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Launched in 2021 through a partnership with the European Union, the incubation hubs dubbed ‘Hanga Hubs’ are currently being set up in Rubavu, Rusizi, Muhanga, and Nyagatare districts.
Four incubation hubs that are being developed through an initiative by the Government of Rwanda are set to be a game-changer for young and ambitious innovators in the country’s secondary cities.
Launched in 2021 through a partnership with the European Union, the incubation hubs dubbed ‘Hanga Hubs’ are currently being set up in Rubavu, Rusizi, Muhanga, and Nyagatare districts.
The project aims to address the digital skills gap and unemployment by ensuring access to entrepreneurship support services for technology-based innovative start-ups in secondary cities. Many of the entrepreneurship support services are found in Kigali, yet young, talented, and ambitious innovators are found in every corner of this country. This is an effort to set up hubs in secondary cities. The incubation hubs will foster innovative solutions to some emerging challenges.
The incubation centers can address issues ranging from food insecurity, access to quality health care, access to energy, the digital divide, and climate change. The Hanga hubs project is inspired by the model of K-lab, which is under the ICT Chamber.
Paula Ingabire, the Minister of ICT & Innovation, said that the ministry aims to continue bringing critical infrastructure that enables Rwandan youth to access support when innovating and becoming entrepreneurs.
A total investment of 4.8 million Euros from the European Union has been dedicated to the Hanga Hubs project. The European Union has laid out different strategies, including capacity building, partnerships and revenue generation to ensure the continuity of the project once the EU funding stops.The Rwanda ICT Chamber, a member-based organization representing ICT private companies in the country, is working with Hanga Hubs to provide digital skills and accelerator programs.
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According to Alex Ntale, CEO of the ICT Chamber, as part of the arrangement with Hanga Hubs, they have opened up a training program through which over 1,800 young people have already applied. The program will offer different skills to successful applicants such as digital literacy skills for secondary school level applicants, computer programming and software development for bachelors and masters in ICT level applicants, as well as digital entrepreneurship for those that are into innovation and self-employment.
