President Museveni has outlined what he described as a solution to the challenge of unemployment, particularly among the youth in the West Nile sub-region.
Speaking to NRM leaders from West Nile at Muni University on Friday, Museveni said that while many people believe jobs should come from government, the real solution lies in the private sector.
"From 1996, we said that government, in addition to providing roads and electricity, should also provide cheap capital to our people. We started with Entandikwa, then moved to NAADS, which was free money that did not have to be paid back. Later, we introduced Operation Wealth Creation," Museveni said.
He explained that these initiatives were aimed at encouraging Ugandans to engage in wealth creation, which would in turn generate employment opportunities.
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Museveni cited the example of Johnson Basangwa from Kamuli District, whom he said started with only a 50-by-100-foot plot of land and ventured into poultry farming for egg production in 2007. Today, Basangwa is a wealthy businessman.
"For example, Basangwa rears poultry for eggs and is now a rich man. He sells about 2,000 trays of eggs per day, earning shs20 million, and employs over 300 people. He created his wealth here in Uganda, not in the US or Dubai. It is poor thinking to believe that jobs are only found in government," Museveni said.
He added that individuals who start small enterprises not only create jobs for themselves but also for others.
"Somebody who had no job created one for himself and 300 for others. Politically and strategically, you must have an answer to these challenges. When these youths complain about lack of jobs, tell them this. When I go to heaven and God asks me what I did, I will say this is what I did for the people, and if they did not apply it, that is upon them," he said.
Museveni further noted that the introduction of the Parish Development Model (PDM) was intended to provide affordable capital to citizens to enable them to start small businesses and create wealth.
"It is not true that every person in Uganda is very poor. Some people are very rich. Some started with their own capital, others accessed bank loans. However, many Ugandans lack savings and cannot meet bank requirements. That is why we introduced the Parish Development Model. Every person above 18 years joins a SACCO, and the money is sent directly to beneficiaries," he explained.
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The President also emphasized that industrialization remains a key driver of job creation, noting that factories create both wealth and employment.
He cited Mbale Industrial Park, which he said hosts 75 factories employing over 12,000 young people, and Namanve Industrial Park, with 273 factories employing more than 44,000 workers.
"This is the answer to jobs. I am glad you asked for an industrial park. Get me a large piece of land here--about a square mile--and I will bring investors to start factories in this region," Museveni said.
