Africa-Press – Rwanda. The African Management Institute, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, has awarded the best performing entrepreneurs in Rwanda through the AMI Resilience Prize. The recipients were recognised for their impressive growth in their businesses, making an impact in their community and showing remarkable resilience after completing one of AMI’s business programmes.
Recognising the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, the AMI Resilience Prize celebrates the achievements and persistence of entrepreneurs who completed at least one of AMI’s programmes.
Graduates eligible for the prize included those who completed either the AMI Business Survival Bootcamp, Survive to Thrive programme or Take Your Business Online programme.
To celebrate these impressive entrepreneurs, the African Management Institute organised a series of countrywide outreach events and heard how the skills acquired from AMI’s programmes improved their business performance, and enabled them to network with each other and grow their businesses.
During these events, the top fifteen entrepreneurs (selected from more than 600 AMI graduates who applied for the prize) reflected on how they overcame a range of business challenges by adapting to market changes and creating jobs – while also contributing to the country’s economic recovery.
“The AMI Resilience Prize recognises the achievements and resilience of entrepreneurs who completed AMI’s business programmes. Around 600 graduates applied for the prize – demonstrating the passion and dedication that exists in our growing network of graduates. Today we announced the top six entrepreneurs who have had a great impact on their businesses and the community. I congratulate the AMI Resilience Prize winners. It was an incredibly difficult task to select the winners because all AMI Thrivers are winners. You inspire us every day,” said Allen Ingabire, Partnership Manager at AMI Rwanda.
The six entrepreneurs awarded at today’s grand finale of the AMI Resilience Prize at Norrsken Kigali House each received a cash prize of Rwf1 million and will gain extended access to AMI tools and professional support to keep their businesses thriving. Norrsken House Kigali has also offered to support their entrepreneurship journey by availing a working space for the top six AMI Resilience Prize winners.
“When the Covid-19 pandemic started, AMI responded by supporting almost 4,000 businesses in all 30 districts of Rwanda. This represents more than 8,000 people who kept their jobs. As the Mastercard Foundation, we are humbled by the partnership with AMI which brings us a step forward to achieving our vision of providing 300,000 dignified and fulfilling work opportunities to young people, especially young women, in Rwanda by 2030,” said Livingstone Nkuusi of the Mastercard Foundation in Rwanda.
Some 31 finalists from the 2021 HangaPitch Fest also graduated from AMI’s Survive to Thrive programme. The HangaPitch Fest is an annual competition organised by the Ministry of ICT and Innovation and the Rwanda Development Board.
The Hanga Pitfest graduates now have the opportunity to join AMI’s Take Your Business Online programme, a one-month business programme that supports entrepreneurs in Rwanda to leverage social media and other online platforms in order to gain brand visibility and engage directly with clients.
Young entrepreneurs, especially those with micro, small and medium businesses in the tourism and hospitality sector as well as the creative industry from Musanze District, will be enrolled in AMI’s programmes, offered under the Hanga Ahazaza initiative in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, and be equipped with skills and tools to help them seize new business opportunities.
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