After a 20, year career in poverty alleviation and integrated development with various United Nations Agencies and other Development organizations, Ms. Gakuba returned to her native Rwanda in 2004.

She then started one of Rwanda’s most thriving businesses in horticulture and has been hailed by international leaders as an example of the potential success of entrepreneurship in economically revitalizing economies in African countries.

In 2005, she was appointed Chair person of the board of Rwanda Air making her the first African female to chair the board of a national airline Beatrice Gakubais Food security and Nutrition Expert, Senior Content Adviser in Agribusiness, Social innovator, and a seasoned entrepreneur. She is very passionate about issues related to women in Agribusiness and economic empowerment.

As the primary growers, processors and marketers of agricultural products in Africa, women play a vital role in the continent’s economic development. During the past decade, the number of women in agribusiness has soared. But a severe lack of information on trends, opportunities and challenges in agricultural domestic and export markets had stunted the growth of their enterprises.

AWAN-Afrika was established in response to the changes in the global market and opportunities that will be offered by the Africa Continental Free Trade Area(AfCFTA); Zone de Libre Echange Continentale Africaine (ZLECA) with a vision to create a platform for African women and youth in Agribusiness to access market, trade information and get access to finance so as to become significant players in the continent and in global trade.

AWAN-Afrika subscribes to Agenda 2063 particularly the Malabo declaration on Agriculture and Agenda 2030 in developing a people driven, relying on potential of African people especially its women and youth. Globally, we are aligned to the SDGs.

AWAN-Afrika’s secretariat is based in Nairobi, Kenya and we are present in 37 countries represented by our champions. Our network comprises of individual members’ businesses including producers, processors, aggregators, export companies and input suppliers among others across the continent and globally. The organization provides women-owned and youth-owned agribusinesses with an E-Hub, which is a repository of information on agriculture along value chains and supply chains. AWAN Under 30 champions are the youth of either gender engaged in agribusiness.

In our Value Proposition, we are focusing on knowledge and targeted advocacy, in response to the challenges in the development of agribusiness. AWAN-Afrika provides access to digital technologies and innovations to increase productivity; facilitates access to markets and accelerates women and youth inclusion in the agriculture sector, through a value chain development approach.

Our propositional bet is that the youth are the ones that are going to change the face of agriculture in Africa. They are bringing in new ideas, taking risks and embracing new technologies. AWAN Afrika is bringing a positive wave of change into the agricultural sector in Africa.

Most significant recognitions: Listed by Confidenciel Afrique as one of Africa’s top 20 emblematic personalities who inspired Africans in 2019. Confidenciel Afrique has a global reach of 13 million+ readers.

Remarks by the President of The World Bank, Dr. Paul Wolfowitz, at United Nations 2005 World Summit; The Story of Beatrice Gakuba: “In Rwanda I met a remarkable woman whose hard work and determination symbolize the talents and dreams of millions of Africans. Beatrice Gakuba left a comfortable life in the West to start a flower-growing business in her native Rwanda. Against enormous odds, her small farm grew, creating jobs for nearly 200 rural women. When I asked Beatrice why she decided to take on such a daunting challenge, she replied, ‘I came here to grow beautiful flowers on the ashes of genocide.’ Her biggest obstacle to creating even more jobs is not a lack of skilled workers or entrepreneurial spirit; it is a weak infrastructure that makes electricity unreliable and transportation unaffordable…As we gather here today, let us not forget the Beatrice Gakubas of the world, who stand poised to transform their countries.”

Ms. Gakuba has also spoken at numerous international conferences: on a Presidential panel for UNIDO General Assembly in Vienna in 2012,atthe Women’s Economic Empowerment a Smart Economics summit held in Berlin in February 2007, organized by the Ministry of International Cooperation of Germany. During the dinner gala she was recognized alongside Mrs. Ngozi Iwela, the former MD of the World Bank and Minister of Finance of Nigeria as being among the top leaders of promoting Smart Economics for women in the world.

Ms. Gakuba has also featured in various documentaries (Rwanda Rising and UN in Action) and international media features such as CNN (Spanish and Portuguese), BBC, TV5, TPA PBS, and other international radios including RFI and DW.