Joan Twagira
July 14th, 2009 Posted by admin
After working as the Dean of Students for the Kigali Institute of Science, Technology and Management, Joan Twagari decided to “turn the page” and take her life in a slightly different direction.
At the beginning of 2000, Joan discovered a gap between the suppliers of required academic books and the end users. She says the only available bookshops were the outdated bookshops and a high-priced book stores owned by foreigners.
That’s when Joan decided to take manors into her own hands.
With the help of the Oxford University Press, Joan now owns a bookstore called Kigali Bookstore-Book Distributors. Her core business includes searching for authors to write books for academic needs and schools, as well as selling English books to the general public.
Joan, a fighter for the 30% tax exemption for students, considers herself a champion of Rwandan society and feels that running a business is one of the most empowering things that can by a woman.
Despite being a confident businesswoman, Joan admittedly has trouble separating her personal life from her business life. This is what Joan wants to primarily focus on during her stay her in the United States.
“My major obstacle is lack of separation between my two lives. Hopefully, my mentor will [shed] some light on how to do this efficiently.”
