Youth urged to embrace entrepreneurship to beat unemployment hurdle
Statistics show that Uganda faces a significant youth unemployment challenge, with the unemployment rate for youth aged 18–30 standing at 16.1%. For young women, the situation is even more dire, with their rate standing at 18.7% in comparison with the 13.4% for young men.
Osborn Turyaingura (third left in second row) Executive Secretary National Secretariet for Special Interest Groups, Enoch Mutambi (fourth left in second row) Work Based Learning Specialists at MGLSD and Gabriel Iguma (fifth left in second row) Uganda Hub Director Restless Development during Annual National Youth Stakeholders breastfast dialogue at Hotel African on June 10, 2026. (Photo by Mary Kansiime)
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With the youth grappling with the challenge of unemployment, stakeholders have appealed to them to leverage entrepreneurship to be productive and economically viable.
The remarks were made on Wednesday (June 10) during the annual national stakeholders’ forum at Hotel Africana, which attracted Government officials, the private sector and youth leaders, with the discussion focusing on the unemployment situation in the Karamoja and West Nile regions.
The event, which was under the theme, “Youth Unemployment: A Perspective of Government Wealth Creation Initiatives and Inclusive Governance For Sustainable Development”, was organised by Restless Development Uganda and Sensitise Uganda, among other organisations.
Enoch Mutambi, a Work-Based Learning Specialist at the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, appealed to the youth to put into consideration the current context of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which he asserted will limit employment in certain fields in the near future, stating that venturing into entrepreneurship will be a viable alternative for them.
Enoch Mutambi Work Based Learning Specialists at MGLSD addressing youth about Parish Development Model during the Annual National Youth Stakeholders breastfast dialogue at Hotel African on June 10, 2026. (Photo by Mary Kansiime)
“With the coming of AI, the problem may even get worse. Jobs are getting transformed every other day. When you do entrepreneurship, you start a business and can do it forever,” he said.
He affirmed the Government’s commitment to foster productivity and eventual economic growth among the youth through programs like the Grow Project, Parish Development Model (PDM), and Youth Livelihood Program, among others.
Youth leaders are critical
Iguma Gabriel, the Country Director of Restless Development Uganda, reiterated the need for a consensus to be reached between Government program implementers and the youth to realise a rise in employment creation.
He called on the leaders to stick to the principles of accountability and demand that the youth be supported in their communities, as it is essential for the country, the National Development Plan IV.