Entebbe Deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Hakim Kirigwa has urged youth leaders to embrace and rally their colleagues into embracing government’s poverty eradication programmes like Emyooga and Parish Development Model [PDM].
Kirigwa made the appeal while officiating at the cleaning exercise organized by MK Youth group and Kabaale – Katabi PDM Group in Kitubulu Village, Katabi Town Council in Entebbe.
He told participants that Uganda has the world’s youngest population with over 78 percent of its population below the age of 30 and with just under eight million youth aged 15-30.
‘’As a country, government has put in place many programs and projects to empower the Youth; PDM, the Youths have 20 Percent out of this money sent to every Parish in Uganda, Youth Livelihood Program (YLP) which focuses on providing the youth with marketable vocational skills and tool kits for self – Employment and Job creation. The government has also put in place the Presidential Industrial Hubs in every region still to empower the youth. My appeal to the youth is that many opportunities are available; we only need to use them for constructively’’, said Kirigwa.
Kirigwa called on the youth to take the wealth creation issue seriously regardless of their political affiliation, saying by acquiring skills that are marketable; they can create employment for themselves and for others.
‘’Take advantage of available government programmes like Skilling Uganda Project, Youth Livelihood Programme [YLP], Emyooga, Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme [UWEP] and now the Parish Development model [PDM] among others. There is a need to change the mindset of youths so that they can benefit fully from government programmes. You should embrace the saving culture. This will help you to improve your livelihoods at the household level’’,added Kirigwa.