In Conversation with Dianne Dusaidi

“Don’t expect miracles in a day or in a year, it takes time to build a business, to build a brand, and to build trust. Greatness takes time.”

Dianne Dusaidi is a Rwandan leader and entrepreneur dedicated to the development of her country and the continent of Africa. With an MBA in International Business, she has worked both with the public and private sector and is currently with the Mastercard Foundation Rwanda. Dianne is also a recipient of the ‘Celebrating Young Rwandan Achievers Award’ from the First Lady of Rwanda’s Imbuto Foundation.

Allen Ingabire recently hosted Dianne on our Insta Live series to discuss the beauty of stepping out of one’s comfort zone. Speaking from experience, Dianne shares how this approach to life has helped her to achieve success and develop a high professional profile. Watch their inspiring conversation here or read highlights below.

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Allen: Dianne, how do you manage a demanding job and many side businesses, while staying on top of everything?

Dianne: I think we all have gifts and one of mine is being super organized. I love putting everything on my calendar and always thinking years in advance. Honestly, my mind is currently in 2026 and for this year I know I want to launch two to three different businesses and maintain my day job as well. For me to achieve all of that, I just need to be organized.

I certainly can’t do everything, I am not a superwoman. I employ or beg people to help me because I don’t have skills to do everything; I work with brilliant minds that help me with the businesses. For instance, I have a FinTech company yet I don’t have a degree in finance or technology, so I have tech and finance people that help me. Also, I am not in day-to-day operations with everything because that is just impossible. I do weekly calls, we have monthly Board calls, and thank goodness for things like WhatsApp, because when something is urgent they can reach me immediately, but otherwise it is dealt with by the management team. So, building a team, being organized, and just knowing what you are good at and what you need help with and asking for that help is really important.

Allen: What advice would you give to the women and girls who are scared to take risks and do the things they love?

Dianne: Always take the risk! The other day, I was looking back at the past ten years and I realized that the big bets I made are where I learned the most, I grew the most, and I made the most money — even though I was always really scared. The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. There is a quote that says: “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.” I always think that I can; I may not be one hundred percent confident, but if someone else thinks that I can do it, you better believe that I am going to learn, especially if there are great rewards like expansion, growth, skill sets, development, monetary value, and all of that. So, I think the younger you are, the easier it is because you have less responsibility.

Also, the support system is important; women are the support system in everything! Our sisters, our girlfriends, and our family are everything. So, definitely nurture them, appreciate them, and they will guide you through some tough times, because whether you are in business or not, life has ups and downs. I think it’s important to just nurture your relationships.

Allen: A career is not a linear path — how did you manage to embrace all the challenges that you faced as a woman, if any, to be where you are now?

Dianne: Yes, it’s definitely not a linear path! Firstly, I focused on my studies — my Bachelor’s is in Public Administration and Governance, which is basically political science. From there, I went and did my MBA and when I came back I went into media, the creative industry, and then e-commerce — it really is like a zig-zag. Something I would tell women and girls is to stay consistent, especially at the beginning. Stick to your gut instincts, have a vision of your life, and don’t pay attention to distractions.

Allen: What importance do you see in mentorship, especially for women and girls?

Dianne: I think it’s a sisterhood! I get to learn a lot from young people and they learn from my experience as well. There is something we all don’t understand but the other generation knows. We can learn a lot from each other about how to balance career and family, and that’s the power of sisterhood that can go beyond work.

Allen: What is the best advice you’ve ever received that has helped you in your career?

Dianne: Have multiple streams of income. You don’t have to start all of them at once and don’t start with expansion, that is a general rule of business. But I think if you have a passion and you can have a business model around it, you can maybe get some partner to help you to do it.

The other thing is that greatness takes time; don’t expect miracles in a day or in a year, it takes time to build a business, to build a brand, and to build trust. Greatness takes time.

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