My dream is to bring back home the beauty and comfort that I saw in developed countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia. These were the words of Fablice Dieudonné Manirakiza is a Burundian by origin and migrated to Australia, and currently working in between the two countries on mission to lead Africa’s affordable housing revolution.
Since arriving in Australia in 2007, Fablice has established himself as a leader and artist of influence in Australia and Burundi cultural and scape. Working as a Entrepreneur, Corporate & Incorporate leader, artist, presenter, actor, festival producer and curator, Fablice often appears on national television and radio around Burundi, Australia and in New Zealand, including a starring role in episode nine of the thirteen-part ABC TV series MY:24.
Fablice Manirakiza has become an icon among Australian & Burundian society in particular the youth, he has done inspiration talks about self development in entrepreneurship and self belief across Burundi, Australia and East Timor. Fablice was named the 2016 Victorian Young Achiever of the Year, and now has been granted the Kirk Robson awards for recognition of his work.
A powerful role-model and keynote speaker, Fablice Manirakiza’s story of freedom and hope for former refugees living in Australia is filled with struggle, heartbreak and inspiration. He has told it to diverse groups around Burundi, Australia and South East Asia and delivered workshops to more then 700 school and community groups. Whether he is talking to school students or world leaders, Fablice inspires and connects with his audiences to deliver a message of resilience, self development and hope for the future, always inspired to change the world.
Fablice served as President of the Australian Burundian Community in Victoria from 2013 to 2019. A proud ambassador of his community and his people, he delivered a heartfelt TEDx talk, entitled The Power of Education. After studying International Business, He continues to study a Bachelor of Criminology and Justice as part of his efforts to bring peace to his home of Burundi and beyond.
For five years Fablice was an Ambassador of Action Aid and Love of Language. He was the Recipient of Multicultural Arts Victoria’s (MAV) inaugural Arts and Cultural Development Scholarship for Refugee Youth; host of ‘I Love Africa Day’ and ‘Black Harmony Day’ (funded by MAV and the City of Yarra).
Fablice has now started up several companies such as; Come and See Burundi, African Gateway Insurance Company (AGICO), UBAKANATION GROUP, iWAWE Real Estate & Trading, Burundian Dream Group, to name few. All this companies are active in Burundi, all has an objectives of boosting up Burundian economy through private sector.
Fablice Manirakiza has been a key player into the private sector development of Burundi, He has founded several limited companies such as Come and See Burundi & UBAKANATION GROUP, which is a well established Engineering, Procurement & Construction (E.P.C) Company, mainly focusing in Real Estate, Property & Infrastructure development in Burundi. Come and See Burundi has just completed its first Burundi’s gated community estate of 28 houses in partnership with the Burundi local government housing bank BHB in Bujumbura, a project that has founded and lead by Fablice, the value of the project is10,000,000,000 BIF.
Another start-up company which has fully been developed by Fablice is a new legal protection insurance company which he fund raised 1,000,000,000 BIF, now operating in all over Burundi. Under the company UBAKANATION GROUP, Fablice is currently running several other construction development project which holds a total of more then 30,000,000,000 BIF (15 Millions dollars – USD)..
In recent times, we see the re-emergence of Africa to lead in innovation and technological advancement, Fablice is one of those young Africans seeking to stir the kindred spirit in every African to think and live Africa. As far as he concerned, it is African who can bring real change to the continent.