While thriving to make innovations that bring development to the country, the youth has been advised to uphold Rwandan principles and values.

The call was made during Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) Youth League meeting that took place at the party’s headquarters, Intare Conference Arena on December 18.

The meeting that convened more than 2000 young members from different parts of the country was also attended by senior party cadres including commissioners and the Secretary General François Ngarambe.

Christophe Bazivamo, RPF Vice Chairman reminded the youth that they have a great role to play in the development of the country by building on what has already been achieved as well as spearheading innovations that serve society.

"We know you have the strength, wisdom, and will to build the country, including making sacrifices whenever necessary. We expect you to be exemplary and take action on what you commit yourselves to,” he told them.

Bazivamo reminded the attendees of two pressing issues in the country that they should work towards addressing.

He pointed at the education sector which is challenged with a significant number of school dropouts that can be traced by monitoring students at the entry of Primary one to six.

"As the youth, we task you to complement the efforts by the Ministry of Education to address this issue.”

Another issue he highlighted is the promotion of Made in Rwanda products, "our industries need markets, and you can play your part by buying and promoting products that are domestically manufactured rather than importing goods from other countries.”

Bazivamo also challenged the youth to tap into the many opportunities that exist in the bigger African market and sustain the pan-African ideology which pushes for self-sustenance of the continent.

The meeting also featured a panel discussion that tackled the essence of technology and how the youth can leverage it in advancing development in the country.

Albert Munyabugingo, CEO of Vuba Vuba, shared his journey of creating an e-commerce business amidst Covid-19 and how they were able to scale up to different districts across the country.

He challenged his fellow youth to think outside the box and derive value from technology in innovating solutions for some of the challenges in society.

Paula Ingabire, Minister of ICT and Innovation, urged the young members of the party to be guided by integrity, among other values, while putting technology to good use in developing themselves.