UGANDA @50 YEARS UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IS 83%, SOUTH AFRICA ITS 24% "F. UNEMPLOYMENT 33. Hon Speaker, Uganda is characterized by a young unemployed population. Just as the President admitted while speaking at the Golden Jubillee celebrations at Kololo, youth unemployment now stands at over 83%. This is not only a security risk, but also the cause of massive poverty the country wallows in. 34. Hon Speaker, whereas government recognizes this problem, no tangible interventions have been put in place. Government has instead hoodwinked the youth with a youth venture capital fund whose accountability we are yet to get. The President is known to have resorted to carrying money in sacks and paper bags to distribute to the youth himself. The President also one time dreamt of a student’s grant scheme, as a solution to unemployment – and he announced it. How can student loan-bonding create employment for the youth? How can you ask a youth to produce a land title before getting a loan when his/her parents have never owned a land title? 35. Hon. Speaker, for the last decade of UPE, young people are being taught to cram 20% of their curriculum in order to pass exams. What is needed in our view is greater training in entrepreneurship. Government should partner with successful entrepreneurs to talk to and inspire the youth. In addition, we should ease financial access for them, and celebrate business role models, instead of war heroes. G. EMPTY VISIONS 36. We have seen many pledges in Vision 2020, 2025, 2030 and now 2040. In vision 2020, Uganda’s target was to eliminate the river blindness disease in the selected districts by 2015, and the rest of the country. Vision 2030 promised to turn around the fortunes of five million productive Ugandans to ensure they earn UGX 20 million annually. Today, it is vision 2040, projecting to transform Uganda from a peasant to a modern and prosperous country within 30 years by: i). Establishing a hi-tech ICT city modeled on Silicon valley in the United States..."
Posted on: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 11:07:39 +0000
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