Rwagweri to be welcomed at Entebbe Airport by the artisan community in Uganda

Rwagweri with the Award

Stephen Rwagweri will be received at Entebbe Airport on Saturday, 1^st September, 2022 at 5pm by the artisan community in Uganda after receiving an Internationally Acclaimed Social Innovator of his Time Award from Opportunity Collaboration for his Traditional Artisan Inclusion Innovation.

Rwagweri, who is the Executive Director of Engabu Za Tooro NGO and CEO African Continental Crafts Limited has been attending a global summit of innovators in Miches City, Dominican Republic from 25^th to 29^th September, 2022.

While in the Dominican Republic, he pitched his innovation to global Impact investors and discussions are underway with the impact investors to enable him get funding to pilot the innovation across the countries of Africa.

According to the organizing committee, Rwagweri will be welcomed at the airport by a delegation of artisan community in Uganda and Engabu Za Tooro Cultural Troupe. He will present the Award to the artisan community and end with a press conference before proceeding home.

His social innovation (Traditional Artisan Inclusion model) won an Award by Opportunity Collaboration because it is addressing market exclusion leading to extreme poverty among the traditional artisans in Africa as a result of limited product development, design innovations, business skills, digital skills and infrastructure.

The innovation mobilizes capacity to advance product development, design innovations, business practices and digital marketing solutions to drive market access for traditional artisans and adapt them to the main stream creative manufacturing sector.

The innovation  is implemented by “African Continental Crafts Ltd” which is a for profit social enterprise which was first incorporated in Uganda in 2021 and having a business focus on the artisan sector across Africa.

 

 

Rwagweri receives the Award for his Traditional Artisan Inclusion Innovation

Rwagweri with the Award

Stephen Rwagweri has received an Award from Opportunity Collaboration for his Traditional Artisan Inclusion Innovation from the head of the Opportunity Collaboration Fellowship Sarah Sterling in Miches City, Dominican Republic.

While receiving the Award, Rwagweri appealed to impact funders for social innovations to invest in the innovation to enable the enterprise which has a hybrid business delivery model produce craft designs adapted to the changing lifestyles and market demands while consolidating the ancient designs as a distinct product and provide capacity development to underserved artisans in product development, design innovations and business and digital marketing skills and infrastructure.

According to Rwagweri, the artisan sector annual revenue stood at US$ 500 billion in 2020 globally and is growing at 20% per year and projected to reach US$ 1 trillion by 2024.

Rwagweri further emphasized that producers of crafts who are beneficiaries of African Continental Crafts Ltd in capacity support services, market access and its associated benefits are drawn from vulnerable populations which were disproportionally devastated by COVID – 19 effects.

“The post COVID – 19 priorities to such groups focus on building their recovery and their future resilience which the enterprise is positioned to achieve through digital inclusion and income generation to them and hence to take advantage of the recovery investments now” says Rwagweri.

The innovation  is implemented by “African Continental Crafts Ltd” which is a for profit social enterprise which was first incorporated in Uganda in 2021 and having a business focus on the artisan sector across Africa.

Group photo

Stephen Rwagweri, who is the Executive Director of Engabu Za Tooro NGO and CEO African Continental Crafts Limited is attending a global summit of innovators in Miches City, Dominican Republic. The meeting will take 5 days between 25^th to 29^th September, 2022.

 

 

Rwagweri continues to meet more Impact investors to pitch his social innovation

 

Rwagweri meeting impact investors

Stephen Rwagweri has continued to meet more Impact investors attending the Opportunity Collaboration Summit in Miches City, Dominican Republic and pitched his idea to enable him access funding to pilot his social innovation (Traditional Artisan Inclusion Model) across countries in Africa.

Yesterday Tuesday, 27^th September, 2022 he pitched his innovation to impact investors who included Blackfox Philanthropy, Segal Family Foundation, Upaya Social Ventures, Accelerate Change and Skoll Foundation.

Rwagweri whose social innovation (Traditional Artisan Inclusion model) won an Award by Opportunity Collaboration because it is addressing market exclusion leading to extreme poverty among the traditional artisans in Africa as a result of limited product development, design innovations, business skills, digital skills and infrastructure.

The innovation mobilizes capacity to advance product development, design innovations, business practices and digital marketing solutions to drive market access for traditional artisans and adapt them to the main stream creative manufacturing sector.

The innovation  is implemented by “African Continental Crafts Ltd” which is a for profit social enterprise which was first incorporated in Uganda in 2021 and having a business focus on the artisan sector across Africa.

Stephen Rwagweri the Executive Director of Engabu Za Tooro NGO and CEO African Continental Crafts Limited is attending a globalsummit of innovators in Miches City, Dominican Republic. The meeting will take 5 days between 25^th to 29^th September, 2022.

 

 

Impact investors commit to fund piloting of Rwagweri’s social innovation across countries in Africa

Rwagweri meeting impact investors

Impact investors attending the Opportunity Collaboration Summit in Miches City, Dominican Republic have committed to fund piloting of Rwagweri’s social innovation (Traditional Artisan Inclusion Model) across countries in Africa.

This was after meeting impact investors who included Global Fund for Women, Skoll Foundation, Imago Dei Fund, Beyond Capital Fund, The Goodall Foundation, Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurs, Beyond Capital Ventures and MIT Solve.

Rwagweri whose social innovation (Traditional Artisan Inclusion model) won an Award by Opportunity Collaboration because it is addressing market exclusion leading to extreme poverty among the traditional artisans in Africa as a result of limited product development, design innovations, business skills, digital skills and infrastructure.

The innovation mobilizes capacity to advance product development, design innovations, business practices and digital marketing solutions to drive market access for traditional artisans and adapt them to the main stream creative manufacturing sector.

The innovation  is implemented by “African Continental Crafts Ltd” which is a for profit social enterprise which was first incorporated in Uganda in 2021 and having a business focus on the artisan sector across Africa.

Stephen Rwagweri the Executive Director of Engabu Za Tooro NGO and CEO African Continental Crafts Limited is attending a globalsummit of innovators in Miches City, Dominican Republic. The meeting will take 5 days between 25^th to 29^th September, 2022.

Engabu Za Tooro ED and African Continental Crafts Ltd CEO arrives in Dominican Republic for the global meeting of innovators

Stephen Rwagweri

Stephen Rwagweri the Executive Director of Engabu Za Tooro NGO and African Continental Crafts Limited arrived yesterday (Sunday, 25^th September, 2022) in Miches City, Dominican Republic for the global meeting of innovators. The meeting will take 5 days between 25^th to 29^th September, 2022.

After arrival, he had a meeting with global innovation funders which included Global Fund for Women, Skoll Foundation and MIT Solve.

Rwagweri whose social innovation (Traditional Artisan Inclusion model) won an Award by Opportunity Collaboration because it is addressing market exclusion leading to extreme poverty among the traditional artisans in Africa as a result of limited product development, design innovations, business skills, digital skills and infrastructure.

The innovation mobilizes capacity to advance product development, design innovations, business practices and digital marketing solutions to drive market access for traditional artisans and adapt them to the main stream creative manufacturing sector.

The innovation  is implemented by “African Continental Crafts Ltd” which is a for profit social enterprise which was first incorporated in Uganda in 2021 and having a business focus on the artisan sector across Africa.

Former Koogere applies for The Global Eco Artisan Awards

Ms. Basemera Alice

Former Engabu Za Tooro Koogere Ms. Basemera Alice has applied for The Global Eco Artisan Awards which honors artisans whose work demonstrates a high level of commitment to design and creativity while also creating ecological, social and cultural impact.

The Global Eco Artisan Awards is an international platform which recognizes artistic excellence, visualizes endangered crafts and glorifies eco-friendly cultural practices of the artisans in the world. Generating solidarity across craft communities and empowering the women craft makers by valuing their skills.

The winners will have their products posted  on AGAATI Foundation Artisans of the World directory and 100% of any sales goes to the artisan, a potential exhibit opportunity in USA in 2023, will receive feedback from expert panel of judges to improve on the design, application and marketability of their products, marketing for collaboration with retailers, designers and individual clients around the world, invitation to trainings and skill development and will be alumni of the Awards for lifelong and be part of the community to inspire, learn, celebrate and grow together

Winners will have a complimentary marketing of their product entries on their social media platforms for 2 months after the awards, potential sales of the physical samples submitted for final round, media coverage in the US media, cash prize of USD 1,000, one-on-one design and marketing consultancy with potential mentors such as Saloni Shrestha, Founder and Design Head of AGAATI and others - To be announced in August.

Koogere making crafts

In 2000 Ms. Basemera Alice joined a fellowship program on culture and entrepreneurship organized by Engabu Za Tooro NGO https://engabuzatooro.or.ug/. It involved entrepreneurship training modules and a Koogere Award contest where I emerged winner and title holder in 2003. The role of this title was to promote cultural entrepreneurship which is predominantly artisan enterprises. Other courses were further attended in crafting as a business, culture in development and Jazz Award.

In 2020, she becaome one of the artisans who came together to establish a social enterprise “African Continental Crafts Ltd” with an aim of improving artisan capacity to access the global craft market.

 

 

Engabu Za Tooro mourns their former patron and sponsor - the late Gideon Nkojo

Mr. Gideon Nkojo Atwoki who died from the USA in 2020 and his remains will be laid to rest at his country home in Mirongo, Kabarole – Uganda on 1^st March, 2022 was a long serving patron and a leading individual sponsor of  Engabu Za Tooro programs.

Mr. Nkojo who was an economist, served in several capacities, among them, he was a governor of Bank of Uganda and World Bank country representative in several countries around the world.

It was in 2002 when Engabu Za Tooro launched a program dubbed “Tusagike Omuka” (support initiatives back home). It was aimed at mobilizing Diaspora communities around the world to contribute to development initiatives taking place in the communities of origin. A research was conducted to identify and approach prominent Batooro living abroad. Many were identified and approached but only a few responded positively. Despite low response, a lot of achievements were realized.

One such example of the achievement of the initiative was mobilization of a renowned international scholar, Professor John Ruganda who admitted has spent 40 years out of his home country and was excited to be back home. He officiated our annual events, visited relatives, eventually bought land and built a home which only a few years became a final resting place when he passed on.

It was in this same initiative that we came in contact with the now late Gideon Nkojo who was often in Uganda but not necessarily participating in community initiatives. We invited him after being turned down by so many. His reply was, you don’t even need to invite me to do my own responsibility.

He could travel from the USA on his own expense and come to honor our invitation to participate in activities where he could also contribute funds to organize these activities. He was a professional but not a rich business man. He used his personal savings to fund our scholarship scheme which catered for 65 learners per year. He taught us virtues of a simple lifestyle.

As a son of a prime minister in the then Kingdom of Tooro, who went through the prestigious royal schools and worked in the biggest institutions of the world like World Bank, he was certainly a member of the privileged aristocracy. But his lifestyle didn’t demonstrate prestige but simplicity.

May his soul rest in peace

 

Stephen Rwagweri

Executive Director

Engabu Za Tooro