Unemployment in Rwandans between 16 and 34 years will be addressed through the new National Employment Programme (NEP). Rwf. 12 billion (about $17 million) will be invested in implementing NEP.

The priority is young people and women NEP is scheduled to take off during the next fiscal year.

“NEP will help the country reach set targets of creating 200,000 off-farm jobs as per the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy 2 (EDPRS2) targets,” Anna Mugabo, the Director General of Labour and Employment at the Ministry of Public Service and Labour said during a two day forum in Kigali.

Mugabo said there was still a very low entrepreneurship culture in the country but NEP working together with the Business Development Fund and the Kigali Employment Service Centre, jobs will be created especially for the youths and women.

The forum involved participants from both the public and private sector. Opening the event, the Minister of Public Services and Labour, Anastase Murekezi said the theme of the year ‘Work for self reliance/Kora wigire’ was good timing for the country.

“In Rwanda, like any other country in Africa, the challenges related to unemployment and underemployment hinder the achievement of full economic development,” he said.

He said according to the 2012 population and housing census, the total unemployment rate stood at 3.4%, with urban unemployment of 7.7%.

“The main challenge here is that 67% of all unemployed people are youths between 16 and 34 years, and therefore government is developing different strategies to curb this down.

Source: The East African Business Week

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