Empowering Youth with Quality Jobs to Stimulate the Demographic Dividend in Rwanda

Rwanda’s long term development vision, which is articulated in Vision 2020, is to transform from a subsistence agricultural economy to a middle-income, services-and knowledge-based society, with a vibrant class of entrepreneurs. Rwanda has experienced steady and sustained economic growth, with GDP growth averaging 8% between 2001 and 20151 and 5.9% in 20162. However, the economy’s recent job creation rate of 200,000 jobs per year needs to be increased to match the growing number of youth entering the labour force.