Government to tackle poverty among youths

By Jean-Marie Nsambu

YOUTH make up more than 40% of the world’s total unemployed population. Worldwide, the majority of young people live in conditions of poverty, a derivative of rampant unemployment.

It is basically for this that this year’s International Youth Day will focus on addressing the poverty crisis around the world. The event is under the theme, ‘Tackling Poverty Together: The Role of the Youth in Wealth Creation.’

The theme gives Uganda an opportunity to take stock of its accomplishments and challenges in empowering youth, says James Kinobe, Youth and Children Affairs State Minister.

He says the theme points to the fact that wealth creation as a strategy for fighting poverty, is everybody’s obligation.

“Our youth must seize every chance to create wealth.”

A student at Lugogo institute laying bricks. Youths need skills that make them job creators

At present, Kinobe is working with the ministry technocrats for a concerted approach towards transforming young people in Uganda.

“My objective is to have qualitative results of all these numerous programmes targeting youth in the country.” Barely a year in the office, Kinobe reveals that several groups of youth he has met have common problems. These range from lack of funding to marginalisation.

He says, “We need to evaluate our programmes for youth. For example, in 1986 when we took charge of government, youth were largely associated with crime. Today, we have made a landmark model of young people, especially in the political arena.”

Over half of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) representation of Uganda is of former youth council members. Kinobe observes that since being youth is transitional, young people need role models of those that have passed the age.

“There are only 12 years (18-30) of this stage, after which, one is expected to have graduated into a self-sustaining young adult. But, it is not always the case, as many of them are still stagnated in unemployment and poverty,” the minister observes.

The State Minister is embarking on a programme to bring back the graduates of the youth stage to partner professionally with the current young people.

“With evaluation, we shall be able to find the root causes of the situations affecting youth.”

He adds, “If we find that the problem is little financing, then we shall have to tackle it accordingly. I want to tell you that the Government’s Entandikwa project began in the Gender Ministry before the Finance Ministry took it up.

“Now it is under Gen. Salim Saleh (Minister of State for Microfinance). But, if the youth problem is money, then we shall have to link the young people to the Microfinance Ministry to see them out of poverty.”

He reveals that the discussions are already going on in that respect. His ministry has also drafted a strategy for community mobilisation and Empowerment, which is yet to be presented to Cabinet to forward it on as a Bill to Parliament.

Kinobe stresses, “We want a law that will attract coordinated financing, but also be able to compel the beneficiaries to participate in the obligation to create individual and community wealth.”

The celebrations to be presided by President Yoweri Museveni at Akii Bua Stadium in Lira, will also be a reminder of the youth, considered very energetic, to be innovative in job creation.

Because of the importance of youth to a nation, the government is keenly reconsidering the scrapping of youth councils in Uganda.

Commissioner for Youth in the Ministry, Kyateka Mondo, says the government is expected to come up with the most suitable action on the matter.

“By the way, youth councils are mandatory to the Commonwealth members states, so government can not do away with them altogether.”

Today in Lira, Mondo says, the President is expected to pronounce the government stand on that contentious issue, which has had a ‘healthy debate’ in the media.

“I want to point out that many of our politicians today are youthful. Look at the composition of Uganda's representatives to the East African Parliament: Dan Kidega, Mike Sebalu, Lydia Wanyoto, Bernard Mulengani and Nusura Tiperu are all products of the youth councils.”

The majority of Uganda’s youth have been constrained by high demands for jobs. They are asked several years of experience, excellent academic grades, and advanced degrees for even clerical jobs.

They are haunted by the know-who technicalities, sexual harassment and bribes in search for employment. Many of them are idle and engage in gambling and such crime like prostitution and theft.

Today government is up to emphasise modernised agriculture, and enable the youth access factors of production.

Among other goals, the ministry wants to create entrepreneurial minded and focused young people, encourage them to engage in small-scale industrial production and also save.