Young people in Uganda have been urged to embrace creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship rather than relying on increasingly scarce formal employment opportunities.
The call was made as the country joined the rest of the world to commemorate International Youth Day, with government officials and private sector leaders encouraging the youth to leverage their practical skills to establish sustainable livelihoods and drive national economic growth.
Speaking during a tour of MoTIV, a local creative hub, the Minister of State in the Office of the Vice President, Ms Diana Mutasingwa Kagyenyi, stressed that the growing pool of unemployed young people must shift their focus from job-seeking to job creation.
‘We do not want youth to finish school and sit idle simply because formal jobs are unavailable,’ Ms Mutasingwa said. ‘If you have skills, use them to start something. Don’t focus solely on holding a degree or finding a formal job. You can come up as a youth and do something practical with your skills.’
She cited vocational trades such as tailoring, noting that many young individuals are already generating steady incomes through creative enterprises. Ms Mutasingwa urged the youth to take advantage of government programs and existing incubation platforms to establish businesses that create jobs and support their communities.
Her remarks come against the backdrop of sobering labor figures. According to the latest Labour Market Survey by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), youth unemployment for those aged 15 to 24 stands at 17.9 percent. The study indicates that young women are disproportionately affected at 21 percent compared to 15.2 percent among young men, while urban areas recorded higher unemployment rates at 18.7 percent compared to 17.2 percent in rural regions.
Furthermore, the UBOS survey revealed that approximately 4 million young Ugandans aged 15 to 24 are Not in Employment, Education, or Training (NEET)-representing 42.6 percent of that age bracket. For the broader 18 to 30 demographic, the NEET figure rises to 5.25 million, or 50.9 percent.
To address these structural challenges, Ms Mutasingwa advocated for a mindset shift, encouraging young people to identify problems within their communities and craft commercial solutions.
‘They can come up and say, ‘Since jobs are not there, what can we do?’ We can create hubs that help others and impact society,’ she added.
Echoing these views, Ms Rita Ngenzi, the Executive Director of the Innovation Village, highlighted the immense economic potential of Uganda’s demographic dividend, particularly within the cultural and creative industries.
‘When young entrepreneurs walk in, they receive support to scale, access production, and move into the market, alongside guidance on securing financing,’ Ms Ngenzi explained. She noted that this end-to-end support model ensures young people transition smoothly from skill acquisition to market sustainability.
Ms Ngenzi emphasized, however, that private sector initiatives must be backed by strong state partnerships to achieve meaningful scale.
‘The private sector will play its part, but government partnership is critical to ensuring that together we can do so much more,’ she said.
Despite the optimistic calls for enterprise, grass-roots creators raised concerns over the outreach and impact of such national commemorations. Ms Joan Bellmer Bugonzi, a young creative entrepreneur, questioned whether International Youth Day holds real significance for ordinary citizens, noting a lack of general awareness among her peers.
‘I feel like most youth don’t even know that today is International Youth Day,’ Ms Bugonzi said, pointing to the need for continuous engagement beyond annual ceremonial events.