Prime
Empower the youth to attain social and economic progress
What you need to know:
- As they are future leaders, it is essential to empower to create a generation of self-sufficient individuals who can contribute to the growth and development of their communities
The younger generation is a vital component of any society as they are an important source of innovation, creativity, and energy that fuels progress and drives change. However, this takes a series of programmes and investment.
As they are future leaders, it is essential to empower to create a generation of self-sufficient individuals who can contribute to the growth and development of their communities.
Uganda has one of the youngest populations in the world, with more than 70 percent of its population below the age of 30, according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics. This demographic presents a unique opportunity for social and economic development.
However, despite Uganda’s growing economy and various efforts to tackle youth unemployment, a large number of young people in Uganda still struggle to access decent employment and economic opportunities.
Addressing this challenge requires a coordinated and sustained effort to empower young people in both social and economic spheres.
Youth unemployment is a major challenge for Uganda, with over 60 percent of unemployed Ugandans being under 25 years old. Lack of access to quality education and training opportunities, limited job opportunities, and insufficient social support are some of the factors contributing to high youth unemployment rates in Uganda.
This has posed a big challenge towards their social habits leading to crime and mental illnesses. The largest number of criminals are often youth, and on media platforms, and our communities; it is always the large number of unemployed youth that are blamed in case of theft, robbery etc. Unemployment is a major factor contributing to this issue.
The youth have a lot of energy, and skills; if not occupied by progressive and developmental opportunities, then they will be forced into criminality.
The numerous social challenges as well, that hinder their ability to participate in decision-making processes and access opportunities for example, social stigmatisation of certain groups, such as girls and young women, do limit their ability to access education and career opportunities.
However, despite these challenges, we believe that young people can do something to show resilience and a strong drive to succeed.
In accordance to our goal, a number of programmes and initiatives are focused on empowering young people in Uganda, especially marginalised groups such as girls and young women.
Economic empowerment is crucial in enabling young people to access decent employment opportunities and improve their economic well-being, unfortunately, Uganda’s economy does not yet provide enough job opportunities to absorb the high number of young people looking for work.
The country has made important strides in addressing youth social and economic empowerment, significant challenges remain, one of the major barriers being the raging vices of poor infrastructure, corruption, and inadequate government policies.
To address these challenges, there needs to be more efforts from the government, private sector and civil society organisations to invest in skills development and creating an enabling environment for entrepreneurship and job creation.
Addressing social norms and cultural beliefs that hinder young people’s ability to access opportunities should be another area of focus. For example, norms that prevent young women from pursuing careers in certain sectors can limit their ability to access job opportunities and build their economic power.
Empowering young people in Uganda is critical to achieving sustainable social and economic development.
By doing so, we can redirect Uganda and unlock the potential of its talented young population. However, the potential benefits of investing in youth empowerment are enormous, both for young people and the wider economy.
Rosette Gladys Nandutu, Journalist & communications specialist, Vijana For Sustainable Development and Environmental Action.
