The Ministry of Youth and two UN agencies, UNDP and UNFPA, on Thursday signed an agreement with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to launch a programme designed to create 20,000 jobs. The four-year Youth Connekt scheme, which will cost $7.5 million (about Rwf6.8bn), was announced yesterday at the signing of the agreement at the Ministry of Youth. KOICA will provide the funding, while the other parties will work with the ministry to implement the programme. Speaking at the signing, Rosemary Mbabazi, Minister for Youth, said that the partnership has come at the right moment as the country strives to reduce unemployment among the youth so that Rwanda can reap big from the demographic dividend. Mbabazi said that the programme will not only focus on job creation but also other components like engaging the youth in policy making, civic education and access to better healthcare, which is why the ministry brought onboard other partners like UNFPA, Imbuto Foundation and UNDP. Stephen Rodrigues, UNDP Resident Representative, said that the programme mentorship whereby young entrepreneurs will undergo training. Meanwhile, the ministry signed another MoU with the National Industrial Research and Development Agency, scaling up their cooperation equipping the youth with hands -on-skills. Youth Connekt Initiative was launched in 2012 by the Ministry of Youth in Partnership with United Nations Development Program, and has since been able to create more than 8000 decent jobs through various youth empowerment initiatives. editor@newtimesrwanda.com
