As we conclude the year 2023, some cannot help but say that it did not go very well, especially in the economic sector due to the rise in prices, and for the traders, they say that the customers have significantly decreased compared to what they used to see in the past years. These impacts also reached the youth involved in business.
Some of those we spoke with mentioned that they did not see the profits they expected and their goals were not achieved.
Ingabire Marie Claire, an agent selling telecommunication services in the city of Kigali, has been in this job for about two years. For her, this year did not go well because the number of customers decreased.
She said, “Compared to other years, this one was not good because the number of customers decreased and the economic problem increased.”
Her colleague Bigirimana Emmanuel, who works in transporting people and goods on a motorcycle, also said that the economy was not strong this year because there was not much money.
He said, “As someone who just started a new family and is no longer single, I needed more money than I used to spend to ensure my family’s well-being, but it was not readily available.”
Because this year did not go as well as they expected, there are various lessons they have learned, and they are hopeful that these will be beneficial in this new year we are starting.
Bigirimana learned that he should be cautious in life because it can change at any moment.
Uwamahoro Charlotte, who sells children’s and adults’ clothing, said that the lesson she learned from the past year is to manage her money well.
She said, “The important lesson I learned this year is that I need to manage my money well. The reason is that sales were slow due to the rise in prices of food and other things, and the rent is high. If I hadn’t managed my money well, I wouldn’t have been able to pay the rent for this place I work from.”
However, for Ishimwe Nadine, who works at Noble Design, the year went well because they had many customers and their business expanded. The lesson she learned from the past year is not to give up.
She said, “This year taught me not to give up and not to doubt myself. Sometimes you start and things seem difficult, but as time goes by, things start to fall into place.”
All of them show that they are hopeful that this new year we are starting will be better than the one we just finished.
They say that considering how some food prices have started to decrease and the economy is getting back on track, they are hopeful that this new year will be better and the number of customers will increase.
They are planning to work even harder to increase their profits and advance to a more satisfying level. For those who are hesitant to work or have projects but are too afraid to start, their advice is to be brave and start working because you cannot profit without working.
Uwamahoro particularly encourages the youth and women to work hard and bravely because there is hope for profit.
She said, “I would advise the youth and women to be brave and start working. Especially women, they should understand that one cannot live without working. They must work and put in effort to succeed.”
