The Global Entrepreneurship Week 2016 Rwanda chapter that will run from November 14 to 20 aims at inspiring Rwandan youth to become entrepreneurs.
During one week each November, thousands of events and competitions in 160 countries inspire millions to engage in entrepreneurial activity.
Pamela Munyana, the country director of Idea for Africa, which is among the organizers of the week, said they wish youth to take entrepreneurship as a career to become job creators and address unemployment.
“We want them to think about business when they’re young. However, we have observed some challenges youth face such as lack of innovation, access to finance, creativity, critical thinking and access to markets. During this week, we will meet a big number of youth and see how we can look for tangible solutions for their challenges,” Munyana said.
Livingstone Nkuusi, branches coordinator at the Business Development Fund (BDF), added that entrepreneurship is about problem-solving, noting that they want to attract many people into entrepreneurship and that during that week, they will link youth to potential collaborators, mentors and investors.
“We will assist youth on how to get markets, how they can use their small savings and start business and also visiting successful people in business,” Nkuusi said.
Pacifique Uwineza, the director of the Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs at the Private Sector Federation (PSF), said they want youth to turn theory they are taught at school into practice, and that during the week they will talk about business, opportunities available in business, tax issues and standards.