The government has launched the Huye Employment Service Centre in line with its goal to curb unemployment and create 1.5 million jobs by 2024.

Huye is part of the Public Employment Service Centres being established in secondary cities. It follows two others launched in Kigali and Musanze.

The centres are aimed at addressing unemployment and underemployment by linking jobseekers with employers.

Services provided include career planning, training on job search and career guidance and counselling.

The Rwanda Development Board chief skills office — which is the coordinating institution for employment services in the country as also unveiled two buses to provide mobile services nationwide.

The solar-powered buses and job centres are equipped with laptops and printers, allowing people to search for jobs on RDB’s portal, kora.rw as well as engage professionals.

The facilities are user friendly and can accommodate applicants with disabilities such as the blind.

“Under the government’s national strategy for transformation we must create 1.5 million jobs by 2024, which translates into 214,000 jobs annually.

This calls for concerted efforts including interventions in favour of the most vulnerable groups in the labour market such as youth, women and the disabled,” said RDB chief skills officer Elodie Rusera at the launch of the Huye centre.

Huye district mayor Ange Sebutege said that since the Huye district is strategically located, the Huye centre will also serve citizens from districts in the Southern Province.

“Under the district development strategy, together with the private sector and other stakeholders, we set a target to create over 6,000 jobs.

It is my hope that the centre and the mobile services buses will help to cut unemployment and underemployment in the region by reaching out to people in the rural areas,” said the mayor.