Many people in developing countries today are starting their own businesses. In many countries, the importance of Small and Medium Scale Businesses is accepted and recognized by all stakeholders because of their role in uplifting household incomes and contributing to GDP. Yet, within these businesses, there remain considerable uncertainties, lack of interest to develop them; hence the business remains in biting poverty. This course therefore intends to define entrepreneurship, the entrepreneurial process, how small and medium scale businesses can be set up, how they are managed, their challenges and mapping out ways of improving this sector to boost development. The module will as well cover cooperatives as specific integral part of small scale businesses because of their importance in developing countries. We will emphasize on their core values and on the cooperatives policy and structure in Rwanda. The module is therefore built around three major pillars:

  • Entrepreneurship
  • Small business management
  • Management of cooperatives