The Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) announced on November 19 that it has been recognised as a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in the field of skilling ecosystem in the country. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has issued a notification in this regard, said the institute in a press conference. EDII has also set-up a Rwanda-India Entrepreneurship Development (ED) Centre in Kigali, Rwanda. Union Minister of State for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan inaugurated the centre on November 15.
The institute stated that this recognition shall be initially valid for five years and comes following thorough scrutiny of the institute on several parameters by the ministry. Announcing the development, EDII Director General, Dr Sunil Shukla said, “EDII introduced the concept of entrepreneurship development and established how entrepreneurship can be learnt like any other academic discipline to set up its own business. Against the backdrop that skills and knowledge are the driving forces of economic growth and social development for India, and in view of the changing global scenario, the institute has targeted varied sectors and sections of society to ensure wholesome economic growth on the premise of entrepreneurship.”
While the EDII doesn't feel the need to improve their existing infrastructure, the Director General stated that he is looking forward to collaborating with subject experts and other institutes in the future. According to the guidelines to be recognised as a CoE issued by MSDE, a CoE is a body that provides leadership, best practices, research and development support, training of trainers and skill training for specific sectors with specific focus on emerging technologies. It means a body where the highest standards are maintained.
Speaking about the centre in Rwanda, the Director General said, "We will collaborate to improve the start-up environment in Rwanda. India has a great start-up ecosystem and we can share that knowledge with Rwanda, which is a friendly nation. We will also work towards instilling a culture of entrepreneurship in Rwanda." This is the sixth international ED centre set up by EDII. Before this, the Institute has also set up centres in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Uzbekistan.
As part of the centre, a senior faculty from the institute has been stationed as an advisor at Rwanda for a period of two years. The first course called New Enterprise Creation, which will last for 18 days, has also begun at the centre with 32 students.
