If you ask most young Rwandans what they want today, the answers are familiar:

"A job that pays, a chance to build something real, and a future with dignity."

Youth FAST 2025 , Rwanda’s first-ever Youth-Led Agri-Food Systems Transformation Forum is the event that finally speaks directly to that need. But the real story is bigger: the Government officially introduced the National Strategy for Youth Employment in Agri-Food Systems (NS-YES), a major plan designed to create 849,000 new jobs by 2029.

This is not a policy on paper.

It’s a new roadmap for youth employment , backed by RWF 173 billion, five flagship projects, and six months of technical work supported by AGRA, IFAD, and the European Union.

Below, we decode what this all means for you, the youth.

1. Rwanda’s Youth Reality, Decoded

To understand NS-YES, we first look at what the numbers say:

✔ Youth unemployment is still high.

According to the Labour Force Survey (2024), youth (16–30) unemployment is 18.5%, higher than adults.

✔ Only 30.7% of youth are active in agriculture.

From the Agricultural Household Survey (2024), young people in farming are still a minority.

✔ Yet agriculture remains the backbone of employment.

In Q1 2025, 43.7% of Rwandans worked in agriculture — meaning the sector still holds the greatest potential for job growth.

✔ Youth are 32% of Africa’s farming population.

Rwanda wants to leverage this demographic momentum to modernize its food systems.

What does this tell us?

Jobs exist in agriculture.

But young people haven’t been fully included — until now.

2. What Exactly Is NS-YES? (Decoded Simply)

NS-YES is a national plan with one big promise:

Create 849,000 jobs in agri-food systems by 2029.

It aligns with:

• Vision 2050 (prosperity & inclusive growth)
• NST1/NST2 (modern economy, job creation)
• PSTA5 (agricultural transformation)

The strategy is powered by four pillars:

✔ A better environment for youth employment

✔ Empowering youth organizations and cooperatives

✔ Boosting youth productivity through land, finance, tools & skills

✔ Helping youth access markets and value chains

This is how Rwanda plans to make agriculture profitable, modern, and youth-led.

3. Where the Jobs Are: The 5 Big Flagship Projects

These are not random projects.

They are proven business models designed for youth.

From the official MINAGRI flagship documents, here’s what’s coming:

FLAGSHIP 1 — Protected Agriculture: YEPA Greenhouse Hubs

Youth will run high-tech greenhouses growing tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers.

• Jobs: 400
• Monthly income (per youth): ~311,605 RWF
• Investment: USD 1.95M
• Why it matters: High yields, stable markets, modern skills.

FLAGSHIP 2 — Youth in Poultry (EYPDEL)

Youth-led egg production farms.

• Jobs: 300
• Monthly income: 192,860 RWF
• Payback: 3 years
• Why it matters: Rwanda’s egg demand is growing fast.

FLAGSHIP 3 — MYPIG: Youth in Pig Farming

Large-scale pig farming across 10 districts.

• Jobs: 3,156 youth
• Income: 177,115 RWF/month
• IRR: 22%
• Why it matters: Swine has become one of the most profitable livestock ventures.

FLAGSHIP 4 — YAMS Mechanization Hubs

Youth-run tractor and machine service hubs.

• Jobs: 117
• Monthly income: 822,960 RWF
• Why it matters: Mechanization = faster farming + more money.

FLAGSHIP 5 — Youth-Owned Seed Production Hubs

Youth produce seeds for potato, rice, cassava, avocado, mango, pineapple.

• Jobs: 1,350
• Income range: 76,660–219,000 RWF/month
• Why it matters: Seed = high value, huge demand.

4. What Youth Raised at the Forum (Decoded)

From Day 1 discussions:

Youth said they need:

• real financing (not theory),
• clear market access,
• mentorship,
• simpler certification processes,
• updated skills for climate-smart farming,
• and real opportunities to scale.

Financial institutions responded:

“You need good business plans, record-keeping, loan readiness.”

This is why NS-YES includes:

✔ youth-friendly finance

✔ risk-sharing models

✔ incubation & mentorship

✔ public–private partnerships

5. Why This Strategy Might Actually Work

Here’s the honest truth:

Most strategies fail because youth are not consulted.

This one is different.

✔ Youth co-designed it.

✔ MINAGRI aligned it with real national priorities.

✔ Development partners backed it with real money.

✔ The projects already have running pilots.

✔ The job numbers are measurable and public.

And most importantly:

Youth FAST 2025 gave youth the microphone, not just a seat in the room.

6. What This Means for a Young Person in Rwanda Today

If you are a young Rwandan:

• This is your entry point.
• These projects are designed for you.
• Capital, land, and markets are more accessible than before.
• You can join a greenhouse hub, poultry group, pig farming cluster, or a seed production business.
• You can get mentorship, finance, skills, and networks.
• You can break into export markets, processing, and digital services.

Agriculture is not just farming — it’s technology, business, logistics, sales, finance, innovation, and climate resilience.

7. Rwanda Decoded Final Message

**Youth FAST 2025 is not a conference.

It is a new starting line.**

Rwanda is betting on its young population — not with slogans, but with money, policy, infrastructure, and opportunities.

Whether you want to grow, process, trade, innovate, or export —

the agri-food system is opening its doors wider than ever before.

This is your decade.

This is your chance.

And NS-YES is your roadmap.