Background: Youth in Africa Todays generation of adolescents and - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Background: Youth in Africa • Today’s generation of adolescents and young people (between 10 and 24 years old) is close to 1.8 billion (more than at any other time in history) -approximately 90% of whom lives in less developed countries 65% are <34 • African youth face several challenges including: 40% are 15-35 • Limited political and community inclusion, • High levels of poverty, • Low level of skills 60% Unemployment • Limited access to educational opportunities and decent jobs → It has resulted in a generation of young people with very limited association to the formal job market (Africa has the highest youth unemployment rate with 60%).

Genesis: YouthConnekt Rwanda • YouthConnekt was initiated in 2012 by the Government of Rwanda through the Ministry of Youth and ICT in partnership with UNDP - under One UN’s Youth and Women Employment Programme → YouthConnekt was created with the objective of responding to the challenges faced by Rwandan youth, namely: - 33% of young people live in households that are below poverty line - Only 10.3% of the population aged 14 – 35 were computer literate - 65% of youth are underemployed - Low availability of off-farm jobs for the youth: only 24% of youth employment is generated by the services sector - Skill Gaps ( mismatch between the young job seekers’ competencies and the skills required in strategic sectors such as industry/manufacturing, tourism and ICT) - Low level of entrepreneurship - Difficulties to Access to finance (bottleneck for entreprise creation and for existing SMEs to grow)

Genesis: YouthConnekt Rwanda • Rwandan population is young with 77 per cent of Rwanda’s population < 35 years old . Youth unemployment reaches 21 per cent and labour underutilization, 60.3 per cent • Rwanda’s Vision 2020: Transform agricultural based economy (1/3 of GDP but 80% of population) into a knowledge-based economy → Creation of productive off farm jobs (200,000 Off farms jobs annualy) • EDPRS 2 (2013-2018) : Productivity and Youth Employment (focus on skills and attitudes, technology and ICT, entrepreneurship and business development and Labour market intervention) = One of the 4 key national thematic areas • National Strategy for Transformation (2018-2024): Priority Area 1: Create 1,500,000 decent and productive jobs for economic development through Development and support of priority sub-sectors with high potential for growth and employment, Support and empower youth and women to create business, Strategic partnerships with private sector, TVET, etc. 4

YouthConnekt 2012-2018 YouthConnekt Hangouts – 48 hangouts organized (6/year) – 20,000 youth Awareness Raising YouthConnekt TV show – 208 TV shows organized YouthConnekt Month and Holiday Programme- Entrepreneurship 1million youth /Employment Civic Education opportunities YouthConnekt Convention- 21,000 youth YouthConnekt bootcamp – 630 youth trained – 8,309 jobs created (2,208 for women, 6,101 for men) YouthConnekt mentorship programme- 1 session SRH I-accelerator 2018- (200 beneficiaries) 5

YouthConnekt as a way to achieve the SDGs Sector SDG YouthConnekt Partners Promote, recognize and support Government: innovation and entrepreneurship among MINIYOUTH, young men and women (including National Youth technical and financial support) Council, RDB, (bootcamp and award) BDF, Economic Support the development and Development Empower sustainability of start-ups (mentorship Partners: UNDP, ment programme) KOICA, Connect youth with employment and CSOs: DOT, entrepreneurship opportunities Akazi Kanonze, World Vision, Raise awareness among youth on Girls in ICT, Girl entrepreneurship and employment effect themes (TV shows, Hangout) Private sector (Tigo, I&M, Bank of Kigali, etc.) 6

Sector SDG YouthConnekt Partners Mentorship acceleration UNFPA, Imbuto programme aims to promote an Foundation Health entrepreneurial spirit among young people in the field of sexual and reproductive health. Provide entrepreneurship training UNDP, MINIYOUTH, National Youth Council, and mentoring support to young CSOs (DOT, Akazi entrepreneurs Education Kanonze) (Bootcamp and Award) Promote, recognize and support MINIYOUTH, UNDP, innovation and entrepreneurship Girls in ICT, Girl effect, Gender in the field of ICT specifically for UNWOMEN Equality girls (Miss Geek Competition) Reduced Specific youth empowerment UNDP, MINIYOUTH, inequalities activities for youth living in rural National Youth Council, areas, youth living with disabilities, girls Environme Ministry of environment, ntal Promote, recognize and support FONERWA, sustainabili green innovation (Bootcamp and MINIYOUTH, UNDP ty Award) 7

Sector SDG YouthConnekt Partners Engagement of youth in political MINIYOUTH, National Peace dialogue, community Youth Council, Local development, strengthening of authorities, UNV social cohesion (Convention, Dialogue, Month and holyday) One UN Rwanda, GoR, Development partners, YouthConnekt is a convener, both CSOs, Youth, Private physically and virtually, and as a Partnership sector, academics, etc,. catalyst of partnerships. It aims at engaging committed partners together around the same Youth empowerment agenda 8

The YouthConnekt model 1. YouthConnekt Hangout • Hangout is a virtual interaction portal. • Interactions are made through Google Hangout (video conference style), where young people communicate with their peers, leaders and role models from different parts of the county. • Participants are engaged via video chats and live streaming on YouTube, as well as social networks, TV and radio channels. • Topics: youth in politics, community engagement, Girls in ICT, SDGs, mobile applications, employability skills, etc. • 20,000 YOUNG PEOPLE already benefited from this program through different themes. 9

The YouthConnekt model 1. YouthConnekt Hangout 10

The YouthConnekt model 2. BootCamp & Awards • The YouthConnekt BootCamp and Awards is a competition between 90 young innovators at the national level. • The 90 selected innovators spend 3 days of intensive courses to improve their business model. Through a competition, the first 30 are awarded. Where 3 best finalists get the grand prizes. • From 2012 to 2018, 7 Boot Camps have been organized with 630 innovators. 210 were awarded. That resulted to the creation of more than 8,309 jobs. 11

The YouthConnekt model 2. BootCamp & Awards 12

YouthConnekt Bootcamps 2019 Green Growth Programme – Eco-brigade TVET Youth Challenge • Business competition aims at promoting TVET students • Create jobs and improved livelihoods of youth while projects and viable prototypes to the next level of addressing issues of environment conservation. producing concrete solutions. • Train youth cooperatives on integrated forest management • Partnership MINIYOUTH – MINEDUC- 15 TVET higher skills including best practice plantation development and learning schools agro-forestry (Restoration and afforestation on public land including road reserves, forest management, maintenance, protection, etc.) Art Rwanda Bootcamp • Young and talented Rwandans within the creative arts industry. • Televised nationwide search for 70 creative youth in six different categories (art, dance & music, fashion, theatre & drama, film & cinematography, literature) 13

YouthConnekt Bootcamps 2019 Vulnerable Girls Bootcamp Bootcamp for Youth living with disability • Bootcamp for vulnerable girls in selected districts through support of Youth centres (mindset, health, entrepreneurship, • Innovation for people with special needs and open business development, etc. ) & Provision of start-up toolkit dialogue to identify specific problems requiring technology-based solutions Bootcamp for Refugee and hosting community • Human centered design-Challenge for innovators to develop working solutions for problems identified • Bootcamp for young refugees/hosting communities through the dialogue • Implemented in partnership with MINEMA • Design, Train and provide start-up toolkits to selected cooperatives and entrepreneurs on new products and community businesses 14

The YouthConnekt model 3. Mentorship • This is the subsequent step of award stages to reinforce capacity of young innovators and promising young entrepreneurs with incubation and mentorship facilities by tracking their success and failures for better guidance towards sustainability and growth to the regional level through exhibition opportunities as job creation is concerned. • More that 540 are being Mentored and monitored 15

Achievements YouthConnekt Bootcamp/Award 2012-2018 Number of entrepreneurs supported per business sector Number of jobs created 90 82 80 Output Status 70 65 Number of companies Total jobs created 8,309 60 50 Jobs created for 2,208 39 40 women 33 30 Full-time jobs 2,518 18 20 created 9 10 6 6 6 5 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 16

Achievements YouthConnekt Bootcamp/Award 2012-2018 Number of jobs created per sector 2412 2500 Highlights: • Companies in ICT or 2000 1886 manufacturing report the highest average turnover Number of jobs 1500 1399 (>40M RWF from 2012 to 2017) 1000 877 • Companies in the construction 470 452 500 sector created, on average, almost 152 157 134 95 90 55 40 34 20 22 10 4 100 jobs 0 (20 full-time, 77 part-time) 17