Kampala (ILO News): The ILO partnered with the European Union to organise a knowledge sharing platform in youth entrepreneurship where the successes of the Uganda Youth Entrepreneurship Facility project were highlighted as best experiences to encourage potential future initiatives.
During the knowledge sharing conference which was held in Kampala on the 24th November 2016, Hon. Peace Regis Mutuuzo, Minister of Labour and Social Development extended her sincere appreciation to ILO and European Union for the continuous support they provide towards government programmes in the area of Youth Entrepreneurship.
“As the Government continues to come up with programs geared towards supporting the youth, we appreciate that unemployment is still a key challenge for our young people… I urge them to continue getting involved in private enterprises so as to be able to access the youth livelihood programme interventions and upscale some of the good practices from the YEF project.” Hon. Peace Regis Mutuuzo.
Mr Jealous Chirove, Employment Specialist in the ILO noted that, “… Analysis of the YEF Project has revealed that 28% of the entrepreneurs that have been supported have started new businesses, while 42% have improved their businesses after receiving the Start and Improve Your Business training, creating an estimated 1.8 jobs per enterprise started”.
The EU Aid Coordinator, Ms Beatrice M. Compodonic, highlighted that “…although we are celebrating the completion of the technical training for the youth beneficiaries, I believe that we are also marking the starting date of a new journey for young people who benefitted from the project.”
She also commended the first steps taken in tapping the huge potential green economy can bring in terms of employment, in terms of 'green jobs'. “...With 70% of the population in Africa under the age of 30 and an estimated 11 million young people expected to join the labour market every year, green investment could not only alleviate poverty pressure, but also drive new industries and innovations… Uganda has everything to become an inspiring example for Africa" she underlined.
The event was attended by 500 participants from different ministries, development partners, private sector and industry representatives, civil society, researchers, and youth organisations, including 60 YEF beneficiaries who showcased their products and services.
Information on youth entrepreneurship in Uganda
According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBS), Uganda’s big challenge is labour underutilisation with more than one quarter of the working population (27 percent) underutilized in relation to time, inappropriate skills and low pay. This represents a major challenge to the country in economic, political and societal terms. The low quality of employment of those who work does not allow young people to make the most of their economic potential.
To addresss these challenges, the European Union and the ILO through the Youth Entrepreneurship Facility (YEF) in Uganda supported young men and women to unleash their potential and skills in entrepreneurship to create decent jobs for themselves and their fellow youth.
The YEF has been implemented over the past two and half years and focused on five core areas, namely, Promoting entrepreneurship culture; Promoting entrepreneurship education for in-school youth at vocational and technical level; Evidence-based advocacy; Capacity building of youth organizations and; Access to business development services and affordable finance for out-of-school youth.
