Youth call for more consultation in development projects

The government should devise a mechanism that will enable the youth to actively take part in the planning, implementation and accessing of projects meant to support them, the Executive Secretary of the Youth Association for Human Rights Promotion and Development (AJPRODHO- JIJUKIRWA), has advised. Enock Nkurunziza said this will help in coming up with appropriate plans that will benefit the youth and help them in solving the challenges they currently experience. “When the youth are involved in developing what is meant for them, it will be significant in a way that they will have to come-up with ideas that will contribute to coming up with what is best for them,” Nkuruniziza said. He was addressing the media shortly after his organisation released the findings of a survey on the challenges youth face in various sectors including education, health, social justice and agriculture, among others.Funded by the Norwegian People`s Aid, the survey was conducted in 15 districts. Nkurunziza said that the findings prove that although the government has come up with various initiatives to support the youth, there are areas that need to be streamlined to ensure that they benefit the youth better. Dubbed the national youth hearing forum on youth concerns, needs and participation in social and economic development in Rwanda, the meeting attracted youth representatives from across the country. They represented the private sector, civil society organisations as well as public and private institutions.The findings are contained in a 77 page booklet. Speaking to The New Times, some of the participants revealed that unemployment and lack of start-up capital to implement their plans were some of the key challenges they face. The Executive Secretary of the National Youth Council, Alphonse Nkuranga, said that among other measures, the council is addressing the unemployment issue by encouraging the youth to join cooperatives so as to be supported to start income generating activities. The government recently launched a job creation initiative dubbed Kuremera that will enable the youth and women have easy access to finance. The initiative will enable the young population to engage in various economic activities that will act as a basis to engage financial institutions to extend loans to the envisaged cooperatives. This is in addition to another job creation programme called Hanga Umurimo.