Uganda’s universities and youth employment question: A time for honest reflection

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OPINION

By Stephen Wabomba

Uganda has made commendable progress in expanding access to higher education over the past two decades. From a small number of public universities, the country now hosts more than 50 public and private universities and degree-awarding institutions. This expansion has opened doors for thousands of young people who previously had limited access to higher learning.

However, as the number of graduates entering the labour market continues to rise, an important national question deserves honest reflection: Are our universities, together with society at large, adequately preparing young people for productive work and responsible citizenship?

Each year, an estimated 400,000 to 450,000 graduates from universities and other tertiary institutions enter Uganda’s labour market. Yet, the formal economy generates fewer than 100,000 new jobs annually. As a result, only about 20–25 per cent of graduates secure formal or stable employment within one to two years after graduation. The majority remain unemployed, underemployed, or engaged in informal work unrelated to their training.

While structural economic factors play a significant role, this challenge cannot be examined in isolation from values and character formation. Increasingly, employers and community leaders point not only to skills gaps, but also to concerns around honesty, integrity, truthfulness, work ethic, and accountability. These attributes, once strongly reinforced by families, schools, faith institutions, and communities, are perceived to be weakening across society.

Where integrity is compromised, merit is often replaced by shortcuts. Where truthfulness is undervalued, trust between employers and young job seekers erodes. And where honesty is lacking, institutions struggle to function effectively. These social deficits quietly but powerfully contribute to unemployment, underperformance, and limited productivity even among the educated.

Another widely acknowledged challenge is the skills mismatch. Many graduates possess theoretical knowledge but lack practical competencies such as problem-solving, communication, teamwork, digital literacy, and adaptability. Employer surveys suggest that more than 60 per cent of graduates require additional training before they can meet workplace expectations.

At the same time, enrolment remains concentrated in a narrow range of academic disciplines, producing graduates faster than the economy can absorb them, while growth sectors such as agro-processing, construction, healthcare, and the digital economy face persistent skills shortages.

Beyond employment, prolonged joblessness among educated youth has broader social consequences. It affects mental health, delays family formation, fuels frustration, and weakens confidence in institutions. If not addressed holistically, this challenge risks undermining the social fabric needed for national development.

Encouragingly, some community-based and faith-inspired initiatives are exploring integrated approaches that combine skills development with character formation, ethical leadership, and social responsibility. For example, Pregnancy Care Ministry (PCM), Jinja, working with adolescents and youth in communities and schools, is piloting programmes that emphasise life skills, integrity, dignity, responsible decision-making, healing from trauma, and youth-led innovation. Such models seek to complement formal education by nurturing both competence and character, recognising that sustainable development requires both.

This is not an argument against universities, nor is it a political critique. Higher education remains essential for research, leadership, and national progress. The issue is alignment between education, values, labour market needs, and societal expectations.

As Uganda navigates a politically sensitive period, youth employment should remain a non-partisan national priority. Honest dialogue, curriculum relevance, ethical renewal, and stronger collaboration between universities, employers, communities, and civil society can help ensure that higher education produces not only graduates but capable, trustworthy, and socially responsible citizens.

The future of Uganda’s youth is not a political contest it is a shared national responsibility.

The writer is the Executive Director Pregnancy Care Ministry (PCM), Jinja