Rwanda entrepreneurs and others from the sub-Saharan Africa will benefit from a US aid agency and Western Union cash offer for Africans living in the US with business plans in Africa.

The programme dubbed as ‘African Diaspora Marketplace’ offers matching grants of $50,000 to $100,000 for small- to medium-sized business proposals that can boost the economy in applicants’ home countries. According to media reports, applications are due July 21.

To access the funds, applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents from one of 19 countries in sub-Saharan Africa where USAID has a presence and potential technical assistance programs. They also must have a partner in the country where they plan to go.

By mid-June, 14 applications had been submitted to the diaspora program, and dozens more had begun the application process, USAID said.

They include proposals for agribusiness, food production, fisheries, engineering, transportation and communications technologies in nine countries, according to Western Union, based in Englewood, Colo.

Alonzo Fulgham, acting Administrator of USAID, said even a $50,000 grant can be significant to an entrepreneur in Africa.

"We’re making significant investments on health and education, but economic growth is key to providing stability in the nations we’re working in,” Fulgham said. "If people don’t have jobs to go to, a nation can’t move forward.”

Eligible countries are Angola, Burundi, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

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