In February last year, Rwandan techpreneur Akaliza Keza Gara was chosen from a list of nominees to represent her region (East Africa) at the Microsoft 4Afrika council. She was selected alongside 3 regional young influencers (Nigeria’s Chude Jideonwo, Morocco’s Tayeb Sbihi and Cameroon’s Olivia Mukam) as a member of the 4Afrika Advisory Council to make sure that the voice of Africa large youths are heard.
Akaliza is the founder of Shaking sun, a Multimedia company which offers wide range of services including website development, video editing, graphic designs and animations. She also serves as a mentor at open technology hub “KLab” and a member of Girls in ICT Rwanda. The University of Kent Multimedia technology and Design graduate is passionate about advocating the importance of learning ICT skills to all African youths.
Ventures Africa speaks with Akaliza about her life, role as a member of the council and the African ICT market:
VA: How has growing-up influenced the person you are today?
Aklaiza: I always find it difficult to answer when people ask me where I grew up – because I grew up in so many different places. Before I was 18 I had lived in 8 different countries and had visited many more. Now, at 27 I have been to at least 18 different countries. I would say that this has made me quite open to different cultures and I also easily adapt when placed in new situations. I love change and I am always on the lookout for a new adventure.
VA: You have always been interested in technology. and why the focus on Girl ICT development?
Aklaiza: I was blessed to have a family computer that I had access to from a very young age. Back then, you had to type commands into the computer to get it to load a game or any kind of program. I enjoyed experimenting with the different commands to see what I could get the computer to do. At the same time, I have always had a passion for art – I love to draw, paint and even sculpt when I had the opportunity. I saw multimedia as a means to combine my passion for art and my skill in technology.
The focus on improving the ratio of women to men in the ICT sector came much later. As a teenager I really liked being one of the only girls in class – it made me feel special. As an adult, however, as I began to understand why so few girls pursued tech careers, it began to bother me. One of the big reasons is the low number of female role models. As a member of Girls In ICT Rwanda, this is one of the issues we are tackling.
VA: Over the years, you have achieved quite a lot, sometimes it generates envy. How do you get credibility and recognition for your work as a young IT professional?
Akaliza: As is the case, I suspect, in any industry, there are those who support me and those who are not happy with my success. That said, overall, I would say that most of my peers have been very supportive. We are trying to develop a collaborative and intellectually stimulating tech community in Rwanda.
As for credibility, I think your work will speak for you. If you do good work, especially in a tightly knit community like we have in Kigali, people will hear of it. I have been blessed to receive a lot of press for my work but this does not help much with getting clients. Sometimes people will recognise me in shops or at conferences but they rarely go on to ask for my services. I would say 90 percent of the new clients I get are recommended from former or current clients, or are those who I’ve met through networking events and then sent examples of my company’s work.
VA: Have you ever been faced with gender discrimination issues? If so, how did you overcome such a challenge?
Akaliza: With my clients, I have never faced any issues. They are more concerned with getting a good service than my gender. At networking events within the industry, I do have to deal with offensive comments but this is quite rare – certainly not as common as they seem to be in countries like the USA, from stories that I have read online. Most of these comments stem from ignorance and I hope that as more women join the industry this kind of ignorance will be quashed.
VA: How has your mentorship role at KLab influenced your new position as a Microsoft4Africa Council member?
Akaliza: My role in kLab involves sharing my experience as an entrepreneur with fellow members in the hope that they can learn from my mistakes and be inspired by my successes. As a member of Microsoft 4Afrika my role involves sharing the stories of youth from my region so that Microsoft can know how best to meet the needs and make the most of the unique opportunities that exist here to use technology to positively impact the community.
VA: What are the challenges and prospects of Africa ICT development?
Akaliza: I don’t think I can speak for the whole continent of Africa, but I can speak about my country, Rwanda – and perhaps some of my experiences are shared by other Africans. The majority, if not all, of the ICT hardware we use is imported – and remember we are a landlocked country. This is obviously a challenge because it greatly increases the costs we incur – especially those of us starting up ICT businesses.
The prospects are immense – that is the exciting part. The industry is small but growing daily – new ICT startups are popping up everywhere. The young population recognises the value and opportunity of the ICT industry. In Rwanda, we also have a lot of government support in terms of ICT training opportunities and support for entrepreneurs.
VA: How can young individuals realize their dream using ICT as a tool?
Akaliza: I would advise any individual, young or old, to make the most of the free courses online. The programming languages that I use today when developing websites, I learnt online and not in school.
VA: What motivated the establishment of Shaking Sun?
Akaliza: I worked as a consultant for a couple of years before I registered my business. When I got more clients than I could handle I felt it was time to set up business and train others I can work with. It has been rollercoaster experience – many highs and many lows.
VA: What other projects aside an animation studio are you working on?
Akaliza: I am an active member of Girls In ICT Rwanda and that work keeps me very busy. All our members are volunteers so we do the work because of our passion to change the face of the ICT industry. We recently organised a competition for female university students called, Ms. Geek Rwanda, which was very popular and for which we received a lot of support from all sectors – government, NGOs and even the private sector.
VA: What inspires you?
Akaliza: I often receive encouraging messages from young students, both boys and girls, who are interested in pursuing a career in ICT and have been inspired by my story. This is a very humbling experience and gives me even more drive and commitment to my work.
My faith in God is my biggest inspiration. I know that one day we will all have to account for how we spent our lives and this knowledge pushes me to make the most of the opportunities I’ve been given.
VA: Who is (are) your mentor(s) and how have they influenced your entrepreneurial journey?
Akaliza: Having a mentor is helpful in keeping your grounded and focused. My parents have been wonderful mentors to me in different ways. My father’s incredible work ethic has amazed me since I was a child, as does my mother’s gift to connect with people from different cultures and backgrounds. I am also greatly influenced by my peers in the tech industry in Rwanda. One of my favourite aspects of visiting kLab is learning from the inspiring stories of the other members – many of whom are my mentors without even knowing it!
VA: Your advice to budding techpreneurs?
Akaliza: My advice would be to make sure your product or service is one you are passionate about. Running a business is very taxing and that passion can push you through the tough times. I would also advise you to do thorough research. Just because your idea excites you, it doesn’t mean there is a paying market for it. Lastly, I would say that, especially in the tech field, don’t spend money before you need to. Take advantage of the many free and open resources available to you.
