Junior Achievement (JA) Africa is deepening its presence in Rwanda through an ambitious effort to equip young people with practical business, entrepreneurship, and life skills that prepare them not only for employment but also for leadership and enterprise creation in a rapidly changing world. The expansion reflects a growing recognition across Africa that education must move beyond theoretical instruction and become more closely connected to the realities of work, innovation, and problem-solving. Operating in more than 115 countries globally and 23 across Africa, JA Africa is one of the continent’s largest youth-serving organisations focused on economic empowerment and future-readiness. Through experiential learning programmes, the organisation equips young people with the mindset, skills, and confidence needed to thrive in the modern economy. In Rwanda, where JA Africa launched operations in 2024, the organisation is now significantly scaling its reach. In 2025 alone, it aims to equip more than 33,000 students, expanding from Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions into general secondary schools beginning in May. At the heart of this expansion is the School-to-Work Educational Transitions for Long-Term Youth Fulfillment (SET4LYF) programme, an initiative designed to bridge the gap between classroom learning and the demands of the real world. Preparing students for life beyond school The programme primarily targets Senior Five students, positioning them at a critical transition point before they move into higher education, entrepreneurship, or the workforce. Through immersive experiences such as ideathons, the JA Deep Learning platform, and the 16-week JA Company Program, students are encouraged to identify challenges within their communities and develop innovative business solutions that address them. Rather than simply teaching entrepreneurship as a concept, the program places students in real-world situations where they must collaborate, think critically, solve problems, pitch ideas, and build ventures from the ground up. Last year, the programme engaged 80 schools and received more than 120 applications for the Company of the Year (COY) competition. Winning teams advanced beyond the national level to regional competitions, while the top three teams received seed funding to help transform their ideas into viable enterprises. For Safari Philippe, JA Africa’s Program Manager and representative in Rwanda, the urgency behind the programme is clear. “Young people are graduating with skills that are not always aligned with the realities of today’s job market,” he said. “At the same time, unemployment across the continent remains a major challenge. Our goal is to ensure that young people graduate not only ready for work, but equipped to create opportunities for themselves and for others.” He explained that the program intentionally prioritises practical learning over passive instruction. “We want students to move beyond theory into action,” Safari said. “They are not just learning about business. They are building ideas, testing solutions, and developing ventures that can eventually create jobs within their communities.” Closing the skills gap The decision to expand into general secondary education follows a successful pilot phase in TVET schools and aligns closely with Rwanda’s broader ambitions around youth empowerment, innovation, and skills development. JA Africa is implementing the programme in partnership with key national institutions, including the Rwanda TVET Board, the Rwanda Basic Education Board, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Youth. Earlier this month, the organisation convened District Education Officers for a workshop to strengthen coordination and ensure effective implementation across schools and districts. According to Jonathan Dusabe, the programme’s approach begins with understanding where students are starting from. “We conduct baseline assessments to understand students’ entrepreneurial mindset, their exposure to entrepreneurship, and the environments they come from,” he explained. “This allows us to track growth over time and measure the real impact of the programme.” Building a generation of changemakers Beyond entrepreneurship training, JA Africa says the programme is ultimately about nurturing a generation of confident, ethical, and solution-oriented young leaders. A strong emphasis is also being placed on inclusion, particularly the participation and empowerment of girls and young women. “When you empower a girl, you empower a generation,” Safari said. “We are intentional about ensuring that young women are part of this journey because they are critical drivers of social and economic transformation across Africa.” The initiative is also receiving support from private-sector partners, including BK Foundation, Equity Bank, and Ecobank, whose contributions are helping to provide both financial support and pathways for students to move from ideas to implementation. For education leaders on the ground, the programme represents an opportunity to reshape how entrepreneurship is taught and experienced within schools. Fidel Uwamahoro, an education officer, said local stakeholders are eager to see the programme integrated effectively into learning environments. “We are looking forward to understanding how the programme will be implemented within our schools and the activities involved, so we can fully support students and maximise its impact,” he said. As Rwanda continues to position itself as a hub for innovation and youth development, programmes like SET4LYF are increasingly demonstrating that the future of education may not lie only in what students know but in what they are empowered to build.
