Women's Entrepreneurship

The Goldman Sachs Entrepreneur Certificate Program is designed for women across Rwanda who are interested in growing their small business or starting a business. Over the course of the program, participants will create a detailed, actionable business plan. Sessions will be held in the areas of: business planning, marketing, finance, accounting, and management. At the end of the program, participants will present their business plans to the group and program faculty. Awards will be given to the seven women with the best business plans. It is a  six-month programs. There is no fee for participants to attend. The program sponsor is Goldman Sachs, through its 10,000 Women initiative.

Women from across Rwanda were selected to participate in the Fall 2009 program. The women represent a range of industries, including: restaurants, food production, selling poultry and eggs, interior decorating, computer training, and wedding consultancy.

For more information on the current class of participants, view their profiles.

For more information on the first class, click here.

For more information on the second class, click here.


Click to view photographs from the business plan competition and award recipients visits from group 1.
 

 Program Schedules

Fall 2009

Session Title	Session Length	Session Dates (Fall 2009)
Introduction to Entrepreneurship & Business Strategy	4 days	Sept 21-24, 2009
Developing a Successful Business Plan	3 days	Sept 30 - Oct 2, 2009
Starting & Operating a Business in Rwanda	2 days	Oct 12-13, 2009
Budgeting/Management Accounting	4 days	Oct 20-23, 2009
Financial Accounting & Loans	3 days	Nov 9-12, 2009
HR/Management	3 days	Nov 23-25, 2009
Marketing & Public Relations	4 days	Dec 21-23, 2009
Cohort Consulting	5 days	Jan 11-15, 2010
Business Plan Presentations	3 days	Jan 25-27, 2010

  All sessions will be held in Kigali.
   

Applications are no longer being accepted for the Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 session.
 
All participants will receive a full scholarship from Goldman Sachs if admitted to the program. Lodging and meals will be provided for the participants living outside of Kigali.  All applicants must demonstrate a financial need to attend this program. On the application, you will be asked about your financial status.

 Program Faculty

The program draws its 10 faculty members from Rwanda as well as the USA and India. 

Faculty include:

Dr. Kopparthi Murty is Associate Professor of Marketing and Director of the dual MBA program at the School of Finance & Banking in Rwanda. Dr. Murty's research focuses on women entrepreneurship development. For the Goldman Sachs Entrepreneurship Certificate Program, he is the Program Faculty Coordinator and will teach sessions on Business Strategy and Developing a Successful Business Plan.

Dr. Etienne Musonera is a William Davidson Institute Faculty Affiliate and an Assistant Professor of Marketing & Management at Eastern New Mexico University. His consulting work has focused on Global Optimal Solutions, Marketing Strategies, Foreign Direct Investment, Decision Risk Analysis, Business Process Management, Quality Management, and World Class Manufacturing (WCM) Strategies and Best Practices. For the Goldman Sachs Entrepreneurship Certificate Program, he will teach the Marketing session.

Dr. Julie Dziekan is a William Davidson Institute Faculty Affiliate and is on the faculty of the School of Management at the University of Michigan at Dearborn. As a consultant to the William Davidson Institute, she has provided technical assistance to business schools in emerging economies in Africa and Central Asia. She has worked with the School of Finance and Banking in Kigali, advising leaders about academic governance, organizational structure, and international accreditation. For the Goldman Sachs Entrepreneurship Certificate Program, she will teach HR & Organizational Management.

Brigitte Gafaranga is an Assistant Lecturer in HR Management at the School of Finance and Banking, Rwanda. Previously, she worked at the Kigali Institute of of Science, Technology and Management in the HR Management Department. Her latest research looks at Microfinance and Microinsurance partnerships as a means of poverty reduction in Rwanda. For the Goldman Sachs Entrepreneurship Certificate Program, she will teach Financial Accounting & Loans.