Last week, the government resolved to reopen all its land borders and lifted the night curfew, a move which is expected to bolster its economy as business operations will get more freedom to operate. The development came after the country had vaccinated 60 percent of its population, just a year after Rwanda rolled out its Covid-19 vaccination campaign. As we celebrate the women’s day, coming across ‘the end of the pandemic’, it is of essence to note that women and especially women entrepreneurs have been proportionally affected by the health crisis. Women in handcraft weaving Agaseke in Muko Sector in Musanze District before Covid 19 outbreak.Sam Ngendahimana. This is because most women businesses are in the informal sector (Food services and cross-border retail trade among others), hence could easily be affected compared to their male counterparts. Ariane Uwamahoro, a local arts crafts vendor in Musanze district recounts how the pandemic drove down her income. “The flow of customers greatly scaled down and most of us were earning less than 10 percent of what we used to earn before the lockdown,” she recalls. A report commissioned by the Private Sector Federation’s Chamber of Women Entrepreneurs highlighted that 90.6 percent of its respondents faced a reduced flow of customers. Uwamahoro added some raw materials went missing on the market because of high prices incurred by the pandemic restrictions, hence resulting in some business closures. Another female entrepreneur who decries the impacts of the pandemic is Agnes Phocas who is a shop owner in Nyagatare district. She recalls that persistent challenges brought about by the restrictions of the pandemic led some businesses to close while the rest were incurring losses. “Our incomes really fell, purchasing the raw materials was so tiresome because prices were high as land movements were closed, and hence air transport drove up the prices,” narrates Phocas. The founder of Arise bookshop in Gasabo sector, Gasana Mutesi, echoes the same experience, but asserted that they came up with plan B, saying: “The walk ins just stopped due to the panic so we embarked on an online bookshop which was a platform that people would visit and make orders,” she said. To address the effects of the pandemic and future business disruptions, the report commissioned by the Women’s Chamber of the Private Sector Federation says that the government should facilitate women entrepreneurs to access subsidized credit facilities and encourage more use of online platforms in business operations. Also to mention, the report recommended policy makers to come up with targeted policies and strategies to mitigate business disruptions as well as embarking on a long term capacity building for women in business.
