Youth unemployment is most pressing problem - Govt

By Vision Reporter

President Yoweri Museveni has acknowledged that unemployment is the main problem affecting the youth in the country and the entire world and said that government is tackling the problem by among other things attracting and facilitating foreign investment.

He however expressed disappointment that most Ugandans have not realised the importance of attracting investment.

“You the youth leaders should sensitize the youth to know their real enemies. Anyone who is sabotaging an investor foreign or local is your enemy. Investors are the source of employment. Even within the movement there are many people who do not understand the importance of investors. The worlds’ biggest economy the United States of America is still attracting investment from countries like Japan” he said.

The President who was the chief guest was addressing youth at National celebrations to mark the International youth day at Kiyunga Islamic primary school in Mukono district. This year’s youth day national cerebrations were held under the theme “Investing in Youth livelihood; a pathway to achieving vision 2040.”

Museveni said in America you will find a Toyota factory and that’s not a Japanese factory because Japanese factories are in Japan, but here people talk of an Indian factory. He said Indian factories are in India and all factories in Uganda are Ugandan factories, calling on the youth to do away with detractors.

The President expressed gratitude that the youth leaders had taken a firm stand against rioters who scare away investors and disrupt peoples business.

He revealed that the government was working on how to avail affordable finance to the youth. He said that although the government has raised some funds the problem has been on how to channel it to the rightful beneficiaries without being abused. He encouraged the youth to work with their parents, engage in modern agriculture and produce for the market.

Museveni said the National Resistance Movement takes care of the Ugandan youth before birth by giving free pre-natal care to mothers so as to have health children and ensures that Ugandan mothers deliver under the care of trained birth attendants, the reason he said the government has built and equipped thousands of health center 2’s, 3’s and 4’s throughout the country.

The President said that after birth all Ugandan children are freely immunized from all immunizable diseases to ensure that they live longer and are given free education through the UPE and USE programs.

He noted that after secondary level the government further sponsors 4000 best students for university education, gives thousands of scholarships to the youth through the district quota system and has put in place a student loan scheme where the youth can get loans to pay for their education at tertiary level and pay back when they get employment.

Muuseveni revealed that the government current pre-occupation is to build a technical school at every constituency and later roll it up to the sub-county level with a view to ensure that the Ugandan youth are equipped with technical, managerial and entrepreneurship skills.

He also launched the “Youth go green Champaign” in which Ugandan youth will plant millions of trees in an effort to protect the environment throughout the year,

He used the occasion to advise the youth to be disciplined avoid alcoholism, drug abuse, promiscuity and work hard in order to succeed in life.

In their memorandum read by the Chairman of the National youth council Mr. Samuel Kavuma appealed to the government to apply a multi-sector and multi-dynamic approach in solving the unemployment problem in Uganda which he said was the main challenge to the youth in the country. He also called for the increased funding of the National youth councils and asked government to have a special component targeting the youth in the National Agriculture Advisory Service program. They commended the President for his endless interventions in finding solutions to problems affecting the Ugandan youth.