The Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Rwanda in charge of Planning and Administration, Dr. Ndikumana Raymond, has said the institution is prioritizing programs that help students start their entrepreneurial journey while still studying, as part of efforts to address unemployment affecting many young people across Africa.
He made the remarks during a four-day innovation boot camp in Kigali that brought together 375 participants from different campuses of the University of Rwanda. The participants are presenting projects competing for funding through the “HATANA Innovation Grants”, a program supported by the Mastercard Foundation.
A total of 350 students organized into 75 teams from different colleges of the university are taking part in the retreat, which aims to refine and select the most promising projects to receive financial support for implementation.
Participants say the initiative provides a valuable opportunity to turn their ideas into practical solutions. Besides financial support, the students also receive training to help them strengthen and refine their business ideas.
According to the students, the training sessions focus on how to develop projects, identify weaknesses and improve them so they can become viable ventures.
“Through the training, we learn how to develop our projects and what we need to improve so that our ideas can grow,” one participant said. “It helps transform ideas that exist only in our minds into real projects that can benefit us personally, the society we live in and the country as a whole.”
Another student noted that the funding awarded to winning teams will help them move beyond ideas and begin implementing their projects.
Speaking at the opening of the retreat, Dr. Ndikumana explained that the initiative, organized in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, aims to tackle the challenge of graduate unemployment across Africa.
He noted that in many African countries only about 30 percent of graduates secure employment within six months after finishing university.
“To overcome this challenge, students need to start thinking about entrepreneurship while they are still at university,” he said. “That is why we created the HATANA initiative to support student entrepreneurs and encourage innovation within the university.”
During the retreat, which runs until Friday, 75 project ideas are being showcased, with the best proposals expected to receive funding for implementation.
Last year, a similar competition saw 20 winning projects each receive $5,000 to help implement their ideas, while eight others received $2,000 in support.
Participants say such opportunities provide an important starting point for students to begin building businesses and creating jobs even before graduating from university.