The Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC), in collaboration with local authorities and private-sector employers, is working to improve how vulnerable citizens are connected to employment opportunities as part of efforts to reduce poverty and improve household livelihoods.
One of the proposed measures involves improving wages for casual laborers, with a recommendation that workers paid daily should receive at least RWF 2,500 per day.
The proposals were discussed on Monday, October 12, 2026, during a meeting held in Huye District that brought together MINALOC officials, local government leaders from the Southern Province and private-sector employers operating in the region.
The meeting aimed to explore ways of connecting people living in poverty with projects capable of providing employment, while identifying and addressing barriers that prevent available jobs from reaching those who need them most.
Godfrey Kayigana, Director General in charge of Social Welfare and Development at MINALOC, said several projects in the Southern Province and other parts of the country have the potential to create jobs. However, challenges remain in matching job seekers with employers and ensuring fair remuneration for workers.
He stressed that addressing these challenges is essential to ensuring that people who are able to work can access income-generating opportunities and contribute to the development of their households.
“Connecting citizens to employment is expected to help people living in poverty earn an income through jobs available in various projects, rather than relying solely on basic assistance. It could also help employers find workers and improve the productivity of their projects,” he said.
Louis Mbabazi Muhoza, Executive Secretary of Ruhango District, said local authorities would step up efforts to identify the most vulnerable households and connect their members with available employment opportunities across different projects.
“Identifying those who need jobs most is an important step towards ensuring that employment opportunities reach the people who need them most, rather than being limited to those who already have better access to work,” he said.
Local authorities are expected to identify unemployed residents, link them with employers and monitor whether they are successfully accessing available jobs. Their involvement could also help identify why some employment opportunities remain inaccessible to vulnerable citizens and enable stakeholders to develop solutions tailored to the challenges involved.
Private-sector representatives who attended the meeting said closer cooperation with local authorities could make it easier to recruit workers, particularly for projects that require large numbers of casual labourers.
However, for the initiative to deliver sustainable results, employment opportunities must match citizens’ skills and capabilities. Jobs must also provide safe working conditions, promote workers’ welfare and ensure that wages are paid on time and in accordance with applicable labour laws.
Data from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR), as of May 2026, show that more than 4.7 million people were employed, representing 53.8 per cent of the working-age population. The unemployment rate stood at 13.2 per cent.
The figures highlight the continued need to expand access to employment, despite the substantial number of Rwandans already engaged in work.
The services sector accounted for the largest share of employment, at 44.7 per cent, followed by agriculture and livestock at 39.1 per cent. Industry accounted for the remaining 16.2 per cent.
These figures demonstrate the contribution of different sectors to job creation and underscore the importance of cooperation between the government, local authorities and the private sector in expanding employment opportunities.
MINALOC’s initiative to connect vulnerable citizens with projects in need of workers is intended to make employment a pathway out of poverty, enabling more households to earn a stable income and improve their living conditions.
The proposed minimum daily wage of RWF 2,500 for casual labourers is also part of efforts to improve workers’ livelihoods and ensure that employment provides a more reliable source of income to support their families
