Leaders raise concern over unemployed youth
Young men sleep the afternoon away. Leaders in West Nile and other stakeholders have raised concern over youth unemployment in the sub-region as well as in neighbouring Acholi. Photo | File
What you need to know:
- The youth blame the issue on the lack of employment opportunities in northern Uganda.
Leaders in West Nile and other stakeholders have raised concern over youth unemployment in the sub-region as well as in neighbouring Acholi.
Many of the youth gather in a trading centre in Pakwach District and spend the day loitering in the area, drinking alcohol, chewing mairungi, smoking, sitting on swings made with woven rope gossiping, and begging for money from motorists and passers-by.
Mr George Adaku, 22, one of the youth, says: “I spend most of my time at a boda boda stage. I do not have any work to do. I wake up at 7am and get to the boda boda stage. I am surviving on the little money I get from motorists.”
Mr Adaku says he does not have the skills needed to get employed.
“The leaders we elect and those in government are less interested in listening to the demands of youth. Sometimes we are on the roadside not because of laziness but because of few opportunities that come,” he says.
Mr Hassan Ali, 35, a resident of Arua City, said: “I have looked for a job for more than two years and failed to get it. It is frustrating to be educated and you don’t get a job in the end. But I am planning to start some business for my livelihood.”
There is concern that the growing unemployment problem in the country could turn into a ticking time bomb if not addressed properly.
The vice chairperson of Terego District, Ms Sunday Ayikoru, says: “Is it the dot com world spoiling our youth? They sit in trading centres discussing non-issues the whole day.”
She adds the some of the youth leave their families toiling to earn a living back at home.
“The women and elderly are left to toil to look for food and other essentials at home. We must change this because there are so many skills that they can learn and become productive in,” Ms Ayikoru says.
The commissioner of Youth and Child Affairs in the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD), Mr Mondo Kyateka, says: “It is hopeless to see young people sitting in trading centres sunbathing the whole day. This is dangerous to us. We need to involve these youths in productive work.”
Some of the affected youth have acquired different skills such as hairdressing weaving, carpentry and joinery, shoe making, and tailoring, among others, and set up businesses.
Some of these have even received support from organisations to boost their businesses.
What hope lies ahead
In a bid to address the issue, MGLSD, Ministry of Education and Sports and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) have launched a two-year programme aimed at helping youth develop skills and become productive to society.
Unicef says the project targets youth between the ages of 10 and 24 in northern Uganda and will help them develop digital, arts and crafts, public speaking, leadership, and economic skills.
Mr Kyateka said: “There are a lot of opportunities in ICT, music and sports, vocational industries where the youth can earn a decent living. But we need these youths to change their mindset and not to look for only white collar jobs.”
Mr Kyateka said the UN Agencies allocated the $22 million (Shs85b) which could be used to skill the youths.
