de légumes sont tout simplement les plus délicieux. La nourriture indienne est fantastiquement savoureuse et authentique. Bien présentée et en généreuse portion. L’ambiance du soir est la meilleure.
Strandz Hair Saloon The Lemigo Hotel Taking care of your needs from head to toe in absolute comfort, and I did not even have to move at all. I was served by the pedicurist, the stylist, everyone right there. What’s more, everyone kept asking if I was ok, did I want anything more? - All with a smile on their faces, and with no boss around to impress. I don’t remember being treated so well lately!
Janvier, informaticien à l’année Les soucis d’ordinateur, ce n’est vraiment pas ma tasse de thé. Heureusement que j’ai un informaticien qui me sauve la vie à chaque fois. Serviable, Janvier Ruhigisha est toujours présent dès qu’on le sollicite. Comme cette fois où, en voyage en Afrique de l’Ouest, ma connexion wifi ne fonctionnait pas. Je demande autour de moi, personne!!! Enervée, j’envoie un message sur Facebook à Janvier qui me répond tout de suite. Et même, si on était la veille de Pâques, il a pris le temps de m’appeler par Skype pour une intervention en ligne. 20 minutes plus tard, mon problème était résolu.
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TRAVEL REVIEW
VISIT ISTANBUL Fly Turkish Airlines to see it all!!
By Aryantu Otiti
You
deserve a little hospitality even when on business. Visit Istanbul for business or on holiday and the hospitality starts on the flight aboard Turkish Airlines. Voted Europe’s Best Airline at the Skytrax Awards two years running – 2011 and 2012, Turkish Airlines truly cares for the passenger. Every time I have flown Turkish Airlines, I can’t help noticing how relaxed and polite the flight attendants are, totally in control. Stressed people stress others and attendants who are flustered make you feel a burden and burdened being on their flight.
They say no one flies for airline food but it certainly makes a difference if it is good! Forget the ‘chicken or pasta’ chant, meals on Turkish Airlines are creatively prepared and served at welcome intervals taking into consideration check in times and allowing passengers enough time to rest on the flight. But that is just the journey to Istanbul…there is more when you arrive! Istanbul is an old, historic and very beautiful city. Although its old age is apparent, it is not all wrinkles and bent backs. The ancient walls have been kept for posterity but they stand firm and well maintained. The buildings aged thousands of years still look sturdy and stand proud. I guess that is what gives one the feeling of awe being in Istanbul. Many modern buildings dot the city and the roads are certainly up to date and beautiful flowers grow on the road sides giving the city a bright, colourful and happy feel. The Turks are friendly and especially love Blacks. In most cities where there are a few Blacks, they are often regarded with suspicion and frowned upon.
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Not so in Istanbul; the darker you are, the more fascinating to them! This is surprising considering that Turkey is not a common destination for the African migrant. Istanbul is a city between two continents – on the one side you can see Europe and on the other you step into Asia. Take a boat ride or ride the ferry from one point to another and you will have visited Asia and Europe in one day. The boat ride also gives you an opportunity to view the two continents from a distance. The Castles that were built thousands of years ago that dot the shores and are now kept as Museums will give you a view of architectural history. Those days they built to last! You can visit a number of interesting and historical sites in Istanbul. The Hagia Sophia previously built as a church was later converted into a mosque and is now kept as a Museum. The magnificent building is indeed an architectural master piece as well as an artist’s paradise. It stands for the religious tolerance Turkey is proud of with both Christian and Islamic motifs uniting on the walls and the high dome of the building. The Yerebatan Cistern may be an eerie place with its huge columns, dim lights and wet floors but it is an interesting architectural structure. It was built to supply water to the Royals at the Palace. Presently cultural events are held in the building and some fish have swam in that water for years. When it comes to dining, Istanbul restaurants serve cuisines from all over the world. But don’t miss a chance to taste Turkish food. The menu includes
plenty of sea food, meats, breads, vegetables and desserts. Turks fancy yorghurt and various aromatic spices in their food preparation which gives their delicious dishes an exotic taste. Dinner time is a relaxed affair and can last up to two hours without long waiting times. No visit to any modern city is complete without a shopping trip. The Grand Bazaar is the epitome of shopping with over 20 entrances and 3500 shops selling all products ranging from gold to food. Needless to say, the Grand Bazaar is huge and one can spend hours and hours seeing, shopping and eating there. The great thing about it is that prices are negotiable and part of the experience is getting a good bargain. If you fancy a more modern shopping experience, shopping malls of various sizes all over the city stock branded goods and you can enjoy your kind of shopping there. Turkey is known for its textile industry. When it’s time to leave, Turkish Airlines’ CIP lounge at the Ataturk International Airport is considered one of Europe’s best. It is open to Business Class passengers and offers a wide range of refreshments, entertainment, a chance to freshen up and rest before you take off. The amazing thing about Turskish Airlines is that you do not have to enjoy all these by making Istanbul your destination. If you are in transit longer than 6 hours, Turkish Airlines through its ‘touristanbul’ service, will take you out of the airport and into the city and show you Istanbul’s most popular tourist sites as you wait for your next flight. The Englishman who said you can’t have your cake and eat it had not experienced Turkish Airlines’ service!TSM aryantu@yahoo.com
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The ServiceMag revealed results of a customer satisfaction survey where readers voted for their best service providers in a range of thirteen categories. The event was held at the Gorilla Golf Hotel on March 21st, 2013.
WINNERS
Restaurants – Camellia Tea House Supermarkets – Nakumatt Health providers – CHUK Government Departments – Immigration and Emigration Districts – Nyarugenge / Kigali ISP – Broadband Systems Corporation Telecom – Airtel
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Pay TV – CANAL+ Hotels – Nyungwe Forest Lodge Road Transport – Volcano Express Airlines – Qatar Airways Insurance – Military Medical Insurance Banking – Equity Bank
The SERVICEMAG Jun - AugProvider 2013 Overall Best Service – Rwanda Directorate of Immigration and Emigration
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AT YOUR SERVICE
IRAGUHA
Francis, founder and Managing Director of FRANCIS Zahabu Ltd was born on the 12thAugust-1984. He started business with a capital of 20,000 francs in 2008. He started selling second hand clothes which he carried around in his in back bag. ‘It was really a hard journey for me, but I had a feeling that whatever it would take, I would do because I was committed to it and was determined to succeed’ Francis shares. In order to promote my business, I knew I had to be well known. I decided to model for different companies for advertising billboards and videos. I had a vision of opening up my own shop selling clothes from different
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designers within two years. I was able to achieve this goal and ‘GUESS WHO’ shop was opened at Kisimenti along airport road. I then continued to expand the network of my customers and fans. After selling a variety of brands in his shop, Francis thought to himself ‘why don’t I create my own brand?’ In 2012 December the of FRANCIS Zahabu brand was started for the Rwandan market. Today FRANCIS Zahabu Ltd makes individual clothes and creates corporate brands including uniforms, shirts, t-shirts and suits. “The journey is still long but I hope to overcome the challenges” Francis affirms. Francis was inspired to pursue his own passion in business by a gentleman he met who told him he had opened a bar because he loved to drink beer and realized that he could drink as much beer as he wanted and still make a profit if he owned the bar himself. That set Francis thinking, he could design his own brand and sell that too in addition to the other brands he was already selling. His business gives him the opportunity to put his creativity to use and that is what he loves about it. He loves to develop the seemingly small ideas he has and see them grow. When people appreciate what he has designed or when he meets people wearing his brand, what he creates it makes him very proud of what he does and boosts further creativity. Enjoyable though his business may be, it is not without challenges. The fashion industry in Rwanda is still a young industry and most people do not understand fashion or value the energy and commitment to fashion. Most people
would rather spend their money on a well known international brand than a local one. He is confident that with commitment, however he will overcome the challenges and see this industry grow even in Rwanda. The other challenge is that the fashion industry needs raw materials, research, marketing and all this requires funds and Francis and the others in that line of business must seek financing. A typical day for Francis starts at 5am when he wakes up and has spends some time praying. He then does some physical exercise and is at work at 8am. Work starts with a brief meeting with his team. The rest of the day is his work is with meetings with clients and business partners as well as selling. His free time includes playing football, meeting friends and family and listening to the radio or maybe watching a movie. He is also interested in keeping in the know about world politics and what is happening in his community. To the young people who have a dream to be part of the fashion industry, Francis encourages them not to worry about competition, to be confident and be committed to what they have set out to do in order to succeed. ‘They must be innovative, creative, hard working and patient,’ he adds. There will be challenges to face and people may discourage them but they need to keep going, Francis encourages. Francis emphasizes care for clients, honesty and professionalism. ‘We need to remember where we come from and where we want to be’ he says. His business slogan is ‘Let’s take it to another level’ and in addition to his business, Francis feels a duty to build Rwanda to another level.TSM
The SERVICEMAG Jun - Aug You 2013 too share with our readers how you chose your career, developed it, your challenges and what you enjoy most about it. Write to : editor@theservicemag.com
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