UN agencies and partners have been urged to equip communities with skills that can make them earn a living within their localities.

“We need to change the mode of uplifting the standard of the people by skilling them in accordance with their needs in their society for a positive result if we are to achieve Vision 2040,” youth affairs state minister Balaam Barugahara says.

Vision 2040 aims to have a Ugandan society move from a peasantry to a modern and prosperous country within 30 years.

Peace Mutozo (second from left ) state minister for gender inspects Makerere University Innovation Hub stall during the World Creativity and Innovation Day.

Balaamu made the call during the commemoration of World Creativity and Innovation Day on April 25, 2024, at the Golf Course Hotel in Kampala. Barugahara was representing gender minister.

The United Nations (UN) designated April 21 as World Creativity and Innovation Day to raise awareness of the role of creativity and innovation in all aspects of human development. On this day, the world is invited to embrace the idea that innovation is essential for harnessing the economic potential of nations.

Barugahara said: "If we are to skill the people of Karamoja, we should not look at the hairdressing but instead we should be supporting them to have a green environment that can accommodate Friesian cattle to produce more milk".

He alluded that if such is done by the donor agencies who have been supporting the communities, they will see tangible results.

“If you need my participation in mobilising the youth, I will render my support and advisory. I started business while still at the university and through persistence, I have been able to build a lot of business,” he said.

He added: "I believe, the time has come for me to act as your messenger to amplify your voices to access developmental resources from the government. In any innovation, you need to register with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) for ownership”.

The state minister said during his tour of the exhibition, he saw a lot of innovation that needs to be improved on to reduce the importation of similar products.

"While President Yoweri Museveni trained the youth under the Presidential Skilling Initiative of Girl and boy project, we should also improve on what innovators in the textile and art industry have done to access UNDP funding," he said.

He alluded that UNDP was created to increase human development but few African countries are taking advantage of this funding. 

UNDP Resident Representative Nwanne Vwede-Obahor said one can market their innovation through social media.

She said any innovation can be put on the market using 'your digital platforms'.

Early this month, Makerere University commissioned a state-of-the-art innovation hub supported by UNDP.

The innovation hub is expected to foster creativity, innovation and collaboration among students, researchers and entrepreneurs.