We need to improve the quality of human resource through training

This urgently calls for the availability of maintenance equipment and workforce directly manned by the ministry of works to remedy such situations.

I was delighted to hear that Uganda’s economy has now grown 23-fold. The major point of concern is whether the perceived growth has been translated into actual development of the human resource. One sector perpetually lagging behind in this aspect is the road sector.
Let us take an example of Tororo-Soroti road currently under construction by Dott Construction Services. The aforementioned road was last worked on by a department of the Ministry of Works called the Re-sealing unit in 1983-84, in the post-liberation war bid to put back to use roads that were damaged by war machinery like tanks and APCs. Whether the technical work force that executed such construction projects have now perished and become extinct is oblivious to me.
The crux of the matter is that the biggest portion of the road’s terrain is relatively flat and a work force of similar capacity could have adequately handled it in the shortest possible time if facilitated. Some parts of the country where new tarmac roads have been constructed were either wetlands or mountainous terrains necessitating employment of credible firms and expertise but this is not the case with Tororo-Soroti road! Since several road and industrial construction works have been accomplished within the recent decades, a number of opportunities have been available to technical institutions for learning and apprenticeship in such infrastructure.
The apparent upsurge of corruption and conflicts between Parliament and the Executive could continue to hamper timely interventions especially where contractual bidding processes are involved.
This urgently calls for the availability of maintenance equipment and workforce directly manned by the ministry of works to remedy such situations. Does the manifold economic growth now imply that government has abundant revenue in its coffers to hire and fire contractors with ease at the expense of building the capacity of its human resource, equipment and infrastructure? A locally well-trained human resource in every respective sector will sort out the unemployment question, enable quick execution of development projects and eventually bring better earnings from its hire within the great lakes region and the global market than odd jobs.
Indeed the military human resource is already doing a great work in pacifying Somalia as a result of the time and input applied to develop it. There are several countries now experiencing the harmful effects of ageing populations and very ready to engage our human resources.
We ought to develop its quality so as to fetch sizeable returns and stop getting excited about the little dime dripping from those employed as guards and porters.
Suppose there was no oil, what would be our focal resource as a nation.
Charles Okecha,
carlsok2@yahoo.com