U.S. Embassy Launches Academy for Women Entrepreneurs

Kigali: The U.S. Embassy in Kigali announces a call for applications for the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE), a new Department of State initiative to support women entrepreneurs globally. Through the academy, Rwanda women entrepreures aged 18-35 will receive personalized business mentorship, as well as professional knowledge, tools and networks, in order to turn their ideas into successful businesses.

The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs reinforces President Trump’s successful Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, which provides women all over the world with the necessary practical skills to create sustainable businesses. AWE is aimed at women entrepreneurs with six to twelve months of experience in their business projects, and who can commit to participate in all the weekly sessions of the program for eight months. Interested parties should complete, before Saturday, September 28, 2019, the online application form available at: https://forms.gle/wMv8UKs5ygYNurSn6.

The program will be carried out by the U.S. Embassy, in partnership with Igire Rwanda Organization and Noble Women. AWE uses DreamBuilder, an online training program on women’s entrepreneurship developed through a partnership between Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Management and global copper mining company Freeport-McMoRan.

The curriculum teaches women to create their own business plans, understand how to raise capital, and connect with networks of successful business owners. The weekly in-person training will start on Thursday, October 17, 2019, and will end on Thursday, February 20, 2020, and will be conducted at the U.S. Embassy in Kacyiru, Kigali.

To augment the existing slate of projects focused on women and economic empowerment, the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs launched the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs, a program supporting the growth of women entrepreneurs around the world. The first phase included women from 26 countries, including the Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Barbados, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Kenya, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Rwanda, Senegal, Spain, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. (End)