President Museveni Urges Universities to Bridge Unemployment Gap with Job-Ready Skills for Youth

Summary:

• Museveni applauded the university’s role in human resource development in Uganda, tracing this goal back to 1986 when the NRM government identified human resource development as key to national progress.

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LUWERO: President Museveni has emphasized the importance of attracting more learning institutions to help address Uganda’s unemployment gap and reduce idleness and dependency among Ugandans.

In a speech delivered on his behalf by Her Excellency Rtd Maj Jesica Alupo Epel, President Museveni noted that a focus on science education, paired with entrepreneurship training, would make young people more employable.

Alupo delivered these remarks during the 30th annual graduation ceremony in Luwero District, a highly anticipated event for graduates, their families, and the university staff. She congratulated the graduates for their hard work and dedication.

President Museveni highlighted this graduation as an important milestone in the students’ academic journey, acknowledging it as a reward for their commitment, sacrifice, and discipline.

He also thanked parents and guardians for providing both moral and financial support to the graduates.

“Education is a precursor to individual and national development,” Alupo said, noting the role of education in personal and societal progress.

She also commended Bugema University’s management for emphasizing spiritual and moral development, stating, “This university is known for cultivating a balance between academic excellence and spiritual growth.”

Museveni applauded the university’s role in human resource development in Uganda, tracing this goal back to 1986 when the NRM government identified human resource development as key to national progress.

“You cannot transform a country sustainably unless you transform the human resource first,” he stated, noting that human resources are often more valuable than natural resources.

He cited countries like Japan, South Korea, and China as examples of nations that have achieved prosperity with limited natural resources.

Reflecting on Uganda’s past, Museveni recalled the country’s challenges in human development, including limited education, poor skills, and low health standards.

In response, the government introduced Universal Primary Education in 1996 and Universal Secondary Education in 2007, improved maternal health care, and launched mass immunization campaigns against diseases like polio and measles.

“We also liberalized the education and health sectors to allow faith-based institutions, cultural institutions, companies, and individuals to set up schools, hospitals, universities, and vocational institutions,” she said.

Museveni attributed the rise in Uganda’s adult literacy rate from 43% in 1986 to 80% today, and the increase in life expectancy from 43 to 65 years, to these reforms.

However, he acknowledged that unemployment among young graduates remains a challenge.

“This is a good challenge because it has a solution,” he said, emphasizing the need to prioritize courses relevant to the job market.

With limited public sector jobs, Museveni noted that most graduates must find employment in the private sector.

Alupo stressed the potential benefits of African integration, stating that more industries in Uganda would create jobs and generate taxes for government development projects.

She urged universities to equip students with skills aligned with private-sector needs.

Quoting the Bible, Alupo reminded graduates, “To whom much is given, much is required,” encouraging them to contribute positively to Uganda’s development and to their families.