Jasiri is excited to be the country host for this year's Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), themed Entrepreneurships is for Everyone, scheduled for November 18–24, 2024.

For the third consecutive year, Jasiri will serve as the country host for GEW in Rwanda. Last year’s GEW brought together 19 partner organizations, including the Ministry of ICT & Innovation, RISA, Carnegie Mellon University, BPN, Inkomoko, and the University of Rwanda. Together, these partners curated and hosted 25 events, attracting over 1,000 participants. As a result, Rwanda ranked 5th on the continent for ecosystem engagement during the 2023 GEW, a notable rise from 9th place the previous year. Globally, Rwanda improved its ranking to 25th, up from 33rd in 2022.

GEW is a global campaign designed to celebrate and empower entrepreneurs in every corner of the world. Every November, 10 million people participate in thousands of activities, competitions, and events that inspire them to take action and equip them with the knowledge, experience, and connections needed for success.

This year’s theme, "Entrepreneurships is for Everyone,” brings together various partners with exciting events planned. The week kicks off with an opening event in collaboration with ICT Chamber, RISA, and MINICT, showcasing entrepreneurs from secondary cities’ Hanga Hubs and training sessions for entrepreneurs. Other partners include Westerwelle Startup Haus, which is calling all impact-driven tech startups to pitch for a chance to win €20,000 in cash and scale their impact.

It’s exciting to see the role educational institutions are playing in this year’s Global Entrepreneurship Week. Kepler will host a full day of activities, including a student business showcase, a panel discussion, a best performers award ceremony, and a networking event. While the University of Rwanda will once again hold its Innovation Week, offering a dynamic lineup of events celebrating entrepreneurship. Carnegie Mellon University will host the Jenga Hackathon.

The Jenga Hackathon is a virtual competition inviting university students in Kigali to develop AI-driven solutions that contribute to Rwanda’s Vision 2050, Africa’s Agenda 2063, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). "Jenga," meaning "build" in Swahili, highlights the fundamental act of creating innovations that will shape Rwanda’s future. The hackathon provides students with the opportunity to leverage AI, LLMs (Large Language Models), and

emerging technologies to develop impactful solutions focused on SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

We invite all partners within the entrepreneurship ecosystem i.e. founders, investors, policymakers, educational institutions, and ecosystem builders, Entrepreneurship Support Organizations, among others within Rwanda's Entrepreneurship Ecosystem to take part in this year;s Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) either through hosting an event or attending events that are taking place. Let’s come together to celebrate entrepreneurship and all our entrepreneurs within the Rwandan ecosystem.

Enquiries

For further information about GEW, please contact Aneth Batamuliza, Regional Entrepreneurship Community Manager, AGGPR. anethb@jasiri.org

To stay updated on the various events happening during this year’s GEW, follow @Jasiri4Africa on LinkedIn & @GEWRwanda on X.

About Jasiri

Jasiri invests in, nurtures, and empowers entrepreneurs who benefit society and attack poverty by creating high-impact businesses, and new markets on the African continent. Jasiri believes that entrepreneurial teams are at the heart of new venture creation and provide the entrepreneur with access to a diverse group of potential co-founders. The program supports new ventures from idea generation to venture creation and takes a long-term approach to developing exceptional, responsible entrepreneurs on the African continent.