The Northern Uganda Youth Representative, Hon. Boniface Okot, has in a motion supported by Members of Parliament, urged government to calibrate all its interventions to uplift the life of youths in the country.
Ahead of the National Youth Day celebrations in Gulu on Friday, August 12, 2022, Okot said there is need to fundamentally address challenges facing youth in Uganda.
“…there is Iimited structured government support and policies for start-ups, science and technology-based innovations and initiatives that have the potential of transforming lives and providing local solutions and creating employment for the youth,” said Okot.
He suggested a solution which the House adopted.
“…be it resolved by this Parliament that, government scales up interventions for youth in skilling, employment and livelihoods by amongst others, ensuring that all forms of financing are significant, accessible, and affordable with a dedicated and ring-fenced quota for youth,” he said.
Amuru District Woman MP, Hon. Lucy Akello, said there are many global interventions from which government can borrow a leaf and implement in Uganda.
“As a country, if we go in the line of giving 30 per cent of our contracts to the youth, then we can go very far; promoting real incubating centres [for youth businesses] using the Shanghai model, these are things we should consider,” she said.
Meanwhile Speaking at pre-celebrations to commemorate the International Youth Day in Luzira, Ahumuza Rhona, the Team Leader Holistic Actions for Development and Empowerment, said they are looking at how do they work together with the different generations to ensure that there is a better environment for everyone as well as for the future generations.
She called for more focus on mitigating the effects of climate change such as floods, drought, among others.
Ahumuza further noted that the budget fundings for climate change need to be increased at all levels if the effects are to be mitigated.
She said as organizations they are carrying out initiatives in Ghettos that can help protect the environment like, skilling, recycling, tailoring of waste, among others.
“We are here to commemorate and ensure a safe clean environment in regards to climate change,” she said.
Barungi Miria the Advocacy Associate Network for Active Citizens Said that they want the voice of people living in the Ghetto communities be heard, and engaged in solutions to climate change like recycling.
She implored law makers to ensure budgets in parliaments, the portion of climate change is bigger, but also tighten the law on those who encroach and pollute the environment.
The Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development. Hon. Betty Amongi, under whose docket youth issues fall, said government has already rolled out several programmes to alleviate poverty among the young people, and said focus will be on skilling programs.
“The green job is a programme under the Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development which provides equipment to jua kali(informal craftspeople) groups…it also undertakes skilling, technical and learning. We want to make it a constituency based intervention but the Shs4 billion we have been given has not been enough,” she said.
Speaker Anita Among asked her to present a brief to Parliament on the skilling programme with details of areas where it has successfully been implemented.