Building Rwanda First Women-Led Logistics Empire

Claudine worked as a bank teller for 6 years before noticing a gap in Rwanda logistics market. Small businesses in rural areas struggled to get their products to urban markets reliably. Delivery services were expensive, unreliable, and often unavailable outside Kigali.

With a loan from a women entrepreneurship fund and a single borrowed truck, she started SafeHaul Logistics in 2021, focusing on connecting rural producers with urban markets.

The first year was grueling. Claudine personally drove deliveries between Huye and Kigali, learning the logistics business from the ground up. She built relationships with farmers, traders, and market vendors along the route.

Her breakthrough innovation was creating a shared delivery model ? multiple small shippers could book space in the same truck, dramatically reducing costs. She built a simple SMS-based booking system that worked even in areas with limited internet access.

SafeHaul Logistics now operates a fleet of 45 vehicles and employs 120 people, with 65% being women. The company provides logistics services across Rwanda, with routes reaching every district.

Their services include agricultural produce transport, e-commerce delivery, warehouse management, and last-mile delivery for major companies including MTN Rwanda and Bralirwa. The SMS booking platform has evolved into a full mobile app used by over 3,000 businesses.

Claudine plans to expand SafeHaul into a pan-African logistics network, starting with the DRC and Tanzania markets. She is investing in electric delivery vehicles to reduce the company carbon footprint and operating costs.

The company is also developing a cold chain logistics service specifically for the agricultural sector, which will help reduce post-harvest losses estimated at 30% in Rwanda.