The 7th cohort of the young women's internship program in local government concludes
Huye – 21 May 2026, RALGA hosted, at the University of Rwanda – Huye Campus, the closing ceremony of the 7th cohort of the Young Women Internship Program in Local Government comprising 200 young women interns.
The event was attended by Mireille Batamuliza, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion; Nadine Umutoni, Chief Gender Monitor; Alice Kayitesi, Governor of the Southern Province; Valens Uwineza, Secretary General of RALGA; Ange Sebutege, Mayor of Huye District; leaders from various institutions; and university students from higher learning institutions operating in Huye District.
Among the 200 young women who completed the 7th edition, 91 have already secured employment:
🔹 40 are employed in Local Government entities;
🔹 6 are employed in other public institutions;
🔹 14 are employed in civil society organisations;
🔹 29 are employed in private companies;
🔹 While 2 became self-employed.
RALGA selects the best-performing female university fresh graduates and places them across different departments in Districts and the City of Kigali for a six-month internship. The programme’s main purpose is to connect young women with opportunities in local government, while also encouraging them to compete for jobs and elected leadership positions across local government entities, in order to increase women’s representation in these entities.
Since the programme was launched six years ago, a total of 942 young women have completed internships in Local Government institutions. Many have gone on to secure jobs and leadership positions in Local Government, other public institutions, private companies, and civil society organisations.
In his opening remarks Mr. Valens Uwineza, Secretary General of RALGA emphasized the impact the internship has on young women who get the chance to be selected.
“Over the past six years, 942 young women have gone through this internship programme in the Districts and the City of Kigali. They have gained knowledge, experience, and now have the confidence to enter the workforce, particularly in local government entities. In the coming cohorts, we plan to also include young men." He said
In her presentation, Chief Gender Monitor Nadine Umutoni highlighted the commendable progress made in advancing gender equality in Rwanda, and called on young women to “be bold and believe in yourselves; keep trying for opportunities as many times as possible; never give up nor be discouraged; actively seek employment opportunities and perform excellently once employed; and avoid seeking success through shortcuts”.
During her closing remarks, Ms. Mireille Batamuliza, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, thanked RALGA and other partners for working with the ministry to empower women and girls.
“To those who have completed the internship, go and make the most of this opportunity. Challenges exist, but do not allow failures and setbacks to define you. If you remain persistent, you will achieve everything you aspire to, because everything happens at the right time.” She said
PS Batamuliza also encouraged them to participate in the upcoming local government elections scheduled for this year so that the number of women in local government institutions could increase.
"I am now self-employed and running my own business. During my internship in the agriculture and livestock department, I identified a challenge related to animal feed shortages. Then I decided to find a solution to that problem by starting my own business in the production of animal feed. I encourage fellow graduates to be bolder, because we are capable, let us make good use of the opportunities we have been given." Intern Sandrine Uwanyirigira, speaking on behalf of the interns.
An assessment conducted in 2023, after the completion of the first three cohorts, showed that 44.1% of programme graduates secured employment, while 6.8% became self-employed, and 10.6% continued their studies.
Approximately 49% of those employed were working in public institutions, of whom 63.5% were working in local government entities.
Furthermore, 16.6% of programme graduates had secured elected leadership positions in Local Government entities.