By Businge Emmanuel
DRCC- Fort Portal.
While Presiding Over As Guest Of Honor During the Labor Day Celebrations On 1st May 20024 in Fort Portal City, the President Of Uganda Stated that its lack of Vision is to blame for the Unemployment and not the lack of Jobs as Most People tend to suggest. Indeed the President was on point given the fact that several Government Programs and initiatives are tailored to have Jobs in place for those who have a vision.
For Long, the President has offered the right diagnosis that if taken into consideration would see great strides in socioeconomic transformation, especially at the House household level.
To start With, the State House Initiated and established regional Industrial Hubs to create a critical mass of Youth equipped with skills to be job creators rather than job seekers. Such a group of Youth can not decry the lack of jobs and it’s most unlikely that none of them can opt for maid jobs abroad. The Industrial hubs also address pertinent Questions like import substitution. Uganda has been importing even basic items like furniture from China despite the abundant timber. With Skilled labour to do state-of-the-art wood products, the importation of some products will be something of the Past. The Last two months have seen the state House conduct Graduation ceremonies from various regional hubs producing thousands of youth skilled in different fields.
Affirmative empowerment Programs like Youth Livelihood and UWEP are intended to provide sufficient capital to the entrepreneur class of People to start a business. People who have embraced and put to proper use the cheap capital provided can testify to the Socioeconomic transformation at the Family Level. It’s Crystal clear that Ugandans are not short of working Capital but the Vision. The direction that one aspires to take. In addition to the above the PDM and emyooga also mean that a substantial amount of Money is available to finance enterprises to spur the economy but it all depends on what the President called attitude.
On Several Occasions, the Head of State has offered practical examples of People who have transformed their lives by exploiting the available opportunities around them. The testimony by Mr . Nyakana of Rwengaju in Kabarole who earns an average of 180 M annually should be a learning Lesson for Us all moreover on a small piece of Land measuring about 2.2 acres. From the broader National Vision, Nyakana is inspired by the individual vision that has seen him prosper.
By and large, the infrastructure in place like Roads and Electricity should be able to facilitate trade. The NRM Government has incredibility done regarding electrification with almost all sub-counties in the Country connected to the national grid. To that effect, procession and therefore value addition can be realised thus increasing the value of products produced. The Major Roads are also in good condition to enable Market Access. A producer of a product in Arua can ably have his or her product in Kampala without any hindrance meaning that Regions can produce products that come with a comparative advantage.
As a country, we have an ambitious National Vision with the President the vision bearer only betrayed by a lack of individual Vision that has derailed the Country’s Social and Economic Development. The above is also precipitated and exaggerated by an opposition that decampaigns and discredits good Government Programs thus impacting negatively on the people’s perceptions.
