Government has donated working equipment to 16 youth groups from six districts in the country. The equipment was donated under the Green Jobs and Fair Labour Market Programme which aims at at fighting unemployment, decent work deficits, and workplace unsustainable environment practices in the Country.
The equipment included; tailoring machines, tents and plastic chairs, Motorcycles, water harvesting tank, water pumps, car washing machines, salon equipment and maize milling machine.
Speaking at the handover function, the state minister for labour Col. Okello P. Charles Engola Mac-Odwog urged the beneficiaries to put the received equipment to use for a likelihood and create more jobs for other youths who didn’t make it through to the list of beneficiaries.
“You are a symbol of hard work and determination, therefore the best performers in these groups will be linked to the operation wealth fund,” he said.
According to Mr. Busingye Hillary who represented the permanent secretary of Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development Aggrey David Kibenge, this is the third cohort when the government is donating working equipment to youths. In the first cohort where president Yoweri Museveni presided over the function, 67 youth groups benefited from the initiative in 2017 and 190 youth groups in the second cohort.
“These groups are verified by local councils and district leaders, therefore these people are deemed fit to receive the equipment,” he said adding that, “Green Jobs and Fair Labour Market Programme is here to reduce poverty, address unemployment and under employment while sustaining the environment.”
Lilian Aber, the woman MP of Kitgum urged the government to continue prioritizing such programs noting that the youth will get out of poverty. “ When ministry of gender tables a supplementary budget for just programs, I will be the first person to support it because youth constitute 75% of the country’s population,”
Mr. Simon Ogikayi aka King Jahfire who is one of the Beneficiaries from Kitgum district applauded president Museveni for prioritizing youth and urged him to roll out the program throughout the country.