The Government has invested a lot in the youth as a way of preparing the next generation for the challenges ahead, including propelling the country into the future as envisaged in Vision2020.

In the national budget read this week, the education sector was allocated Rwf 170.5 billion, close to 10 percent increase, compared to RwF 155.7 billion in the 2010/11 financial year.

The increase in the budget will see the expansion of the 9YBE programme, the scaling up of vocational and technical institutions, the promotion of Science and Technology in schools and improvement of the quality of education, among other areas.

The Government has also realized that youth financial empowerment is essential, thus, support for the establishment and operations of cooperatives that have enabled them start-up their own businesses. Indeed, the youth have been integrated into the entire governing structure, a move that has made them part of the decision making process. All these initiatives are meant to empower young people.

The older generation fought for the rights and dignity of the Rwandan people. They laid the foundations of post-Genocide Rwanda. But it is the younger generation who must step up to the plate, and consolidate the remarkable progress the country has registered. 

As the baton is passed on to the youth, they must seize the opportunity and not shy away from the challenge. The youth are inheriting a Rwanda stronger than ever. The task to keep the country moving forward is sacred.

Ends