Hundreds of students and recent graduates filled Kimisagara Youth Center on Friday, June 12, carrying CVs, asking questions and moving between employer stands in search of internships, graduate roles and a first break into the job market.

The gathering unfolded against a broader national push to expand employment opportunities for young people.

The five-year National Employment and Skills Strategy (NESS), which runs until 2029, aims to create more than 500,000 jobs through Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, with a focus on expanding opportunities for those entering the labour market.

The annual career fair brought together young job seekers and employers from banking, human resources, agri-processing and technology, creating one of the few spaces where students, graduates and recruiters could meet face to face.

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Organizers said the turnout rose from about 400 last year to more than 500 this year, a sign that more young people are looking for structured ways to move from school into work.

Victor Nkindi, founder and CEO of Hooza Media and a board director at the European Business Chamber of Rwanda, said the mix of exhibitors reflected a changing labour market.

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"We had more than 500 attendees,” Nkindi said. " I was really happy to see new exhibitors compared to last year. The market in Rwanda is dynamic.”

"The takeaway from the panel is that self-esteem, attitude and character need to be unleashed at some point for candidates to get the right job with the right employer,” he said. "On the employer side, they were expecting creativity and innovation, not only soft skills and hard skills.”

Meeting the market

Youth participants did not appear to be looking only for immediate employment. Many were collecting contacts, comparing sectors and trying to understand what different employers value.

One of the attendees was Molo Munyansanga, who graduated from the University of Kigali last year with a bachelor's degree and recently worked at customer experience company CCI.

Returning for his second career fair, he said the event felt different because he was no longer attending only as a job seeker. This year, he volunteered, helping other youth navigate the event while continuing to build his own professional network.

"My first experience introduced me to companies I didn't even know were operating in Rwanda," Munyansanga said. "This year was just as valuable, but I also had the opportunity to volunteer and help others."

Outside his career ambitions, Munyansanga has a passion for learning languages and now speaks both German and Swedish.

He said conversations at an earlier career fair connected him with members of Rwanda's Swedish community after organizers learned he was teaching himself the language.

"There isn't a Swedish school here, so I've been learning on my own," he said. "Meeting people who spoke the language gave me the motivation to keep going, and today I can speak it comfortably."

For Munyansanga, the biggest benefit of attending career events has been exposure.

"What stood out to me was how many different organizations were represented," he said. "It wasn't only about jobs. It was also about meeting people, building relationships and discovering opportunities I wouldn't have found otherwise."

He encouraged young people who missed this year's event to seek out similar networking opportunities throughout the year, arguing that conversations with employers can be just as valuable as submitting a job application.

"Even if a company isn't hiring immediately, they can explain the pathways to get there through internships, volunteering or future recruitment," he said. "That makes it much easier to understand how to prepare yourself."

Munyansanga also said the atmosphere helped remove the intimidation many graduates feel when approaching recruiters and business leaders.

"As young people, it can feel intimidating to speak to CEOs or senior professionals," he said. "What surprised me was how open everyone was. They answered our questions and were willing to share advice."

He added that the fair also created opportunities to meet fellow young professionals from across the region, describing conversations with participants from countries including Malawi and South Sudan as another reminder that career development often begins with building connections.

Jean Marie Nibigira, 22, shared a similar experience, having joined the network in 2023 after graduating in business management and entrepreneurship. He said the fair helped him move from curiosity to opportunity by connecting him to mentors, volunteer work and internships, including one with EBCR and another at Yego Cabs.

Nibigira said the fair has become more useful because it now goes beyond face-to-face meetings, with participants receiving regular updates on opportunities through email and other channels.

In Rwanda, individuals with a bachelor’s degree or higher make up about 3.3 percent of the resident population aged 15 and above, according to the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR). As that share gradually grows, career fairs are taking on a larger role in bridging the gap between education and employment.

Similar events have long been used in universities and professional networks around the world to connect students with employers, expose graduates to workplace expectations and open doors to internships and first jobs.