Staff Spotlight: Stanley Mukasa, Program Manager for Entrepreneurship and Business Management

Akilah prides itself on developing strong, skilled women leaders. But behind every great leader is a great teacher. In our “Staff Spotlight” series, we ask instructors and staff what inspires them about the work they do.

Stanley Mukasa oversees programming for Akilah’s Diploma in Business Management & Entrepreneurship. He also runs Akilah’s Business Incubation Center, where he coaches students and alumnae on growing their businesses.

When I first joined Akilah in 2014, it was the first time I had ever heard of a women’s institute training their students in entrepreneurship. Immediately I knew I wanted to be part of this change that I knew was coming. Entrepreneurship is high on the agenda in Rwanda, so it is the perfect place to do this.

I am always blown away by the energy and motivation the students bring to the classroom. They have such high expectations for themselves; they want to achieve something big. You don’t see that kind of drive very often in universities. Our students know what they want and come with specific issues they want to work on. They’ll tell me, “I need to find a way to build my brand, develop my products. Please give me advice, give me extra books on the subject.”

“They have such high expectations for themselves; they want to achieve something big. You don’t see that kind of drive very often in universities.”

It’s the environment here and the people around them that make the students work harder, dream bigger. I receive them after they have gone through leadership classes on their first year on campus. I see how it shapes them and determines their dreams. So when they come to me to study entrepreneurship, they are focused. I get to support these women that already have a focus, a dream.

The biggest change I see in the students during their time at Akilah is their career focus. When they come to us, they think being an entrepreneur is just starting a business. By the time they finish their first year of entrepreneurship, they have realized that being an entrepreneur is also about having a mindset that can allow you to support other people’s businesses.

We educate students to be entrepreneurs, but not all of them start their own business immediately — and that’s not a bad thing. Entrepreneurship is about creating. Even if you’re not running your own business, employers want employees who think like entrepreneurs, who take initiative. That’s why our program is necessary. We give our students a chance to practice what it feels like to be an entrepreneur, to take what they’ve learned and apply it outside the classroom.

“We educate students to be entrepreneurs, but not all of them start their own business immediately — and that’s not a bad thing. Entrepreneurship is about creating.”

Developing viable business ideas is still a challenge, definitely. Our students usually come with ideas without knowing their customer base, products, and the way forward. But they learn those things at Akilah. It’s great seeing students develop an idea from having zero customers and just a vague idea of their products and services to a stage where they can take it to market and reach their target customers.

But it’s the mindset of their surroundings that is the biggest challenge. People tend to think that business is not for women. So they work hard to change that perception. And then on top of it, they need to overcome the usual challenges for entrepreneurs of capital, resources, and networks.

One of the things we put a lot of focus on is for the students to be able to pitch their ideas and thoughts. We participate in national entrepreneurship competitions. In these competitions, our students are often the only women participating. But we can see that they’re able to challenge their male counterparts and equally access opportunities, such as funding, support, and mentorship.

We are very aware that we are creating role models. Our students are inspiring other girls to take the leap and be entrepreneurs. This last year we have seen an increasing number of students starting their businesses while studying. We can see the results even before they graduate. That’s something that motivates me to come back the next day and keep going. It motivates us to bring more students on board. And honestly, it is amazing to be part of.