Zonal industrial hubs initiative will empower Ugandan youth, says Kumi RDC
KUMI, October 27, 2023 – The Kumi Resident District Commissioner, Ahmed Washaki has said the zonal industrial hubs under the Presidential Initiative on Skilling Uganda are set to revolutionise youth empowerment in the country.
He said skilling the youth will transform Ugandan society from a predominantly peasant and low-income economy to a more competitive middle-income economy, explaining that the youth will become job creators instead of job seekers.
Washaki made the remarks a few days ago while flagging off 40 youth to Soroti City Skilling Centre.
According to Washaki, skilling hubs are an answer to youth unemployment.
“We flagged off more 40 trainees to Soroti City Skilling Centre for both Kumi district and municipality. This is the second intake,” he said.
He said Uganda is one of the countries in the world with the highest number of young people.
“We teaching them how to fish and give them hooks. We are empowering them economically. The NRM government is equipping youth with hands-on skills,” Washaki said.
He said the government is channeling more resources to skills development to boost production and industrial advancement.
According to him, the zonal industrial hubs will add great impetus to existing programmes such as Youth Livelihood Programme [YLP] and stimulate production, employment as well as socio-economic transformation among Ugandans.
He said the hubs have been created as one-stop centres for skilling and production.
“The hubs are equipped with common user machines where trainees can make their products and sell them. The skilling programme has the power to transform lives of Bazzukulu , equipping them with both applicable and employable skills which can accord them financial independence and introduce them into the all-important money economy,” he said.
He said the skilling initiative is an answer to the Buy Uganda Build Uganda [BUBU] policy formulated to boost the production of goods and services in Uganda, other than depending on imports.
One of the youth who talked to this reporter commended government for the skilling programme, saying that the hands-on skills she will acquire will change her life.
She said: ” I hope to begin my own business after undergoing the training. I want to have my own tailoring business which I am sure will change my life for the better.”
https://thecooperator.news/bukedi-regional-industrial-hub-ready-to-receive-youth-for-training/
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