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| 83% youths are unemployed |
Youth
problems remain a serious policy challenge in many sub-Saharan African
countries, including Uganda. In 2013, youth (aged 15 to 24) in sub-Saharan
Africa were twice likely to be unemployed
compared to any other age cohort. For Uganda, in 2012, the Uganda Bureau of
Statistics revealed that the share of unemployed youth (national definition,
18-30 years) among the total unemployed persons in the country was 64 percent.
Given the rapid growth of the Ugandan population—three-quarters of the
population are below the age of 30 years—coupled with the fact that the youth
are getting better educated through higher access to primary and secondary
education, a stronger focus on job creation for this cohort of people cannot be
overemphasized.
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| Launching the book addressing youth issues |
In
order to bring the youth on board and to awaken them from sleep so as to turn
them from hopeless brats to useful Ugandans, RIC-NET in collaboration with
Society for International Development (SID) on 26th Nov. 2015 launched
an eight-chaptered book entitled “YOUTH AND PUBLIC POLICY IN UGANDA”
at cornerstone Hotel in fort portal addressing the issues of the youth among
which include; unemployment, poverty and ignorance. This book was compiled by
sitting down with the youth to identify the youth problems, that were put
together to come up with the eight chapters of the book. Among those who attended
the launch were University Guild Governments of mountains of the moon
university, Uganda Pentecostal University, Kabarole District Information Officer
Mr.Kobwemi Tanazious, youth leaders and civil society staffs, police among
others who discussed a lot in regards to the findings of the book such as;
youth being harassed by police when they are trying to demand for their rights,
government only concentrating on the youth in urban centres and neglecting
those in rural areas where the largest population lies, inadequate information
to the youth, youth electoral caters for gender neglecting the youth, neglect
of people with disabilities and on other
hand laziness was cited out to be a vice eating up the youth.
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| Mr.Muzinduki Patrick responding to issues raised by the youth |
In response to the
issues raised by the youth, RICNET asked the youth to make their voices heard
by being U-reporters an opportunity to speak out their minds with no cost
incurred. Through this platform they would cry out loud for help and be heard.
The DIO Kabarole Mr. Kobwemi urged the youth to be vigilant because experience is
not job based but skill based, he went further to call upon the youth to grab
every opportunity that comes their way. Laziness was also criticized whereas
they were also encouraged to put vision 2040 “A
Transformed Ugandan Society from a Peasant to a Modern and Prosperous Country
within 30 years” as a pillar to guide them all their endeavors to
have a transformed and youthful Ugandan youth.
