GAMECO: Promoting ‘Made in Rwanda’ products through the furniture sub sector

Promoting ‘Made in Rwanda’ products through the furniture sub sector

For many years Gashayija has been engaged in the furniture industry and now lives to tell an interesting success story. Gashayiza is founder member of ADARWA, a cooperative that brings together carpenters around the city of Kigali. He is also the owner and proprietor of AGAMECO. Out of his initiative the cooperative was founded in 1988 in Kigali city. BACKGROUND

According to Gashayiza, the war in 1994 that shattered almost all institutions in the country did not exempt ADARWA. Operations came to a standstill as there was no favorable working environment. “During this period everyone was on his own, without any peace, people had taken refuge in neighboring countries and Rwanda was left for the dead. However, after the war had ended, people started getting back to rebuild what had been ruined,” He says. He adds that, it was at this time that he also initiated the idea of reviving the dying cooperative. Gashayiza participated in receiving the returnees and helping them to cope with the situation that was at that time.

Through hard work and resilience, the cooperative members worked so tirelessly to put back together what the

cooperative had lost during the war. Today the cooperative works in its own building, with offices that gives them the pride of having an address.

Gashayija gives a testimony about ADARWA and says that it is one of the strong cooperatives in the country. It started simply as an association that has today grown in a big business corporation. “The vast development of ADARWA is attributed to the new leadership which was very helpful to us,” says Gashayija. The cooperative members have also experienced a lot of improvement in both their financial status and socio-well being. Many of them own vehicle, good houses and they are able to educate and look after their families without any hardship.

In the same premises, Gashayija, in a way of diversifying and expanding his Business Empire, he opened up his own company in 2014 and named GAMECO, also dealing in furniture products, and other building materials like paints, tiles, building tools, lime, to mention but a few. Today the company has grown into a departmental store with different stores including hardware, paint and furniture

Gashayija Justin, proprietor of GAMECO.

marts. GAMECO supplies a variety of products to prisons, hospitals, hotels, and schools in different districts. This year AGAMECO has been the supplier of building materials for schools in the district of Gisagara, Southern Province.

When talking about reducing unemployment in the country Gashayiza explains that the company employs 12 workers that have various sales skills working in different sections.

GAMECO is only 2 years in operation but has shown significant development and there is much evidence that it will grow even bigger to become the leading furniture and building material distributor in the country.

THE FUTURE

Since ADARWA is now able to produce products that can be demanded on international market, it is now time enough to promote made in Rwanda. “This will help Rwandans to develop further since our production will have a share at the international market.

“The future is very promising for GAMECO,” says Gashayija. He adds that his company is setting strategies to continuously improve on the services and products they offer to their clients. As our products improve on the quality, the value and price will definitely increase, which means increased capital and hence rise in members’ incomes.

Speaking about promoting made in Rwanda products, Gashayija calls upon Rwandans to change mindset and become positive towards locally produced products. He notes that buying and consuming locally produced items helps promote local industries while buying at reduced price.

Gashayija further calls upon Rwandans to embrace working together in cooperatives, noting that “two heads are better that one”. In addition, Rwandans should keep up the spirit of hard work which he says is the best tool to development while other factors follow.

Gashayija commends the government of Rwanda for its good and visionary leadership that allows for all Rwandans to develop in whatever they do. “After the war, the government was and has always been very supportive and this is one reason that AGAMECO and ADARWA have moved to such very significant level of growth,” he says. As members of ADARWA and a proprietor of AGAMECO will continue supporting the government as we struggle for the development of the country.