Rwanda: Kigali Youth Festival Exhibition Presents Creativity, Innovation

Now skilled, Uyisenga crafts leather belts, playing balls, and various shoes, generating sufficient income for his family. Despite their success, Uyisenga highlights the lack of sufficient markets and schools for training in the sector and urges the government to establish specialised schools within Rwanda for processing skins into leather, aiming to boost locally made leather products.

He also emphasized the need for local machines to reduce import costs and enhance development opportunities for both skilled individuals and teachers in the field.

Elysee Nayihiki whose company specialises in Information Technology support installs essential tools such as the Braille screen reader for people with visual impairements and software like ‘Jay software’, a high-level programming language suited for data analysis and algorithm development.

“We look forward to organising workshops in schools, to extend skills to young people in order to increase the number of skilled users, which aligns with the country’s plan to have a more skilled workforce,” he said.

Yvette Uwamariya, another exhibitor specializes in embroidery – the art of embellishing fabric using a needle to apply thread or yarn.

“The crafts predominantly are about Rwandan culture, featuring elements such as cows, drums, traditional hairstyles, Inanga usage, and traditional attire; however, our focus varies depending on trends and the prevailing cultural demands,” she said.

The exhibitors emphasized the importance of such events in empowering the younger generation, fostering collaboration, and encouraging innovative thinking.