Frank Rubaduka passed away on the 27th of December 2020, at the age of 27
On the 27th of December 2020, we lost a man – a man like no other, he was a brother, a son, and a friend to many. Frank Rubaduka was the type of person that everyone would like to emulate, to learn from, and to be inspired by. Ambitious, visionary, and always forward-thinking; he had “his life written on a paper”.
He had anticipated that he would die at the age of 85 and that by the age of 55; he would become the president of a country he loved so much; Rwanda. But all these plans are now memories, memories which we will hold dear – we who worked and lived with Frank during his short life on earth.
Frank’s early life, humble beginnings
Frank was born on the 25th of October 1993, in Masaka, Uganda, where his parents, just like many Rwandan families at the time, had fled massacres and ethnic-based discriminatory system that had been established in their home country. Right after the Rwandan Patriotic Front/Army forces’ victory over the Rwandan genocidal government’s forces and the resulting end of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Frank’s parents decided to return to their home country.
Later on, Frank lost his mother at the age of three. This event deeply affected Frank’s life as he himself mentioned it in his last book “The 100 Mistakes I don’t Regret.” Frank was then left with his father, three brothers, and one sister.
As a teenager, Frank developed an interest in martial arts, and he thereafter enrolled in Kungfu at the age of 14 in his home district of Gatsibo. According to his elder brother’s testimony during the funerals, Frank loved the military and he had planned to join the armed forces after he finished secondary school. However, this did not happen as Frank later developed a deep interest in the business where he would later build a promising career.
2017, The Year I Met Frank
I and Frank went to the same university – The Kigali Independent University ULK – in the same School of Social Sciences, but different departments (I was doing International Relations, and him Development Studies). Frank was also one academic year ahead of me, but as we studied in the same compound, we would sometimes meet but without really knowing one another.
I came to know Frank through my friend and then-classmate Jesse Shyaka, who had known Frank through one of the youth’s organizations – the Youth Impact Mission (YIM) – where they were both members. Thereafter, we had a conversation at the campus during break time and then connected. A few months later, we were working together in his first company: The All Trust Consult or simply the ATC as we used to call it. By then, I was also working as a call center agent at MTN Rwanda.
In March 2019, on a panel during the YES conference on youth in agribusiness.
The All Trust Consult, Frank’s first company
One of the first projects that we worked on was the first edition of the Youth Entrepreneurship Startups Conference – The YES Conference. We were a team of a dozen young men and women, with the majority being high school graduates and university students. It was in early 2018.
Although he was only a few years older than us, Frank would demonstrate great and visionary leadership. He was ahead of his age, in his way of handling a team of diverse, young, and mostly inexperienced young people. According to each member’s interest, Frank would therefore set up teams (communication, marketing, HR…) where different assignments were coordinated and executed.
I remember that I and Teta, who was then a high school graduate who was also acting as the ATC HR, were assigned with a task to go look for sponsorship at the biggest companies – one of them being MTN Rwanda. This was a life-changing experience for both me and Teta, as it was our first time doing such a task. Luckily, MTN accepted to sponsor us, and the company’s Chief Marketing Officer, Mr. Richard Acheampong, himself attended the conference and personally gave a prize to one of the top winners of the pitching competition.
Our first YES conference was a success because of the team’s devotion to delivering a successful product, as well as its remarkable coordination spearheaded by the committee which was presided by no one else but Frank Rubaduka, the Chairman and Founder of ATC. Frank would inspire young, inexperienced freshly high school graduates to do tasks, run units that go beyond their knowledge and their qualifications.
DecideX, HomeX, EventX, and finally Miss Career Africa
Frank’s business venturing led him to try several opportunities. Right after the second edition of the YES Conference which took place in early 2018, Frank went on to start a T.V. show where he would be hosting young entrepreneurs, starting with those trained by the ATC through its different mentorship programs. DecideX Show was aired every Sunday afternoon at Rwanda’s most-watched private television; TV1.
Although the TV show closed after several months (because of both content and financial challenges), Frank had already hosted many entrepreneurs of all ages, backgrounds, and operating in different sectors. Frank later promised me that the closure of the TV show would only be temporary, and the once every challenge has been specifically overcome, “The Show will be revamped with a way of no return.”
Thanks to his innovative mindset, Frank would try different business ideas going from organizing conferences via the ATC, to hosting guests through HomeX, to providing digital payment solutions via the EventX app, and organizing continent-level competitions like the Miss Career Africa.
Frank’s vision was very big, and his commitment to women's empowerment incredible.
While preparing the first edition of Miss Career 2019 two years ago, Frank told me that he wanted to “Miss Career would be a contest would focus on the business ideas from our young African girls rather than focusing primarily on physical beauty like other Miss World, Miss Supranational, Miss Universe, …competitions.” “We gotta value what is the head before anything else”, he completed.
Miss Career Africa has had two editions so far, with the latest having been organized during the challenging COVID-19 global pandemic.
Frank (left) with the South African Ms. Natasha Dlamini (right), the Miss Career 2020 winner.
Those who had the opportunity to partner, befriend or even have a short conversation with Frank, will tell you how the man was a very ambitious man, who would not “take no for an answer.”
Frank’s Sudden Death
After successfully organizing the much-awaited Miss Career Africa 2020, Frank went for a short holiday near the shores of Lake Cyohoha, Rwanda’s district of Bugesera. Frank was planning to venture into agribusiness and had bought land on which the farming was to be developed. Alexander Ndamukunda, Frank’s close friend and business partner was with him.
Frank died of accidental drowning in the lake Cyohoha, and the different trials to revive him went in vain.
Although he died young (27 years of age), Frank had touched, positively impacted so many people during his short lifetime.
Frank’s Legacy
Frank will be remembered as a young, ambitious, hard-working, and visionary man. As it appears on his Facebook account's bio, Frank had set himself a lifetime mission to "Create a movement of one million entrepreneurs and trailblazers in Africa by 2048". Unfortunately, Frank will not be there in 2048, but I am convinced that his mission will be fulfilled indirectly: through the young men and women that he coached and helped become entrepreneurs.
In only one year, Frank managed to write two books. The first book, "The Four Windows Genius" (available on Amazon) was co-other with Jean-Eric Niyitanga and talks about...
Frank's last and most-awaited book "The 100 Mistakes I don't Regret" was set to be published before 2020 ends.
Frank loved his country, Rwanda, and the African continent in general. From the people he grew up with, to the students he led as a high school head boy, to the young entrepreneurs he inspired and assisted to materialize their business ideas; Frank’s legacy will live for many years to come.
Personally, I remember Frank as a friend, a brother with whom I have shared most of my future career plans. He would always advise me on the way to do things, especially in my professional career. I will remember Frank for having entrusted me to lead several panels during high-level conferences and to have me granted the opportunity to work with him especially in the All Trust Consult’s early days.
Frank, you will be missed. Until we meet again!
Frank (in a black suit in the middle) with his ATC first team in early 2018.