Youth innovations can drive development in Uganda - experts 

Earlier this month Makerere University in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) and MTN hoste the first ever youth innovator expo at the  Yusuf Lule Central Teaching Facility. Its primary goal  was to showcase exceptional youth innovations and youth enterprises and explore avenues for commercialising these innovations.

The UNDP resident representative, Elsie Attafuah revealed that innovations if well-handled and funded are a perfect vehicle the country can pass through to achieve unstoppable development.

The numbers

In a world filled with uncertainties including; climate crisis, Covid-19, wars and other calamities, innovations driven with a largely unemployed youth population could create a positive change.

“In Uganda, only 26 percent of sustainable development goals are on track, 54 percent are slowing and 20 percent are deteriorating,” Attafuah said as more than 50 youths exhibited their innovations at Makerere University earlier this month.

“Now, by extension of our national development plan at mid-term, we only managed to address 70 percent of the targets. It’s telling us that in the midst of an evenness in development progress, we must redouble our efforts, invest in innovations and solutions that will help us to progress as a country,” she said.

Uganda, which has one of the highest young populations, is faced with an unemployment crisis.

The 2021 National Labour Force survey by the Uganda National Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) revealed that 12 percent (about 1.4million) of the population aged 14-64 years were unemployed.

Gender Minister Betty Amongi during the April 26 maiden national labour conference said one out of every Ugandans in working age brackets are jobless.

At least 648,000 jobs must be created annually to avert this trend which is worsening.

Attafuah said, “we must create job opportunities for our young people because we can no longer be exporting our impoverished people to the world.”

Science and Innovation Minister Dr Monica Musenero agrees with Ms Attafuah, because one innovation can employ several youths in science and their arts counterparts.

“Remember these innovations once they transition into scalable businesses we shall need marketers, and other workers all these are job opportunities,” she said.

 The expo was organised by Makerere University in partnership with UNDP, under the theme: Fostering Innovations for Uganda’s Transformational Development.

Halima Nansubuga, the liaison manager youth and civil society at Afro-Arab Youth Council believes youth once supported can transform this country into a first class country.

“That is why we support them, especially innovators because we know they will transform this country in one day,” Nansubuga says.

Youth innovators

Majority of the youth innovators said the funding gap is their main challenge and this needs direct government intervention.

Joanitah Namusabi, 23, makes necklaces, bangles and key-holders from beads.

 “As an innovator, I face the challenges of lack of capital, limited marketing and I am appealing to the government to step in,” Namusabi said.

Patience Afoyo, a student of Bachelor of Science in Education at the College of Education and External Studies with her peers, developed a cough syrup from herbs.

“We make the syrup from mango leaves, guava, ginger and honey which works as a preservative. This syrup is good for treating colds, but we do not have funds to start mass production,” she said.

A group of other education students led by one Noah Alimpa Kisembo make soap from the locally accessed materials.

Then, from the College of Business and Management Studies is Ibrahim Mutyaba, pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce who developed poultry and animal feeds which are healthy in protein.

Jean D’Amour Nkulikiyumukiza, a dealer in flavoured and unflavoured Meta coffee, says coffee has become so expensive and through his innovation has financially accommodated everyone.

The good coffee, Nkulikiyumukiza says, is exported and upon processing, it is imported at an alarming price. This accommodates those with a strong financial muscle.

Innovation hub

Strengthening research and innovations for sustainable development is the second strategic plan goal and objective of the 2020-2030 Makerere University Strategic Plan.

To ensure that this objective is attained, the University allocated Shs2.7b from their annual Shs30b given to them by the government for research, to develop the innovation hub.

Youth will move things

Prof Barnabas Nawangwe the vice chancellor Makerere University, said majority of the country’s population are the youth which calls for carving into their energies to move the country forward positively.

“Makerere University has resolved to be a leader in research and innovations because we realise that we must empower these youths to create jobs for themselves and for other people who are less disadvantaged than them,” Prof Nawangwe said.

 He added, “At Makerere University, we believe the jobs that are going to move our country will come from our youth themselves. We may have investors, but definitely, the majority of the jobs will be created by these youth.”

Like Attafuah, Prof Nawangwe concurs that the country has very enterprising youths who if helped will move the country forward.

“What Covid taught us, it opened our eyes to innovation, and I think some of the best innovations we’ve seen came out during Covid-19. We must ensure that we are building resilience to crises and shocks as we move forward.”

She also noted there is much need for innovation because of unevenness in development progress.

Government plan

The deputy speaker of parliament Thomas Tayebwa said the government will start earmarking billions of shillings to fund university innovation hubs that will transform different youth innovations into scalable businesses.

Tayebwa said by investing into  innovation hubs that directly impacts on students, the government is sure that many youths will get employed and enlarge their taxpayers.

“For long time our tax to GDP has stuck at 13 percent, as I see here are potential tax payers and we know that supporting your innovations will help us increase the number of taxpayers,” he said.

Quick notes

  “In Uganda, only 26 percent of sustainable development goals are on track, 54 percent are slowing and 20 percent are deteriorating,” The UNDP resident representative, Elsie Attafuah said.

“Now, by extension of our national development plan at mid-term, we only managed to address 70 percent of the targets. It’s telling us that in the midst of an evenness in development progress, we must redouble our efforts, invest in innovations and solutions that will help us to progress as a country,”  Attafuah said.

editorial @ug.nationmedia.com