OLIVE ATUHAIRE: Involve youth in productive work that reduces unemployment
However youth unemployment is not only increased in West Nile but also in many other parts of Uganda and this has increased on the crimes due to perpetrator’s desperation, hopeless
By Olive Atuhaire
One of the media outlets reported that Leaders in West Nile and other stakeholders raised concern over youth unemployment in the sub region as well as in neighboring Acholi noting that many of the youth gather in trading Centre in Pakwach district and spend the day loitering in the area drinking alcohol, chewing mairungi and smoking and other drug abuses.
However youth unemployment is not only increased in West Nile but also in many other parts of Uganda and this has increased on the crimes due to perpetrator’s desperation, hopeless
In the bustling landscapes of Uganda’s west Nile region and a rapidly growing national population with approximately one million young people entering the job market annually, the challenge of youth unemployment looms large with rate at a staggering 30%.
It is noted that the region also grapples with an influx of refugees who struggle with unemployment and face limitations due to several factors such marginalization, limited access to education and skills and labor market integration.
According to the Uganda Bureau Of statistics (UBOs), youth unemployment in Uganda has increased from 6.54% to 6.58% in 2022 however much, the government has put in place different initiatives such as EMYOOGA, Youth Livelihood Program (YLP), Youth Entrepreneurship Program (YEP), Uganda Youth Venture Capital Fund (UYVCF) and among others to improve young entrepreneur’s access to capital and fight youth unemployment.
Despite Uganda’s economy generating 1.6million jobs between 2016 and 2021 and spending on these initiatives, significant number of youths still struggles to secure a productive employment or create their own opportunities.
The last year report from National Planning Authority (NPA) revealed that 4.2million youths in Uganda are doing nothing where young people aged from 18 to 29 are consistently disengaged from the labor market, education, training and broader societal activities. The youth bulge and high levels of unemployment should urgently be addressed to improve on people’s welfare
The government should empower youth in productive work such as agricultural work by securing stable markets for the produces to attract lots of youth to the sector through carrying out free trainings, seminars to inform and sensitize youth on the better agricultural practices plus offering them soft loans and to purchase seeds, seedlings and other agro inputs such as fertilizers to create for them sufficient opportunities to develop a decent livelihood for themselves.
Sensitize youth to be active participants in their communities by engaging them in the government initiatives like EMYOOGA, educate them on how to be job creators than being job seekers using the money gotten from the initiatives to create their own opportunities in order to improve on their standards of living. By addressing these areas comprehensively, stakeholders can work towards reducing youth unemployment and fostering sustainable economic development in west Nile and other parts of Uganda as well.
Olive Atuhaire is a research associate
