"We are investing strongly in the Economic Infrastructurei in Drakenstein Municipality to promote economic development, we want to share with and learn from others in Africa. LEDNA looks a great opportunity for us all."
Gulelat Kebede
Traditional Irrigation and Environmental Development Organisation (TIP)
Kenya
"LEDNA is an excellent resource and a promising knowledge network to advance the LED agenda in Sub Sahara Africa. We should nurture and use it to catalyze partnerships that respond to the real needs of local authorities."
Hamisi Mboga
Secretary General of the Association of Local Government Authorities of Kenya
"In our cities we find both poverty and wealth in very close proximity. Local economic development process seems to be one of those strategies to address the challenges and hence my interest on this network."
Dr. I.H. Kawa
Traditional Irrigation and Environmental Development Organisation (TIP)
Tanzania
"It is great to have LEDNA, which serves as a perfect forum for linking and learning among LED academics and practitioners."
Dr. I.H. Kawa
Traditional Irrigation and Environmental Development Organisation (TIP)
Tanzania
"It is great to have LEDNA, which serves as a perfect forum for linking and learning among LED academics and practitioners."
Gulelat Kebede
Traditional Irrigation and Environmental Development Organisation (TIP)
Kenya
"LEDNA is an excellent resource and a promising knowledge network to advance the LED agenda in Sub Sahara Africa. We should nurture and use it to catalyze partnerships that respond to the real needs of local authorities."
Dr. Sidima Kabanyane
Municipal Manager
South Africa
"We are investing strongly in the Economic Infrastructurei in Drakenstein Municipality to promote economic development, we want to share with and learn from others in Africa. LEDNA looks a great opportunity for us all."
I find Professor Ncube’s opening statement that ‘the informal economy is often associated with increasing poverty and weak employment conditions’ most interesting. I would differ only on one point, that in fact, the informal economy is always associated with poverty and failure of the formal economy to provide adequate employment. In my view then, the informal economy plays an important role in helping governments of poor nations (which paradoxically are often rich in resources); solve half of the problem – by providing employment and the means of income to many. The other half is of course its informality, non-payment of taxes etc. Most, if not all governments (and the scholars who advise them) tend to focus effort on the wrong half of the problem – the informality - without addressing in earnest, the crucial half of poverty and unemployment which is tantamount to killing the goose that lays the golden half of the egg. The informal sector exists largely because its operators find it uneconomic to comply with formal standards of operation. Recognition of the informal sector alone will not solve the problem, so long as it is associated with formalization. Governments should rather let the informal sector be, by exercising the leas control possible and work instead, to reduce poverty and create employment. Most governments in Africa can do this, if they stopped wasting resources of their countries through corruption and other forms of abuse.
Thanks for the post ledna team! Great to hear the opinion of the Vice President of the African Development Bank and his attitude towards the informal sector in Africa.
There is no doubt that here in Rwanda, the informal sector is associated with "criminal endeavours and tax evasion". The few street hawkers brave enough to walk the downtown streets in Kigali are on constant alert; ready to run from pursuing police as necessary.
If the Rwandan Government truly wants to achieve their goal of reducing poverty from 45% to 20% and to create at least 1.8 million new off-farm jobs by 2020, they would do well to heed Professor Ncube's advice and develop a new approach to tackle their vast informal sector.
As suggested, recognising the heterogenity of this sector and distinguishing between large, small and micro informal enterprises would be a very good place to start. Whilst many of the larger enterprises could well be herded into the 'formal' sector with better access to financing, some of the micro enterprises are just not ready to be formalised. Encouraging some of these (usually household) enterprises could lead to their expansion and possibly formalisation, later down the track.
To relevant policy makers in Rwanda - please heed Professor Ncube's advice!
Thanks for the post ledna team! Great to hear the opinion of the Vice President of the African Development Bank and his attitude towards the informal sector in Africa.
There is no doubt that here in Rwanda, the informal sector is associated with "criminal endeavours and tax evasion". The few street hawkers brave enough to walk the downtown streets in Kigali are on constant alert; ready to run from pursuing police as necessary.
If the Rwandan Government truly wants to achieve their goal of reducing poverty from 45% to 20% and to create at least 1.8 million new off-farm jobs by 2020, they would do well to heed Professor Ncube's advice and develop a new approach to tackle their vast informal sector.
As suggested, recognising the heterogenity of this sector and distinguishing between large, small and micro informal enterprises would be a very good place to start. Whilst many of the larger enterprises could well be herded into the 'formal' sector with better access to financing, some of the micro enterprises are just not ready to be formalised. Encouraging some of these (usually household) enterprises could lead to their expansion and possibly formalisation, later down the track.
To relevant policy makers in Rwanda - please heed Professor Ncube's advice!
Thanks for the good overview. Just to complement this, I actually did an assessment of indicator use in LED design and measurement. It is available at https://www.dropbox.com/s/yg54k40j1ggie0r/Research%20on%20LED%20indicators%20for%20local%20governments.docx
Thanks for the good overview. Just to complement this, I actually did an assessment of indicator use in LED design and measurement. It is available at https://www.dropbox.com/s/yg54k40j1ggie0r/Research%20on%20LED%20indicators%20for%20local%20governments.docx
A quick word from Kenya. We can only hope that the devolved governments (becoming more akin to Rwanda’s decentralized governance) in our new dispensation will pay more cognizance to LED too.
A quick word from Kenya. We can only hope that the devolved governments (becoming more akin to Rwanda’s decentralized governance) in our new dispensation will pay more cognizance to LED too.
A quick word from Kenya. We can only hope that the devolved governments (becoming more akin to Rwanda’s decentralized governance) in our new dispensation will pay more cognizance to LED too.
I completely agree with you that the the potential for Rwanda to implement LED is enormous. And that Rwanda is very well placed to do so if the existing platforms are fully harnessed. In my opinion, the Joint Action Development Forum (JADF) platform would be a great place to start. These platforms exist at both sector and district level and are now well recognized by citizens, NGOs, donors and the private and public sectors. Rather than LED trying to create its own platform, it would surely make sense to utilize JADF to create public awareness, introduce and initiate projects. The Rwandanese Association of Local Governmenti Authorities (RALGA) has in fact already started training JADF members to better understand and potentially adopt the LED concept.
However, I still believe LED needs more keen practitioners in Rwanda who are willing to possibly take a risk and get the ball rolling. Obviously, there are very good and less good examples of LED projects throughout the world. More effort needs to be made to really understand why some succeed and others fail, then to apply these lessons specifically to Rwanda. This website is not a bad place to begin!
Rwanda is indeed committed to the decentralization process and LED could most certainly provide an excellent tool/process with which to explore job creation opportunities at the sector and district levels. For as you mentioned in your comment, the Government structure and necessary mechanisms are already in place. Somebody just needs to find the will!
I completely agree with you that the the potential for Rwanda to implement LED is enormous. And that Rwanda is very well placed to do so if the existing platforms are fully harnessed. In my opinion, the Joint Action Development Forum (JADF) platform would be a great place to start. These platforms exist at both sector and district level and are now well recognized by citizens, NGOs, donors and the private and public sectors. Rather than LED trying to create its own platform, it would surely make sense to utilize JADF to create public awareness, introduce and initiate projects. The Rwandanese Association of Local Governmenti Authorities (RALGA) has in fact already started training JADF members to better understand and potentially adopt the LED concept.
However, I still believe LED needs more keen practitioners in Rwanda who are willing to possibly take a risk and get the ball rolling. Obviously, there are very good and less good examples of LED projects throughout the world. More effort needs to be made to really understand why some succeed and others fail, then to apply these lessons specifically to Rwanda. This website is not a bad place to begin!
Rwanda is indeed committed to the decentralization process and LED could most certainly provide an excellent tool/process with which to explore job creation opportunities at the sector and district levels. For as you mentioned in your comment, the Government structure and necessary mechanisms are already in place. Somebody just needs to find the will!
I completely agree with you that the the potential for Rwanda to implement LED is enormous. And that Rwanda is very well placed to do so if the existing platforms are fully harnessed. In my opinion, the Joint Action Development Forum (JADF) platform would be a great place to start. These platforms exist at both sector and district level and are now well recognized by citizens, NGOs, donors and the private and public sectors. Rather than LED trying to create its own platform, it would surely make sense to utilize JADF to create public awareness, introduce and initiate projects. The Rwandanese Association of Local Governmenti Authorities (RALGA) has in fact already started training JADF members to better understand and potentially adopt the LED concept.
However, I still believe LED needs more keen practitioners in Rwanda who are willing to possibly take a risk and get the ball rolling. Obviously, there are very good and less good examples of LED projects throughout the world. More effort needs to be made to really understand why some succeed and others fail, then to apply these lessons specifically to Rwanda. This website is not a bad place to begin!
Rwanda is indeed committed to the decentralization process and LED could most certainly provide an excellent tool/process with which to explore job creation opportunities at the sector and district levels. For as you mentioned in your comment, the Government structure and necessary mechanisms are already in place. Somebody just needs to find the will!
Coming from the private sector and also with NGO experience in the past, I would also add lack of engagement with local government as being a major issue
Private sector decries lack of services in the face of high local taxes while NGOs are often on the other side of the fence demanding accountability from local authorities with regards to budget expenditure.
Thus to enhance the coordination role of local governments in LED, a first step could be pro-active and accommodating engagement with other stakeholders.
Coming from the private sector and also with NGO experience in the past, I would also add lack of engagement with local government as being a major issue
Private sector decries lack of services in the face of high local taxes while NGOs are often on the other side of the fence demanding accountability from local authorities with regards to budget expenditure.
Thus to enhance the coordination role of local governments in LED, a first step could be pro-active and accommodating engagement with other stakeholders.
I am in agreement with the author that the nation of Rwanda is lagging in adoption and implementation of LED, just like many other African countries. But, I think the potentials for Rwanda to implement the concept is enourmous. The platform to implement such concept and any other is already in existence as outlined in the decentralization policy.
The people at the grassroots are well connected to the governanace structure in their locality. Hence, all it requires are detailed implementation plan for LED and engagement of local authority officials on potential benefits of LED.
Further, there is need to approach the coordinating institution for Vision 2020 to adopt LED as one of its thematic framework during the mid term evaluation of the Vision.
Conclusively, LED should not be a hard to introduce or implement concept in Rwanda if the existing platforms are fully harnessed. Rwandan decentralized governance structure placed the country at a vantage position to explore local based concepts such as LED or any other, in comparison to many African countries where centralized or weak decentralized system prevails.
I am in agreement with the author that the nation of Rwanda is lagging in adoption and implementation of LED, just like many other African countries. But, I think the potentials for Rwanda to implement the concept is enourmous. The platform to implement such concept and any other is already in existence as outlined in the decentralization policy.
The people at the grassroots are well connected to the governanace structure in their locality. Hence, all it requires are detailed implementation plan for LED and engagement of local authority officials on potential benefits of LED.
Further, there is need to approach the coordinating institution for Vision 2020 to adopt LED as one of its thematic framework during the mid term evaluation of the Vision.
Conclusively, LED should not be a hard to introduce or implement concept in Rwanda if the existing platforms are fully harnessed. Rwandan decentralized governance structure placed the country at a vantage position to explore local based concepts such as LED or any other, in comparison to many African countries where centralized or weak decentralized system prevails.
I am in agreement with the author that the nation of Rwanda is lagging in adoption and implementation of LED, just like many other African countries. But, I think the potentials for Rwanda to implement the concept is enourmous. The platform to implement such concept and any other is already in existence as outlined in the decentralization policy.
The people at the grassroots are well connected to the governanace structure in their locality. Hence, all it requires are detailed implementation plan for LED and engagement of local authority officials on potential benefits of LED.
Further, there is need to approach the coordinating institution for Vision 2020 to adopt LED as one of its thematic framework during the mid term evaluation of the Vision.
Conclusively, LED should not be a hard to introduce or implement concept in Rwanda if the existing platforms are fully harnessed. Rwandan decentralized governance structure placed the country at a vantage position to explore local based concepts such as LED or any other, in comparison to many African countries where centralized or weak decentralized system prevails.
Its really finally refreshing to find posts such as these that state that entrepreneurship education is NOT simply business education. The two are so different, and one of my personal pet peeves are when people bandy the term 'entrepreneur' for any small enterprise.
As you write so eloquently: "Entrepreneurship is about entrepreneurial individuals interacting with their environment, thus discovering, evaluating and exploiting opportunities"
This is where I find that economic empowerment initiatives, particularly for the youth miss the mark. It takes more than teaching the principles of marketing and accounting to make an entrepreneur. This gap is what has resulted in over-saturation of some business sectors such as mobile phones and clothing; leading to lack of any business growth and ultimate enterprise collapse. Then people blame the economy! But the economy is not at fault here. The fault is not focussing on nurturing entreprenurial awareness in the first place.
Its really finally refreshing to find posts such as these that state that entrepreneurship education is NOT simply business education. The two are so different, and one of my personal pet peeves are when people bandy the term 'entrepreneur' for any small enterprise.
As you write so eloquently: "Entrepreneurship is about entrepreneurial individuals interacting with their environment, thus discovering, evaluating and exploiting opportunities"
This is where I find that economic empowerment initiatives, particularly for the youth miss the mark. It takes more than teaching the principles of marketing and accounting to make an entrepreneur. This gap is what has resulted in over-saturation of some business sectors such as mobile phones and clothing; leading to lack of any business growth and ultimate enterprise collapse. Then people blame the economy! But the economy is not at fault here. The fault is not focussing on nurturing entreprenurial awareness in the first place.
Very interesting topic! there has been a lot of talk about developmental state. I wonder whether we can talk of developmental universities ? That is, can a university articulate itself in such a way as to be focused on training that are directly relevant to the type of economic activities that exist in the locality in which it is based and orientate its research activities towards question that answer real local issues? I know of no example in the African context but it seems that a trully local university can have some impact. At present, all we have are "national" universities with little or no connection with the locality where they are based.
Very interesting topic! there has been a lot of talk about developmental state. I wonder whether we can talk of developmental universities ? That is, can a university articulate itself in such a way as to be focused on training that are directly relevant to the type of economic activities that exist in the locality in which it is based and orientate its research activities towards question that answer real local issues? I know of no example in the African context but it seems that a trully local university can have some impact. At present, all we have are "national" universities with little or no connection with the locality where they are based.
I certainly agree that if LED needs to be more instilled in university courses. One of the main issues I find that new graduates face is that when searching for jobs they find that the courses they studies in university are not attuned to the needs of the prevailing market.
With more involvement, and probably universities at the vanguard of promoting LED, this disconnect between educational institutions and the wider economy will be a thing of the past.
I certainly agree that if LED needs to be more instilled in university courses. One of the main issues I find that new graduates face is that when searching for jobs they find that the courses they studies in university are not attuned to the needs of the prevailing market.
With more involvement, and probably universities at the vanguard of promoting LED, this disconnect between educational institutions and the wider economy will be a thing of the past.
I find Professor Ncube’s opening statement that ‘the informal economy is often associated with increasing poverty and weak employment conditions’ most interesting. I would differ only on one point, that in fact, the informal economy is always associated with poverty and failure of the formal economy to provide adequate employment.
In my view then, the informal economy plays an important role in helping governments of poor nations (which paradoxically are often rich in resources); solve half of the problem – by providing employment and the means of income to many. The other half is of course its informality, non-payment of taxes etc. Most, if not all governments (and the scholars who advise them) tend to focus effort on the wrong half of the problem – the informality - without addressing in earnest, the crucial half of poverty and unemployment which is tantamount to killing the goose that lays the golden half of the egg. The informal sector exists largely because its operators find it uneconomic to comply with formal standards of operation.
Recognition of the informal sector alone will not solve the problem, so long as it is associated with formalization. Governments should rather let the informal sector be, by exercising the leas control possible and work instead, to reduce poverty and create employment. Most governments in Africa can do this, if they stopped wasting resources of their countries through corruption and other forms of abuse.
Thanks for the post ledna team! Great to hear the opinion of the Vice President of the African Development Bank and his attitude towards the informal sector in Africa.
There is no doubt that here in Rwanda, the informal sector is associated with "criminal endeavours and tax evasion". The few street hawkers brave enough to walk the downtown streets in Kigali are on constant alert; ready to run from pursuing police as necessary.
If the Rwandan Government truly wants to achieve their goal of reducing poverty from 45% to 20% and to create at least 1.8 million new off-farm jobs by 2020, they would do well to heed Professor Ncube's advice and develop a new approach to tackle their vast informal sector.
As suggested, recognising the heterogenity of this sector and distinguishing between large, small and micro informal enterprises would be a very good place to start. Whilst many of the larger enterprises could well be herded into the 'formal' sector with better access to financing, some of the micro enterprises are just not ready to be formalised. Encouraging some of these (usually household) enterprises could lead to their expansion and possibly formalisation, later down the track.
To relevant policy makers in Rwanda - please heed Professor Ncube's advice!
Thanks for the post ledna team! Great to hear the opinion of the Vice President of the African Development Bank and his attitude towards the informal sector in Africa.
There is no doubt that here in Rwanda, the informal sector is associated with "criminal endeavours and tax evasion". The few street hawkers brave enough to walk the downtown streets in Kigali are on constant alert; ready to run from pursuing police as necessary.
If the Rwandan Government truly wants to achieve their goal of reducing poverty from 45% to 20% and to create at least 1.8 million new off-farm jobs by 2020, they would do well to heed Professor Ncube's advice and develop a new approach to tackle their vast informal sector.
As suggested, recognising the heterogenity of this sector and distinguishing between large, small and micro informal enterprises would be a very good place to start. Whilst many of the larger enterprises could well be herded into the 'formal' sector with better access to financing, some of the micro enterprises are just not ready to be formalised. Encouraging some of these (usually household) enterprises could lead to their expansion and possibly formalisation, later down the track.
To relevant policy makers in Rwanda - please heed Professor Ncube's advice!
Thanks very much Peter for this extra suggestion about LED assessment. This comes to further complete LED assessment tools available to practitioners.
Thanks very much Peter for this extra suggestion about LED assessment. This comes to further complete LED assessment tools available to practitioners.
Thanks for the good overview. Just to complement this, I actually did an assessment of indicator use in LED design and measurement. It is available at https://www.dropbox.com/s/yg54k40j1ggie0r/Research%20on%20LED%20indicators%20for%20local%20governments.docx
Best,
Peter
Thanks for the good overview. Just to complement this, I actually did an assessment of indicator use in LED design and measurement. It is available at https://www.dropbox.com/s/yg54k40j1ggie0r/Research%20on%20LED%20indicators%20for%20local%20governments.docx
Best,
Peter
A quick word from Kenya. We can only hope that the devolved governments (becoming more akin to Rwanda’s decentralized governance) in our new dispensation will pay more cognizance to LED too.
A quick word from Kenya. We can only hope that the devolved governments (becoming more akin to Rwanda’s decentralized governance) in our new dispensation will pay more cognizance to LED too.
A quick word from Kenya. We can only hope that the devolved governments (becoming more akin to Rwanda’s decentralized governance) in our new dispensation will pay more cognizance to LED too.
I completely agree with you that the the potential for Rwanda to implement LED is enormous. And that Rwanda is very well placed to do so if the existing platforms are fully harnessed. In my opinion, the Joint Action Development Forum (JADF) platform would be a great place to start. These platforms exist at both sector and district level and are now well recognized by citizens, NGOs, donors and the private and public sectors. Rather than LED trying to create its own platform, it would surely make sense to utilize JADF to create public awareness, introduce and initiate projects. The Rwandanese Association of Local Governmenti Authorities (RALGA) has in fact already started training JADF members to better understand and potentially adopt the LED concept.
However, I still believe LED needs more keen practitioners in Rwanda who are willing to possibly take a risk and get the ball rolling. Obviously, there are very good and less good examples of LED projects throughout the world. More effort needs to be made to really understand why some succeed and others fail, then to apply these lessons specifically to Rwanda. This website is not a bad place to begin!
Rwanda is indeed committed to the decentralization process and LED could most certainly provide an excellent tool/process with which to explore job creation opportunities at the sector and district levels. For as you mentioned in your comment, the Government structure and necessary mechanisms are already in place. Somebody just needs to find the will!
I completely agree with you that the the potential for Rwanda to implement LED is enormous. And that Rwanda is very well placed to do so if the existing platforms are fully harnessed. In my opinion, the Joint Action Development Forum (JADF) platform would be a great place to start. These platforms exist at both sector and district level and are now well recognized by citizens, NGOs, donors and the private and public sectors. Rather than LED trying to create its own platform, it would surely make sense to utilize JADF to create public awareness, introduce and initiate projects. The Rwandanese Association of Local Governmenti Authorities (RALGA) has in fact already started training JADF members to better understand and potentially adopt the LED concept.
However, I still believe LED needs more keen practitioners in Rwanda who are willing to possibly take a risk and get the ball rolling. Obviously, there are very good and less good examples of LED projects throughout the world. More effort needs to be made to really understand why some succeed and others fail, then to apply these lessons specifically to Rwanda. This website is not a bad place to begin!
Rwanda is indeed committed to the decentralization process and LED could most certainly provide an excellent tool/process with which to explore job creation opportunities at the sector and district levels. For as you mentioned in your comment, the Government structure and necessary mechanisms are already in place. Somebody just needs to find the will!
I completely agree with you that the the potential for Rwanda to implement LED is enormous. And that Rwanda is very well placed to do so if the existing platforms are fully harnessed. In my opinion, the Joint Action Development Forum (JADF) platform would be a great place to start. These platforms exist at both sector and district level and are now well recognized by citizens, NGOs, donors and the private and public sectors. Rather than LED trying to create its own platform, it would surely make sense to utilize JADF to create public awareness, introduce and initiate projects. The Rwandanese Association of Local Governmenti Authorities (RALGA) has in fact already started training JADF members to better understand and potentially adopt the LED concept.
However, I still believe LED needs more keen practitioners in Rwanda who are willing to possibly take a risk and get the ball rolling. Obviously, there are very good and less good examples of LED projects throughout the world. More effort needs to be made to really understand why some succeed and others fail, then to apply these lessons specifically to Rwanda. This website is not a bad place to begin!
Rwanda is indeed committed to the decentralization process and LED could most certainly provide an excellent tool/process with which to explore job creation opportunities at the sector and district levels. For as you mentioned in your comment, the Government structure and necessary mechanisms are already in place. Somebody just needs to find the will!
Coming from the private sector and also with NGO experience in the past, I would also add lack of engagement with local government as being a major issue
Private sector decries lack of services in the face of high local taxes while NGOs are often on the other side of the fence demanding accountability from local authorities with regards to budget expenditure.
Thus to enhance the coordination role of local governments in LED, a first step could be pro-active and accommodating engagement with other stakeholders.
Coming from the private sector and also with NGO experience in the past, I would also add lack of engagement with local government as being a major issue
Private sector decries lack of services in the face of high local taxes while NGOs are often on the other side of the fence demanding accountability from local authorities with regards to budget expenditure.
Thus to enhance the coordination role of local governments in LED, a first step could be pro-active and accommodating engagement with other stakeholders.
I am in agreement with the author that the nation of Rwanda is lagging in adoption and implementation of LED, just like many other African countries. But, I think the potentials for Rwanda to implement the concept is enourmous. The platform to implement such concept and any other is already in existence as outlined in the decentralization policy.
The people at the grassroots are well connected to the governanace structure in their locality. Hence, all it requires are detailed implementation plan for LED and engagement of local authority officials on potential benefits of LED.
Further, there is need to approach the coordinating institution for Vision 2020 to adopt LED as one of its thematic framework during the mid term evaluation of the Vision.
Conclusively, LED should not be a hard to introduce or implement concept in Rwanda if the existing platforms are fully harnessed. Rwandan decentralized governance structure placed the country at a vantage position to explore local based concepts such as LED or any other, in comparison to many African countries where centralized or weak decentralized system prevails.
I am in agreement with the author that the nation of Rwanda is lagging in adoption and implementation of LED, just like many other African countries. But, I think the potentials for Rwanda to implement the concept is enourmous. The platform to implement such concept and any other is already in existence as outlined in the decentralization policy.
The people at the grassroots are well connected to the governanace structure in their locality. Hence, all it requires are detailed implementation plan for LED and engagement of local authority officials on potential benefits of LED.
Further, there is need to approach the coordinating institution for Vision 2020 to adopt LED as one of its thematic framework during the mid term evaluation of the Vision.
Conclusively, LED should not be a hard to introduce or implement concept in Rwanda if the existing platforms are fully harnessed. Rwandan decentralized governance structure placed the country at a vantage position to explore local based concepts such as LED or any other, in comparison to many African countries where centralized or weak decentralized system prevails.
I am in agreement with the author that the nation of Rwanda is lagging in adoption and implementation of LED, just like many other African countries. But, I think the potentials for Rwanda to implement the concept is enourmous. The platform to implement such concept and any other is already in existence as outlined in the decentralization policy.
The people at the grassroots are well connected to the governanace structure in their locality. Hence, all it requires are detailed implementation plan for LED and engagement of local authority officials on potential benefits of LED.
Further, there is need to approach the coordinating institution for Vision 2020 to adopt LED as one of its thematic framework during the mid term evaluation of the Vision.
Conclusively, LED should not be a hard to introduce or implement concept in Rwanda if the existing platforms are fully harnessed. Rwandan decentralized governance structure placed the country at a vantage position to explore local based concepts such as LED or any other, in comparison to many African countries where centralized or weak decentralized system prevails.
It would be really interesting to learn how far The PERPU (“plano estratégico de redução da pobreza urbana” – strategic plan for reduction of urban poverty) has gone in funding the country's micro and small entrepreneurs.
Its really finally refreshing to find posts such as these that state that entrepreneurship education is NOT simply business education. The two are so different, and one of my personal pet peeves are when people bandy the term 'entrepreneur' for any small enterprise.
As you write so eloquently: "Entrepreneurship is about entrepreneurial individuals interacting with their environment, thus discovering, evaluating and exploiting opportunities"
This is where I find that economic empowerment initiatives, particularly for the youth miss the mark. It takes more than teaching the principles of marketing and accounting to make an entrepreneur. This gap is what has resulted in over-saturation of some business sectors such as mobile phones and clothing; leading to lack of any business growth and ultimate enterprise collapse. Then people blame the economy! But the economy is not at fault here. The fault is not focussing on nurturing entreprenurial awareness in the first place.
Its really finally refreshing to find posts such as these that state that entrepreneurship education is NOT simply business education. The two are so different, and one of my personal pet peeves are when people bandy the term 'entrepreneur' for any small enterprise.
As you write so eloquently: "Entrepreneurship is about entrepreneurial individuals interacting with their environment, thus discovering, evaluating and exploiting opportunities"
This is where I find that economic empowerment initiatives, particularly for the youth miss the mark. It takes more than teaching the principles of marketing and accounting to make an entrepreneur. This gap is what has resulted in over-saturation of some business sectors such as mobile phones and clothing; leading to lack of any business growth and ultimate enterprise collapse. Then people blame the economy! But the economy is not at fault here. The fault is not focussing on nurturing entreprenurial awareness in the first place.
Very interesting topic! there has been a lot of talk about developmental state. I wonder whether we can talk of developmental universities ? That is, can a university articulate itself in such a way as to be focused on training that are directly relevant to the type of economic activities that exist in the locality in which it is based and orientate its research activities towards question that answer real local issues? I know of no example in the African context but it seems that a trully local university can have some impact. At present, all we have are "national" universities with little or no connection with the locality where they are based.
Very interesting topic! there has been a lot of talk about developmental state. I wonder whether we can talk of developmental universities ? That is, can a university articulate itself in such a way as to be focused on training that are directly relevant to the type of economic activities that exist in the locality in which it is based and orientate its research activities towards question that answer real local issues? I know of no example in the African context but it seems that a trully local university can have some impact. At present, all we have are "national" universities with little or no connection with the locality where they are based.
I certainly agree that if LED needs to be more instilled in university courses. One of the main issues I find that new graduates face is that when searching for jobs they find that the courses they studies in university are not attuned to the needs of the prevailing market.
With more involvement, and probably universities at the vanguard of promoting LED, this disconnect between educational institutions and the wider economy will be a thing of the past.
I certainly agree that if LED needs to be more instilled in university courses. One of the main issues I find that new graduates face is that when searching for jobs they find that the courses they studies in university are not attuned to the needs of the prevailing market.
With more involvement, and probably universities at the vanguard of promoting LED, this disconnect between educational institutions and the wider economy will be a thing of the past.