Kimironko youth urged to fight poverty

The Director General of Employment in the Ministry of Labour and Public Service, Anna Mugabo, has challenged the youth in Kimironko sector, Gasabo District to be hard working and innovative in all their endeavours, which she said will enable them to curb unemployment. The official made the call last Saturday while addressing members of the National Youth Council at the sector level, during their general assembly which took place at Kigali Institute of Education (KIE). “No country can develop without the active participation of the youth, which is why you should play a key role in our country’s socio-economic development, by avoiding the habit of laziness,” Mugabo said. She asked them to avoid involvement in drug abuse and to always exhibit total discipline in everything they do. Mugabo urged them to acquire loans through the Business Development Fund (BDF) and Banque Populaire saying that this will reduce unemployment and poverty among them. She briefed them on various government initiatives and programmes aimed at fighting against poverty among the youth and told them to always seek advice from the ministry whenever they need any form of assistance. According to her, the Business Development Centres at the district level will help them to come up with business projects which they can present to banks and micro finances to acquire loans. Eric Bundugu, the sector coordinator of the National Youth Council noted that there is still a challenge of youth involved in drugs, saying that every Saturday morning, the council organises various sporting events and they use the forum to encourage the youth to desist from leading irresponsible lives. “Unemployment is one the major challenges still being faced by the youth in our sector and I call upon the ministry to help us get easy access to loans in financial institutions because they request for collateral which most of us don’t readily have,” Bundugu said. One of the participants, Jean Marie Uwitonze, called upon the ministry to champion the fight against abuse of the youth especially those working as house-helps, saying that most are denied their rights including lack of medical insurance like Mutuelle de Sante yet they deserve equal rights like any other Rwandan. In an interview with The New Time shortly after the assembly, Mugabo noted that her ministry recently launched an internship programme under the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) where over 1,000 youth especially graduates have enrolled in the programme through which they are taught to be job creators. She added that the ministry is working on a survey which will come up with accurate data on the current level of unemployment in the country. The Executive Secretary of Kimironko Sector, Theophile Niragire called upon to acquire loans through Umurenge Sacco adding that currently, an individual can obtain a loan of Rwf500, 000. Ends