Akilah Institute for Women

Akilah is a model of transformational business education that prepares young women to become compassionate and confident leaders in their communities and the rapidly developing sectors of the economy.

Opened in January 2010, Akilah offers a 2-year Business Diploma with a focus in Hospitality Management (current) or Entrepreneurship (Sept 2012). The unique Akilah model emphasizes leadership, communication and entrepreneurial skills. Akilah works closely with the local private sector to develop market-relevant curricula and to ensure job placement for graduates. All students are required to take several leadership & ethics courses and complete intensive community service and internship programs. The first Akilah class will graduate in August 2012. The recent launch of campus social enterprises ensure Akilah’s long-term financial sustainability and offer experiential business learning opportunities for students.

The Akilah model has been supported by Rwandan President Paul Kagame; Bob Zoellick, the President of The World Bank; Bill Gates Sr. of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Marriott International; Johnson & Wales University; and other partners around the world

Over the next ten years, Akilah plans to develop a network of campuses in Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. Each campus will embody the holistic educational values of the Akilah model, and offer academic programs that are developed in response to the needs of the local industry.

By 2022, Akilah will graduate 7,200 young women who have the skills to find meaningful employment in the private sector, or launch their own businesses.

The Akilah Institute is an initiative of Project Akilah, a U.S.-based tax-exempt nonprofit organization, and a registered international nonprofit organization in Rwanda.