Prime Minister, Dr. Ngirente and awarding dignitaries join Hanga Pitchfest 2024 winners. He pledged more government support to similar initiatives.
For the African continent to fully tap into the unlimited potential of its young population, governments and development partners need to invest in areas that contribute to equipping the youth with modern-day skills that align with the demand of the labour market.
The rallying call was made by Rwanda’s Prime Minister, Dr. Edouard Ngirente at the closing of the 7th edition of the Youth Connekt Africa Summit in Kigali on Sunday, bringing together more than 3,000 youth and policymakers from across the continent and the globe.
Dr. Ngirente, who represented President Paul Kagame and participated in awarding the winner of the 4th edition of Hanga Pitchfest, said that it is high time the African continent prioritised investing in the limitless potential of its youth, who are its biggest resource.
Reflecting on the background of the annual summit which was initiated in 2017, PM Ngirente said the Youth Connekt Summit has become an important platform which has contributed much in connecting African youth to address Africa’s major development issues and accelerate its social economic transformation.
“As you may recall, back in 2017, President Paul Kagame initiated the Youth Connekt Africa Summit as a youth-focused platform to address critical development challenges by fostering ecosystem building, knowledge-sharing and continental collaboration,”
“We note with satisfaction that over the years, through the YouthConnekt, young people have demonstrated their potential to solve our pressing socioeconomic challenges,” Dr. Ngirente said.
Dr. Ngirente called for more investments in skills development.
He emphasized that young people must be equipped with the necessary skills to reach their full potential and play their critical role in driving the continent’s transformation, adding however that it cannot happen in a vacuum.
“To achieve this, there is a need for targeted investments and strategic partnerships between all stakeholders, to leverage the young people’s skills and Innovations. Equally important, we needed to align our education systems with the ever-changing Global labour markets,” the Premier said.
Dr. Ngirente observed that as the world shifts towards digital and technology-driven jobs, investments in skilling the youth is imperative, pointing out that African countries need to continue streamlining policies, investing in infrastructure and creating enabling environments that promote growth and innovation among the youth.
Closer to home, Dr. Ngirente said that the Government of Rwanda believes that innovation and creativity are key drivers in supporting and empowering talented youth to create jobs and drive economic growth, as reflected in the country’s Vision 2050 and the National Strategy for Transformation (NST2).
“Young people are at the centre of our transformative priorities, to create Innovative and productive jobs,” he said, adding that similarly, the Rwandan Government has also put the youth in leadership roles, including in government to make them part of the process and be involved.
Reflecting on Hanga Pitchfest, PM Dr. Ngirente said that the startup competition has become a vital platform for young innovators to test their ideas and bring them to fruition.
“Since its inception, this platform has played the key role in scaling entrepreneurship and Innovation to drive Rwanda towards becoming a knowledge-based economy,”
Sinc Today emerged the winner of Hanga Pitchfest, taking home a cash prize of Rwf50m.
“The Government commends the contribution of Hanga Pitchfest in providing opportunities for our youth to showcase innovative solutions to today’s national and global challenges. In this regard, I would like to reiterate the government commitment to promoting youth-led and tech-enabled startups and accelerate the growth of the entrepreneurship ecosystem. I therefore take this opportunity to congratulate the finalists of this year’s Hanga Pitchfest, particularly the winners,”
“I assure that the Government of Rwanda will continue supporting your excellent initiatives. Keep on believing in yourselves and refining your ideas and projects with the aim to succeed,”
“Our Dear Youth, as you depart from the summit, always remember that hard work, discipline, education and positive attitudes are key guiding principles for you to succeed in whatever you undertake. Wherever you are, in your communities, businesses, education circles, embrace the role of agent of change, as you are called upon to address the real challenges of our continent.”
“I have no doubt that you are now more connected, determined and energized to play a leading role in the transformation of our continent. We pledge our support in making this a reality.”
Hanga Pitchfest- The Winners
The 4th edition of Hanga Pitchfest saw Sinc Today, a Rwandan startup which is focused on transforming the events industry, emerge the winner, taking home the grand prize of Rwf50m. The startup came up with an all-in-one platform that enhances event discovery and management.
Focusing on sustainability and inclusivity, Sinc Today enables seamless ticket purchasing and offers data-driven insights for organizers, addressing visibility issues and environmental waste.
Geuza Ltd . emerged 3rd, winning a cash prize of Rwf20m
The first runner up was Geuza Ltd, a startup focuses on producing affordable assistive devices like crutches, walkers, and prosthetics from recycled electronic waste, taking home a cash prize of Rwf20m, while Afya Wave, a health tech startup developing low-cost medical-grade ultrasound devices to bridge the gap in accessing sonographic services for mothers in remote and underserved communities in East Africa finished 3rd place, winning a cash prize of Rwf15m.
In 4th place it was Clenville Ltd, a Rwandan-based startup which is focused on improving plastic waste management through innovative solutions while in 5th place came Lifeline, an African startup which offers a software platform designed to enhance access to emergency medications. They both took home a cheque of Rwf12.5m.
