Let’s focus on tackling youth unemployment — Kasaija

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Finance minister Matia Kasaija has called for a focused approach to address what he considers a pressing issue of youth unemployment in the country.

He made the call on Thursday (October 17) as he officially opened a one-day public investment management conference at Makerere University in Kampala.

In a press statement by the finance ministry, Kasaija noted that public investment is the backbone of Uganda’s development.

He also stated that it is essential to build the infrastructure, human capital and institutions needed to elevate the country to middle-income status and beyond.

The minister said this requires the economy to grow tenfold from a gross domestic product of $50 billion in the financial year 2022/23 to $500 billion within the next 15 years.

“Achieving this milestone requires not only precise planning and implementation of investments but also a focused approach to addressing the pressing issue of youth unemployment by creating decent jobs,” he was quoted as saying.  

Kasaija also stressed that public investment must serve as a critical catalyst for job creation by prioritising the expansion of vocational and technical training programmes that collaborate closely with industries to ensure alignment with market demands.

“We come together as key stakeholders with a shared objective—to assess the current state of public investments and chart a course for the future, one that will drive economic growth, national development, and help us grow our economy tenfold,” he said.

The theme of the conference is: Navigating the Landscape of Public Investment Management in Uganda: Current Realities and Future Outlook.

Statistics

The 2024 National Population and Housing Census results indicated that Uganda is now a country of young people, with 50.5% under the age of 17 and youth aged 18 to 30 comprising 22.7%.

Uganda’s total population is now 45.9 million, representing an increase of 11 million from the 2014 census.

With more than one million young people entering the job market each year, the Ugandan government has been addressing the youth unemployment challenge through equipping youth with vocational skills and empowering them in various developmental programmes.

It has invested in the youth livelihood programme as one of the government interventions to respond to high unemployment rates and poverty among the youths in the country to start their businesses.