Now Enrolling Access Funding. Build Systems. Grow Your Business Empowering Kenyan led businesses to Access Funding and Scale Their Businesses Apply Today CATEGORY Business Growth & Entreprenuership DESIGNED FOR Women Led Businesses FORMAT Online sessions with selected in-person events DURATION 4 months COST Fully sponsored NEXT COHORT START June 2025 Apply Now Grow Your Business with Emerge Programme Start Your Journey Overview Emerge is a practical 4-month program designed for Kenyan women led businesses ready to take their businesses to the next level. Created in partnership with the African Management Institute (AMI) and Co-operative Bank of Kenya, the program focuses on one of the biggest challenges business owners face—access to funding. Through hands-on learning, expert coaching, and practical business tools, Emerge will equip participants with the systems, skills, and confidence to access capital, grow sustainably, and build strong businesses that last. Businesses that join this program will not only strengthen their foundations, but also engage directly with Co-op Bank teams to better understand how to position their businesses for investment and support. Key Program Features Funding Readiness Training: Understand what funders and banks look for, and prepare your business accordingly Practical Financial Tools: Learn to manage cash flow, pricing, and record-keeping with tools you can use immediately Business Coaching: Get personalized guidance from experienced business coaches Peer Learning: Connect with a supportive group of fellow entrepreneurs Engagement with Co-op Bank: Learn how to build strong financial relationships and improve your access to credit Program Benefits Increased confidence when applying for funding Practical tools to manage and grow your business Opportunities to connect with funders and financial partners Improved business systems for long-term growth Membership in a trusted community of Kenyan entrepreneurs Who Should Apply This program is for you if you: Are a Kenyan running a women-led registered business Have been in business for at least one year Are actively seeking funding or looking to prepare your business for investment Want to strengthen your financial management and operational systems Are committed to attending weekly sessions over the 4-month period The program is open to entrepreneurs in any sector—retail, services, agriculture, manufacturing, creative industries, and more. Tailored Support through FIRST+ II Financial Inclusion Business Growth Whether you’re looking to enter new markets or scale your operations, FIRST+ II Financial Inclusion will provide the strategies and resources to help you succeed. Financial Access Learn how to secure the financing and investments needed to fuel your growth. Networking Opportunities Connect with a powerful network of peers, and agribusiness experts across Africa. Start Your Learning Journey Today Apply Now

Powering the growth of Africa’s ambitious companies and talent with practical business learning solutions. AMI offers business growth and workplace learning solutions for African entrepreneurs, enterprises, and professionals to catalyze the outcomes and individual performance that businesses and organizations need to thrive. The Trusted Business Learning & Development Partner for Africa Since 2014, AMI has partnered with hundreds of leading African and global companies, organizations, and impact partners to deliver business learning programmes to over 40,000 businesses in more than 39 countries, micro businesses to corporates. AMI for Enterprise, Employers & Teams Workplace learning to upskill leaders and employees, powering the growth of your organisation. Learn More AMI for Entrepreneurship & Business Growth Business growth & entrepreneurship programmes to take your small business to the next level Learn More AMI for Impact at Scale & Partnerships High-impact solutions at scale to drive business growth, job creation & leadership, in collaboration with development partners. Learn More An African champion for Africa's business champions We believe that Africa’s champions - ambitious entrepreneurs, leaders, and professionals - are a force for the continent's growth and innovation. AMI supercharges the ambitions and performance of these champions through practical, action-based learning and business growth support. Our targeted learning solutions catalyze the business outcomes and individual performance that businesses and organizations need to thrive. Learn about AMI Explore AMI's Offerings Latest News & Updates Co-operative Bank of Kenya and African Management Institute (AMI) Partner to Equip MSMEs with a World-Class Business Growth Programme AMI Nigeria Recognised for Driving SME Growth at BusinessDay Top 100 SMEs Conference Empowering South African SMEs: AMI’s ESD Partnerships and Practical Training Solutions Energy Private Developer (EPD) Association Partners with African Management Institute to Upskill Rwanda's Energy Sector All News & Updates Latest from AMI on Instagram Connect with AMI AMI Across Africa AMI has offices in 6 major countries across the continent and a total on-the-ground presence in 10 countries. Connect with us to learn how our result-driven approach is fueling business growth. Send Kenya Send Nigeria Send Rwanda Send Senegal & FR West Africa Send South Africa Send Uganda When our team shifted to a hybrid work setup, we had fewer staff in the office while others worked remotely. By learning from the programme how to communicate effectively, I became confident to empower my teammates to accomplish their daily tasks properly irrespective of us being in the office Anthony Gatsinzi RwandAir Cargo Planning and Pricing Manager AMI used its blended learning approach to ensure the programme translated into actual on-the-job practice and performance improvement. My sense is that the value generated from the team projects alone has more than paid for the programme itself. We’ve had a great experience with AMI over the last 4 years and consider them a valuable learning partner. Jesse Moore M-KOPA CEO and co-founder The tools were a game changer. Before Aspire, we kept postponing decisions while managing daily operations. Now, we have a clear process for making both big and small decisions. As a result, our revenue has grown, and our business continues to thrive, thanks to Aspire. Raphael Opiyo Obiero Nawiri African Sprouts Ltd Founder There’s plenty of training content and tools available online, but very little is tailored to the African context. That’s what makes AMI stand out. The facilitators and participants bring local insights into every discussion, ensuring that feedback and guidance are relevant and practical. This has made me more likely to recommend AMI. As an admin at Workpay, I also appreciated their excellent customer service. Boris Maguire Workpay VP Operations I learned how to delegate effectively and build trust within my team using practical coaching tools. The Growth Mindset Learning Lab also helped me improve my presentation skills, making our meetings more engaging. As a result, attendance grew from 100 to 695 in a short time. Anne Njoroge M-GAS Learning & Development Assistant Enabling ambitious businesses accross Africa to thrive. Learning that equips entrepreneurs, teams, and managers with the tools and training they need to succeed. I want to... Upskill my team Go Add a Title Learning that equips entrepreneurs, teams, and managers with the tools and training they need to succeed. I want to... I want to... for Impact at Scale & Impact Partners Enterprise Workplace learning that drives business outcomes & individual performance I want to... I want to... Explore Programmes Powering the growth of Africa’s ambitious companies & talent. Learning that equips entrepreneurs, teams, and managers with the tools and training they need to succeed. I want to... Upskill my team & workforce Train SMEs & Entrepreneurs Grow my own business Build my professional skills

At AMI Rwanda, we equip ambitious entrepreneurs and managers with the skills and practical tools to grow their businesses, teams, and careers. We offer fully virtual programs in Kinyarwanda and English to help Rwandan entrepreneurs overcome business challenges and thrive. Enabling ambitious businesses across Rwanda to thrive AMI’s business support and workplace learning programmes are powering the growth of Rwanda’s ambitious businesses, managers, and workforce. Learning that powers growth. AMI Rwanda works to scale impact across the country working with partners, government, and investors to scale small and medium sized businesses with our programmes. The AMI Learning Approach Rwanda’s trusted training & learning partner We believe that skilled people build thriving businesses, thriving businesses create quality jobs, and quality jobs drive prosperity and dignity. Rwanda Entrepreneurship & Business Growth Programmes AMI Rwanda collaborates with development partners to empower youth-owned small businesses through comprehensive training programs. Grow Your Business A practical blended programme to empower SMEs with tools and habits for the next level of growth Learn More Aspire With Stanford Seed This 4-month program will enable you to boost revenue, reduce costs, and create a plan to scale your impact. Learn More Take Your Business Online Help Rwandan businesses build an online presence with strategies and social media tools through AMI’s programme. Learn More Rwanda Workplace Learning Programmes We provide practical learning solutions for established and growth-stage organisations in Rwanda to provide workplace learning and professional development programmes Changing Gears This programme is designed to help new and exisiting managers grasp the changes in responsibility, mindset and expecations. Learn More Empowering Managers Are you a manager in the Energy Sector? Learn the skills you need to tackle industry challenges and lead dispersed teams effectively. Learn More Enterprise Academy Tailored company-wide learning for ambitious businesses and teams, designed to improve performance & drive growth. Learn More Focus Area Partnering for Impact Across Rwanda AMI Rwanda works to scale impact across the country working with partners, government, and investors to scale small and medium sized businesses with our programmes. Learn More Featured Story Inspired Managers Keep Rwanda’s Hospitality and Tourism Industry Flying High As RwandAir returned to the skies and tourism slowly returns to pre-Covid levels, one thing passengers could count on was that behind the inspired RwandAir experience was an inspired manager. Read the Full Story Latest from AMI Rwanda News & Updates Articles & Insights View all 13 Nov 2024 Energy Private Developer (EPD) Association Partners with African Management Institute to Upskill Rwanda's Energy Sector post 31 May 2023 Bank of Kigali partners with AMI to train employees with new strategic skills and graduates over 200 staff post 30 Sept 2022 AMI Celebrates the Tourism and Hospitality Sector’s Impact in Rwanda View all Leadership 16 October 2024 Storytelling: A Valuable Leadership Skill AMI Insights 12 October 2022 Innovation Can Feed Millions in Africa Workplace Skills 5 July 2022 Does being promoted to a management position suit you? Upcoming Events Talent Leaders Forum Learn more Event Recap HR Insights Roundtable See all events About AMI Rwanda We are a team of dedicated professionals committed to delivering exceptional service. Constantly innovating and going the extra mile, we look forward to working with you. AMI Rwanda Office Norrsken Kigali House, KN 78 St. Nyarugenge, +250 78 733 9435 Isabelle Sindayirwanya Senior Manager, Marketing & Business Development Meet the AMI Rwanda Team Ambitious learning for an ambitious Africa Whether you’re looking for workplace learning for five to five hundred, or customized programmes that drive impact locally or across Africa, AMI’s learning solutions are tailored to meet your unique needs. Connect with our learning advisors to discover how our ambitious learning programmes can help you achieve your ambitious goals. Connect with AMI in Rwanda

If you’ve ever been a middle manager or worked closely with one, you’ll know this to be true: middle managers do the hardest job in an organisation. They sit in the squeeze zone, caught between the strategic, high-level thinking of senior leaders and the unpredictable, often messy reality of the frontline. They’re the translators, the glue, the shield, and the spark all at once. And most of the time, they’re doing this without enough training, recognition, or support. That’s why we’ve created a free Manager’s Capability Checklist  to help you assess whether your middle managers have the right skills, mindsets, and support to thrive. A recent survey  conducted by The Predictive Index and HR Dive's studioID found that 70% of middle managers would be willing to give up their managerial roles to become individual contributors if they could keep their current salaries. Let’s talk about what makes this role so challenging and critical, and what it really takes to lead from the middle. People Don’t Want to be Managed, They Want to be Led Here’s the uncomfortable truth: people don’t want to be managed. They want to be led. You can manage a project. A budget. A set of OKRs. But people? That’s a different ball game. People want inspiration. Clarity. They want to feel like their work matters, that they’re growing, that someone sees and values them. And yet, in so many organisations, someone excels at their technical role, maybe they’re a brilliant engineer, a sharp analyst, a natural salesperson, and what happens? They get promoted. Suddenly, they’re a manager, but no one has taught them how to lead. It’s like taking your star striker and telling them they’re coaching the team now. Same field. Totally different skillset. That’s why we created the  Changing Gears programme  at the African Management Institute (AMI). It’s designed for exactly this transition, from individual contributor to first-time manager. We help new managers build the habits, mindsets, and confidence needed to lead people well, right from the start. Because leadership isn’t a personality trait, it’s a skill. And like any skill, it can and must be learned. Middle Managers Need More Than a Promotion Middle managers live in the grey zone. Senior leaders set the strategy. Frontline teams face the customers, the production lines, and the operational fires. And in the middle? That’s where translation, negotiation, and execution happen. Middle managers are the ones who: Turn broad vision into concrete action plans Handle the push and pull of what’s possible versus what’s expected Keep morale up while driving performance Build culture on the ground Advocate upward, while holding the line downward They deal with complexity, ambiguity, and pressure from every direction. And yet, they’re often the least equipped, the least supported, and the least recognised. This is the gap AMI’s Management Development Programme (MDP)  was designed to fill. Built for experienced managers, the MDP offers tools for leading through uncertainty, managing up and down, and building teams that thrive . It’s practical, contextual, and battle-tested in workplaces across Africa. Leadership vs. Management Let’s clear something up. Management is about process. Control. Outputs. Leadership is about people. Influence. Growth. You can’t manage your way to a high-performing team; you have to lead them there. Great middle managers are fluent in both. They manage complexity, yes. But they lead with clarity and compassion. They understand that leadership isn’t about power, it’s about purpose. The best leaders don’t see themselves as the smartest person in the room. They see themselves as facilitators. Enablers. Builders of other people’s potential. That takes humility. And humility is often misunderstood. It’s not weakness. It’s not being unsure of yourself. It’s having the confidence to say, “I don’t know,” or “I need help,” or “You were right.” It’s being willing to grow in public. Think of the best leaders you’ve worked with. Chances are, they didn’t always have the right answers. But they asked the right questions. They listened deeply. They gave credit. They stayed curious. They didn’t try to be heroes. They were guides. That’s the tightrope walk middle managers do every day. And when they do it well, it changes everything. How Can Middle Managers Lead Better? In order to be their best, middle managers need plenty of support and empowerment, and research points to a few ways to make that happen. From building trust to breaking down hierarchies, here are five practical ways to lead more effectively from the middle. You can also use our Free Manager's Capability Checklist  to pinpoint strengths and growth areas in your team. 1. Build Psychological Safety, Or Nothing Else Works You can have the smartest strategy in the room. But if your team doesn’t feel safe, it won’t matter. Psychological safety is the foundation of any high-performing team. It’s what lets people: Speak up with ideas Admit mistakes Challenge assumptions Ask for help All without fear of judgment, punishment, or being ignored. As a middle manager, you set the tone. If you show vulnerability, such as owning a misstep, admitting “I don’t know,” and giving credit freely, your team will follow. And here’s the twist: it doesn’t make you look weak. It makes you trustworthy. People don’t expect perfection. They expect honesty. Humanity. And when they get that, they give you their best. 2. Ask Better Questions You don’t need all the answers. You need better questions. Effective managers know how to create space for thinking and dialogue. They ask things like: “What’s getting in your way?” “What do you need from me right now?” “If we weren’t afraid to fail, what would we try?” The goal isn’t to jump in with fixes; it’s to open up conversation and help your team reflect, grow, and problem-solve. Simon Sinek puts it simply, “I don’t expect my team to bring the right answers. I expect them to bring thoughtful ones.” That’s leadership. 3. Get a Leadership Buddy One of the most underrated growth tools? A leadership buddy. Someone you can talk to after a tough meeting. Someone who helps you reflect, keeps you grounded, and holds up a mirror to your growth. At AMI, we embed buddy systems into our programmes  because we’ve seen it work. Leaders grow faster when they’re not alone. You need someone who gets it. Someone you can message with, “That didn’t land. What could I have done differently?” Leadership isn’t a solo act. 4. Break the Hierarchy Middle managers often have to walk a fine line leading a team while also reporting upward. But here’s the key: to lead well, you need to make space for challenge, not just compliance. That means: Sharing your own learning journey Asking for feedback and thanking people for it Admitting what you don’t know Celebrating mistakes that lead to growth “My 360 feedback ratings have increased when we conduct feedback sessions with my team. I have been able to introduce better motivation and incentive schemes in my business unit as a result of getting input from my team members, which has had a direct impact on our overall performance.” - Carrington Otiebo, Online Sales Director When you break the hierarchy, you open the door to true collaboration. You build a culture where people think independently, speak honestly, and innovate freely. Because if your team is afraid of you, they won’t challenge you. And if they won’t challenge you, your strategy stays shallow. 5. Treat Leadership Like a Craft You wouldn’t expect someone to master a musical instrument without lessons, feedback, and practice. Leadership is no different. It’s complex, emotional, often invisible, and always evolving. But it’s also one of the most meaningful things you’ll ever do. So if you’re in the thick of it, leading, translating, juggling, know this: your role matters more than you know. And you don’t have to figure it all out alone. How Middle Managers Can Lead Teams Effectively from the Middle Conclusion Middle management isn’t a stepping stone. It’s a craft in its own right, one that shapes culture, drives execution, and unlocks potential across your organisation. But it’s also one of the most demanding roles in business today. Managers can’t thrive on pressure alone. They need support. Practical tools. A space to grow. That’s why we built AMI’s workplace learning programmes for the leaders in the middle who are doing the heavy lifting, and deserve better scaffolding to do it well. If you're ready to empower your managers to lead with confidence, clarity, and impact, let’s talk. Ready to support your managers? Download the free Manager's Capability Checklist  to assess whether your managers are equipped to lead, and discover practical next steps for growth. Please fill your details below to access the AMI Manager's Checklist Tool for FREE

To grow or not to grow is a key question facing founders once their business is off the ground. Noah (not his real name), a very enthusiastic and clearly effective entrepreneur in Kenya, just loves to sell. He wakes up fully energized by the idea of getting out there and offering customers great deals. He is enterprising and keeps three different little businesses going. Balancing Growth and Focus The decision to grow or not to grow is a complex one for founders. Growth can provide access to better supplier rates and resources, but it also increases vulnerability to staff turnover and competition.  Noah has great plans to employ staff, grow a franchise network, and expand. The danger, of course, is that as he grows he will have to spend more and more time recruiting and managing staff, installing systems to prevent them from defrauding him, and looking after the growing burden of administration and regulation. This could leave him with no time to indulge his passion to sell. So either he has to be very smart in delegating all that other stuff to people he trusts and can train, or give up the ambition to grow and rather just enjoy life selling on his own. But being small is limiting. Noah needs capital to secure his suppliers at favourable rates. Small companies are more vulnerable to losing key staff. Noah may invest time in training a bright young recruit with a view to then being able to spend his own time interacting with clients, only to have this person gratefully leave to launch his own competing business, taking his customers with him.  Keeping ahead of the competition that will follow any success can require further investment, especially in talent.  The Risk of Scaling Too Fast If Noah’s company does reach medium size and he wants to grow further, he may find himself subject to conflicting incentives. Investors are incentivized to generate the highest return possible from their portfolio. If one of their companies can hit unicorn status, that covers several who fail on the way. So they may incentivize founders to aim for reckless growth.  Founders are then faced with accepting this risk to attract the capital, or resisting the lure of fabulous returns in order to protect their prized creation and more modest livelihood. Employees will almost certainly be on the side of less risk, to preserve their jobs. So founders looking for ambitious growth without too much risk should be very careful to find investors who share their values and their view on long-term sustainability. It may be worth settling for a lower valuation to avoid unreasonable ambition killing the business. The Management Challenge The implications for the founder’s management team are both exciting and daunting. Significant growth also brings a need for new managerial skills . The excellence that brought them so far may not be enough to take them further. The bigger company will require a wider perspective on business strategy and the ability to identify and install systems and processes. To avoid spans of control becoming unmanageable, some managers may have to let go of pet functions. Managers of teams may become managers of managers, with this significant shift from supervising people to coaching managers on how to supervise teams. The higher one goes in a company and the more formal power one has, the more it requires new skills of influence, collaboration, and subtle positioning that may be alien to a very effective supervisor. Does Noah have the breadth of vision and cognitive skill to handle the increasing complexity? And he will need humility to keep learning. Lifestyle Implications The decision to grow a business also has personal implications. Noah must consider whether his family is prepared to face the increased pressure and time demands. Choosing growth requires courage, he must be willing to learn and adapt to new challenges. It’s not quite an iambic pentameter, but to misquote Shakespeare: To grow, or not to grow: that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of attracting outrageous fortunes; or avoiding that risky sea of troubles, by modest ambition enjoy a life of comfort? Jonathan Cook, a counselling psychologist, chairs the African Management Institute. This is adapted from a column for Business Day, originally published on 12th November 2024 here. If you’d like to read previous columns in this series or ask Jonathan a question please visit www.africanmanagers.com/jonathan-cook Please fill your details below to access the AMI Manager's Checklist Tool for FREE

Image from the Aspire Program Video In every corner of the African continent, entrepreneurs are hustling. They are building, selling, negotiating, and solving real problems. But beyond the hustle lies a quieter challenge: how do we move from survival to strategy? From working in the business to working on the business? For too long, many small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) have relied on instinct and grit alone. And while those qualities are critical, sustainable growth requires more. It requires structure. Systems. Strategy. That’s where programmes like the Aspire Business Growth Programme , powered by the African Management Institute (AMI) and Stanford Seed, come in. Aspire is built for ambitious African entrepreneurs who are ready to scale their businesses with intentionality and impact. Aspire Business Growth Programme by AMI and Stanford Seed Why Strategy Matters Now More Than Ever In today’s fast-changing world, strategy is no longer optional — it’s a lifeline for growth. Yet, many entrepreneurs have never had the chance to step back, take stock, and learn how to create scalable systems. That’s not their fault, it’s a gap in the ecosystem. The Aspire Programme fills that gap. Over the course of six months, founders are introduced to practical, actionable tools that can transform their operations, improve financial management, strengthen their teams, and clarify their customer value proposition. And the impact is real: “AMI has created an opportunity for new partnerships. With the growth realized in this quarter, we partnered with KaribuWellness, delivered counseling services to a client in Lesotho, and led other group coaching sessions. The impact for us — collaborative growth.” — Lindiwe Msiza, Transform Leadership Consulting From Firefighting to Focus A typical week for a founder often involves putting out fires: cash flow issues, staff turnover, or chasing down suppliers. Aspire introduces a shift. Instead of reacting, founders start planning. They set clear growth goals. They learn how to build performance dashboards. They explore proven business models tailored to African contexts. “I have attended programs at Harvard, Columbia Business School, and MIT Sloan School of Management. To say that the Aspire program is most eventful and practically enriching is an understatement! We owe AMI and Stanford a lot.” — Dankishiya Saleh Hadi, CEO, Dankish & Associates Ltd., Nigeria Dankishiya Saleh Hadi, CEO, Dankish & Associates Ltd., Nigeria Learning with a Community What makes Aspire unique is not just the curriculum but the community. Entrepreneurs learn alongside peers from across Africa. They exchange insights, support each other, and build networks that last beyond the programme. Learning in community reminds us that we’re not alone in our challenges and that collective wisdom accelerates growth. The Results Speak for Themselves “We sparked exponential job creation for women in Nigeria after the AMI Aspire Business Growth Programme. That included 52 new net jobs — the majority of which went to women — alongside a 76% increase in revenue.” — Omoyemi Chukwura, CEO of Seams and Stitches Limited, Nigeria Omoyemi Chukwura, CEO of Seams and Stitches Limited, Nigeria “Please don’t take these tools for granted. These are powerful tools, I treat them as gold. The programme made me mindful of the power of storytelling and how we can craft and utilize our stories to secure investment and funding opportunities. — Jackie May, Founder of Twyg, South Africa Jackie May, Founder of Twyg, South Africa These are not isolated stories — Alumni of the Aspire Programme have gone on to expand into new regions, double their revenues, attract investments, and, most importantly, lead with confidence. Confidence in their strategy, their systems, and their leadership. Proven impact from Aspire entrepreneurs Final Thoughts If you’re an African entrepreneur who has built something real and you know it’s time to take it to the next level, consider Aspire. Growth doesn’t happen by accident. It’s intentional. It’s strategic. And with the right support, it’s absolutely possible. Applications are now open for the June 2025 Admission Class  of the Aspire Business Growth Programme . Apply here  (limited seats available!) See the programme brochure  to learn more Let’s move beyond the hustle. Let’s scale with strategy. Disclaimer: This blog was originally published on   Medium  by Chialuka Anele  on April 25, 2025, under the title "Move Beyond Hustle: How Aspire Entrepreneurs Are Scaling with Strategy" . All rights remain with the original author and publishing platform. We are resharing it here to amplify the stories and insights of Aspire Programme participants across Africa.