Promoting the economy and employment in Rwanda’s light manufacturing sector

Context

Unemployment remains one of Rwanda's greatest challenges, despite its high rate of economic growth. The number of young people entering the employment market rises every year and they often lack sufficient professional training. The mostly small local companies also offer few jobs and are not competitive. As a result, Rwanda's industry is lagging behind its potential for value creation and growth.

Although refugees have the right to seek work, they are largely unable to put this into practice. There is a lack of accessible career counselling and job placement services as well as quality business development services for existing micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) within and around the refugee camps.

Objective

Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Rwanda's light manufacturing sector are growing based on principles of inclusiveness, productivity and environmental sustainability, and are creating new jobs.

Approach

The project promotes economic policy and private sector skills that enable an inclusive, gender-sensitive, digital and green economy with good living and working conditions, especially for women and refugees. To this end, it cooperates with the consulting firms ICON, ARGE ICON, Deutsche Forstservice and GFA.

The project

• provides companies and cooperatives with technical advisory services, for example on the implementation of health and safety standards in the workplace.
• advises vocational education institutions on high-quality training and further education courses.
• integrates digital and green approaches in vocational education and in-house company training.
• supports companies in developing new products and production processes.
• improves the economic participation of women by raising awareness among companies and promoting women-led businesses.
• promotes the economic inclusion of refugees and their host communities through psychosocial and legal counselling as well as improved training courses on starting a business, business development and employment measures.

Last update: April 2024