Tearing up the business plan to build Rwanda’s largest chicken farm

When Shumei Lam first visited Rwanda in 2011, chicken was considered a luxury that most Rwandans could only afford on special occasions.

Shumei Lam

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Interview with Shumei Lam
FOUNDER and MANAGING DIRECTOR, POULTRY EAST AFRICA LTD

Lives in: Singapore/Rwanda

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In most of the world, chicken is one of the more affordable protein options. However, when Singaporean Shumei Lam first visited Rwanda in 2011, it was considered a luxury that most Rwandans could only afford on special occasions. The primary reason was the absence of commercial chicken farms – a market gap that she would eventually step in to fill.

Lam, who had a background in marketing and advertising, travelled to the country on a business trip with her late father, Larry Lam. He had founded the global port operations business Portek International, which at the time held an interest in an inland port in Rwanda.

It was Lam’s first visit to sub-Saharan Africa, and she was surprised by what she found in Rwanda. “It was way more developed than I expected. You could tell that at that point it was kind of on the cusp of becoming something greater. I felt safe there.”