Twenty young women and men have successfully completed a six-month Coffee Skills Program aimed at strengthening youth employment and entrepreneurship within Rwanda’s coffee sector. The program, implemented by Coffee Connect Centre Ltd, a member company of the Rwanda Youth in Agribusiness Forum, was delivered under the Skills Development Fund in partnership with the Rwanda TVET Board.
The graduation ceremony, attended by RYAF CEO Rwiririza Jean Marie Vianney, was held on 27 February 2026 at the Grand Meeting Hall of the National Agricultural Export Development Board. The initiative focused on hands-on, industry-based training to equip youth with practical skills across the coffee value chain while responding to the growing demand for professional baristas and coffee specialists in Rwanda.
The cohort included 20 trainees14 women and 6 men—selected through an inclusive recruitment approach in collaboration with partner institutions. These included the National Union of Disabilities' Organizations of Rwanda, which nominated three youth with disabilities; the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which nominated three refugee youth; the Rwanda National Youth Council, which supported six youth from low-income families; NAEB, which nominated six youth from coffee-farming families; and the Impanuro Girls Initiative, which nominated two young mothers.
Over six months, trainees received both practical and theoretical training covering coffee agronomy, processing and green coffee handling, quality control and sensory analysis, roasting, barista and brewing skills, production of coffee-based products, and entrepreneurship development.
The program has already produced promising results. Four trainees have secured employment, including one recruited by Coffee Connect Centre, while twelve others are currently undertaking industrial attachments across the coffee value chain. During the entrepreneurship module, trainees formed seven project groups and developed business concepts. Two of these projects—one led by youth with hearing disabilities and another by refugee youth—were selected under the AGUKA Program of the Ministry of Youth and Arts, each receiving USD 3,000 to support implementation.
The graduation ceremony brought together representatives from key institutions including the Rwanda TVET Board, NAEB, Food and Agriculture Organization Rwanda, UNHCR, NUDOR, the Rwanda National Youth Council, Kicukiro District, the Japan International Cooperation Agency Rwanda and other coffee sector partners.
The Coffee Skills Program demonstrates how inclusive, industry-based training can help young people access employment, develop enterprises and contribute to the growth of Rwanda’s coffee value chain.
RYAF Communication Team