"Entrepreneurship is our hope!"

 Group photo taking with distinguished guests.

From November 3 to 7, HGU provided the International Entrepreneurship Training Course in International School Kigali. Sixty students, veterans, policemen and various participants from different backgrounds attended.

The opening ceremony had four distinguished guests: François KANIMBA, Minister of Trade and Industry of Rwanda; Soon-Taik Hwang, Korean Ambassador to Rwanda; the person in charge of the Ministry of Education of Rwanda; and the leader of the Training Center of Rwanda.

Rwanda has great interest in entrepreneurship. Students may take an entrepreneurship course during elementary, middle or high school curriculum. The current President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, reiterated the importance of entrepreneurship by saying, "entrepreneurship is our hope". The country has a great interest in national development through entrepreneurship.

The Minister of Trade and Industry of Rwanda said in his congratulatory speech, "All of you, the participants who have great passion for entrepreneurship will become the strong pillars of our country."

Participants listening to a lecture.

Buzingo Idrisa, who participated in this program, said, "I used to study about entrepreneurship through text books. Now, I hope to practice practical entrepreneurship with what I have learned in this program."

This program was supported by the Rz MANNA in Rwanda. Rz MANNA is a social enterprise which was established in Rwanda last August with the support by HGU and KOICA. Rz MANNA sells bread, coffee, and beverages by employing socially marginalized people in Rwanda and assists them to become self-reliant employees who operate the bakery.

Professor Myungsul Doh, the charger of Rz MANNA said, "This is the first entrepreneurship training program in Rwanda. After considering the effectiveness of the training in Rwanda, I hope that such training programs will be hosted constantly. Entrepreneurship is a way to teach people how to catch a fish not just a way to give a fish to the people in Rwanda."

HGU was designated as a host university of the UNESCO-UNITWIN program. Since 2008, HGU has been providing international entrepreneurship training programs to the businessmen, government officials, and university students of various developing countries. During the past seven years, 1,900 people were trained in Kenya, Ghana, Cambodia, Mongolia, Peru, etc. in the 19 international entrepreneurship training programs. Most of the trainees have succeeded in their start-ups and are playing an important role by contributing their local society and economy.

UNESCO-UNITWIN :
UNESCO-UNITWIN is the abbreviation for the UNESCO-University Twinning and Networking Program. The program was established in 1992 following the decision of UNESCO’s General Conference taken at its 26th session. The UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Program was conceived as a way to advance research, training and program development in all of UNESCO’s fields of competence by building university networks and encouraging inter-university cooperation through the transfer of knowledge across borders. Since it was established in 1992, the programme has aroused great interest among the Member States.