The Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Gerardine Mukeshimana, urged young people to fully explore the field of agriculture as a way of transforming the local sector.
She was speaking earlier this week during the graduation ceremony at IPRC Kigali, where over 356 youth graduated in the agribusiness field.
The graduates received certificates as part of the first cohort of the Rural Youth Employment Support (R-YES) project.
Students completed experiential learning in 10 agribusiness courses. And the minister urged them not to take the skills they have acquired for granted, for they will help in transforming the local agriculture sector.
Mukeshimana thanked them for completing the courses and encouraged them to keep pursuing agribusiness for it is essential in people’s daily lives.
Students graduated in different agribusiness areas that include milk processing, meat processing, animal feeds production, fodder (hay and silage) production and marketing, vegetables production and processing, poultry farming (broilers and layers), operation and maintenance of field irrigation, operation and maintenance of farm tractors and machinery, operation and maintenance of agro-processing machinery as well as refrigeration and cold chain management.
Minister Mukeshimana highlighted that the courses they took complement each other in the agribusiness value chain, marking that as important since consumers demand different products, hence the need for them to work together towards a common goal.
She also mentioned that she hopes that for the next cohort, enrolled youth will do internships and industrial attachments in the industries the graduates who received certificates will have established.
The 356 youth who graduated through R-YES project also underwent three to four months of competency-based training at IPRC Musanze, IPRC Gishari, IPRC Kigali, Kabutare TVET School, Kavumu TVET School, College Fondation Sina Gerard, and 28 different agribusiness companies.
Led by Kilimo Trust, the project aims to contribute to sustainable employment and income-generating opportunities for 3,000 youth in agriculture-related activities in Rwanda through an integrated agribusiness hub.
According to Andrew Gashayija, Team Leader of Kilimo Trust Rwanda, so far, 85 youth who completed the courses have acquired jobs in different agribusiness companies while 52 are self-employed.
Gashayija also mentioned that around 25 of the youth have a hearing disability and have secured jobs - something he said demonstrates their capabilities and how the project is inclusive.
Sylvie Mucyo, Vice Chancellor of Rwanda Polytechnic, said the curriculum for the courses the youth took encompasses essential skills required for them to practice a particular vocation, let alone entrepreneurship skills.
She noted that such competency-based training evokes confidence among youth and compels them to start their own businesses once they secure capital.
Jean de Dieu Niyomwungeri, one of the graduates, was trained at Masaka Creamery and later secured a job.
He said he learned how to make different products including skimmed milk, yoghurt and ghee.
Niyomwungeri, who has a hearing disability, thanked Kilimo Trust and its partners for the opportunity and urged them to keep supporting persons with disabilities, especially in rural areas.
Solange Ingabire, another youth who got trained in refrigeration and cold chain management at IPRC Kigali, said she is set to use the skills she has acquired to establish a cold room that will help farmers to store their vegetables, thus taking them to the market when they are still fresh.
R-YES project is a five-year initiative (2020 – 2024) funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).