SERERE, September 16, 2024 – Youth leaders in Serere district are calling on the government to increase its investment in skill development programmes to address youth unemployment.
The appeal was made during the belated Youth Day Celebrations held on Saturday at Kateta Primary School in Kateta Sub-county. The event, themed “Skills Development for Enhancement of Youth Opportunities,” was attended by the Minister of State for Fisheries, Hellen Adoa, and various government officials.
David Louiz Otim, Serere District Youth Chairperson, criticised the current funding from the central government through the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development [MGLSD], which provides Shs 2 million annually to support youth executive committees at both the district and sub-county levels. Otim said this amount is insufficient and called for an increase to at least Shs 10mln annually if the youth leaders are to better coordinate, implement, and monitor youth programmes.
“The current funding is inadequate. When the district youth council passes resolutions, there are no resources to follow up at the sub-county level. Youth meetings are often canceled due to a lack of funds,” Otim explained.
Joseph Ekalam, Youth Chairperson of Serere Town Council, also expressed concerns about the limited resources, which he said hinder effective service delivery to the district’s youth. “How can we manage with only Shs 2 million? Although this is what the government can currently provide, it is extremely inadequate,” Ekalam noted.
Ekalam further criticised what he perceives as discrimination in the allocation of Parish Development Model [PDM] funds. He claimed that youth in the district have been unfairly excluded from the programme, which is intended to alleviate household poverty.
Despite guidelines stating that youth should receive 30 percent of the Shs 100 million allocated to each of Uganda’s 10,594 parishes annually for agricultural investments, Ekalam alleged that many young people in Serere have been sidelined from the PDM due to concerns about their ability to meet loan obligations.
Anna Beatrice Abeja, Serere District Female Youth Councillor and district LCV Vice-Chairperson, emphasised the need for increased government investment in skill development programmes to tackle unemployment.
She argued that while current government initiatives to boost youth incomes are valuable, focusing on skills development is crucial for empowering young people to create their own projects.
“Government initiatives are a good start, but we need more investment in skilling programmes to help our youths start their own ventures,” Abeja said.
Emmanuel Omoding, the Member of Parliament for Serere County, described youth skilling as a key strategy for combating poverty and unemployment. “The youth are vital to our country’s future. We need to focus on empowering them and building their skills so they can create job opportunities for themselves,” Omoding stated.
In her closing remarks, Minister Adoa reaffirmed the government’s commitment to youth empowerment. She said government has established regional skilling hubs aimed at equipping youth across the country with essential skills. She pledged to empower 1,000 youth in Serere district with various skills by the end of 2025.
The minister emphasised that investing in skills development and empowering young people is crucial for driving sustainable economic growth and social progress.
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