SOROTI CITY, November 2, 2026 — Young people engaged in bricklaying in Agora Ward, Soroti City, have been urged to form a savings and credit cooperative organisation [SACCO] to improve their financial position and increase their chances of accessing government support.
The call was made by Soroti City West Deputy Resident City Commissioner James Kyomya during a recent community baraza, where young people said they were engaged in bricklaying but lacked access to government funding to expand their businesses and improve their livelihoods.
The youth said they needed financial support to acquire equipment and materials, take on larger construction contracts and become more independent instead of relying on other contractors for work.
Kyomya urged the bricklayers to organise themselves into a SACCO, saying collective saving and borrowing could help them access financial opportunities and grow their businesses.
“You can access funds direct from Bank of Uganda and can form groups and register them. I am going to sit with the town clerk and commercial officer to see how we can get this money,” Kyomya said.
“When you are registered, you can easily access the money, but I promise to fully support you bricklayers until you get assistance,” he added.
Kyomya also encouraged residents to take advantage of funds under the Parish Development Model [PDM] to establish and sustain income-generating activities.
He further backed calls for the establishment of a technical institute in Agora Ward, citing the growing number of young people seeking training at the existing skilling hub.
“The population is increasing daily, and leaders should sit down and see how to help these people,” Kyomya said.
He said equipping young people with practical skills would enable them to create employment opportunities, adding that the high number of school dropouts strengthened the case for expanding vocational training.
“I believe they need it because of the high numbers of dropouts,” he said.
Catherine Ilibu, the Councillor representing women in Agora Ward at Soroti City Council, said a SACCO would help women and young people engaged in bricklaying become financially independent.
“A SACCO would help women and young people in the bricklaying trade become financially independent. As women, we struggle a lot, but if we save together, we can support our families and stop depending on men,” Ilibu said.
She said collective saving and borrowing could enable the artisans to invest in their businesses and reduce their dependence on other people for work.
Ilibu also appealed for the establishment of a technical institute in Agora Ward, saying the area had many school dropouts and single mothers who needed opportunities to acquire vocational skills, sustain their livelihoods and improve their incomes.
Harriet Ariokot, a woman bricklayer, said the proposed SACCO would allow members to pool their limited earnings and borrow money to acquire the equipment and materials they need.
“The SACCO will benefit us because we will be able to save our small money together and borrow to buy our own brick moulds and cement instead of working for other people,” Ariokot said.
Another bricklayer, Joseph Epiku, said a SACCO would encourage young artisans to save part of their daily earnings and access small loans to take on larger construction contracts.
“The SACCO will help us youth to stop wasting our daily earnings and get small loans to take bigger building contracts on our own,” Epiku said.
The proposed SACCO could provide the bricklayers with a platform to mobilise savings, access affordable loans and strengthen their businesses, while a technical institute would give more young people in Agora an opportunity to acquire practical skills and improve their employment prospects.
https://thecooperator.news/digital-skills-training-opens-new-opportunities-for-soroti-youth/
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