Editor,

RE: "Should the labour ministry be handling employment issues?” (The New Times, November 2).

Excellent suggestions. However, I think unemployment is a cross-cutting issue.

The Ministry of Youth and ICT has a youth and employment component, the Ministry of Gender has women and unemployment, the Ministry of Agriculture looks at the aspect of youth in agriculture, the Ministry of Natural Resources has (or should have) the youth in mining employment, the Ministry of Local Government has the local economic/rural development component which strongly is about jobs/employment, Rwanda Development Board has the investment and jobs creation component, banks have access to finance component, WDA/universities have a skills for jobs component, and many more.

Almost every government agency has, in its mandate, a function that relates to jobs, promoting jobs creation, etc. Unfortunately, these efforts are scattered and are implemented in silos, thereby creating overlaps while being unable to identify a harmonised approach to the unemployment issue. Creating a national agency will only create another silo and compound the problem further.

However, I agree that accountability should be at the cabinet level. I would propose a national steering committee led by none other than the Prime Minister, who will be answerable to the cabinet on the progress on this issue. The steering committee would embark on an action plan with clear targets and deliverables from each stakeholder who has to report on a periodic basis on their targets.

Kigali Girl