Uganda urged to invest in youth to unlock $500b economy goal
Lugoloobi urged Ugandans to view technology as a tool for improving productivity rather than a concept limited to advanced economies.
Planning state minister Amos Lugoloobi said Uganda’s population has grown to 45.9 million people, according to the 2024 National Population and Housing Census, with 73% of citizens below the age of 30.
Uganda’s ambition to transform into a $500 billion economy by 2040 will depend on how effectively the country combines investments in technology and research with deliberate funding for its youthful population, government and development partners have said.
The call was made on Friday at Uganda Media Centre in Kampala during a briefing on the national commemoration of World Population Day 2026 held under the theme: “Unlocking the Potential of Uganda’s Population Through Technology and Research to Drive Sustainable Development.”
Officials said Uganda’s youthful population presents a major opportunity for economic growth, but that without investments in education, skills development, health and innovation, the country risks failing to reap the benefits of its demographic advantage.
Planning state minister Amos Lugoloobi said Uganda’s population has grown to 45.9 million people, according to the 2024 National Population and Housing Census, with 73% of citizens below the age of 30.
He described the youthful population as the country’s “greatest strategic asset”, but cautioned that it also presents pressure on education, healthcare and job creation systems.
“Between 600,000 and 700,000 young Ugandans enter the labour market every year, yet the economy is unable to create enough opportunities for them."
Lugoloobi said new findings indicate that about 51% of Ugandan youth, equivalent to nearly five million people, are not in employment, education or training (NEET).
“This is not merely a labour market statistic. It is a development challenge, a productivity challenge, an innovation challenge and ultimately a growth challenge."
The minister said that although government interventions such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga have contributed to reducing poverty, multidimensional poverty remains a challenge, affecting 31.5% of the population.
He said the challenge is no longer only about increasing incomes but also improving access to knowledge, modern tools and skills needed to compete in the economy.
Lugoloobi urged Ugandans to view technology as a tool for improving productivity rather than a concept limited to advanced economies.
“When we talk about technology, some people think we are referring to space technology. Technology simply means the methods we use to produce goods and services."
For instance, a hand hoe and a tractor are both technologies, but the difference lies in their ability to increase productivity.
Many rural communities continue to face challenges because many farmers lack access to modern agricultural technologies, irrigation systems, improved seeds and market information.
The minister also challenged researchers to ensure their work translates into practical solutions.
“Research that remains on library shelves cannot transform a nation. Innovation that remains in laboratories cannot create jobs, and technology that remains inaccessible to communities cannot reduce poverty."
Uganda has made progress in expanding digital infrastructure, with internet penetration increasing from 1.8% in 2010 to 53% by 2022, while the national ICT backbone network has expanded from 1,380km in 2011 to more than 4,300km by the end of the 2023/24 financial year.
According to Lugoloobi, the focus should now shift to building human capacity to benefit from the infrastructure.
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) country representative Kristine Blokhus said Uganda’s youthful population provides a rare opportunity to accelerate development, but warned that the demographic dividend does not happen automatically.
“It requires deliberate and targeted investments."
She raised concern over the impact of teenage pregnancy and school dropouts on the country’s human capital development, saying Uganda continues to lose nearly 24% of teenage girls every year due to the two challenges.
“When a girl becomes a mother before she is ready and before she has had a chance to finish school or build her skills, her path to future income is often interrupted."
Blokhus said investing in girls’ education and preventing early pregnancies is not only a social responsibility but also an economic strategy.
“When we talk about that individual girl and her potential, we are actually talking about the potential of the nation."
She said UNFPA will continue working with government to strengthen youth development and reduce the number of young people who are outside education, employment or training.
The officials said the upcoming Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV) provides an opportunity to place human capital development at the centre of Uganda’s transformation agenda.
World population day was established by the United Nations in 1989 to raise awareness about global population issues, marking the anniversary of the "Day of Five Billion," which was observed on July 11, 1987.
Because July 11 falls on a Saturday in 2026, the Government and partners held their official commemorative events on Friday as Saturday is not an official working day