WESTERN PROVINCE

RUSIZI — The Business Development Services (BDS), a project under the Private Sector Federation, has opened an English Business School in Kamembe, Rusizi district, to teach English language to young entrepreneurs in the area.

Speaking to (The New Times) in an exclusive interview over the weekend, Oreste Rugambwa, the BDS area centre manager, and founder of the school, said the school would boost business transactions among the beneficiaries in the East African Community (EAC).

"Since Rwanda joined the East African Community, I decided to start an English Business School in an effort to teach business entrepreneurs in this region various terms used in business transactions which would help them to compete,” he said.

The project worth Rwf159, 000 was started a week ago and the beneficiaries are taught free of charge. The lessons are conducted from 5:30 pm to 7:30pm from Monday-Friday at the BDS’s offices located in Kamembe.

They employ mainly secondary school teachers in the area but they hope to hire lecturers from universities who can teach business management, Rugambwa said.

He added that their decision to open the school is in line with the government programme of using English as the medium of instruction.

Apart from learning English, he said, the trainees would be equipped with computer skills which would help them to search for the market of their products internationally.

According to Rugambwa, the school has so far enrolled over 50 people but they are still mobilising other businessmen and women to register, as they plan to secure all the required teaching materials. Similar schools would be opened in other districts country-wide, he said.

One Godfrey Kamuzinzi, the vice President of the business community in Rusizi, hailed Rugamgwa for the initiative saying, "This school would open our minds in as far as business transactions are concerned not only on the East African Community level, but even internationally.” 

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