Over 30 members of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s) sector have started a 10 day-training programme aimed at empowering operators with knowledge and skills to manage their businesses efficiently and effectively.

The training being held at Alpha Palace Hotel that began yesterday is organized by the Private Sector Federation (PSF) and is being attended by different entrepreneurs chosen from across the country.

Antoine Rutayisire Manzi, the PSF the Director in charge of Entrepreneurship Development and Business Growth, said that the Federation is committed to support the Government in realizing its objective of promoting the development of SME’s to make them the main vehicle for increasing productivity, promoting economic growth and creating sustainable jobs.

Different surveys that were carried out countrywide have indicated that the Private Sector lacked skills.

Rutayisire added that the training funded by the Private Sector in conjunction with the Government of Rwanda is aimed at building capacity through training in order to transform Rwandan Enterprise to make them more competitive.

Speaking at the event, Molly Rwigamba the Director of Capacity Building Project in PSF said that the country is challenged with the need of increasing economic growth which she said can only be realised by empowering people with skills and knowledge especially SME’s.

SME’s are seen as a fundamental tool that could help in fuelling economic growth as they form the backbone of the country’s business sector.

Speaking to The New Times, Benjamin Gasamagera, the chairman of Young Entrepreneurs’ Association, who officiated at the opening of the training said that Entrepreneurs will receive training from their colleagues who are more experienced in operating SME’s.

"We first established the kind of training needed, and then we invited some experienced entrepreneurs from Uganda Enterprise to train small scale and medium entrepreneurs in Rwanda given their experience and vast knowledge in the area,” Gasamagera said.

He underscored the importance of the training exercise towards helping Rwandan entrepreneurs to understand the demands of their business and how to become more competitive and productive in the future.

"The 30 participants from different entrepreneurs being trained will also pass on the skills and knowledge acquired to others in subsequent trainings that will be held twice every year,” Gasamagera concluded.

He added that trained entrepreneurs will be visited to assess the progress made and further identify the challenges faced and how they can be addressed in future.

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