Turning Finance into Harvests: KOPUBIGA’s Story in Bugesera
KOPUBIGA Cooperative members harvesting tomatoes in their field. In the wetlands of Kanyonyomba, 135 farmers shared the same problem where they had land and ambition, but no way to pay for what they needed to grow. Without individual collateral or limited business track record, banks would not lend to them. This made it hard for […]
Growing Beyond Borders: Isangano-Bumbogo’s Journey from Local Farming to Export Markets
Emmerance Mukamurigo, president of Isangano-Bumbogo Cooperative. In 2017, twenty-eight farmers in the Bumbogo Sector of Gasabo District came together with a goal to grow vegetables and fruit on a shared plot of land and build a better life through agriculture. They called themselves Isangano-Bumbogo, and their president, Emmerance Mukamurigo, remembers those early days well. “We […]
How Abajyana Nigihe Kabere Cooperative is Empowering Women, Strengthening Communities?
How Abajyana Nigihe Kabere Cooperative is Empowering Women, Strengthening Communities? For years, many women in rural Rwanda rarely participated in household decision-making or held leadership positions in their communities. Today, that narrative has changed, with women increasingly taking on leadership roles, improving household incomes and driving local economic transformation through cooperatives. At Abajyana Nigihe Kabere […]
When Vision Goes Beyond Sight: The Story of Jean Damascène Sinzabaheza
When vision goes beyond sight: a person with disability, a cooperative leader transforming lives in Musanze Jean Damascène Sinzabaheza, a person with a visual disability and president of Dukomeze Ubuzima Cooperative, stands beside a potato harvest, highlighting the impact of Center for Development Policy’s support. When Jean Damascène Sinzabaheza lost his sight, many assumed his […]
FEATURED: Untapped potential behind cross border trade (Published by The NewTimes)
Link: https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/16344/news/featured/featured-untapped-potential-behind-cross-border-trade 80% of Rwanda’s cross-border trade is estimated to be small-scale, unrecorded, informal, and cross-border. This reflects the potential that informal trade has towards the country’s economy. However, lack of enough data in the informal sector complicates the efforts aimed at transforming cross border trade, a report by the Center for Development Policy (CDP) […]