Iris NewsThe NGO founded in 2019 commits to rescuing Burundian youth from the nightmare of unemployment.
The issue of youth employment arises so frequently not just in Burundi but also in other corners of the world. It has gone beyond control in Burundi due to the fact the number of young people has skyrocketed and continues to do so while jobs are scarce and the country’s GDP remains the lowest worldwide. It therefore threatens the country’s future if nothing is done to reverse the trend.
This precarious situation prompted the non-governmental organization CREOP-Jeunes to organize a conference on Tuesday, January 31, at the King’s Conference Center Hotel in Bujumbura under the theme “The Barriers to Youth Employability in Burundi” in effort to find possible solutions.
According to Professor Joseph Ndayisaba, the event’s guest speaker : « In 2017, the youth unemployment rate rose up to 65% in urban areas and 55% in rural areas. Among those who actually had a job, only 5% were working in the formal economy while 95% were grinding in the informal sector. »
« CREOP-Jeunes is not an employment agency but aims to engage government and the private sector in the battle against unemployment. »
Lydie Ndayishimiye, National Coordinator, stated that CREOP-Jeunes has helped create job opportunities for young people since 2020 in line with its approach to finding solutions to unemployment. “CREOP-Jeunes works with various public and private companies that accept to host young people as professional trainees or as volunteers to continue reinforcing the knowledge acquired at school, but also acquiring experience that will enable them to be hired in the same areas or elsewhere,” says Mrs. Lydie Ndayishimiye. « CREOP-Jeunes is not an employment agency but aims to engage government and the private sector in the battle against unemployment, » she added.
In 2021, in partnership with an NGO called Spark, CREOP-Jeunes was able to recruit 400 young people, 300 of whom completed a formal professional internship, indicated the executive director, and the good news is that: « 168 young people have already landed a permanent job in different companies. »
Talking about employability barriers, Professor Joseph Ndayisaba indicated the major challenges to youth employment in Burundi are; the lack of capacity to self-employ, inadequate schooling that produces incompetent graduates, the political and economic context which runs short of recruitment and promotion policies that encourage job creation and/or entrepreneurial initiatives.
The event was also an occasion to award certificates to the 42 laureates who completed the 3-month internships in different companies in Bujumbura thanks to CREOP-Jeunes.
