President Yoweri Museveni, the NRM party flag bearer is today scheduled to meet youth leaders in Bukedi sub-region comprising of Budaka, Busia, Butaleja, Butebo, Pallisa and Tororo districts on his Bukedi sub-region final leg of the campaign trail. Museveni is expected to highlight key achievements the NRM has registered towards the youth in the past 34 years and other priority policies that put young people at the centre of its programming.
In his manifesto (2021-2026), the president pledges to equip the youth with skills training they can use to work in factories or service sectors or start their own cottage business. This, he said, will be done through the establishment of zonal industrial hubs which have already been piloted in Kampala and registered commendable success. NRM is going to roll out the project throughout the country through the establishment of the 20 zonal industrial hubs. Bukedi sub-pregion is among the first 20 pioneer beneficiaries with its centre targeting over 200 youth per intake.
In 2013, NRM government introduced the Youth Livelihood Programme to help the young people start their own businesses. Various youth groups in Bukedi and other parts of the country have benefited through borrowing and utilization of over 160 billion shillings.
The demographic data shows that Uganda has the world’s second youngest population, behind Niger in West Africa. Over three-quarters of Ugandans are below thirty years of age while fifty three percent are below 15 years. The population is also rapidly growing, projecting the youth cohort to grow by five percent points by the end of 2020. It is also noted that a larger proportion of these youth is either unemployed or under employed.
Therefore, programmes like skilling the youth which has enabled many acquire knowledge and skills, Youth Livelihood Programme, Venture Capital Fund for start-ups will see the issue of unemployment is systematically being wiped out.
The future of Uganda is therefore bright