Korea International  Co-operation Agency (KOICA) announced  that it will start operating  a centre in Uganda to increase agri-businesses and support start-ups for young Ugandans.The centre is established under the Strengthening Capacity for Youth Agribusiness Development in Uganda (SCADU) project.  It will conduct start-up/entrepreneurship and agriculture value chain training and consulting for 4,000 Ugandan youth and select 100 excellent teams  to provide up to $10,000 for each individual team (about sh36m) as start-up funds.

The SCADU project will be implemented from 2022 to 2027 and its goal 
is to empower youths from across the country by equipping them with knowledge and skills in agricultural business opportunities through K-ABIC.Jihee Ahn, the KOICA country director, said KOICA has invested $5m (sh18.5b) in the entire project that looks to empower youthful Ugandans to boost agricultural opportunities and driving financial growth.

“This financial independence model is unprecedented in Uganda and if a virtuous cycle is achieved in combination with agriculture education, start-up, and financial support, the average income of participants is expected to increase by 40% at the end of the project 2027,” she added.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with New Vision, Sooyoung Choi, the project field manager and head at K-ABIC, said KOICA is operating under K-ABIC to increase potential agribusinesses and support startups for young Ugandans using SCADU.

She said under SCADU, the project offers a revolving fund of $1m (sh3.6B) with the intent to promote youth startups and value chains in Uganda’s agricultural industry.Working with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries together with Zonal Agriculture Research and Development Institute (ZARDI), K-ABIC will conduct training preparing the youth from the ages 18-35 years old.

“Over 100 youth teams are expected to receive at most $10,000 about (sh36m) each, out of $1m investment into their agribusiness to encourage participation in agricultural development,” she said during the interview at the K-ABIC co-ordination office in Bukoto Street, Kampala recently.The youths will apply online for this project before the end of this year through K-ABIC website in September-October. K-ABIC will also join the agribusiness innovation fair at Makerere University.The application submission will be open on the online platforms of KOICA, K-ABIC, and other related partners’ websites.

Other application channels will come through advertisements via local government and ZARDI offices.Different reports intimate that the Uganda’s population is to a significant extent comprised of a high and increasing cohort of young people.

With a high population growth rate of 3.2% per annum, young people still face varying problems including inability to own or access land, lack of affordable financing for agribusiness start-ups, as well as the technical knowledge to be effectively employed in the sector. The project is expected to address gender gaps in rural areas and attracting more young people in decent employment under various stages of the agriculture value chain is therefore imperative.

The SCADU project aligns within Uganda’s Parish Development Model objectives such as, emphasising access to agricultural extension services and finance business management training.