Hanga Umurimo creates 1200 jobs

More than 1,200 new jobs will get to the market following government’s job creation drive, locally known Hanga Umurimo, that registered remarkable success just one year after it was launched.Businesses under the scheme have already received financing of over Rwf 1.1billion.According to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Emmanuel Hategeka, more projects have been approved for funding totaling to over Rwf 3.5 billion. “This was our pilot phase to see if the programme can have an impact and it has been successful,” Hategeka said yesterday during a function in Kigali to review the Hanga Umurimo project and launch the second phase.Hanga Umurimo is a Kinyarwanda phrase to mean (create own job).The programme aimed at sensitising the population to come up with creative ideas for job creation, empower communities with basic business skills and identify individuals with entrepreneurial aptitude and nurture good and bankable business idea.Hategeka added that the received over 16,000 applications yet they set a target of funding 300 projects. To date, 74% of the 300 projects have been approved.He said that the 300 successful business ideas are linked to sources of financing. With the support of government, access to finance for projects under Hanga Umurimo have been eased.Micar Mukamibwa, one of the beneficiaries of the programme said she managed to get over Rwf20 million to expand her tailoring business.“I had an idea of expanding my project but I could not get enough money to do it. I didn’t have means of approaching banks for a loan but this programme has answered my dream,” she said.The program is part of the government’s wider campaign to create 200,000 off-farm jobs a year.

National

Hanga Umurimo creates 1200 jobs