Two hundred youth have graduated from KCB Foundation’s youth empowerment programme in Rwanda. This is the second group to graduate under the initiative after last year’s cohort of 100.

The beneficiaries went through a 6-month training programme under the Foundation’s programme dubbed ‘Igire’, meaning self-employment, the flagship youth wealth and job creation programme in Rwanda. It is the equivalent of the Foundation’s 2jiajiri being implemented in Kenya.

The training covered information and communications technology, culinary arts, tiling, welding, and motor vehicle mechanics at Integrated Polytechnic Regional Centres (IPRC) in Kigali, Gishari, Ngoma and Huye.

KCB Foundation Managing Director Jane Mwangi emphasised on the need to support the youth to acquire skills, to enable them to be self-reliant.

“Supporting the young people to acquire technical skills will enable them get into self- employment and in turn promote their contribution to the economy when they create jobs for their peers,” said Ms. Mwangi in a speech read on her behalf by KCB Foundation Senior Manager for Partnerships John Waimiri.

KCB Rwanda Managing Director George Odhiambo affirmed the Bank’s commitment to continue supporting the youth and commended the Rwandan Government for its support to the programme.

“To our graduands, we want to assure you that we are with you for the long haul,” he said to the youth as he advised the Igire beneficiaries to remain to decisive in their entrepreneurial pursuits.
The ten best proposals from the graduating class were each awarded Rwf 3,000,000 (Ksh 345,000) seed capital to start their own business projects.

Rwanda Minister of youth, Hon Rosemary Mbabazi in thanking the partners of KCB Igire Programme said; ‘You could have chosen to invest elsewhere but choosing to invest in the Rwanda youth is a worthwhile investment that the Ministry will continue to follow up and support.”

The Foundation through KCB Bank Rwanda and the Rwanda National Youth Council launched a partnership in April 2018 to sponsor Rwandan youth for vocational skills training to enable self-employment.