Young entrepreneurs get innovation awards

Twenty-seven-year old Herve Tuyishime, the proprietor of Paniel Meat Processing Ltd, yesterday walked home Rwf4 million richer after winning the Fina Entrepreneurship Award 2013.This was part of the awards organised by Educat and sponsored by Fina Bank and KLM Airlines to mark the just-concluded Global Entrepreneurship Week.Educat is an entrepreneurship support not-for-profit organisation, and partners in providing training, mentoring and coaching for entrepreneurs in bettering their businesses.Other winners included Matthew Rugamba, the founder of House of Tayo, a fashion company; and Diane Dusaidi, the co-founder of Legacy 45, a media firm as first and second runners-up, respectively.The two runners-up won KLM Airlines tickets that will see them fly for six months business round trips that are expected to benefit their business through Educat’s interactive session organised for young entrepreneurs from different countries, dubbed “Grow Movement.”Speaking at the awards ceremony, Rosemary Mbabazi, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Youth and ICT, said 70 per cent of the EDPRS 2 targeted 200,000 off-farm jobs annually will come from SMEs.“It’s the young innovators like you who will help us create these jobs; the question of funds should not be an excuse for not becoming entrepreneurs because it’s always ideas first and then funding later,” she said.Andreas Noerlem, the CEO Educat, said the organisation will scale up the programme of training young entrepreneurs, bring on board more stakeholders and expand the programme to other parts of the country.Tuyishime, the winner, said the money will help him address the challenges his business has been experiencing, especially in the area of technology and more advanced meat processing equipment.“This is a big boost that could turn me into a big meat exporter, but most importantly, create jobs for the unemployed who are out there looking for jobs,” he said.He called upon the youth, especially young graduates, to stop wandering on streets looking for jobs, but rather concentrate on how they can create their own jobs.According to Noerlem, they received 112 applicants and only 20 were short listed for the interviews, of whom 10 were selected to undertake intensive training, mentoring and coaching on how to kick-start their businesses.The next top entrepreneursGlobal Entrepreneurship Week is the world’s largest celebration of innovators and job-creators, who launch start-ups that bring ideas to life, drive economic growth and save lives.It was launched in 2008 to promote innovation and entrepreneurship around the world and is marked in 125 countries, where millions of people participate every year.

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Young entrepreneurs get innovation awards