UOC,NTF Consult moot national sports employment and talent development initiative

The Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) and human resource enterprise NFT Consult have launched an initiative dubbed the National Sports Employment and Talent Development Initiative (NSETDI), aimed at transforming sport from an activity into a thriving industry.

The strategic partnership seeks to build structured employment pathways, accredited training programs, and a professionalized sports workforce that can be integrated into Ugandan sports associations and UOC-affiliated organisations.

Under the partnership, NFT Consult and the UOC will co-design and jointly implement a structured program that will connect 5,000 young Ugandans to careers in the sports economy by 2030.

The initiative is also expected to contribute to Uganda's Vision 2040 economic transformation agenda and position the country as Africa's leading model for sports workforce development, with the AFCON 2027 tournament serving as the first major milestone to demonstrate impact at scale.

Addressing a press conference at the UOC offices on Thursday, Elizabeth Ntege, the Group CEO of NFT Consult, said the initiative is built on a simple but powerful insight: the sports industry extends far beyond athletes and coaches.

"Event management, sports science, safeguarding, media, finance, law, technology, nutrition, anti-doping, sponsorship, sports analysts, hospitality, and facility operations are all sectors where Uganda urgently needs trained professionals," she noted.

"These jobs exist,  and will grow dramatically over the next decade, but the pipeline of skilled young professionals does not yet exist."

Ntege emphasized that NFT Consult brings deep expertise in workforce development, stakeholder facilitation, and program management to the partnership.

"Sport is not just games. In Uganda's hands, it can be an industry, a school, and an engine of transformation," she stated.

"We are trying to look at people's passion and their competence and see how we can marry it together. And there's no other sector that has more passion than the sports sector. You just have to look at people who support Arsenal. So, the fact that there's a level of passion and competence means that there will be sustainability in that job if people get paid. This is why we are very excited to partner with the Olympic Committee here because they have the environment in which we can place these people so that we mix the two."

UOC President Donald Rukare, who was flanked by Secretary General Beatrice Ayikoru and Excom member Harriet Aya, said the committee will now embark on final discussions before launching the program, which holds significant potential across various areas.

"By using NFT, we can figure out what's needed, for instance, for the Uganda Olympic Committee, and then they'll find the right people for the job. We'll then put these talented individuals into organisations for about a year. That's the basic idea behind what we're trying to get started," he explained.

Rukare noted that the program will be particularly beneficial for sportsmen pursuing dual careers, helping them transition out of active competition when the time comes.

"Alternatively, we can build up the skills of not just the UOC, but also our 34 member organisations, placing talented individuals in the different sectors where they can assist with various tasks as they also earn from their services," he added.

Ayikoru described the initiative as a major step forward for UOC-member federations, noting that it will help beef up human resources across the sports sector. "Like, we have the placement systems and the internship that's happening in the government and in public institutions; it will be the first time we're going to have placement in the sports sector," she said.