From a living room in Kigali, Francine Munyaneza began building a business around one of Africa’s most pressing challenges — access to reliable energy.
In 2013, when she started Munyax Eco, the company had no impressive headquarters or large team. Her living room served as an office and shop, while her personal savings provided the money needed to get the idea off the ground.
More than a decade later, Munyax Eco has grown into a clean-energy business providing solar solutions in Rwanda.
For Ms Munyaneza, the decision to enter the energy sector was driven by what she saw as an opportunity to solve a problem affecting households and businesses.
Her training in business administration and finance gave her a foundation, but building the company required lessons that could not be learnt in a classroom.
She had to find customers, manage limited resources and convince people to invest in solar technology.
The early years were particularly demanding.
Like many entrepreneurs, Ms Munyaneza had to build the business gradually while learning how to manage the competing demands of growth, finance and customer expectations.
Her persistence eventually attracted international attention.
Munyax Eco won the Africa’s Business Heroes competition, earning a $100,000 prize and giving the company greater visibility.
The award also placed Ms Munyaneza among a growing group of African women entrepreneurs building businesses in sectors traditionally dominated by men.
Energy is one of them.
Across Africa, unreliable electricity and limited access to power continue to create challenges for households and businesses. At the same time, the continent’s growing population and expanding economies are creating demand for alternative energy solutions.
This has opened space for entrepreneurs developing decentralised systems, particularly solar power.
For Ms Munyaneza, however, entrepreneurship is not simply about the business.
She has increasingly become involved in initiatives supporting other African entrepreneurs, including the Africa’s Business Heroes programme.
Her own experience has given her a perspective on what it takes to build a company from limited resources.
The story of Munyax Eco is therefore also a story about starting with what is available.
There was no large office when the business began. There was a living room, an idea and a willingness to take a risk.
Ms Munyaneza’s journey shows that successful enterprises can emerge from modest beginnings — provided entrepreneurs are prepared to learn, adapt and keep building.
For aspiring women entrepreneurs, perhaps the most important lesson is that the absence of perfect conditions does not necessarily have to be a reason to wait.
Sometimes, the business begins with what is available — and grows from there.
