KIYOVU, KIGALI — In 2023, women in prominent positions within the business world, in Rwanda and globally, remain as rare as finding a pearl in an oyster. For many women aspiring to launch tech-enabled ventures, securing not only funding but also a supportive community of like-minded people is pivotal to realizing their visions.

They are on a quest for female counterparts who share their aspirations, possess compatible personalities, and exhibit a similar work ethic, a task that can be quite daunting.

But the Women in Business Initiative, which emerged from a collaboration between Norrsken and the Swedish embassy in Rwanda, not only provided this but also included a supplementary advantage for startups: various courses and sessions focused on entrepreneurship, all delivered within a robust community network that includes experienced mentors, coaches, and accomplished entrepreneurs.

The Women in Business Initiative set a timeframe; their aim was to take action in order to bolster and expedite the lifelong process of nurturing and developing women-led businesses with the capacity to make a substantial impact and achieve scalability all in a span of 10 months. Afterward, the women would transition into Phase 2, demonstrating to the world that when creative women unite, like themselves, great things ensue. Lacking such a structured strategy, the Women in Business Initiative recognized that these women, much like many other talented women of their generation, might find themselves, as Diana Mpyisi from Blue Oceans puts it, "trying to navigate without guidance, lacking business incubation, or even fundamental business education.”

This was a path she herself had traversed, making numerous mistakes along her journey, and realizing that it was more challenging in practice than it appeared in theory.

Considering everything, weren't these women encountering double the number of challenges compared to what their male counterparts typically faced? Balancing work and personal life, securing financing, and dealing with imposter syndrome all added to their unique struggles. This could explain why the audience was applauding with the exuberance often seen in parents during a graduation ceremony.

Indeed, the event that occurred on Friday morning was a graduation ceremony in a way. It signified the culmination of the inaugural cohort's participation in the 10-month Women in Business Initiative programme, which, as programme manager Phionah Ingabire mentioned, was just the beginning of many more to follow.

"With the generous support of the Swedish Embassy and all of you, our esteemed audience, we are thrilled to continue our mission year after year, empowering educated women to create and expand remarkable ventures in the future. Today, we celebrate 20 women entrepreneurs, but envision a future where we can reach 250, even 500, with the help of all the incredible people present here and key investors who can contribute to the growth of these women's businesses," Ingabire said.

Her speech left a lasting impact on Isabelle Masozera, who, serving as the event's Mcee, set the tone by announcing a pledge from Masozera Africa. This diverse community for African women is dedicated to helping them harness their true potential through a holistic approach to wellness. Masozera affirmed that they will "provide mentorship and coaching in finance, marketing, and personal development for these women post-graduation.”

The 20 female graduates walked in procession to the applause of the audience, receiving certificates that attested to their recently acquired skills in expanding customer bases, diversifying product ranges, investing in marketing campaigns, and, ultimately, attaining sustainable growth and long-term success.

Rocky Raquel had joined the Women in Business Initiative programme in her capacity as the founder of Project Sufuri, an organization that acts as an intermediary, facilitating collaboration among the different stakeholders in Rwanda's burgeoning fashion industry to bolster its growth.

"The skill that will undoubtedly remain valuable to me from the program is the art of networking and pitching,” Raquel remarked.

"I've certainly had experience with presentations, but pitching, particularly to potential investors, is a whole different ball game.”

"I have some skills now, and I can show others our talents. There are many people who are just starting out and they mostly focus on design without knowing how to do business,” she continued. "So, I’ll definitely teach these skills to them, and I believe others will benefit as well.”

Nearly everyone who participated in the programme shared their insights. Prettymore Magede, co-founder of Future Focus Rwanda, said that she particularly acquired skills in inventory management, people management, and marketing. Mary Bakamurera, founder of TUZAride, mentioned that she obtained the technical support necessary for improving their products and establishing connections.

The programme also assisted Opportune Uwacu, Chief Operations Officer of KOSMOTIVE, in updating her marketing and product development materials. "We also had opportunities to network in various settings and events, connecting with influential people, local and international organizations. Additionally, we had the opportunity to link up with our fellow participants in the Global Group on Business Initiative,” she added. As a result, KOSMOTIVE’s network has significantly grown.

Agnes Kubwimana, Co-founder of HEALTHEDU, noted that the programme had a significant impact on their productivity. She said that her salesperson was able to access the programme's coursework and shared it with the team members.

"This programme was highly beneficial for us, as it helped us progress from one level to another. We are committed to applying the knowledge we gained from it in our work moving forward.”

Graduates from the programme also included Celine Nshimente of Yego Box, Peace Ndoli Iraguha, co-founder of Lifesten Health, Lesley Grobler of Komezart, Sandrine Bwiza, co-founder of Imagine We Publishers, Tadhim Uwizeye, CEO and Founder of Olado Business Group, Florence Isaro, founder of Books and Brains, Amina Niyigena, founder of Bookly Africa, Delice Ishimwe, founder of Mutware Educate, Elizabeth Berabose, founder of Berabose Designs, Pearl Umuhoza, founder of Yummy N Fresh, Christine Uwamahoro, co-founder of Ici C’est Kigali, Sandrine Umubyeyi of Keya Health, Irene Masezerano, founder of FARMGENIX, Patience Kamatamu, founder of Topix Travel, and Cyntyche Mahoro, founder of Toto Safi, who played a role similar to that of a valedictorian.

During the ceremony, certain speeches carried a more assertive tone, as speakers incorporated an activist perspective into the usual expressions of familial pride and optimistic prospects.

Right before the graduates took the stage to receive their certificates, Mpyisi and Martina Fors Mohlin, Head of Development Cooperation and Deputy Head of Mission at the Swedish Embassy in Rwanda, discussed the recent RDB annual report released earlier in the year. Female ownership of businesses had risen from 27% in 2017 to 34% in 2022, indicating a positive trend toward greater gender-balanced representation in the private sector.

They also emphasized Rwanda's ambitious goal of creating over 200,000 meaningful and productive jobs each year, and underscored the vital roles these women play in achieving that objective.