Karamoja leaders hail Museveni's skilling programme as industrial hubs transform youth livelihoods

What the report says

Nile Post reported that leaders in Uganda’s Karamoja sub-region have welcomed the Presidential Industrial Hubs initiative, saying it is giving young people, including persons with disabilities, practical skills for work and self-employment. The report centers on the Karamoja Zonal Industrial Hub in Napak District, which was launched in 2023 and has trained more than 1,460 youths, with 241 trainees currently in its fourth intake.

Napak District chairperson John Paul Kodet Ditecks, who also chairs the hub, said trainees are learning trades such as bricklaying, carpentry and joinery, hairdressing, plumbing and shoemaking. Nile Post highlighted Dennis Opio, a 27-year-old trainee from Abim District with a physical disability, who is learning shoemaking. Local leaders including Kotido Municipality Mayor Peter Abrahams Irar and Kotido District chairperson Paul Lotee Komol called for another hub, citing high demand from young people seeking training.

At a stakeholders’ meeting in Napak attended by State House Comptroller Jane Barekye and other officials, government plans were outlined to introduce stone crushing as a value-addition activity suited to Karamoja’s local resources. Barekye also encouraged local governments to support graduates through contracts for items such as school uniforms and furniture, and said Shs50 billion has been set aside in soft loans for industrial hub graduates.

Some alumni said startup capital and tools had helped them begin carpentry businesses, but they also pointed to limited electricity as a barrier to growth. State House official Eng. Raymond Kamugisha said assessments of industrial hubs are underway to identify operational needs, while government plans further expansion. The programme is presented as part of broader efforts to reduce youth unemployment through vocational training and enterprise support.