Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko
Fifty-three refugees in Rwanda in their early 20s—most born in Rwanda or recently relocated from DRC, Burundi, and Sudan—are completing A2-level German this month at Kepler College in Kigali under a Malengo-implemented project. A few months ago, most of them knew little about Germany beyond naming a few Bavarian football clubs.
By August next year, with B2 German certificates in hand, many will start dual-vocational apprenticeships (Ausbildung) in Germany’s healthcare and green sectors (HVAC, solar panel and electrical system installation). They’ll split time between on-the-job company training and classroom instruction, earning about $1,100 monthly during training—enough to sustain life in Germany—and potentially three times that amount within three years.
LaMP designed the Green Hills, Green Skills project—funded by the Shapiro Foundation and implemented by Malengo—to showcase scalable labor mobility models that attract capital and can be replicated globally. The initiative leverages Germany’s Skilled Immigration Act to enable direct refugee placement, creating a pathway extendable to other African countries.
Germany faces severe labor shortages, requiring 300,000 skilled foreign workers annually until 2040,1 and has expanded labor migration channels through simplified visas, foreign qualification recognition, and apprenticeship access in healthcare, construction, logistics, and technical trades.2
This program is one of few Rwanda-to-OECD labor and TVET mobility effort, offering a model for destinations like France and Spain facing similar shortages. It pioneers “green labor mobility,” aligning workforce migration with climate goals and future investments projected to reach $4.5 trillion annually by 2030.3 Germany alone needs 400,000 green economy jobs; this initiative demonstrates how targeted mobility can simultaneously drive sustainability and create economic opportunity.4
A distinctive feature is the self-funded model, designed to reduce long-term dependence on philanthropy or grants. Each worker’s job preparation and mobility is financed through an Income Share Agreement (ISA)—a financial product aligning repayment with future earnings, offering a more sustainable and scalable approach than traditional funding.
Collaborate for Impact: Smarter Value Chains
LaMP convened Malengo (lead implementer and Germany integration support), Kepler College (Rwanda anchor), Be Ubuntu (language training), and TERN Group (placement) to build a value chain transforming raw talent into internationally deployable employees. Each partner contributes specialized expertise with strategic overlaps for quality control and risk management: LaMP defines visa pathways, Kepler builds the talent pipeline and strengthens soft skills, Be Ubuntu ensures language readiness, TERN facilitates job matching and guarantees fit, while Malengo assumes financial risk through ISAs and provides integration support in Germany. Rwanda powers preparation; Germany powers placement.
This project requires all partners to adapt to new environments but deliberately maximizes complementarities. Kepler excels in school-to-work transitions and refugee-focused training but has never managed cross-border placements. Malengo brings refugee mobility and ISA risk management experience but was new to Rwanda and green skills. TERN, a German recruitment firm with no East African presence, took a calculated risk to test the Ausbildung model. Together, these diverse strengths deliver demand-driven design, intensive language training, and integration support—creating a smarter, more resilient value chain scalable in Rwanda and beyond.
To learn more or get involved, please contact Dawit M. Dame: ddame@lampforum.org
- https://www.dw.com/en/germany-needs-288000-foreign-workers-annually-until-2040-study/a-70885279
- https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/visa-residence/skilled-immigration-act
- https://www.iea.org/reports/net-zero-roadmap-a-global-pathway-to-keep-the-15-c-goal-in-reach/executive-summary
- Boston Consulting Group and International Organization for Migration, Mind the Green Gap: Will a 7M+ Green Energy Worker Shortage put the 1.5° target at risk? (2023)