It’s 9am, and Joel Dusabimana, a university
graduate is moving from one table to another looking for a job or
professional internship-related information from various companies that
offer different services including banking, insurance, consultancy,
equipment, recycling and hospitality industry in Rwanda.
The graduate who completed his university studies in 2015 from the
University of Rwanda’s Faculty of Science and Technology; biology
department has not yet got any job. He is one of some 18,000 unemployed
graduates, going by the estimates based on the fourth Integrated
Household Living Conditions Survey (EICV4) that was conducted by the
National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda in 2013/2014.
Dusabimana was one of the hundreds of job-seekers that attended the
4th Kigali job fair codenamed Job Net, at Pétit Stade, Remera on
Thursday. The core objective of Job Net, which was initiated in 2013, is
to provide a unique opportunity for job-seekers and employers to
network and exchange information during the Job Net event; disseminate
job related information; and promote self-employment and
entrepreneurship to the youth and the Rwandan work force in general.
What statistics say
So far, according to figures from the City of Kigali, over 840
graduates got job opportunities through Kigali’s job seekers-employers
linkage. These jobs were gotten thanks to the Kigali Employment Service
Centre (KESC) and the three Job Net events until 2016.
Over 2,400 job seekers had applied for jobs in that period, according to the city authorities.
As explained by the vice-mayor for social affairs in the City of
Kigali, Patricia Muhongerwa those who got jobs include over 2,040
graduates who came to Kigali Employment Service Centre (KESC) and
employment fair searching for jobs. She noted that 841 secured
employment opportunities, including 209 who got permanent jobs; 393
temporary jobs, while 99 managed to start their own businesses.
About 140 others got professional internships through the partnership
between the City of Kigali and National Capacity Building Secretariat
(NCBS). These are able to acquire experience and on-job training, but
also get transport and lunch facilitation.
2017 job fair
“We have interacted with the employers and they are explaining to us
what they do and, through these interactions, we are able to find
services which fall into our studies and career,” Dusabimana told
Business Times as he displayed his application documents.
“The employers are telling us to leave our CVs and contacts so that
they can contact us in case they have any job openings or internship
opportunities. I have hope that this job fair can open up such
opportunities for us,” he said.
While officially opening this year’s job fair, Gaspard Musonera, the
Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Public Service and Labour
(MIFOTRA), said the initiative helps employers to get access to skilled
graduates and open-minded job seekers, as well as offers school leavers
opportunities for internships or apprenticeships to compliment the
knowledge acquired at college. It also enables them get requisite help
in acquisition of some work relevant experience.
Expectant youth check out offers at different
firms’ stalls. The job fair was attended by over 1,000 job-seekers,
city authorities say. / Nadege Imbabazi
Talking about the impact and trend of Job Net, he said that the first
event in 2013 saw about 2 per cent of the job-seekers get occupations,
while last year, over 20 per cent got employment.
Milk processing at Brookside dairy factory in Ruiru. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NMG
Nyeri mums during a breastfeeding campaign. File photo | nmg 
