Job prospects
for young people in agriculture

Although the capital Kigali has become a modern service hub in recent decades and is attracting more and more international visitors, many people in Rwanda continue to suffer from food shortages and a lack of job prospects. Around 80 per cent of the population lives in rural areas, and agriculture is still by far the most important source of employment and income. To improve the food security of the nearly 14 million Rwandans in the long term, the government is supporting numerous agricultural cooperatives. By increasing their productivity, these cooperatives will be able to not only supply their members, but also to sell food to non-members and thus generate additional income. At the same time, the vocational training system is to be improved to prepare school leavers for the labour market. The hotel and catering industry in particular have a high potential for employment.

The University of Technology and Arts of Byumba (UTAB) is the only university in the district of Gicumbi, which shares a border with Uganda. The UTAB is planning to establish the Centre of Excellence in Agriculture and Gastronomy (CEAG) there to become more competitive and reduce its dependence on tuition fees. The new centre will offer six-month courses in agriculture, food production and gastronomy. They are aimed at school leavers, employees and entrepreneurs. The district administration has also authorised the UTAB to grow fruit, vegetables, tea and maize on an area of 15 hectares. To this end, UTAB works together with two existing agricultural cooperatives. The CEAG can sell surplus produce that is not consumed as part of the trainings, thereby generating additional income to keep tuition fees low in the long term. A dairy will also to be built.

Invest for Jobs is supporting the UTAB with a grant to set up the CEAG. The aim is to create training opportunities in a booming sector and to give young adults access to attractive jobs. Through the practical training at the UTAB, they can qualify for various job profiles and will subsequently have good chances of finding permanent employment in the hotel industry, in catering, in gastronomy or with food manufacturers. At the same time, the project should lead to efficiency gains in Rwandan agriculture and thus also contribute to food security and increased income in rural areas.

At the end of the three-year construction and investment phase, a total of 675 graduates are expected to successfully complete their training at the centre between 2027 and 2030. 116 people will be employed to run the Centre of Excellence. Around 30 of these will be recruited from the centre's own graduates. As a result of their employment, they will benefit from the social benefits prescribed by law in Rwanda, such as health insurance, pension schemes, paid holidays and maternity leave. The other graduates are to take up employment with other employers in the region.

Around 180 of the 675 participants will complete the courses while working and thus qualify for better-paid jobs. Several people already working at UTAB will also be able to significantly improve their income situation by taking on new tasks.

UTAB plans to invest a total of EUR 1.43 million in the development of the CEAG. The Facility Investing for Employment is providing a grant of EUR 1 million (70 percent). These funds will primarily be used to finance the construction of the training rooms, the student residence, the administrative wing and the dairy. Machinery and agricultural equipment will also be purchased from the grant.

The Facility Investing for Employment (IFE) of KfW Development Bank is part of the Special Initiative "Decent Work for a Just Transition" of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). With its support, the Facility wants to remove barriers that prevent the creation of new and better jobs in the private sector.