KICUKIRO - The School of Finance and Banking (SFB) will soon establish a Centre for Entrepreneurial Development (CED).

According to the Rector, Prof. Krishna Kistan Govender, this is intended to foster entrepreneurial skill development among Rwandans.

Krishna said entrepreneurial skills are necessary for economic development, especially among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that are economic engines in development. He added that the CED will offer capacity building and value added services which are all essential tools in addressing SMEs’ challenges.

"It will be a knowledge centre to SMEs,” Prof. Krishna explained. He added that the centre being at the SFB, would serve to fulfil its objectives of enriching Rwandans with business knowledge necessary for economic transformation.

"The centre will act as the focal point in linking the school (SFB) to the real business world in order to make a significant contribution to economic development and poverty reduction in Rwanda,” the Rector said.

The centre will be established in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank investment arm under its Global Business School Network (GBSN) programme.

IFC has committed $25,000 (Frw13.4 million) for the centre and case studies. The model of capacity-building that has been adopted by the GBSN requires understanding of the local context.

"It is in this regard that we are embarking on developing local case studies to enhance teaching and learning of entrepreneurship in Rwanda,” Prof. Krishna explained. He added that SFB lecturers will carry out case studies which will be used as references during the operation.

The capacity building programme will start with six modules, which are: Introduction to Entrepreneurship, Developing a successful Business Plan, Organisation and Human Resource Management, Developing Financial Records, Sales and Marketing, and Developing excellent Customer Service.

The initiative follows the introduction of female entrepreneurial scholarships geared towards development of entrepreneurial skills among underprivileged women entrepreneurs in the country.

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