Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and African Management Institute have entered a partnership to provide free business skills to 2,500 Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Rwanda.
The entrepreneurs will access free business recovery and growth tools to help them bounce back from the impact of Covid-19 and thus contribute to Rwanda’s economic recovery strategy of investing in micro, small and medium-sized enterprises according to the statement.
The support will be provided by application for the virtual business development programmes, which will be delivered in Kinyarwanda and English.
Under the financial support from Mastercard Foundation’s Covid-19 Response and Resilience Programme, the cooperation agreement will help to offer a one-month Business Survival Bootcamp programme and a longer six-month Survive to Thrive programme.
Business Survival Bootcamp is designed to help businesses make it through the current crisis with access to interactive online workshops, digital tools and guidance, and the opportunity to connect with other businesses.
The more in-depth Survive to Thrive programme is a course which enables businesses to innovate, prepare for the future and grow again.
Commenting on the partnership, Clare Akamanzi, Chief Executive Officer at RDB, said that the support is founded on the fact that Rwandan businesses of all sizes have been impacted by the Covid-19 crisis.
She noted that many innovative responses have led businesses to become more self-reliant and put an added focus on practical skills and tools to help businesses get back on their feet, adapt and prepare for growth in the future.
"Most importantly, businesses don’t need to wait to start making changes. The skills and tools business owners gain can be applied immediately through AMI’s virtual expert-driven learning experience, online platform and Android mobile app. We encourage businesses across Rwanda to take advantage of this free programme,” she said.
The programmes will be offered on a continuous basis from November 2020 to April 2022.
Creating jobs
Diederik Wokke, Rwanda Country Manager for AMI, said that since 2014, AMI’s programmes across Africa have created an average of 3.1 jobs per SME and boosted revenue by an average of 19%.
Therefore, he said, the programmes aim to increase the number of businesses that recover from the current crisis, while retaining staff and creating additional jobs, especially for women and young people.
"With proven results, AMI is well placed to work with Rwandan businesses during this critical time of economic recovery. We’re excited to work with business owners and entrepreneurs to help their businesses thrive, and we encourage them to take advantage of this opportunity by applying today,” he said.
The programmes consist of tools such as scenario planning, cash flow forecasting, customer surveying, bookkeeping tools and many more.
The one-month Business Survival Bootcamp focuses on scenario planning, risk assessments and cash flow forecasting.
The key topics of the six-month Survive to Thrive programme are scenario planning, financial forecasting, business risk assessment and planning, leading in uncertainty, managing remote teams, identifying opportunities and new customer segments, personal and business habits for growth, adapting operations and human resources.
Over 27,000 people in more than 30 countries through more than 100 programmes by AMI have so far been trained.
Elia Mugume, CEO at TASS Gateway and Travels and past Business Survival Bootcamp participant said that the programme has helped businesses by connecting them with other entrepreneurs.