Over 3,000 youth from across the country and the Diaspora are attending the inaugural National Youth Connekt Convention at Petit Stade in Kigali, today.

The Mayor of Kigali City, Fidel Ndayisaba, urged the youth to embrace courses that empower them with entrepreneurial skills, saying that would position them as catalysts for the country’s development.

"You are the strength of the nation.  We need your continuous participation in national development, but you need to have the right skills to do a good job in that respect; through innovations and teamwork,” Ndayisaba told the youth.

He urged the youth and Rwandans, in general, to work harder for self-reliance, adding that any foreign support should only come to supplement their efforts.

Rosemary Mbabazi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth and ICT, said the Rwandan youth need to uphold the country’s core values, including integrity, accountability, responsibility and a sense of urgency.

Participants are discussing the role of the youth in development, with a special focus on economic growth.

Recommendations from the one-day convention will be presented to the National Dialogue (Umushyikirano), due tomorrow.