A Rwandan Environmental Scientist Is Leading the Way to Development

Rwandan environmental chemist Emmanuel Tuyisenge has used his STEM education to help create affordable housing options in Rwanda.

TuyisengeRwanda-based construction company now has a CEO TEMACO BuildersHe says he is currently working on three projects that he believes will make a difference in the lives of many people in Rwanda and Africa.

He says, “I have been working on a low-cost and eco-friendly toilet prototype from 2018 and as of now I’ve served and installed EcoTeto (Ecological Temaco Toilets) to over 5,000 households.”

Tuyisenge also explains that he is currently working to modernize Rwanda’s building decoration material using cladding stones or other new decorative stones.

“I am exploring different styles and shapes, colors, and patterns that will transform interior or exterior house decoration, taking full advantage of the booming sector in my country,” he said. “This is an area full od challenges, but it also abounds on opportunities.”

Tuyisenge stated that his long-term goal was to provide affordable housing solutions. He aims to build houses that meet the needs of low- and high-income Rwandans.

“When my company TEMACO was founded, I was amongst the very first to venture into the production concrete construction materials.” He says, adding that a $34,100 loan was obtained from a nonprofit lending platform. KivaThis allowed the company to get started.

“We also had a terrible lack of funding since no financial institution wanted us to get affordable loans because we were new on market. Luckily, we were introduced African Entrepreneur Collective and KIVA,” he states.

From Chemistry to CEO

Tuyisenge was born in rural Rwanda’s western region and was raised by a middle-class family.

He says, “I have always been a curious child who never took no as an answer and has always believed that whatever I see is because someone has worked hard and put forth effort to achieve it.”

Tuyisenge says that even though his parents weren’t wealthy, he is grateful that they did everything they could to help him achieve his dream of studying environmental chemistry at a prestigious university in Rwanda.

“With my environmental Chemistry degree in my pocket, it was easy for me to see the opportunities to help in finding solutions to the most pressing problems that my community and other places in Africa were facing: affordable, sustainable construction material.” He says that he learned from the best by visiting more than 50 top companies with leading R&D in Asia and the United States.

Science as a Solution

Tuyisenge states that while the Global South has many issues, it is also the source for many of the world’s resources. That presents many opportunities, but there are definitely problems.

“Having all the resources, but still living in misery, but there is where science can help,” he said. “We African scientists must rethink, exchange information, collaborate, redesign solutions or recalibrate existing methods until we find the right solutions.”

Tuyisenge shares an example from a research project he completed 10 years ago. He was looking for a solution that would keep East African motorcycles on the road.

He says that maintaining a motorbike is expensive because most of the accessories and consumables are imported. So, he suggests that a solution was to make motorcycle lubricant using (local) castor oils.

Tuyisenge states that Global South scientists need to work more closely with their counterparts in other parts of the globe and share their knowledge and experience.

He said, “If this happens, if we are true to ourselves, and if we keep connected with our people, we’ll do more to overcome these challenges and make Africa great again.”

Christelle Kwizera is another social entrepreneur from Rwanda with a STEM background.

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