Business
Ventures Africa Speaks With Microsoft 4Afrika Youth Council Member Akaliza Gara
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.
