Citibank in partnership with TechnoServe an international non profit organization, on Wednesday launched a program intended to curb the accelerating rates of youth unemployment in the country.
The project dubbed ‘The Girls’ Apprenticeship Program (GAP)’ has been launched for the third time and in this phase, money worth USD 100,000 has been invested to help 60 vulnerable women access employment opportunities.
The program is supported by Citi corporate volunteers and will connect young women to successful businesswomen who will mentor them in trades such as tailoring, hairdressing, and craft production.
According to the launched project, participants will also receive training designed to build confidence and soft skills.
Records from the previous episodes of GAP indicate that 83% of participants found paid employment or started their own business at the conclusion of the program.
Youth and Children Affairs Minister, Nakiwala Kiyingi, who was the guest of honour rooted for further investment in young people to increase production and reduce unemployment.
“Investing in youth especially for the case of Uganda is good business because it taps into an abundant human resource that is so technology swift. They are so energetic and forward looking,” she said.
Rachael Barber, the Head of Communication Development for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at Citibank explained that the program targets to reach over 500,000 young people around the world, out of whom 720 are in Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda. These youth will be helped to develop entrepreneurial skills and build small businesses.
According to Minister Nakiyingi, many youth in the country are unemployed because they lack mentorship and guidance. She credited Citibank for coming up with this program.
“We are talking of a group which will tell you they are unemployed, but are on Facebook and WhatsApp 24/7. You even wonder where they get money to be on the internet. This is why we need to school them on mindset change,” Nakiwala said.
Uganda’s population is estimated to be 41 million people with an employment rate of 2.28%. This rate could increase in future if more programs such as GAP are initiated.