The Government this week held several events aimed at raising public awareness about the importance of entrepreneurship to society, as part of preparations for tomorrow’s Labour Day celebrations.

One of the events, held under what has been dubbed ‘Labour Week’, is a two-day regional employment forum in Kigali that attracted experts from eastern and southern African region.

At the end of the forum, several recommendations were made, which, if implemented, could go a long way in easing the unemployment burden and boosting entrepreneurship in the region.

One of them is a call on governments in the region to ensure that fresh data on labour market is regularly produced to inform not only policymaking but also investments in skills development.

As one expert at the forum rightly observed, "you can’t plan without information”, and therefore it would be difficult to tackle unemployment and underemployment from an uninformed point of view as any action would be based on assumption or outdated data.

Thanks in part to globalization and emerging trends, the labour market is one of the most dynamic aspects of modern era which requires governments and other players to seek updated and credible data on such issues as the skills gap that prevail in the market from time to time.

That would prompt curriculum developers and training institutions to make necessarily adjustments with view to producing graduates with skills that respond to the needs of the labour market, while other actors, including financiers, would also make informed decisions accordingly.

The experts at the forum also urged for more interaction between employers and jobseekers, especially through user friendly e-platforms that allow companies to regularly post employment opportunities and the jobseekers to be able to match their CVs with the available corresponding vacancies.

This, in addition to promoting initiatives and strategies that enhance an entrepreneurship spirit, hands-on skills and innovation, would help countries like Rwanda ensure that their young people are productive enough to impact their lives, communities as well as the economy.