SME operators tipped on risk management

Most businesses in Rwanda collapse in the formative stages due to lack of proper risk assessment and management skills, Damaris Njoki, a risk management and business accounting consultant, has said.

Thursday, November 14, 2013
EQUIPPED: Some of the trainees display their certificates. The New Times / Peterson Tumwebaze

Most businesses in Rwanda collapse in the formative stages due to lack of proper risk assessment and management skills, Damaris Njoki, a risk management and business accounting consultant, has said.Njoki, who is also a lecturer at University of Kigali, added that many business people do not have the necessary information and knowledge to forestall risks that eventually bring down their enterprises."If you don’t invest in risk management, regardless of the nature of the business, it’s more likely that it will collapse,” Njoki noted.This was during a one-day risk management training organised by the Private Sector Federation and SABEK, a Kenyan-based risk consulting firm, in Kigali on Tuesday.The training was attended by 50 agro-dealers, manufacturers, farmers, exporters, small-and-medium enterprises, information and communication technologies, retailers and wholesalers. It aimed at equipping business people with skills in risk identification, assessment and management. Jean Gakuba, the head of training, development and capacity building at PSF, said the training will help small-and-medium enterprise operators become innovative, profitable and able to safeguard against risks. "We are looking at strengthening their capacity not only in areas of risk management, but also narrowing the skills gap which threatens the development for most small-and-medium businesses,” he said.The participants were awarded certificates at the end of the training.