The District of Musanze partners with the African Management Institute (AMI) to strengthen entrepreneur business skills

• AMI to open a new office in Musanze District to facilitate the implementation of its outreach programme
• More than 200 managers and hospitality personnel in Musanze District will benefit from capacity-building training under AMI’s Inspiring Managers and Thrive@Work programmes.
• At least 70 entrepreneurs and their management team will have access to AMI’s Survive to Thrive programme to sharpen their business development skills.

The District of Musanze and the African Management Institute (AMI) have signed a one-year partnership to strengthen the practical skills and knowledge of entrepreneurs and managers in the district through AMI’s unique training programmes.

African Management Institute programmes, offered through the Hanga Ahazaza initiative in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, focus on increasing employment opportunities for young people while expanding the hospitality and tourism sector in Rwanda.

Since 2019, almost 900 managers and entry-level employees have graduated from AMI’s Workplace Learning programmes and more than 400 entrepreneurs and business leaders both in the Hospitality & Tourism sectors have benefited from AMI’s entrepreneurship programmes last year.

Under the new partnership with Musanze District, AMI aims at enrolling a minimum of 70 entrepreneurs and business owners into its Survive to Thrive programme which is a 4-month practical business growth programme that equips business leaders and their teams with skills and tools to help them address challenges affecting their enterprises and be able to recognize and seize business opportunities. In addition, AMI will support more than 200 supervisors and aspiring supervisors in the hospitality and tourism sector as well as the creative industry to develop their management skills through the workplace learning programmes ‘Inspiring Managers’ and ‘Thrive@Work.’

“This is a timely partnership as AMI expands its reach to Musanze Community. We have worked with the Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA) to set up a new office at their Innovation Hub at the Musanze Youth Centre. Young entrepreneurs will be able to visit the Hub to learn about our programmes and meet our Growth Guides who will support them to acquire the skills they need to keep their businesses operating. We look forward to working with business leaders and managers on this journey. I encourage them to visit the youth centre or our website to apply for an AMI programme that suits their business goals,” said Malik Shaffy, AMI Rwanda Country Director.

Janvier Ramuli, Mayor of Musanze District, appreciated AMI’s support to entrepreneurs and business managers to build their companies and find new ways to provide great customer care.

”Musanze is one of the major secondary cities and the hub of Rwanda’s tourism and hospitality industry. We are delighted to partner with AMI as their programmes will help build skills and opportunity for young Rwandans and contribute to the economic development of the district at scale,” he said.

Following the signing of the agreement with Musanze District, the AMI management team met with AMI Alumni based in Musanze to celebrate their achievements, and discuss challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic as well as ways to overcome them.

To learn more about AMI’s programmes, visit africanmanagers.org/rwanda. If you are in Musanze District, you can apply for the Inspiring Managers programme at bit.ly/AMITW-Musanze and Survive to Thrive programme at bit.ly/AMIS2T-Musanze.

African Management Institute

 AMI enables ambitious businesses across Africa to thrive, through practical tools and training. We equip entrepreneurs, business leaders and managers with tools to build their businesses, help companies train their teams and run work readiness programmes for young people starting their careers. AMI’s programmes combine online and mobile tools with in-person workshops and on-the-job practice and support. During the Covid-19 period, AMI is delivering fully virtual programming across the continent. AMI has worked with a range of businesses and organisations to support entrepreneurs and managers build and grow their businesses across Africa including Uber, Nestle, Radisson Blu, Mastercard Foundation, USAID, Shell Foundation and Equity Bank. AMI has directly trained over 30,000 people in over 30 countries. AMI has offices in Kigali, Nairobi and Johannesburg. For more information, visit africanmanagers.org/rwanda.

Musanze District

Musanze is Rwanda’s most mountainous district and the most popular tourist destination in the country, with the majestic gorillas found at the Volcanoes National Park. Five of the eight volcanoes of the Virunga chain (Karisimbi, Bisoke, Sabyinyo, Gahinga and Muhabura) are within the district boundaries. With all the tourist attractions, Musanze District is one of the top districts with many rising businesses working under the tourism and hospitality sector and the creative industry.

Learn more at www.musanze.gov.rw.