By Julius Mugaga Tukacungurwa/Umoja Standard.
Kampala, Uganda: It is globally known that Uganda has a remarkably young population, with over 78% of its people under the age of 30. For any country, surely this would present vast opportunities to achieve the ambitious 20230 Sustainable Development Goals through utilization of its energy, creativity and passion but this would be effective if the generation is facilitated in different spheres of life to reap from its potentials.
On contrary, this demographic sections is infested with untold challenges top among them being high levels unemployment constituting around 64% (UBOS, 2023), others like lack access to resources for their initiatives, limited access to education with only 52% of young people in rural Uganda completing secondary education according to (UNESCO, 2023), and gender inequality with High adolescent pregnancy rates disproportionately impacting girls’ education according to (UN Women,2024).
This signifies that to effectively empower the Ugandan youths and drive sustainable progress, stakeholders must continue to invest in youth development programs, promote inclusive decision-making, and work to close the education and employment gaps, particularly for young women.
The Youth VNR Consultations Report 2024 has suggested that;
With this experience, there is a call for affirmative action in investing more in youths’ innovations, this could be educational, vocational, and entrepreneurial programs that might help exploit their potentials.
Constant review and update youth-focused policies with input from diverse youth representatives to suit their capacities and innovations, and promotion of gender equality through implementing targeted policies and initiatives to ensure young women and girls have equal access to opportunities.
The affirmation is that when this empowerment is done, youths will surely be key to achieving the SDGs and by creating a favorable environment, Uganda can unlock and tap into its youths’ potential.
Linda Asaba the Program’s Manager at Uganda Nations Association Uganda, called for revitalization in domestic funding amidst foreign aid cut to tap into potentials of the youths.
Panelists of the day, Emmanuel Kirunda, the Secretary General of Uganda Journalists Association (UJA) and Charity Ahimbisibwe from Civil Society concurred on the value of engaging with the media in acceleration of the SDGs.
All these were reached at, at a side event for Civil Society and Media practitioners prior to the 3rd Uganda SDGs Conference hosted by UNAU at Forest Cottages Naguru, under the theme: Achieving the SDGs: CSOs media round table.
The event climaxed with the endorsement of Youth Voluntary National Review Consultation Report, 2024 by the President of United Nations Associatin Uganda, George Muwanguzi.