At least 70,000 unemployed youth are set to benefit from the Skills Development Fund (SDF), a programme that will equip them with short and long-term professional training. They will be trained in the 2025-2026 fiscal year, according to officials from Rwanda TVET Board. Among them, 15,000 trainees have already been enrolled in the first cohort, with 30 per cent of them being female. The main objective of the programme is to reduce unemployment levels and increase practical skills among the youth across various trades, according to Paul Umukunzi, the Director General of the Rwanda TVET Board (RTB). Umukunzi said this on Tuesday, May 13 in Parliament during the 2025/26 budget hearings attended by officials from the Ministry of Education and parastals affiliated to the ministry. A budget of Rwf2.8 billion has been allocated for the programme. ALSO READ: Rwanda's services sector leads in job creation — survey According to Umukunzi, the participants will include individuals classified as Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET), a group that has both educated and uneducated youth. “In the NEET programme, government provides full support for every participant. We have already signed over 300 contracts with different companies that are ready to hire them immediately after they complete the course,” he said. ALSO READ: Rwanda’s plan to address unemployment, labour underutilization Umukunzi explained that participants only need to register and contact district authorities to become part of the programme. However, efforts have also been made to raise awareness among many young people who wish to gain hands-on skills, especially since RTB has partnered with various schools located across the country. “The first cohort is expected to graduate in September this year. They are being trained in various economic sectors including tourism, manufacturing, IT, agriculture, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and more,” he said. “They are undergoing different programmes depending on their education levels — whether they have some level of education or none at all — and they will receive certificates upon qualification,” he added.
