The Private Sector Federation (PSF) in partnership with the Embassy of the Royal Kingdom of Netherlands Yesterday awarded certificates to 160 people who attended a four-day training session in entrepreneurship and business plan writing skills.

The training took place at the PSF Expo Ground in Gikondo.  The workshop was aimed at promoting private sector growth in the country.

"The programme has been running since 2005 and is constantly upgraded,” Emmanuel Hategeka the Chief Executive Officer of PSF said.

"We conducted a countrywide campaign inviting people with technical and vocational skills to apply for the training and the number of applicants was overwhelming.”

There were over one thousand applicants for the training.
Hategeka further revealed that after stiff competition, 100 candidates will be chosen from the 160 finalists to receive loans of 9 million Francs each from its partner, the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR).

"We aim at building the capacity of the entrepreneurs to manage their businesses efficiently through cooperation with BNR which will finance promising entrepreneurs and their business ideas,” Hategeka added.

The programme also ensured that gender distribution amongst the short-listed applicants was fair. On top of that, the programme considered at least an applicant from each district in a bid to distribute the opportunities throughout the country.

Hategeka explained that the 160 people short listed already have a Mini Business Plan that is being monitored closely.

"The training marks the end of phase one of the competition. I am convinced that the chosen candidates will use their skills wholly to expand their full business projects, and beside the 100 projects which will be funded by BNR, the remaining small projects will also be supported in different ways,” Hategeka said.

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