GASABO - At least 60 Rwandan women have qualified for Goldman Sachs’s scholarships to undertake an entrepreneurial certificate programme that was launched at hotel Novotel on Tuesday. The programme is to enhance their welfare through entrepreneurial skills empowerment. 

The programme will be undertaken by the School of Finance and Banking (SFB), which is under the supervision of William Davidson Institute (WDI), selected by the Goldman Sachs group to extend the scholarships to Rwandan women entrepreneurs.

The Rector of SFB, Professor Krishna Govender said that the certificate programme will be in two cohorts every year with 60 candidates for the next five years.

"30 women will start this month [September] while others begin February 2009.”

He further revealed that this year, SFB received 600 applications and 83 were pre-selected in which only 60 qualified for the two cohort certificate scholarships.”

Prof. Govender continued that the selection criteria based on knowledge of business, commitment and ability to attend training, description of their financial needs and their expectations after training.

Under its 10,000 women initiative that was announced early this year, Goldman Sachs’s plan is to extend education to 10,000 women in developing and emerging worlds, who have been denied opportunities both in school and business.  

Prof. Robert Kennedy, the Executive Director of WDI said that the programme seeks to recognise and empower women as developmental partners.

He added that to promote female education and business acumen, more fifteen female candidates will be offered Goldman Sachs’s scholarships in Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), which will be in a separate setting. 

Prof. Kennedy further revealed that four best women performers in the certificate programme with a viable business plan will be awarded $2500 to re-invest in their business.

Dr. Daphrose Gahakwa, the Minister of Education, lauded the initiative saying it was well in line with government’s efforts and a call to empower women for development.

She explained that education is key to gender equality and that educating girls and women leads not only to higher wages, but at the macroeconomic level, is also a source of support for long term economic growth.

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