Chemutai urges sector skills experts to drive Uganda’s skills agenda

What the report says

State Minister for Primary Education and Sports Phyllis Chemutai has called on Uganda’s newly appointed Sector Skills Expert Committees to help shape training around the country’s changing economic needs. According to Nile Post, she made the remarks in Entebbe during a three-day induction workshop running from September 15 to 17, under a theme focused on turning skills into productivity, jobs and wealth creation.

Chemutai said the committees have a national duty to identify current and future skills requirements that can support productivity, industrialisation and employment. She argued that Uganda’s transformation will depend not only on infrastructure such as roads and factories, but also on having people with the right technical abilities to make those investments work effectively. She also urged the private sector to play a more active role in training workers rather than leaving the task to government alone.

The minister said Technical and Vocational Education and Training should produce both skilled workers and entrepreneurs who can create jobs and sustain livelihoods. TVET Council Chairperson Allen Kagina, as reported by Nile Post, cautioned the committees against becoming another forum for endless meetings, saying they should provide practical intelligence linking industry needs with the skills system.

TVET Council Executive Director Moses Kasakya said the committees include industry actors who understand labour market shifts and can help identify competencies needed in sectors such as oil and gas, minerals, ICT, agriculture, tourism and manufacturing. The broader effort is intended to support industry-led, evidence-based TVET and improve employability, enterprise creation and Uganda’s competitiveness.