Staff of a Chinese enterprise talk with Rwandan graduates from Chinese universities at a job fair in Kigali, Rwanda, on Oct. 25, 2019. (Xinhua/Wang Junbo)

A job fair connecting Chinese enterprises in Rwanda and Rwandan graduates from Chinese universities was held Friday here to support job creation in Rwanda and localization of Chinese enterprises.

The event was organized by the Chinese Embassy in Rwanda and Rwanda-China Alumni Organization in partnership with the Association of Chinese Enterprises in Rwanda.

Over 20 Chinese companies from the sectors of construction, information and communication technology, real estate and tourism participated in the event, and talked to more than 200 Rwandan graduates face-to-face.

Over 90 percent of the staffers of most Rwanda-based Chinese companies are Rwandans, statistics from the enterprises' association showed.

The number of Rwandan students studying in China has grown tremendously. Currently, there are over 2,000 Rwandan students studying in Chinese universities.

Youth empowerment has been among the priorities in China-Rwanda bilateral cooperation and China is working closely with Rwandan partners to invest heavily in the education sector, Chinese Ambassador to Rwanda Rao Hongwei said at the job fair.

As Rwanda's labour market needs to release its potential to accommodate a large number of young job-seekers each year, the Chinese embassy is paying more attention to local job creation, the ambassador said.

The job fair contributes to the objective of creating 1.5 million jobs by 2024 set in Rwanda's National Strategy for Transformation 2017-2024, said Gaspard Musonera, permanent secretary of the Rwandan Ministry of Public Service and Labour.