CAPITAL TALK: Hanga Umurimu Project, an Off-farm Job Creation Catalyst Call 3010 to Ask Hon Minister of Trade and Industry

This Saturday Jan 26, 12:30-2PM, live on Radio 10 (87.6fm) during your favourite weekly business talkshow (“Capital Talk”), we bring you yet again the Trade and Industry (MINICOM) Minister, Hon Francios Kanimba along with the Chief Executive Officer of Business Development Fund (BDF)  Innocent Bulindi and two Entreprenuers; UMUTONI Angelique and MAHORO Fidèle—some of the beneficiaries of Hanga Umurimu Project (HUP), spearheaded by MINICOM.

We are discussing: “ Hanga Umurimu Project, an Off-farm Job Creation Catalyst”. Since the inaugulation of the project in 2011, over 300 entreprises have been established and supported, and by June this year more will have opened shop—with a target total of 1,200 more Entreprises.

HUP is one of the flagship programs by MINICOM contributing to not only employment creation in the country but also the elaboration of the SMEs Development Strategy.

Unemployment is one of the biggest challenges Rwanda is facing today, with an estimate of over 150,000 Rwandans slipping in the (unemployment and underemployment) brackets annually.

In Vision 2020, Rwanda’s long-term socioeconomic development agenda, it is envisaged that a critical mass of viable SMEs will create 3.2 million off farm Jobs by 2020.

Guided by this Vision and the National SME policy, the Ministry of Trade and Industry introduced Hanga Umurimo Program to contribute to rapid growth of enterprises for off-farm jobs creation.

HUP aims to support a new generation of Rwandans with entrepreneurial aptitude that run competitive and innovative enterprises to unlock their potential.

That is why, in the qualification criteria, MINICOM looks out for innovative business ideas based on identified need in the Market.

Beneficiaries are largely women and youth start-up enterprises, mostly SMEs operating in SME priority clusters in the districts of Rwanda. It  also benefits existing Enterprises wishing to expand.

The pilot phase of Hanga Umurimo that ended last November and targeted providing technical support to 300 new entrepreneurs with bankable projects. This target was achieved.

During the live and interactive talkshow we shall share lessons learnt, achievements and challenges encountered in implementing the pilot phase countrywide. Recently, MINICOM launched officially the next phase of Hanga Umurimo Program.

Before we went for festive season, the Hon Minister and his team went for a nationwide sensitization campaign to ensure that over the next couple of months the ministry receives as many applications as possible across the entire country.

On the basis that majority of targeted SMEs are challenged when it comes to writing bankable business projects, MINICOM ensures that the qualification process for the funding entails technical assictance, including; training them on how to write a business plan. This training benefits only selected (innovative business ideas). In the pilot phase, 10 applicants were selected from each district…making it a total of 300 from 30 districts. Now in this phase, the number will be scaled up in order to hit the target—1,200 projects.

However, not all that paased (business plans) were funded by banks as earlier intended due to some challenges that we shall get to discuss with the Hon Minister on Saturday—the missing Link in HUP!

MINICOM has established a network of  HUP Service Providers across the country to receive the applications, they do selection and also provide technical assistance to beneficiaries.

The Business development Fund-(BDF) has committed funds in form of guarantees to support profitable HUP business projects to access credit from financial Institutions.

Tune in 87.6fm Radio 10  this suturday, 12:30-2pm to follow the debate. You can follow and participate through Live Streaming: www.radio10.rw,  Facebook: hoperwanda, capital talk/radio10,  Twitter: #capitaltalkrwanda/mansurkakimba,   SMS:   3010 or 123 or Call in directly : 3010.