The ceremonies of the official launch of the second edition of the trades’ competition called “Umwuga Award” were held on May 23, 2024 at Royal Palace Hotel. Organized by the Ministry of National Education and Scientific Research in partnership with the Belgian Development Agency Enabel and the Federal Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Burundi, CFCIB in acronyms, the ceremonieswere attended by Faustin Mateso, the expert in socio-professional integration of young people at Enabel, Denis Ndayishimiye, the secretary general of the CFCIB, Herménégilde Burikukiye, the Assistant to the Minister of National Education and Scientific Research, Abou El Mahassine Fassi-Fihri, the resident representative of Enabel in Burundi, Francis Haurant the Official Delegate Director of Worldskills, executives from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, business representatives, entrepreneurs as well as trade experts.

The resident representative of Enabel, Abou El Mahassine Fassi-Fihrisaid that the Belgian bilateral cooperation program is focused on 4 domains in Burundi such as health, education, professional training and employment, agriculture and governance. Emphasizing the vocational education and employment, he said that there is hope that this competition will benefit a lot. “We hope Umwuga Award will lead to professional sectors at the national level. We aim to have better mechanics, better electricians, etc. But also, there must be an important link for training and employability”.

The Assistant to the Minister of National Education, Hermenegilde Burikukiye explained the strategies adopted by this Ministry to have those who learn the trades. “We require the people who own and those who open the schools which support the State to prioritize the trades sections so that there are many young people learning these trades. Concerning school materials dedicated to technical trade schools, we are in the campaign to purchase them using the annual state budget granted to the Ministry of Education. It is through professions that the country will be able to develop. Therefore, we encourage the creation of technical sections, the establishment of trades education centers and we ask our partners to support us in this process of technical and trades education equipment”

Expressing his gratitude to the Kingdom of Belgium to the Belgian Development Agency Enabel for the initiation of the Worldskills International program, the Secretary General of the CFCIB, Denis Ndayishimiye said that in order to find a remedy to the great enigmatic equation of youth unemployment in Burundi and having access to international competition, training-employment must find an appropriate solution. “Umwuga Award through a trades championship is part of the solution to this problem,” he affirms.