Ineza Mutimura
I am an education intrapreneur who is passionate about eliminating unemployment in Africa. Having lived in four African countries and traveled the continent extensively, I have always considered myself a Pan-African at heart. Thus far, my career has been dedicated to providing opportunities to young Africans that enable them to tap into their growth potential.
Growing up, I loved to learn but I didn’t enjoy traditional education. In college, I discovered that traditional undergraduate university programs do not equip young people with the skills and mindsets necessary to set them up for success in their first jobs. I also learned that Africa’s youthful population will soon become the largest workforce in the world, despite our incredibly high unemployment rate. I developed a growing interest in education innovations that empower young Africans to think critically and take ownership of their learning journeys and careers early on.
I began my work in education as part of the founding team of the renowned African Leadership University, where I played various roles in student recruitment, admissions, career development and operations for both the Mauritian and Rwandan campuses. Most recently, I led the expansion of a coding academy, the Moringa School, from Kenya to Rwanda by piloting a program to train 150 Rwandan women to become software engineers.
Why Fuqua?
When I started applying to business schools, I knew that I wanted to enroll in a program with a strong social entrepreneurship offering and a community-driven culture. I was confident in my knowledge of best practices in running an education program, but I did not understand enough of the financial side. In order to optimize my impact in African education, I knew that I needed to better understand how to build financially sustainable organizations.
Learning about the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship’s (CASE) programming and meeting the CASE team is ultimately what sealed the deal for me at Fuqua. I was humbled by the generosity and support the Managing Director, Robyn Fehrman, and the team showed me. It helped me feel like a part of Fuqua long before I was admitted.
Additionally, I initially thought the concept of “Team Fuqua” was a marketing campaign to attract applicants, but have been constantly surprised by just how caring this community is. As someone who values working in service of others, I feel that Fuqua reflects my values and I love it.
What impact do you hope your Fuqua education will allow you to have on the world?
I hope to contribute to the development of the Rwandan and African economy by working on innovations in education and empowering young people to nurture their talents and join the movement to make Africa the world hub for human talent.
Share one of your 25 facts from your application essay.
I went to a concert that was attended by over 200,000 people. The very next day, a meme was created of my reaction to seeing Usher and it went viral on Twitter and Instagram. It’s been viewed by over 100,000 people.
Duke’s Fuqua School of Business offers scholarships each year to individuals with social sector backgrounds who are looking to acquire business skills for use in their pursuit of social impact. The CASE Social Sector Scholarship brings in amazing students who add a richness to the Fuqua student body and bring their unique perspectives to the classroom. We are proud to announce our newest CASE Scholars. You can read about our other scholars here.