Youth play critical role in development

AUTHOR: Fr Joseph Mukiibi is based in Kansanga-Kampala | [email protected]

What you need to know:

  • The chief guest and also Archbishop of Kampala Paul Ssemogerere in his homily and exhortation was articulate about the critical role of the youth in integral development of a nation.

On Sunday, April 9, the Archdiocese of Kampala celebrated her annual youth day. 

The chief guest and also Archbishop of Kampala Paul Ssemogerere in his homily and exhortation was articulate about the critical role of the youth in integral development of a nation.

Reflectively, nearly half of the world’s population today is under the age of 25 and yet Uganda, being a young country, has about 50 percent of her population below the age of 15 years and close to 76 percent below 30 years. This young and youthful population poses a number of developmental challenges mostly due to the high dependency, which denies the few people in working age the propensity to save and invest to boost economic growth and development.

Effectively addressing the special needs of these youth is a critical challenge to the future of governments. Youth between the age of 15 and 24, make up over one-sixth of the world’s population and about 30 percent of Uganda’s population but are seldom recorganised as a distinct group for the important role they play in shaping the future of nations.

More than any other group, today’s youth will impact how rich and poor countries live in the 21st century. If not, they will react by unleashing risky or harmful behaviour against themselves and society, at large.

Youth flourish when they are surrounded by adults and governments that value them by respecting their rights and recognising their contributions to development. Youth engagement in the design and administration of programmes and policies that affect lives, increases effectiveness to the growth and development of a nation!

Recognition of the significant asset that the youth represent and the fact that our future is tied to their development, is an essential ingredient for economic, political, social and spiritual development. There is a linkage between youth and national development. This intercourse is symbiotically connected and one depends on the other for sustenance.

In Uganda, while several government ministries have their own programmes and sectoral policies, the National Youth Policy and effective co-ordination mechanisms have not taken comprehensive multi-sectoral approach, which hamper their effectiveness. 

Low status given to the youth in structures and prevailing attitudes do not provide an enabling environment for youth participation in planning, implementation and decision-making processes. As Proverbs 22:6 guides:  “Training up a child in the way they should go, will help them not to depart from it even in old age.”

National development refers to a sustainable growth and development of a nation to a more desirable nation. National development is people oriented and its success is evaluated in terms of the impact it has had in improving the participation of masses of which youth are part. True development means the development of man, the unfolding and realisation of his creative potentials, enabling him to improve his material conditions of living. This leads to socio-economic transformation of any society.

The youth have greater responsibility on national development through promotion of peace and national unity. Through their political education, public enlightenment campaign, policy advocacy and active involvement in the electoral process, they can build bridges of understanding across ethnic groups, political spectrum and religious divide.

The youth are an investment opportunity! In order to benefit from aggregate youth engagement and participation, the government should strengthen youth capacities to meet their own subsistence needs, reduce vulnerabilities to political-economic unstable environments and interventions while building trust in them. Imprisonment of the youth is not a solution to restraint but a liability to personal integral growth and national development. (Acts 9:1-19, Gal 1:13-14). Genuine participation of youth gives them the power to shape both the processes and impact.

Fr Joseph Mukiibi,   head of social communications, Archdiocese of Kampala