Rwandan community and national leaders held a dialogue forum on social cohesion at the Institute of Research and Dialogue for Peace at Gisozi. The dialogue forum brought together community members and representatives from the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC), Ministry of Local Government, other Government of Rwanda ministries, and the parliament. Erica J. Barks-Ruggles, U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda, also spoke at the event.

Rwanda has attained an impressive degree of peace, security, and development. Building peace is, however, a long journey and several challenges remain along the way.

The dialogue forum is part of a 933 million RWF project funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), titled Healing our Communities. The project aims to improve community responsiveness and adaptability to post-genocide needs by establishing links between communities and government officials. Part of the project’s scope is holding listening sessions at the local and national level. So far, the project has held listening sessions in eight target districts. In doing so, it has helped create effective channels through which policymakers can collaborate and hear directly from communities about the challenges they face.

Speaking at the event, Erica J. Barks-Ruggles, U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda, expressed satisfaction with the project’s accomplishments. “The U.S. government is proud to fund this project. We believe that Rwanda is remarkably resilient for a country that is still recovering from one of the most devastating genocides in modern history. We are honored to be granted the opportunity to help advance the reconciliation process,” she said.

The project operates in eight target districts: Gicumbi, Gakenke, Karongi, Nyamasheke, Rubavu, Kirehe, Bugesera and Gisagara. Its implementing partner, Karuna Center for Peacebuilding, and its three Rwandan partners, Institute of Research and Dialogue for Peace (IRDP), Healing and Rebuilding Our Communities (HROC), and Aegis Trust use a comprehensive, inter-generational approach. This approach promotes social cohesion that integrates trauma healing, community dialogue, joint problem-solving and volunteer projects to support the vulnerable.

UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa Abdoulaye Mar Dieye

Speaking at the ongoing three day Youth Connekt Africa convention in Kigali, Rwanda, the UNDP Regional director for Africa Bureau has called partners in the development of the continent to support the youth in their efforts to define their future.

Here is the keynote speech of the UNDP Africa region director, Abdoulaye Mar Dieye today at 2017 YouthConnekt Africa convention in Rwanda

I am thrilled to be in the land of the thousand hills and a million smiles and in this spectacular Convention Centre

From the commanding heights of Mount Kigali, and as a preamble to my statement, I want to deliver, urbi and orbi, a message to the world, especially to the development practitioners and scholars, to the business community, to the tourists

who cherish the beauty of nature. To all those people and beyond, I want to say that if you want to see The Africa on the move, come to Rwanda! A country where an anthology of distinguished achievements and prominent realizations blossoms!

As a development economist, and one who has travelled the continent and beyond, I can state, unequivocally, that Rwanda is a story to tell, an experience to share, and a model for inspiration.

Let me now invite you all to join me in a journey, 100 kilometres northwest of Kigali, in a city called Musanze. We will meet Cephas, a science teacher and young entrepreneur with a passion to serve his community. Cephas makes cosmetic products out of traditional plants. He uses his knowledge in science to create products that heal some common diseases in his community. In 2013, he applied to the YouthConnekt Boot Camp, and was the first-place winner and won 3 million Rwf (less than 4000 US$). He used the winnings from his award to build his factory. Today, he employs 15 full-time staff members.

Let’s continue our journey to Rubavu district, some 50 kilometres west of Musanze, we will meet Assumpta, a 27-year old young girl. Realizing that farmers in her community were growing a large amount of beetroot without a market ready and willing to support them, Assumpta decided to produce tasty and affordable wine from locally cultivated beetroot. Assumpta won the 2016 YouthConnekt award, which rewards the best young innovator in Rwanda. With her 5 million Rwf (about 6000 US$) she expanded her business. Today, she employs 10 permanent workers and provides 30 temporary jobs in her community, mostly women.

Assumpta and Cephas are what AfDB President Adesina rightly calls the “young agropreneurs of Africa”. They are graduates of YouthConnekt Rwanda. They epitomize the transformational power of ideas. With their creativity, ingenuity, and acquired skills, they have shown the way to conquer the future.

I am proud to see UNDP and UN sister agencies partnering with the Government of Rwanda in such a seminal and pioneering initiative as YouthConnekt, a programme initiated in 2013, which seeks to empower young entrepreneurs by connecting them with leaders from public and private sectors and civil society. It provides internships, mentorships, training, and coaching. It raises youth awareness of job opportunities, it promotes business incubation centres and financial products and services.

Today, some 40,000 young Rwandese have benefitted directly and indirectly from the programme – either through the boot camps I mentioned, or through platforms including Google Hangout sessions, Annual Youth Conventions, and Television shows. Many have started or expanded profitable businesses, which have generated employment. Our calculation indicates that on average, each participant in the YouthConnekt boot camps has subsequently created 8 to10 permanent jobs. For some of these businesses, their employees receive, daily, the equivalent of 6 to 10 US$, hence 3 to 5 times the daily GDP per capita in Rwanda. This is impressive.

As Timothee, a young Rwandese entrepreneur eloquently told me; “YouthConnekt Booth camps are a phenomenal journey; you come out of it with a conquering mind-set; and with the unwavering conviction that: Yes, You can! Yes, you can open your own business, with such an empowering tool that is YouthConnekt!”

Cephas, Assumpta and Timothee are, with no doubt, the Tony Elumelu, Folorunsho Alakija, and Dangote of tomorrow. The leadership, creativity, and commitment seeds are planted in them; they will blossom. Their stories show that with ideas, innovation, and passion, our Youth can realize their dreams and make Africa the El Dorado.

It is quite exciting to see that this programme covers the 30 districts of Rwanda; and is already being replicated, with the support of UNDP, in 5 other African countries:

Liberia, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, and Uganda.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Every 24 hours, nearly 33,000 youth across Africa join the search for employment; and sadly, about 60% will be joining the unacceptable army of the unemployed. YouthConnekt is a practical, concrete and most effective way to tackle the current unemployment situation in the continent. It empowers the Youth to be potent actors and driving vectors in the implementation of Agenda 2030 and of the Future We Want in Africa!

Here, I wish to salute the visionary leadership of H.E. Paul Kagame who believes in cultivating a new generation of innovators and problem-solvers to create employment and drive economic transformation. It is that vision that gave birth to YouthConnekt Rwanda. I must applaud the Honourable Minister of Youth Jean Philbert, who took that vision and unleashed the energy of Rwanda’s youth.

It is our deepest commitment to respond to the wish of Government of Rwanda and of Youth in Africa to scale up, to the regional level, this ground-breaking and pacesetter programme.

On behalf of UNDP, I am honoured to pledge our continuous and enhanced financial and technical support to the Government of Rwanda, not only in the expansion of the programme in the country, but also in the establishment of the greater YouthConnekt Africa Regional Initiative, with the setting up of a Regional Hub, here in Kigali, and the design and launching of a YouthConnekt Innovation and Empowerment Fund.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

With YouthConnekt Africa, we are embarking on a most fascinating journey; and the Youth are our trip captains! Let me be their Ambassador by emphatically re-echoing what most of them told me: “Give us the space; and we will give you the world!”

By space, they mean enhancing economic growth policies that will have an impact on employment and job creation, they mean trust in their creativity and they mean the effective implementation of youth-friendly development policies, including greater access to finance, capital and markets; skills development, and a sustained investment in education, in particular in STEM, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

We are privileged to have with us, African leaders— Akinwumi Adesina, Tony Elumelu, Vera Songwe, and Diane Karusisi— to lead our conversation on how we can open up that space and create together 50 million jobs by 2020, 10 million of which should come from YouthConnekt. I am confident that out of this conversation, we will chart a collective way forward, with strong commitments, to achieve this goal.

If we all meet our commitments, our gathering today, with more than 7,000 youth subscribers, will not be just another meeting. It will be a movement! A spark from Mount Kigali, reverberating all over the continent!

I would like to invite us all to join the movement. A movement which I see as a performance contract, or Imihigo, as we say here in Rwanda. A contract between us all, stakeholders, to support our youth in conquering the future.

The SDG Health Price Tag, published today in The Lancet Global Health, estimates the costs and benefits of progressively expanding health services in order to reach 16 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) health targets in 67 low- and middle-income countries that account for 75% of the world’s population.

The analysis shows that investments to expand services towards universal health coverage and the other SDG health targets could prevent 97 million premature deaths globally between now and 2030, and add as much as 8.4 years of life expectancy in some countries.

While most countries can afford the investments needed, the poorest nations will need assistance to reach the targets.

“Universal health coverage is ultimately a political choice. It is the responsibility of every country and national government to pursue it,” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, wrote in a commentary accompanying the paper in The Lancet Global Health.

The SDG Health Price Tag models two scenarios: an “ambitious” scenario in which investments are sufficient for countries to attain the health targets in the SDGs by 2030, and a “progress” scenario in which countries get two thirds or more of the way to the targets.

In both scenarios, health systems investments such as employing more health workers; building and operating new clinics, hospitals and laboratories; and buying medical equipment account for about 75% of the total.

The remaining costs are for medicines, vaccines, syringes and other commodities used to prevent or treat specific diseases, and for activities such as training, health campaigns and outreach to vulnerable communities.

Under the “ambitious” scenario, achieving the SDG health targets would require new investments increasing over time from an initial US$ 134 billion annually to $371 billion, or $58 per person, by 2030.

The analysis shows that 85% of these costs can be met with domestic resources, although as many as 32 of the world’s poorest countries will face an annual gap of up to US$ 54 billion and will continue to need external assistance.

High-income countries were not included in the analysis but other estimates show they can all afford to provide universal health coverage with essential health services to their citizens.

The ambitious scenario includes adding more than 23 million health workers, and building more than 415 000 new health facilities, 91% of which would be primary health care centers.

These investments would boost health spending as a proportion of gross domestic product across all 67 countries from an average of 5.6% to 7.5%.

The global average for health spending as a proportion of GDP is 9.9%. Although higher spending does not necessarily translate to improved health, making the right investments at the right time can.

The investments could prevent 97 million premature deaths – one every five seconds over 15 years – including more than 50 million infants and children who are either stillborn or die before their fifth birthday, and 20 million deaths from non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.

Life expectancy would increase by between 3.1 and 8.4 years, and 535 million years of healthy living would be added across the 67 countries.

The “progress” scenario would require new investments increasing from an initial US$ 104 billion a year to $274 billion, or $41 per person, by 2030.

These investments would prevent about 71 million premature deaths and boost health spending as a proportion of GDP to an average of 6.5%.

More than 14 million new health workers would be added, and nearly 378 000 new health facilities built, 93% of which would be primary health care centers.

The analysis includes targets in Sustainable Development Goal 3 (health and well-being) as well as targets from Goal 2 (zero hunger), Goal 6 (clean water and sanitation) and Goal 7 (affordable and clean energy).

Some targets and diseases were excluded because of the difficulty of estimating their associated costs and health impact, or a lack of robust data.

The SDG Health Price Tag does not prescribe what countries should spend on health, but is intended as a tool to inform further research.

It also highlights that achieving universal health coverage and the other health targets requires not only funding but political will and respect for human rights.

WHO plans to update the estimates every five years and will include other health-related targets and diseases as more evidence becomes available.

German representative Andreas Gies and Rwandan Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Claver Gatete sign new package.

German has increased funding to Rwanda from € 69.5 million to €81 million or an estimated Rwf 66 billion in the next five years between 2018-2020.

This revealed on Thursday following discussions between Rwanda and German government officials held tri-annually to explore areas in need of new cooperation.

Previous similar discussions were held in November 2014 and assessed cooperation in the period between 2015-2017 where German agreed to provide € 69.5 million.

More funds will be allocated to government priority areas including promotion of vocational skills, good governance and decentralization, promoting private sector, creation of new jobs for the youth and supporting financial sector.

The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, AmbGateteClaver has told the media that German is already a friend of Rwanda providing support in various sectors.

“German is a good partner of Rwanda. We have discussed our precious existing partnership through which they provided Euro 69.5 million but they have agreed to increase the funds to Euro 81 million. I would like to highlight that it is a support not loan to be disbursed in the next five years,” he said.

“This demonstrates increasing cooperation and existing friendship with German. Atop this, we have been working with German government in what we call ‘Compact with Africa’ chaired by German as a country leading the association of 20 world’s richest countries,” he added.

The representative of German in discussions held yesterday, Andreas Gies said the cooperation with Rwanda is also concerned with strengthening private investors as it matches with recently launched program of ‘The Martial Plan with Africa’ meant to support private investors in Africa.

“Africa comes on forefront in German’s programs. We are going to hold a meeting with Africa representatives from 12th to 13th June 2017 in Berlin and we are glad to welcome Rwanda’s delegates,” he said.

German ambassador to Rwanda, Dr. Peter Woeste said it is the beginning of powerful bilateral discussions and delighted that President Paul Kagame will at the said time go to German to hold talks with other leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Rwanda, German relations have existed since 1963. German has institutions like GIZand KFW in Rwanda working with the government in various projects of poverty reduction, promoting health sector, governance and striving for sustainable development.