{"id":118381,"date":"2025-12-31T16:42:40","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T16:42:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/former-hawkers-complete-rwf450m-building-in-rubavu"},"modified":"2025-12-31T17:34:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T17:34:12","slug":"former-hawkers-complete-rwf450m-building-in-rubavu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/former-hawkers-complete-rwf450m-building-in-rubavu","title":{"rendered":"Former hawkers complete Rwf450m building in Rubavu"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>Former street vendors in Rubavu town have completed a Rwf 450 million commercial building, marking a major milestone in their transition from informal hawking to the formal business sector.<\/p>\n

The multi-storey building was constructed through collective savings and loans by members of the Unama Ukore Gisenyi Cooperative, which brings together 115 former hawkers\u201480 women and 35 men, who previously operated without permanent business premises in Rubavu and neighbouring Goma town in the Democratic Republic of Congo.<\/p>\n

The cooperative traces its roots to a modest Rwf 1 million support package from Rubavu District, which helped members stabilise their activities and laid the foundation for the group\u2019s formal organisation.<\/p>\n

For many members, the project represents a dramatic turnaround from years of hardship. Franc\u0327oise Akimana, 38, recalls the daily struggles of street vending, especially for women trying to support their families while constantly evading law enforcement officers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking on the streets was a very difficult experience. People did not value our goods, and we were always running,\u201d she said. \u201cNow we are settled, and my income has increased from about Rwf 20,000 to Rwf 30,000 per month.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another member, Betty Kayonga, echoed similar sentiments, highlighting the risks hawkers faced. \u201cWe could be arrested at any time, leaving our children alone. Even pregnant women had to run,\u201d she said. \u201cLife was harsh, but now I can afford food and quality education for my children.\u201d<\/p>\n

Justine Umugwaneza, the head of Unama Ukore Gisenyi, said the cooperative now aims to expand its activities beyond Rubavu, supporting efforts to reduce street vending and help more people, particularly women enter the formal economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started as hawkers in Gisenyi, some even smuggling goods from Goma,\u201d Umugwaneza said. \u201cWith advice to leave the streets and support from the district, we decided to work together to improve our livelihoods.\u201d<\/p>\n

She acknowledged, however, that street vending remains a challenge, with some people still operating informally despite ongoing efforts to formalise small businesses.<\/p>\n

Rubavu District Mayor, Prosper Mulindwa, praised the cooperative for aligning its operations with national standards, including compliance with the Electronic Billing Machine (EBM) system.<\/p>\n

Trade and Industry Minister Prudence Sebahizi also lauded the initiative, saying the building exceeds expectations given its reported cost. \u201cLooking at it, one would think it cost a billion francs,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is an inspiring success story that shows what is possible when people come together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Founded in 2019, Unama Ukore Gisenyi Cooperative began construction of the building in August 2024, supported in part by a Rwf 100,000 bank loan.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Rwanda<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. Former street vendors in Rubavu town have completed a Rwf 450 million commercial building, marking a major milestone in their transition from informal hawking to the formal business sector. The multi-storey building was constructed through collective savings and loans by members of the Unama Ukore Gisenyi Cooperative, which brings together 115 former […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":118380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,14],"tags":[349,9166,6028,843,758,725],"class_list":["post-118381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-business","tag-commercial-builidings","tag-real-estate","tag-rubavu","tag-rwanda","tag-trade"],"yoast_head":"\nFormer hawkers complete Rwf450m building in Rubavu - Rwanda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Former street vendors in Rubavu town have completed a Rwf 450 million commercial building, marking a major milestone in ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/former-hawkers-complete-rwf450m-building-in-rubavu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Former hawkers complete Rwf450m building in Rubavu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Former street vendors in Rubavu town have completed a Rwf 450 million commercial building, marking a major milestone in ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/former-hawkers-complete-rwf450m-building-in-rubavu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rwanda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-31T16:42:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-31T17:34:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2025\/12\/sm_1767189807.710385.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"724\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/former-hawkers-complete-rwf450m-building-in-rubavu#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/former-hawkers-complete-rwf450m-building-in-rubavu\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Former hawkers complete Rwf450m building in Rubavu\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-31T16:42:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-31T17:34:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/former-hawkers-complete-rwf450m-building-in-rubavu\"},\"wordCount\":428,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/former-hawkers-complete-rwf450m-building-in-rubavu#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2025\/12\/sm_1767189807.710385.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"business\",\"Commercial builidings\",\"Real Estate\",\"Rubavu\",\"Rwanda\",\"trade\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/former-hawkers-complete-rwf450m-building-in-rubavu#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/former-hawkers-complete-rwf450m-building-in-rubavu\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/former-hawkers-complete-rwf450m-building-in-rubavu\",\"name\":\"Former hawkers complete Rwf450m building in Rubavu - 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