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The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa has reaffirmed Parliament of Uganda's commitment to support the State House in promoting the Presidential Skilling Program aimed at fighting unemployment in Uganda.

“Madam State House Comptroller, I have heard that you need sh10b to set up common user facilities for our skilled youths, please bring the documents to Parliament and we will give you the money. This (skilling) program should be supported because it is proving solutions to unemployment. Let us thank President Museveni for this wonderful program,” Tayebwa said earlier today.

The Deputy Speaker who is also the Member of Parliament for Ruhinda North County in Mitooma District made the remarks on Thursday April 25, 2024, at the graduation ceremony held at the Kigezi Presidential Zonal Industrial Hub in Kabale district on Thursday, April 25. Diginitaries at the ceremony included:  Resident district commissioners, LCV chairpersons, security officers, District commercial Officers and District National Resistance Movement-NRM chairpersons.

Kigezi Industrial Zonal Hub in Kabale district is one of the 19 hubs constructed across the country with the aim of equipping over 12, 000 youths every year under the Presidential Initiative on skilling of the youth to usher them into the money economy. Other beneficiaries include Greater Mbarara, Greater Masaka, Kayunga, Kampala, Kyenjojo, Kasese, Ntoroko, Adjumani, Gulu, Lira, Mbale, Kibuku, and Jinja districts.

Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa interacting with State House Comptroller, Ms. Jane Barekye.

On Thursday, a total of 462 trainees of which 243 were girls from the first and the second intake completed their vocational training and were awarded certificates in seven (7) disciplines. These include:   Bakery & Confectionery, Welding and metal fabrications, Leather processing (shoe making). Tailoring and design, Hairdressing and makeup, Building and Construction Practice and Carpentry & Joinery.

The facility has different units in Rukaranga and Murambo villages Buranga Parish, Kamuganguzi sub county, Ndorwa in Kabale District. It comprises students from 9 Administrative units. i.e. 6 districts and 3 municipalities namely; Kabale, Kabale municipality, Rubanda district, Rukiga district, Kisoro District, Kisoro Municipality, Rukungiri District, Rukungiri Municipality and Kanungu District.

According to a release from State House, Tayebwa thanked legislators especially on the budget committee for appropriating money to the Presidential skilling hubs to ensure that more young people are trained in hands-on skills saying the money has been well utilised. He implored students to be disciplined as they begin their journey into the money economy.

“Today I'm Deputy Speaker of Parliament but few years ago I was like you, I was nobody. I once went on the streets and demonstrated but I never lost focus. You can also make it in life and it's now your turn to change the situation,” Tayebwa told the youths, cautioning them against bad practices like alcoholism.

“One of the biggest problems we now have is alcoholism among the youths. When you get some little money, instead of investing it to increase your incomes, you resort to drinking. This is wrong,” said Tayebwa.

David Bahati, the Minister of State for Trade in charge of Industry and also the Member of Parliament for Ndorwa West saluted State House for fulfilling President Museveni's vision through establishing Presidential skilling hubs which are up to the standard across the country.

“We appropriated sh120b to build Presidential hubs in all the regions in Uganda. Equipping you with skills that can be used by our country to create jobs is at the forefront of our program as NRM government led by President Museveni to ensure prosperity,” Bahati said, adding that the skilling program falls into the bigger part of industrialization of Uganda.

The State House Comptroller, Ms. Jane Barekye, reported that President Museveni's expectations for the Industrial hubs has been achieved which include among others; create jobs among the youth, train job creators not job seekers, reduce criminality and above all improve household incomes.

The State House Comptroller, Ms. Jane Barekye.

She revealed that in the next phase, the President will set up common user facilities with required machinery in every district which hosting a skilling hub. This will give opportunity to our youths who have graduated to continue practising their skills.

Skilling:

The trainees had two sets of examinations from the Directorate of Industrial Training under the Ministry of Education and Sports which included a modular assessment in the first set and level one in the second set.

Kigezi sub-region Presidential industrial Hub graduation.

Each learner was awarded with a Uganda Vocational Qualifications Level One Certificate by the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT) which is equivalent to the Uganda certificate of education level and internationally recognized according to Mr. Johnson Turyamwesimira, Principal Qualifications Officer, DIT.

The Manager Kigezi Presidential Zonal Industrial Hub, Mr. Lion Mwebesa Emmanuel saluted the UPDF for the Mindset Training and Ideological Orientation which he said did a commendable work in instilling vocational skills, Kiswahili, life skills, physical fitness and discipline.

“It has been a collective responsibility for all staff to make sure that all trainees improve on their discipline and I am glad we achieved that. We have not only skilled these trainees but also nurtured them to be transformational leaders. 

Kigezi sub-region Presidential industrial hub graduation.

The Woman Member of Parliament for Kabale District, Hon. Catherine Ndamira Atwikiire appreciated President Museveni for his vision to fight poverty in Uganda especially in the districts of Kabale, Kisoro, Rubanda, Rukia, Kanungu and Rukungiri.

The Director of Industrial Hubs and Presidential Projects at State House, Eng. Raymond Akankwatsa Kamugisha, appreciated partners with whom they work with to ensure the success of the program. These include among others; the Ministry of Local government, RDCs, Youth Chairpersons, people with disabilities and the UPDF who specialise in mindset change and ideology.

In April 2022, the government commissioned the Presidential Initiative for Zonal Industrial Hub in Kigezi region aimed at skilling youth in the districts of Rukungiri, Kabale, Kisoro, Kanungu, Rubanda, and Rukiga as well as the three Municipalities of Kabale, Kisoro and Rukungiri.