Four best young innovators were on Tuesday evening awarded during the official launch of YouthConnekt Hangout at Think, Kigali. The winners received cash prizes. Robert Niyirora, the overall winner received Rwf6.8m, followed by Elodie Iradukunda who got Rwf 3.4 million. Lillian Uwintwari and Herve Munyurangeri who were in the third and fourth position respectively walked home with Rwf1.7million each. The young innovators were awarded through “YouthConnekt Mobile Apps for Human Development Challenge”, a programme supported by Motorola Foundation. A total of 115 youths submitted their entries and fifteen were shortlisted for the finals. The youth came up with different projects (apps) on how to transform the country economically. Line Money app that emerged the best will help people use mobile money to buy electricity and the power will directly be loaded to the cash power metre. The other app is Ivuze, which will enable people pay for mutuelle de santé, while Agro Fiber apps will help link farmers to financial institutions. During the awarding ceremony, the Minister for Youth and ICT, Jean Philbert Nsengimana, said the initiative encourages innovation amongst the youth, promotes job creation and youth empowerment through mobile technologies. “This platform creates new opportunities for skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship in ICT,” he said. Nsengimana said YouthConnekt Hangout will help young people participate in policy formulation through information sharing. “The hangouts sessions will be focusing on sharing information on opportunities for youth economic empowerment through employment, entrepreneurship, access to finance, Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D),” Nsengimana said.
