Fifteen women with promising business projects will get a boost in cash, ranging between $5,00, and $10,000 to improve their respective businesses. This is part of the Global Entrepreneurship Week, which will attract over 4,000 entrepreneurs, especially youth and women, to deliberate on how they can better improve their various businesses. It seeks to discuss issues affecting women entrepreneurs, access to funding and mentorship for young entrepreneurs, among others. According to Pamela Munyana, Country Director at IDEA4Africa, a local Non-Governmental Organisation behind the event, the week mainly targets women with promising projects. She said that women will be selected over the weekend adding that her organisation and other partners have mobilised funds to support the projects. It will be launched at the Kigali Convention Centre but several events will take place at other venues depending on the categories of participants. Munyana said that the week will also serve as an opportunity to inspire more women to venture into business projects other than focusing only on subsistence agriculture. “Some rural women still find it difficult to work with financial institutions, the little they get is used to solve family issues and it is a challenge for them to save for the future,” she said, adding that the week will serve as an opportunity to discuss how such women can be supported. The Global Entrepreneurship Week is the largest campaign to promote entrepreneurship in the world. Each year, it plays a critical role in encouraging the next generation of entrepreneurs to consider starting their own businesses. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
