CDE Rwanda launches a project to promote formal businesses among women and girls

By Elias Hakizimana.

The Center for Development and Enterprises (CDE-Rwanda) organization launched a new project dubbed ‘Breaking women and girls barriers’ that aims at tackling the obstacles which prevent women doing informal trade from creating formal businesses.

The survey conducted by this organization before they launch the project has revealed that of informal business practitioners are women and girls, including street vendors.

It also highlighted that most of women and girls who practice informal trade are illiterate and have barriers to use English language which is used to register businesses in Rwanda Development Board (RDB). Lack of technology and internet skills was also mentioned as a serious issue.

Informal Street trading is done in most African countries but remains a challenge to countries’ development as such traders don’t pay taxes.

Speaking to the press during the launch, Réné Goscinny Bigirimana, Executive Director and Founder of CDE-Rwanda said that they use business ideas and bring experts to train women and girls how to create formal businesses.

“In our survey, we first observed that the government loses taxes as informal trade businesses keep increasing; informal sector business operators do not pay taxes. We want to break all the barriers they face and make them ready to create formal businesses after equipping them with knowledge and skills about Entrepreneurship.” He said.

Bigirimana added that they will approach concerned government’s entities and request for support to further advocacy of this issue.

“Women and Girls are the most who experience hurdles and obstacles in informal sector. We need to help them embrace formal businesses through this project.” He added.

Incepted in 2017 at the University of Rwanda’s College of Science and Technology as a students’ entrepreneurship club to encourage them saving and thinking of kinds of businesses they can do after school, CDE-Rwanda organization has now over 300 members.