The State House Comptroller, Ms. Jane Barekye, has said that the 21 zonal industrial hubs that have been constructed under the Presidential Initiative On Skilling Uganda will help scale down unemployment rates, especially among the youths, and stimulate industrial production.
Ms. Barekye said this today at a meeting of various stakeholders who included officials from the Ministry of Local Government, Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs), Members of Parliament (MPs), Resident District Commissioners (RDCs), Local Council 5 Chairpersons, District Internal Security Officers (DISOs) and District Commercial Officers (DCOs) at a prelaunch meeting of the hubs at Lukhonge in Mbale.
“Construction of the hubs has been going on for three years. Equipping them with water and electricity has been done and we are ready to start,” Ms. Barekye told the stakeholders.
She said Uganda faces a number of constraints in its development agenda which low levels of competitiveness, industrialisation and value- addition.
“The results of these constraints are unfavourable balance of payment, low levels of employment and high poverty levels especially among the youths,” she noted.
She said that through his vision to curb unemployment among the youths and to transform Ugandan society from a predominant peasant and low-income economy to a competitive Middle Income economy, President Yoweri Museveni embarked on job and wealth creation drives.
“In this regard, State House embarked on the establishment and operationalisation of the zonal industrial hubs aimed at stimulating production, employment as well as socio-economic transformation among Ugandans,” Barekye told the meeting.
She said that among other programmes, the President came up with idea of zonal industrial hubs offering skilling programmes in shoe making, carpentry, welding, tailoring, knitting, weaving hair dressing, masonry and confectionery.
“The hubs have machine capacity of 300 learners per semester making them 600 learners per year for each zonal hub,” she told the meeting.
“We have common user machines. Those with particular skills will have common facilities for production. They will come and make their products, and go and sell them without any pay.”
Each industrial hub will also have a four-acre model or demonstration farm with the aim of promoting President Museveni’s vision of teaching farmers how to benefit economically on small pieces of land.
Each hub will also have storage facilities or silos which are to benefit the communities around who will store their cereals in there during the peak season for free and use them during off-season.
There will also value-addition on a small scale such as grain milling machines.
“We are happy with are working with Ministry of Local Government. They are our good partners in this programme and we shall move with them always,” Barekye added.
Other speakers at the meeting included Bungokho South MP, Hon. Robert Wandwasi, who said that as the people of Bugisu, they are happy to witness this Presidential pledge that has become a reality.
He called on the people to embrace the Programme saying it will go a long way in offering skills to youths who are presently faced with a huge unemployment burden.
“We are happy that this industrial hub in Lukhonge will is going to scale down on unemployment by providing employable skills to more youths,” he said, adding that with the Skilling programme taking shape in Bugisu, the sub-region is now assured of a secured future as indicated by the vision of President Museveni.
Mbale RDC, Ms. Sumini Nasike, thanked President Museveni for spearheading the Vision to skill the youths in Uganda and also thanked Mbale district local government for providing the land on which the industrial hub has been constructed.
She thanked Government for the Programme noting that it will go a long way in equipping youths especially young mothers with the much needed skills they need to earn a living and support their families without looking for formal employment.
“The community in particular is very excited with the project,” Nasike said.
Mbale district LC5 Vice chairman, Mr. Tony Wamagale, commended the people of Bugisu and Sebei sub-regions for embracing the project saying the industrial hub in Lukhonge started as a dream and will go a long way in skilling youths into employable personalities. He also thanked President Museveni for investing in the youth Skilling Programme.
The meeting was attended by officials all from Bugisu and Sebei sub-regions.
From Bugisu, Ms. Barekye will go on a countrywide drive to sensitise the public of the zonal industrial hubs and how they will operate. The initiative comes as Government works on a far-reaching post-Covid-19 lockdown economic recovery Programme to boost all sectors of the economy and bringing the most vulnerable sections of the masses into the money economy. Orphans and school drop-outs are among key target groups to benefit which was initially only in Kampala.
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