Most young Burundians have in their minds that getting started is difficult or almost impossible in Burundi. Yet some young people do not share the same vision with their peers and remain optimistic. Among these young far-seeing figures is Kaze Delphin, a young Burundian whose environmental protection is his concern. RegionWeek met him and he tells us about his entrepreneurial career.

First, we were so curious to really know who is Delphin Kaze. He introduced himself kindly as he is a professed Christian.

Who is Kaze Delphin?

I am a young Burundian, the child of a Christian family of 9 children, born in the province of Gitega, the current political capital of Burundi. I am an environmentalist and entrepreneur, founder and CEO of KAZE Green Economy (KAGE) Ltd. and a co-founder of My Imperative Actions, a local environmental youth organization. Apart from my professional activities, I am passionate about Christian music.

After hearing that he is a CEO of a Company, RegionWeek was so thirsty to discover what KAGE Ltd is.

“KAGE is a social enterprise that produces and markets eco-friendly charcoal from corncobs of maize with the trade name KABIOF Charcoal. We work for the protection of the environment especially the promotion of the green economy”, Kaze told RegionWeek.

What motivated you to start this business? What is the major problem would you like to solve, and what solution do you bring?

Being a student in the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, I had the chance to know more about the current situation of our natural resources. So I was alerted by an alarming rate of deforestation generally related to the production of charcoal. So KAGE was created to provide a sustainable solution by innovating eco-friendly charcoal from corncobs of maize, which is a substitute alternative to charcoal.

Most young Burundians think that getting started in Entrepreneurship is difficult or almost impossible in Burundi. What strategies did you use to succeed?

Yes, to ceate a business is not always easy but it is possible. The first crucial thing was to start and move on with the little means I had. I still face different challenges from the start of the initiative but what keeps me up is my determination. As  we are determined, we keep on moving forward despite challenges.

Delphin does not forget to give a secret to the young entrepreneurs who are afraid of getting started.

My advice to these young people is to overcome fear and get started immediately because at the very moment they are doubting, there is a multitude of others who are succeeding somewhere to start up their businesses, to build their empires, etc. So why not them?

Even though he is moving forward, this young entrepreneur told us some challenges he often encounters.

Many challenges are related to financial means, which limits our desire to increase production to meet the demand that far exceeds our capacity.

What would you ask the Government or other decision-makers for these problems to find a solution?

First of all, I thank the State and especially the local administration of the political capital of Gitega for the support we have already received from them. Moreover, it is very important that there may be a firm approach between decision-makers and entrepreneurs so that when decisions are made, we take into account our needs. This will improve the business climate and it is very important for the success of our initiatives and even the economic development of our country.