Special Job fair to curb youth unemployment

By Elias Hakizimana.

The Youth Association for Human Rights Promotion and Development (AJPRODHO-JIJUKIRWA) in partnership with Bugesera District under the European Union support has conducted a job fair under the project ‘Enhancing Livelihoods for Youth (EL4Y).

The job fair  aims at reducing youth unemployment and enabling them to have access to decent work in Rwanda by connecting them to employers to get internships and jobs as well as learning from them about creating own jobs.

The three-year project that is implemented from February 2020 until February 2023 will boost the livelihoods of 4,000 vulnerable youth aged between 16 and 30 years and among whom 70 percent are women.

Speaking during the Job fair event dubbed ‘JOBFAIR’ at Bugesera youth center on October 15, 2021, Richard Kananga, the EL4Y project coordinator at AJPRODHO-JIJUKIRWA said that the initiative aimed to connect youth of working age to different Entrepreneurs to share best practices and lessons towards successful ways to create own jobs.

“At the end of this event, we have agreed with Entrepreneurs to give internship to youth as well as jobs to some of them. During the implementation of this project, youth will get hands-on skills to start creating own jobs, in fact, we wanted to connect them to those who have succeeded in business creation and we commit to help them in this regard as they run their businesses,” Kananga said.

Responding to some youth worries about the challenges of startups and access to loans where they raise an issue of lack of collateral of 25 percent while requesting for a loan under Business Development Fund (BDF), Kananga said that there is a plan to approach Umurenge SACCO to help youth get loans without any collateral as AJPRODHO will pay the 25 percent part of the bank collateral.

Currently, youth and women entrepreneurs with outstanding projects are eligible to access collateral of up to 75 per cent from Business Development Fund (BDF).

“They will get loan without collateral, we will deposit the money that is equivalent to 25 percent of the requested loan in Umurenge SACCO and they will be able to start their businesses after the approval of BDF.” Kananga explained.

He noted that AJPRODHO will gather youth in different associations following their talents and help them boost skills through various trainings.

Among the talents about which some of youth will get trainings include Music production, theatres, Painting and drawing, etc. 

“We request different partners of this project to have the sense of ownership and follow on the activities of how youth are being employed and facilitated in having access to internship and trainings. We do request youth to strive for success. We request other partners in Bugesera district and others having youth development in their responsibilities to help us tackle youth unemployment.” Kananga added.

The same project is being implemented in four districts of Rwanda including Bugesera, Kicukiro, Muhanga and Ngororero.

Magerant Sebatware, the Director of Good Governance in Bugesera District encouraged youth to reject fear and have courage to work by ensuring good service delivery.

He requested the entrepreneurs who are at the level of employing others to help youth by giving them jobs as they can learn from them to create own businesses.

“We encourage youth to be in the associations where they will be able to easily learn from each other and help each other in different initiative such as paying health insurance.” Sebatware said.

Youth and entrepreneurs speak

Jeannette Uwiringiyimana, 20, a young lady from Ririma sector in Bugesera district said her passion is tailing but she only knows to produce school uniform for girls. She said that the internship can boost her skills and enable her to invest in this industry.

“I want to learn from senior tailors and I have hope that I will attain this, thanks to AJPRODHO to have us gathered in associations.” She said.

Diane Byosenimana, 24, is a student at University of Tourism, Technology and Business Studies (UTB) whose dream is to become an entrepreneur after graduating. She said her worry was about how a young entrepreneur can get collateral without financial capacity. “I have appreciated this initiative of AJPRODHO to help young entrepreneurs access to BDF loan with 100 percent collateral insurance.” She said.

Supporting Inclusive Employment

Patrick Muhire, 25 has physical disability. After finishing secondary schools in History, Economics and Geography (HEG), he added another year of training in Computer Science but had no support to create an occupation as he was abandoned by his family. He was allowed a new computer laptop by AJPRODHO and he said it will help him to master what he learned and will be a good start up to create a job.

On the side of entrepreneurs, Jean Damascene Kwizera, 32, a university graduate from Makerere University invested in Video production and photography since 2014 with only one laptop computer. He is now employing 15 permanent workers and 15 casuals. Through the conversation about job creation, he pledged to facilitate unemployed youth by giving them internship opportunities.

Youth Unemployment Rate in Rwanda averaged 21.01 percent from 2019 until 2021, reaching an all-time high of 27.20 percent in the second quarter of 2020 and a record low of 17.30 percent in the first quarter of 2020.