Youth in Madi Sub-region shun PDM cash

ADJUMANI– Youth in the Madi Sub-region districts of Adjumani, Moyo, and Obongi, are hesitant to use the funds provided by government under the Parish Development Model [PDM] due to the stringent conditions that the borrowers must meet.

According to PDM officials, only less than 10 percent of the youth in each of the three districts have applied to access the funds that are meant to help the poor engage in income-generating activities, especially in the agricultural value chain.

According to PDM Users’ Handbook developed by the Finance ministry, youth have been allocated 30 percent of the Shs 100 million Parish Revolving Fund [PRF] per year for five years.

Williams Anyama, the Moyo district LCV chairperson said most of the borrowers of the PDM money are the older persons who are allocated 10 percent of the PRF suggesting that, there is a lot to be done in terms of mindset change, which is Pillar 5 of the PDM.

“The PDM money is lying idle, as most of the PDM SACCOs have given out less than 50 percent of the funds they have received. People are borrowing but with fear, and uncertainty and so I think we need to unlock the minds of the youth,” Anyama said.

Anyama urged the youth in the area to desist from waiting for grants for which they are not held accountable, saying the PDM will help them fight unemployment and poverty.

Dominic Amegovu the Moyo district commercial said they have approved 1,617 out of the 3,764 people  who applied to benefit from the PDM launched in February 2022, to move 3.5 million households still in subsistence economy to the money economy.

Amegovu said, “Out of the 6529 beneficiaries who have applied, only 200 are youths.”

Obongi

Johnson Opigo the district production officer Obongi who is also the PDM focal person said 27 out of 28 parishes in the district have each received Shs 100mln, with 50 percent of the money being disbursed to the beneficiaries.

He added: “We have 109 enterprise groups and 2,880 members, but from this number, the youth cannot make 150.”

Opigo estimates that less than 10 percent of the youth in Obongi district have picked the PDM funds.

The Obongi resident district commissioner Samuel Mpimbaza Hashaka also confirmed that most of the youth in the district have not taken the PDM seriously yet government for five years, beginning with the financial year 2022/ 2023 , is to invest over Shs 1 trillion in the programme.

“We have embarked on sensitisation of the youth and other beneficiaries on the guidelines of borrowing the PDM money,” he said.

He said the district is planning to officially launch the disbursement of the PDM funds to the beneficiaries.

 Adjumani

Dr. Godfrey Mamawi Ambayo, the PDM focal person in Adjumani district confirmed that over Shs 2.2 billion has already been disbursed to the various beneficiaries while Shs 3.3bln received in late June 2023 has been deposited in the bank accounts of the various PDM SAACOs.

He stated that Adjumani district formed 767 enterprise groups with a membership of 15,340 in all the 210 villages from the 56 parishes.

However, Mamawi noted that only about 9 percent of the youth in the district have picked interest int the PDM. “It is not a question of the loan, but the attitude of our youth towards agriculture is very poor. Majority of them prefer boda-boda business,” he said.

Mamawi thinks that the industrial hub established in Oli village Pakele Sub-county to skill the youth will make them develop interest in agriculture.

On the hand, Chandiga Patrick, the district male youth councilor said the youths still have strong memory of the Youth Livelihood Programme where they picked funds and failed to pay back, forcing some to escape from their homes in fear of being arrested.

He added: “There is still an information gap among the youth. Many think PDM loans attract high interest rates. Some of the youth are choking on boda boda loans.”

Siraji Laliga, a youth in Adjumani town said he was still struggling to access the PDM funds even after being registered as a beneficiary.

“I have realised that the PDM money is better than the loans we have been getting from the commercial banks and other SACCOs. Once I get the money, I will invest it wisely,” he said.

https://thecooperator.news/hoima-district-fails-to-recover-over-shs1bln-from-youth/

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