KIGALI — Rwanda’s National Women’s Council is turning to the media to reach millions of women and young people with a simple message ahead of the country’s next electoral activities: participate, vote and step forward for leadership.

The Council on Friday signed a partnership with Kigali Today Ltd, bringing one of Rwanda’s largest multimedia news organisations into a campaign designed to make civic and election information more accessible to women and youth.

The agreement was signed in Kigali by Kigali Today Managing Director Ngabonziza Dan and Belancille Nyiramajyambere, President of the National Women’s Council.

The campaign will begin on September 21 across Kigali Today’s radio, Kinyarwanda and English digital platforms, as well as its video and social media channels.

The idea is to take civic education beyond meetings and official announcements and put it where people already spend their time — on their phones, social media and radio.

Nyiramajyambere said the campaign is particularly important because women and young people constitute a large part of Rwanda’s population but need to be encouraged to take a more active role in elections and decision-making.

“Women are the majority in the country, as are young people,” she said. “We want this campaign to reach them, so that they rise up and participate in elections, and take up positions in different decision-making structures so that together we can build the country.”

Her appeal to Kigali Today was direct: “Through this partnership, reach us further and faster.”

That is where the media organisation comes in.

Kigali Today has an established audience across radio, digital news, video and social media, giving the campaign multiple ways of reaching people who may not ordinarily attend civic education sessions.

Ngabonziza said the company sees the partnership as part of its broader support for gender equality and the participation of women in national development.

“We have various platforms, including Kinyarwanda and English online news platforms, radio, and channels for video and photo content, which will be used to reach Rwandans with the campaign messages,” he said.

The campaign will also bring in influencers and other public figures to make the messages more relatable and encourage conversations among young people.

The focus will not be limited to voting.

The two partners want women and youth to understand how they can participate in elections and, more importantly, consider seeking positions in leadership and other decision-making structures.

That gives the partnership a broader ambition than a conventional election-awareness campaign.

It is about who participates in shaping public decisions, not simply who turns up to vote.

Why the media matters

For the Women’s Council, the challenge is reaching citizens across the country quickly and consistently.

For Kigali Today, the partnership offers an opportunity to use its media reach for a public-interest campaign at a time when election-related civic education is gaining importance.

The campaign will combine radio programming, digital stories, social media content, video and engagement with public figures.

The approach is particularly aimed at younger audiences, who increasingly consume information through digital platforms rather than traditional civic education channels.

The partnership therefore brings together two different strengths.

The Women’s Council brings its nationwide network and understanding of issues affecting women and families.

Kigali Today brings the ability to turn those messages into content capable of travelling rapidly across Rwanda’s media and digital landscape.

The campaign starts September 21.

Its success will ultimately be measured not by the signing ceremony, but by what happens afterward — whether more women and young people understand their electoral choices, participate in elections and decide to seek seats at the tables where decisions are made.

For Nyiramajyambere, that is the destination – Reach them further. Reach them faster. And get more of them involved.

Kigali Today Ltd is the parent company of KT Press, Kigalitoday.com, KT Radio 96.7FM, Kigali Today TV (YouTube), and also across social media.