Using hands and brains for job creativity

There is a great deal of unemployed youths in Burundi. Today, a lot of young people seem to be helpless and hopeless. The government and all Burundians in general, should take this issue very seriously and adopt an effective policy to get the solution to the problem.-By Yves Didier Irakoze

The percentage of unemployed youths in Burundi varies between 14 and 20 % according to Albert Rutesha of Jobless People League (not yet officially recognized). Unfortunately, the government is unable to employ them all. They have to look for another way to create their own jobs. “Unemployed people are often the youth who have completed their studies but remain without any job for a quite long time. They often want jobs from the government or from the private sector while it is difficult to get a job these days,” deplores Isaac Nduwayo working in a private company. He goes on saying that in Burundi, we still have the habit of looking down on small jobs. In general, successful candidates from secondary school and university despise petty jobs like driving, small trading, selling food… They often want to get high position jobs and very quickly. Nduwayo also mentions that parents are sometimes the source of that youths’ attitude of being sluggish waiting for support rather than being independent and self –creative. “In Burundi, parents often spoil their children and don’t educate them to be independent at the early age. However in some countries, children are taught to be autonomous and avoid dependence or parasitism very early. Then, as they are growing, they develop this mentality to depend on themselves,” declares Nduwayo. Otis Burundi, an agent in a public service, mentions that in Kenya for example, you may find a person with a bachelor’s degree who is a motorcyclist or a seller in a small stand provided that the activity generates money. “In other EAC countries, people have learned that the government can’t offer jobs to everybody. This is the reason why, many people create their work activities according to their small means,” points out Burundi.
He adds that in Kenya and Tanzania where I have spent a long time, youths at the age of 18, start to be autonomous and leave parent’s house to create their own life. Most of the time, they gather into associations and create their own activities. After being successful, later, they start working individually; in fact, they know how to use their brains and hands to become great entrepreneurs in the future.

Unemployment: negative impacts on the country

According to Charles Kabwigiri, PhD in Management and Expert in Entrepreneurship, unemployment affects all aspects of life. Joblessness is a source of many dangers. “Those who are unemployed are often manipulated, easy- goers into evils in the community as there isn’t any sustainable economic growth. This implies the lack of job opportunities and in general, the youth become good- for-nothing and consequently, there is a big loss in the country,” regrets Kabwigiri. He adds that unemployment affects the psychological aspect in the way that a jobless person is frustrated and hopeless because he/ she considers himself/herself worthless in a society since he/she is dependent. “This aspect is a vicious circle in a society because this latter is featured by the lack of economic growth and job opportunities, unemployment, shortage of productions, youth manipulation, bad behaviors like killing, stealing, using drugs, etc. ” points out Kabwigiri. For him, a good policy as well as urgent actions with accompanying measures should be taken. “The unemployed youths must bear in mind that all of them can’t get a job position from the government. They have to create their own jobs and develop the entrepreneurship spirit,” highlights Kabwigiri. Kabwigiri indicates that the government should also support initiatives and set up good school entrepreneurship programs to help students learn to be autonomous. In the same way, Nduwayo has this to conclude: “parents are also called to urge their children to be responsible for their own progress at school or everywhere. This will help them to grow the sense of self-dependence since their early age,” concludes Nduwayo.