Kabale District Deputy Speaker Tom Ahimbisibwe Kazemera has challenged married women, to abandon dependency syndrome and embrace income-generating activities, to improve their financial independence and household incomes.
Kazemera made the remarks on Monday while closing a half-day workshop organized by the Mushroom Training and Resource Centre-MTRC in collaboration with Africa Agro-Business Incubation and the Sustainable Inclusive Youth Entrepreneurship Programme-SIYEP.
The workshop was held at Emaus Bible School in Bugongi, Northern Division, Kabale Municipality, and aimed at equipping participants with practical skills in business development, incubation, mentorship, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Kazemera expressed concern over the growing tendency among some married women to depend entirely on their husbands for financial support, urging them to utilise opportunities available within their homes to establish small-scale businesses and create self-employment.
He also criticised the increasing number of educated young people who focus solely on seeking formal employment instead of exploring available business opportunities.
He observed that some people engaged in informal activities, including mushroom growing, are earning more than employees in the formal sector, urging women to embrace income-generating activities as a way of improving their families’ economic welfare.
CUE IN……AHIMBISIBWE ON WOMEN……//
Meanwhile, James Akanyijuka of the Mushroom Training and Resource Centre-MTRC said the initiative seeks to improve the living standards of current and future generations of rural communities in Kabale District through mushroom cultivation and marketing.
Akanyijuka said the centre is focused on transforming agriculture from subsistence production into a profitable agribusiness venture as a strategy for fighting household poverty and creating employment opportunities.
CUE IN: AKANYIJUKA ON AGRO-BUSINESS…//
Northern Division Community Development Officer Peace Kiconco called on non-governmental organisations and other development partners to design programmes that deliberately target men, arguing that many empowerment initiatives have concentrated on women while leaving men behind.
Kiconco said the imbalance risks creating economic and social challenges in households, noting that men also need empowerment opportunities to improve their livelihoods and fulfil their family responsibilities.
She further expressed concern over the increasing number of unemployed young men who are turning to criminal activities such as theft and gambling due to unemployment and a lack of practical skills to establish their own businesses.
CUE IN: KICONCO ON NGOs…//
