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Ngabo Karegeya: On Becoming a Changemaker
My name is Ngabo Karegeya, usually called Ibererya Bigogwe. I promote tourism and culture here at Nyabihu in a beautiful place called “Ibererya Bigogwe”.
I graduated from the College of Business and Economics/SFB in Kigali and could not imagine that I would return to the countryside after graduation as most young people stay in Kigali after graduation. At school, I always wondered what kind of business I could do online using the university’s free Wi-Fi.
When the 2020 COVID-19 came, most people hated it, but it allowed me to use my Facebook account to post various photos related to my lifestyle in Bigogue Village. Since the Bigogwe area is dedicated to livestock, I posted on my Facebook account every day about cows and people started to like my posts. Back then, my younger brother challenged me to open a Twitter account and we had a big argument, convincing him that Facebook is more reliable than Twitter for news updates so we decided to take a gamble to see who wins and I ended up opening a Twitter account.
I kept posting while doing the same thing on Facebook, tagging different people I knew and did not know, and within a few weeks,
I had 1000 followers on Twitter. We went back to school, and I continued to post, not realizing I was starting a business while on campus called Ibere rya Bigogwe.
When I finished my studies and decided to start a business, people became interested in visiting this place and asked me to help them on tours, showing them the cows and sharing milk. When the number of visitors to Bigogwe started to increase, I decided to start “Ibere Rya Bigogwe” as a company operating in Rwanda. I had the opportunity to find clients from different places of all ages and teach them all about cow life and I have not applied for a job since. I have also been invited to many TV shows including France24 and many others where I shared my journey. Recently I started receiving people from abroad who are interested in learning more about cows and tourism in Bigogwe. I have fixed prices for visitors to Bigogwe and special discounts for Rwandans who wish to visit Bigogwe.
I had the opportunity to attend various meetings that inspire me, including Youth Connect, and recently I got the opportunity to sign a contract with Rubavu District, where I am the sole person who is allowed to bring visitors to Ibere Rya Bigogwe.
The challenge I still have is not having enough capital to invest in the company that I dream off, but I hope my company will grow as I designed a master plan of infrastructure worth 50 million Rwandan Francs. In short, I give advice to young people around me, work hard, think positively, be patient and do what you love and what is unique and different from all the other companies around you.