Rwanda : a funding agreement with EU worth EUR 8 million to expand the socio-economic opportunities for youth

On 19 May 2022, the European Union and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Rwanda will sign a funding agreement worth EUR 8 million to expand the socio-economic opportunities for youth.

This support will enable the Government of Rwanda through the Ministry of Youth and Culture to harness innovative and creativity for youth led business. With this 4-year project, the European Union gives additional support to UNDP to fast-track the implementation of the UNDP’s youth employment and entrepreneurship agenda in Rwanda and on the continent.

This unique program will accompany the youth led Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) from the ideation phase to pre-incubation, incubation, and post-incubation and give them services including connecting them with potential funders and mentors. The partnerships to be launched will build and strengthen synergies with the YouthConnekt agenda and will leverage complementarities with the national youth SMEs and start-up ecosystem including with the incubation hubs and the national business development initiatives. Additionally, a robust monitoring system will be put in place to ensure that the expected transformative outcomes are achieved.