Rosemary Enie chose not to allow the death of her mother, as traumatic an experience as it was, to stop her from accomplishing her dream of establishing a social environment enterprise that promotes sustainable agricultural projects.
Instead, she decided to make her late mother proud by honoring her legacy.
“In 2020, I lost my mother during the time of COVID-19, hence there were several challenges to kick-start SHE Africa in the Kigali capital city of Rwanda,” revealed Rosemary.
“However, in March 2022, I finally registered Salama Heritage Ecovillage (SHE) Africa driving by the desire to reach such a milestone as a way to remember her.”
SHE Africa is a Social Environmental Enterprise (SEE) based in Southern Province of Rwanda.
“We promote Climate Smart Agriculture such as sustainably improved agricultural productivity and income. We also help strengthen resilience to climate change by reducing agriculture’s contribution to climate change and enhancing the achievement of food security and food self-sufficiency in Rwanda and across East Africa,” Rosemary adds.
Solid Academic Grounding
Rosemary’s story starts in Cameroon, where she was born on 27 August 1966. Her entrepreneurial spark was ignited at a very young age.
“I grew up in a middle-class Cameroonian family but started selling from a young age as a hobby using my pocket money to make profit.”
She completed her primary and secondary education in Limbe, a southwestern region in Cameroon.
She proved to be so intelligent at school that she was given a scholarship by the Cameroon government to complete her Bachelor of Science in Geology at the University of Calabar (Nigeria) and a Master’s Degree in Petroleum Geochemistry at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (Nigeria).
In between her studies she was an entrepreneur.
“As a student I had the opportunity to do trade between Nigeria and Cameroon, meaning during the holidays, I would buy some goods from Nigeria to sell in Cameroon and after my holidays I would buy goods from Cameroon to sell in Nigeria. This gave me an opportunity to undertake cross border trade even as a university student.
“In 1993, I went for further studies in the UK. While in the UK, my mother used to send me some African craft and cultural products which I used to sell during local exhibitions and at the local street markets in London, Oxford and Cambridge. These experiences remain with me till this day.”
The Birth of SHE Africa
After working in the non-profit organization space for about 25 years, she set her sights on establishing a business that would promote environmental issues such as the fight against climate change.
“In 2014, while in Dar es Salaam Tanzania, I decided to establish Salama Heritage Ecovillage (SHE) Tanzania as a Social Environmental Enterprise (SEE) in partnership with some Tanzanian friends and Elite Ventures Africa (EVA) Ltd with a cousin based in the US.
“SHE Tanzania undertook environmental projects working with schools and communities across Tanzania while EVA Ltd put together a Cassava Processing Plant in Bagamoyo District to produce 25 products from cassava four.”
Her decision to move to Rwanda and register her company there proved to be a turning point in her life.
Promoting a Sustainable Africa
Based in Bushenyi area of Rwanda SHE Africa connects communities for a sustainable Africa by.
SHE Africa supports social, environmental and cultural enterprises within the areas of education, vocational training, research centers and cultural enterprises.
SHE Africa also works in collaboration with Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) producing a variety of quality consumer products in the field of delicious organic foods, beautiful textiles, arts and crafts.
The products are made from ingredients of organic farming. This method undertakes to restore and maintain the vitality of the soil, water and food under the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus as well as the biodiversity of nature.
Overcoming Challenges
Lack of knowledge about her line of work has often presented many challenges to Rosemary and her team.
“Working as a Social Environmental Entrepreneur (SEE), I do face numerous challenges such as lack of understanding of my business model as well as a lack of finance.
“To overcome such challenges, I spend time educating people about the importance of the Green Economy, Blue Economy and Circular Economy in today’s world. I also highlight why these models are very important in promoting sustainable livelihoods, sustainable development and resilience community building across East Africa.”
To mitigate financial challenges, SHE Africa has built solid partnerships with local banks by highlighting the importance of their work to their partners and stakeholders.
Notable Milestones
Rosemary’s international stature and achievements are a huge inspiration to many women entrepreneurs looking to follow in her footsteps.
Over the years, she has been invited to numerous international conferences where she has shared her expertise to a global audience.
“At the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Congress in Barcelona Spain, October 2008, I was amongst the 40 International Women Environmental Entrepreneurs invited to the exhibition during the congress.
“In 2009, my story was published in the Exceptional People Magazine from Atlanta Georgia, USA. At the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC), Copenhagen Climate Summit 2009 (COP 15) December 2009 I organized the ‘Society for Women Environmental Entrepreneurs and Traders -SWEET’ Fair at the Greenlandic House in Copenhagen-Denmark for women from the Global South
“The European Union (EU) nominated me as one of their Exceptional Women representing Africa under the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) in March 2014 during the Women’s Day celebration at the EU head office in Brussels, Belgium.”
‘Don’t be intimidated by failure’
To others who are hoping to succeed in her industry, Rosemary advises them to develop a keen interest in their work.
“The Social Environmental Entreprise (SEE) sector is very new especially in Africa and other countries of the Global Sector. My advice to SMEs, especially young Africans, is to develop interest in this sector because this is the sector of the future.
“They should try to gain more knowledge about the sector and how they can become involved in this sector. We are in a changing world
“Failure is a part of your journey to success. Don’t be intimidated by failure. You learn from it and move on. Take time to celebrate your success and small wins. Truly it is these small wins that lead you to bigger success.”
