The Africa Climate Collaborative at Makerere University, an initiative supported by the Mastercard Foundation, has launched a fully funded Youth Skilling Program aimed at equipping young people with practical, market-driven skills to unlock business opportunities and contribute to climate resilience.
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The program will begin with a pilot cohort of 50 youth drawn from Lwengo, Rakai and Yumbe districts, as part of a broader initiative that seeks to empower 500 young people over the eight years of its implementation.
According to Prof. Gorettie Nabanoga, Programme Director of the Africa Climate Collaborative, the initiative was designed to support skilling young people who have completed Senior Four but have limited opportunities to pursue higher education or formal employment.
“We realised that there are several young people who never got an opportunity to attend university or pursue higher education, yet they constitute the majority of our population. We are intentionally creating pathways that enable them to acquire practical skills, participate meaningfully in the economy and secure dignified employment,” Prof. Nabanoga said.
The training for the first cohort of 50 youth will focus on the poultry value chain, covering feed production, hatchery management, chicken rearing, poultry product value addition and poultry waste management. Participants will receive hands-on training at the Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute, Kabanyolo (MUARIK), followed by industry attachments to strengthen their practical experience. Upon successful completion of the training, participants will undertake the Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board (UVTAB) competency examination and, if successful, be awarded nationally recognized certificates.
The first cohort specifically targets youth aged 18–35 years residing in Lwengo Sub- County (Lwengo District), Ddwaniro Sub- County (Rakai District), Zone 5 of the Bidibidi Refugee Settlement and Ariwa Sub- County (Yumbe District). Young women, young mothers, refugees and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. Successful participants will be
supported to return to their communities to establish poultry-related enterprises while sharing the acquired knowledge and skills with other youths.
Applications are open and can be submitted online through;
https://climatecollaborative.mak.ac.ug/application, by email to climateresilience@mak.ac.ug, or through designated district offices.
