The government has urged young Ugandans to embrace available economic opportunities, reject poverty and corruption, and take a leading role in driving inclusive growth.
The call was made as Uganda joined the rest of the world to commemorate International Youth Day on August 12. The annual celebrations were held virtually from the Office of the Vice President in Kampala under the theme ‘Empowering Young People for Inclusive Growth.’
Representing President Museveni at the event, Vice President Jessica Alupo stated that young people no longer have a reason to tolerate poverty, pointing to the government’s investments in infrastructure and market expansion to spur economic activity.
‘The youth and all Ugandans have no more excuses to tolerate poverty in their homes, now that infrastructure and markets are in place,’ Ms Alupo said.
Ms Alupo highlighted that the NRM government has systematically addressed historical development bottlenecks-such as ideological disorientation, a weak state, inadequate human capital, poor infrastructure, and limited market access. She congratulated the youth on their day and commended them for selecting a theme aligned with the NRM government’s ‘No More Sleep’ agenda for the current term.
Speaking at the same event, the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Gen Henry Tumukunde, stressed that the commemoration should serve as a moment for national reflection on youth investments and challenges.
‘The day is also an opportunity for reconciliation-to assess whether young people have been given enough attention and whether sufficient investment has been made in them, considering their large population,’ Gen Tumukunde remarked, reminding young people of their critical role in national development.
Adding to the discussion, the Minister of State for Youth and Children Affairs, Dr Mercy Lakisa, noted that while the government has rolled out several empowerment initiatives, the real test lies in how effectively the youth utilize them.
Citing flagship initiatives like the Parish Development Model (PDM), Dr Lakisa questioned whether the intended beneficiaries were maximizing the opportunities.
‘Government has put in place programs, but we must ask whether young people are effectively benefiting from and utilizing them,’ she said.
Meanwhile, Sheillah Ainembabazi, President of the Uganda National Students Association (UNSA), revealed that the government plans to take youth leaders to the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi for mindset-change training aimed at fostering innovation and job creation.
However, youth representatives raised concerns regarding the tangible outcomes of these interventions. Hon Jonathan Tayebwa, a National Youth Leader, pointed out that despite substantial allocations to interventions such as the PDM and the Youth Livelihood Programme (YLP), their ground-level impact remains minimal.
‘We have advised the government to bring these youth programs under one umbrella so that they can be better coordinated and have a greater impact,’ Mr Tayebwa noted.
Youth leaders concluded with a collective call for increased investment in the country’s young demographic, better utilization of existing government resources, and streamlined coordination among implementing agencies.