Tooro Kingdom on Wednesday commissioned a youth incubation center in Kyaka County, Kyegegwa District, aimed at fostering skills development, entrepreneurship, and modern agricultural practices.
The 12-acre facility in Mpara Sub-county will host an ICT training hub, mother gardens for coffee and cocoa seedlings, and a poultry hatchery expected to produce up to 500 chicks every 21 days.
Kingdom officials said the center is part of a broader strategy to empower young people and ensure sustainable access to agricultural resources.
Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister, Mr Calvin Armstrong Rwomire, noted that the initiative follows financial support extended by President Museveni in September, during a meeting with King Oyo of Tooro Kingdom.
‘The funding is enabling the rollout of the Tooro Kingdom Youth Economic Empowerment Program, which seeks to uplift hundreds of young people through agriculture, entrepreneurship, and practical skills development,’ Mr Rwomire said.
He added that the kingdom has distributed 400,000 coffee seedlings and 200,000 cocoa seedlings during the program’s first phase but faced overwhelming demand.
‘We decided to plant our own coffee and cocoa in our own mother gardens and establish our own nurseries so that we can have sustainability within the program. We are setting up incubation centers in all nine counties, and these will host ICT hubs, a hatchery, and other skills trainings such as hospitality,’ he explained to Monitor.
The centers align with King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV’s 25-year Development Plan, which prioritizes socio-economic transformation, agriculture, and ICT education.
Demonstration farms within the centers will train youth and farmers in modern agricultural methods while equipping young people with digital skills.
‘The rollout of the incubation centers will ensure consistent access to quality seedlings and skills training for the youth,’ Mr Rwomire said.
He added that additional governmental and private partners are expressing interest in supporting the project.
Youth in Kyaka County welcomed the development. Mr John Tumwine, 22, from Mpara Sub-county, said the center opens new opportunities for young people who previously lacked resources.
‘This is something we have been waiting for. Some of us did not have the money to buy good coffee seedlings or pay for ICT training. With the incubation center here, we can learn how to farm better, get free seedlings, and also learn computer skills for business. It will help us earn more and support our families,’ he told Monitor.
Officials said the hatchery will begin distributing chicks from February next year, followed by coffee and cocoa seedlings from the newly established mother gardens, marking a significant step toward youth-led economic growth in the region.
More than 70 per cent of Uganda’s nearly 46m people population is employed in or engaged in agriculture.