Government to support jobless youth

Lira. Government will support hundreds of jobless youth from Lango sub-region through Lango Youth Cooperation Union, an umbrella body of three youth groups.
The State Minister for Youth and Children Affairs, Ms Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi, said government is looking forward to supporting young people under a partnership with Private Sector Foundation.
She was meeting three youth groups from Lango sub-region, including Youth Mobilisation Network, Rising Youth Association Uganda, and Lango Youth Development Initiative at Lira Municipal Council Hall last Friday.
Although self-employment rates among young people remain low in the region, Ms Nakiwala said if supported, the youth would be able to create their own jobs and develop their skills.
In a separate interview with Daily Monitor last Friday, Mr Kenneth Allan Owani, the Lango Youth Cooperative Union chairperson, said: “We want to support them in different areas of vocational skills. We want to lobby for jet car washing machines to be given to them so that they are able to support themselves, their families.”
“We need political support, we also need the government to support this union with resources so that we are able to empower our young people from Lango sub-region,” he added.
Mr Pius Jerry Otim, the national coordinator for Lango Youth Cooperative Union, said youth from Lango sub-region are willing to work with the ruling government.
In Uganda, every year, about 400,000 youth join the job market after graduating from institutions of higher learning.
The national unemployment rate is at 3.2 per cent while that of the youth stands at 22.3 per cent.
With a population of 34.4 million people, where young people (18-30 years) count for about 23 per cent, Uganda is one of the countries with the youngest population in Africa who are dependents after Niger.

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