BPR Bank Rwanda Plc through its Foundation and in partnership with the Rwanda National Youth Council has on May 24 launched the 2022 intake for their youth scholarship program dubbed "IGIRE” which will be equipping 200 youth with vocational skills.

The youth will be trained in Culinary Arts, Agri-Mechanisation, Food Processing, Welding and ICT and the disciplines were selected according to the skills gap in the country as well as the personal preferences of the applicants.

Selected students will be taken through a six-month accelerated training program where they shall be monitored and trained on different business skills. They will also be encouraged to prepare project proposals where the best projects will be given seed capital to start their own businesses.

BPR Bank Rwanda Plc Managing Director, George Odhiambo addresses the event during the launch of Igire programs on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. Photos by Craish Bahizi

BPR Bank Rwanda Plc was officially launched following the merger of former KCB Bank Rwanda and Banque Populaire du Rwanda (BPR).

According to the bank’s Managing Director, George Odhiambo, over the years, KCB Bank Rwanda has been involved in multiple community development initiatives and now that they have become BPR Bank Rwanda plc, they expect to continue with the same philosophy and drive their agenda to empower local communities.

"Through the Igire program, we believe we will have a ripple effect as new SMEs will be born with the added benefit of employing even more youth,” he said.

"Igire was created on the backdrop of the need for sustainable youth upskilling to enable growth of new SME businesses. Previous Igire graduates have gone on to become successful with their companies, providing extra income for their families in the process.”

Some of the selected youth during the launch of IGIRE Program in Kigali on May 24

Odhiambo also noted that the number of university graduates annually is understandably higher than available jobs, not just in Rwanda but in Africa as a whole.

He added: "It is our hope to encourage the youth through these programs to become job creators rather than job seekers.”

He also noted that the opportunities that are there for students are immense in the country and abroad, urging them to grow their potential to the extent that in the future, Rwanda will be able to export workers to neighbouring countries instead of importing them so that they can help develop the region.

Eng Diogene Murindahabi, Principal of IPRC Kigali who represented Rwanda Polytechnic (RP) during the launch said the students of Igire program will be studying at Kigali, Gishari, Ngoma, Huye and Karongi IPRCs.

He noted that it’s the institution’s responsibility to train Rwandans who can stand out in the labour market.

"When the students we teach graduate and help in solving the issues society is facing and create or get jobs, that’s our benefit and it’s our responsibility,” he said, adding that with the ongoing partnership between RP, BPR Bank Rwanda Plc and Rwanda National Youth Council, many skilled and competent youth will be competent at the labour market.

He noted that compared to other TVET programs, Igire is unique for it only takes the students six months and helps them get hands-on skills directly without many theories, adding that when a student enrols in the program with a clear goal, they can have competent skills that can help them on the labour market.

Robert Mwesigwa, Executive Secretary of the Rwanda National Youth Council said Igire program is making a big impact by empowering youth with skills that usher them into the labour market and by providing startup capital to graduates with the best projects.

He thanked BPR Bank Rwanda Plc for enrolling more students in the 2022 intake and urged other institutions from the private sector to also join them so that they can fight unemployment in the country.

Claude Byiringiro whose project was, in 201,  selected among the best and received startup capital graduated in Culinary Arts through Igire program.

He now runs a fast-food restaurant and a bakery in Rwamagana which he said attracts local and international customers.

He encouraged the students who are enrolling in the program to study with a vision so that they can achieve their goals.

Annet Umutoni, one of the students who was selected to be part of the program in ICT, said that for six months, she hopes to work hard with the help of facilitators and get opportunities and can later pitch her project to the bank to get startup capital.