Unemployment rates in Rwanda among youth [aged 16 to 30] remain relatively higher at 21.5 percent despite of the overall unemployment rate decline as of February 2022 compared to the previous year. Rural youth contribute to the high unemployment rates, and this is mostly because they come from poor backgrounds that are unable to afford education or complete higher learning education to fit in the labor market.
Nonetheless, Rural youth stand high chances of employment in the agribusiness sector since farming is mostly done in rural areas although they still face a challenge of land and limited knowledge about employment opportunities in agribusiness to take advantage.
It is for such reasons and more that the Rural Youth Employment Support (R-YES), a 5-year project (2020 – 2024) funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) was designed to create employment opportunities for rural youth in agribusiness. The project is implemented by a consortium led by Kilimo Trust in partnership with Rwanda Youth in Agribusiness Forum (RYAF), Rwanda Polytechnic through its Integrated Polytechnic Regional Colleges (IPRCs), Rwanda TVET Board (RTB) through its TVETs and agribusiness industries/companies as centers of technical training and employment for R-YES beneficiaries.
As youth remain the future of the smallholder farmers and potential key players in the agriculture sector, R-YES project is creating employment opportunities for rural youth in agribusiness through two pathways: self and wage employment. This is how some of the project supported youth have been empowered to become champions in agribusiness.