On 12^th November 2019, Honorable Rwanyindo Kayirangwa Fanfan, Minister of Public Service and Labour officially opened  a Symposium under the theme of: “Education for a Changing World:Building Human Capital in Africa”, which took place at Kigali Marriott Hotel.

The Symposium was co-hosted by Rwanda Development Board, Generation Unlimited (UNICEF), Davis College│Akilah Campus, Educate!, and Future Funds for Education.

Participants included Ms. Elizabeth Hugues, CEO and Co-Founder of Davis College; Ms. Aline Kabanda, President Davis College Rwanda; Dr. Cristi Ford, Chief Academic Officer at Davis College; Ms. Karen Sherman, President Akilah Institute Global; Ms. Elodie RUSERA, Chief Skills Officer- RDB and students from the University of Rwanda; Mount Kenya University; African Leadership University (ALU); Kepler; Davis College│Akilah;  Gashora Girls School and Green Hills Academy.  

In her opening remarks and keynote address, Minister Rwanyindo, Guest of Honour,  recalled that a strong human capital is a springboard for economic growth and sustainable development, now and past the present generations and reiterated Africa’s commitment to human capital development through implementation of SDGs and the Africa’s Agenda 2063.

In her welcoming address, Ms. Aline Kabanda, President of Davis College - Rwanda pointed out that in order to maximise human resources, equip people with updated skills and prepare the youth for the world of work, a more flexible and change responsive education is needed. She further recalled that as the world is rapidly changing, students must be prepared for solving complex problems faced by their communities, develop creative solutions, and articulately communicate their ideas.  

The symposium included three moderated panels on “The Workplace of Tomorrow”, “The Green Opportunity” and “Failure to Launch” and an interactive design thinking session.

Referring to the 2019 World Development Report, Minister Rwanyindo pointed out that many jobs today, and many more in the near future, will require specific skills—a combination of technological know-how, problem-solving, and critical thinking as well as soft skills such as perseverance, collaboration, and empathy and urged both organisations and individuals to prepare in advance for the world of work of tomorrow, including through continuous lifelong learning.

While highlighting the potential of green economy and green growth in job creation,  Minister Rwanyindo stated: “We have witnessed a number of new jobs being created in green sectors such as climate resilient agriculture, renewable energy, waste management, reforestation, to mention but a few. Green jobs present incredible benefits. They provide employees  with necessary means for a decent and dignified life. They also contribute to environment conservation and help secure our planet past the present generations. It is therefore important to have green policies and laws that support creation of more green jobs while also greening other existing jobs.”

Minister Rwanyindo also said that the Government of Rwanda has put in place a conducive business support environment to help young entrepreneurs thrive especially through access to collateral of up to 75 per cent from Business Development Fund (BDF) to support youth and women’s business initiatives and  provision of  Business Development Advisory services at each Sector level to help young people design bankable projects and start new businesses.

On  supporting young people who still face challenges in the design and implementation of their business ideas and as a result face the failure to launch and become stuck in their launching efforts, Minister Rwanyindo emphasized  the need to continuously go the extra mile,  making sure that young people are part of the solution, and their voices are heard, first and foremost.

It is expected that more editions of this symposium will be organised regularly.