Gov't to create 150,000 jobs for youth

EMPLOYMENT

The government is set to create 150,000 jobs for the unemployed youth across the country, in the next three years.

According to the ministry of gender, labor and social development, the jobs will be created under the youth livelihood program (YLP).

"As a ministry, we are very excited about the progress of this program. We have been able to empower a number of youth with 32% engaged in agriculture, trade and services," Paul Onapa, the Programme Manager YLP, in the ministry of labor said.

Speaking during a meeting with youth leaders under the Youth forum leadership Budget advocacy Movement, coordinated by the Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG), Onapa noted that through the programme, 200,000 jobs had been registered over the years.

He said the programme had contributed up to 4% of job creation in the country, reducing the burden of unemployment.

However, some of the youth leaders expressed concern over what they described as bureaucracies and corruption cases associated with the program.

Elia Mugisa, the evaluation and monitoring officer at CSBAG, pointed out corruption as one of the impediments affecting the programme.

"Corruption is manifested at the team and selection level, where some groups are left out on that basis. If we want this programme to succeed, we should start by dealing with corruption," Mugisa said.

In response, Onapa rallied the CSOs to avail the ministry with enough information reading corruption reports adding that in the recent past, a number of officials especially at the local government level, had been netted and interdicted over corruption.

Citing districts like Gulu, Namayingo among others, Onapa noted that a number of officials such YLP focal persons had been dismissed over corruption.

"Some of our people are not clean as they should be .we have worked with IGG and other actors to ensure that these people are reprimanded," Onapa said.

He said the ministry had recovered up to Sh33.5b out of S 64.4b invested in the program over the years by the government.

To avoid abuse of the funds, the government has since come up with constitutions to help selected groups in the running of the program.

According to Onapa, such new measures are aimed at guarding against people who may want to walk away with public funds.

Onapa said those whose businesses had been affected by natural calamites such as drought and diseases have had their businesses recapitalized by the ministry.

He said many youth have been able to acquire skills, for self-employment, which is the ultimate goal for government to have youth engaged in a certain income-generating activity.

Statistics by the ministry, also indicated that at least up to 21% of the youth had had their businesses formalized compared to 17% when the project started.

To ensure accountability on the side of the youth, CSBAG organized a learning experience for the youth for a feel reading of the budgeting process.

Currently, the government and other stakeholders are engaged in the budgeting process, for the National Budget, for the financial year 2020/2021.