KAMPALA, January 3, 2025 — The Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development Betty Amongi has reaffirmed its commitment to reducing vulnerabilities within the population by creating jobs and wealth, despite the challenges faced.
Amongi stated in a recent press release at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala, marking the commencement of the end-of-year and Christmas festivities, that under the Youth Livelihood Programme [YLP], the government disbursed Shs 14.34 billion, while the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme [UWEP] saw the disbursement of Shs 35.94bln to women’s groups.
She acknowledged that both programmes have encountered difficulties in terms of recovery, but they have still made significant contributions to improving the livelihoods of women and youth.
Minister Amongi highlighted that, of the funds disbursed under YLP, only Shs 2.92bln has been recovered, while under UWEP, only Shs 13.7bln has been repaid.
According to government, the YLP was designed to provide interest-free revolving funds to unemployed and disadvantaged youth aged 18-30 years, including school dropouts, youths living in slums, and those without formal education.
The programme also targets single parents, youth with disabilities, and those living with HIV/AIDS, among others. Its focus is on providing marketable vocational skills and toolkits for self-employment and job creation.
Additionally, the programme aimed to provide financial support to help young people establish income-generating activities and to offer entrepreneurship and life skills as integral parts of their livelihoods.
Recently, Robert Ocen, the Chairperson of the Youth Council in Alebtong District, reported that efforts to recover Shs 1.52bln advanced to 168 youth groups under the programme have made little progress.
He explained that many of the groups that received the funds have since collapsed, with some members changing their status, leaving no options for repaying the money used to finance various enterprises.
Under the YLP, the district received Shs 1.52bln over five financial years [2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, and 2018/19], according to available records.
Minister Amongi added that, since its inception, a total of 1,803 youth groups, representing 12,218 individuals, have benefited from the programme, while 5,109 women’s groups, covering 42,647 beneficiaries, have been supported under UWEP.
“In partnership with the Uganda Industrial Research Institute, 439 women and youth groups, encompassing 5,646 beneficiaries, have been trained in quality product development,” she noted.
She also mentioned that 400 women were mobilised and trained in modern farming techniques, environmental conservation, and nutrition, including agro-processing, in the local governments of Serere, Luweero, Tororo, and Busia.
https://thecooperator.news/alebtong-shs-600mln-uwep-funds-unrecovered/
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