At Norrsken House in Kigali, 30 innovation coaches and 25 circular economy enterprises gathered to mark the close of the Circular Economy Business Acceleration and Innovation Coaches Program, implemented by MDF under the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Supporting Sustainable Waste Management and the Circular Economy in Rwanda project. Financial institutions, government stakeholders, entrepreneurial support organisations, development partners, and private sector representatives joined them, all with a shared interest in where Rwanda's circular economy goes from here.
The moment that defined the day was the launch of the Circular Economy Investment Readiness Toolkit. Built directly from the work done with 25 businesses over the course of the program, the toolkit is a practical resource now available to any entrepreneur, coach, or support organisation working in Rwanda's circular economy space. It is not theory. It is what worked. And it isfree to download below.
Download the toolkit
Click on each document to open and download.
- Investment Readiness Toolkit
- Company workbook
- Due diligence checklist
- Sample coaching agreement
- Investment 1-pager
- Financial planning tool
- Business plan template
- Pitch deck template
- Dataroom checklist
- Database of funding and technical assistance opportunities
What the program did
MDF Global designed and ran a Circular Economy Innovation Sprint and a Training of Trainers for innovation coaches. Those coaches were then matched directly with entrepreneurs for one-on-one sessions, document development, and business model refinement. The goal was concrete: turn promising concepts into businesses that financial institutions can evaluate and fund.
At the closing event, the participating ventures showcase their products, services, and innovations through an interactive exhibition and marketplace. Panel discussions, stakeholder reflections, and networking roundedout the day.
The broader context
Rwanda produces around 1.5 million tonnes of solid waste per year. Less than four per cent is recycled. The government has identified this as an obstacle to development and has set national policy to address it.
MDF Global's program was implemented under GIZ's Supporting Sustainable Waste Management and the Circular Economy in Rwanda (WCE) project, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and running through August 2026. The project works across business incubation, acceleration, and investment readiness, building the conditions that let circular economy enterprises grow.
The program closes. The toolkit stays. The coaches are still active. The businesses that went through are better placed to attract investment than when they started.
For more information about MDF's work in enterprise development and circular economy, visit our Enterprise Development page.
