African entrepreneur collective

: a business model for supporting local and refugee entrepreneurs in Rwanda

Abstract

The present dissertation invites the reader to think about social entrepreneurship and its role in the promotion of entrepreneurship as a tool for job creation, poverty reduction and population empowerment in developing countries in general and in Rwanda in particular.
The analysis focuses on the business model of African Entrepreneur Collective, a
social organization that has successfully helped local entrepreneurs in Rwanda to sustainably expand their businesses by employing local people and resources since 2012.
The Case Study illustrates the scope and action of the organization and clarifies the engagement in a new project to help refugee entrepreneurs. The Literature Review provides the theoretical context for its analysis, which explored in the Teaching Note.
We suggest approaching the Case Study by analysing the organization’s current
business model resourcing to Social Business Model Canvas, highlighting the impact and value created and the important role of stakeholders. Furthermore, we propose the consideration of the strategic challenges and opportunities to clarify how the new project with refugee entrepreneurs changes the business model.

Date of Award	8 May 2017
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Susana Frazão Pinheiro (Supervisor)