The Vice President Jessica Alupo has appealed to every household to select a money-making enterprise in the four sectors of commercial agriculture, industries, services and ICT in order to eliminate poverty and unemployment across the country.
She says the move, is not a new phenomenon as it dates back during the days of our ancestors. “Before colonialism, our ancestors had developed a system of a highly productive society, by encouraging every member of society to belong to at least one of the emyooga – specializations. For instance, they had Abaheesi (black smiths), Ababaizi (carpenters), Abanogoozi (clay workers), Abakomagyi (bark cloth-makers), Abatanagyi (bows and arrow workers),” the vice president said.
Alupo made the appeal on behalf of President Yoweri Museveni at the commissioning of Sam Owori Skilling Hub in Tororo Municipality, Tororo District. The hub has been constructed in memory of the Late Rotary International President Elect Sam Owor, who died in USA, 2017 while undergoing surgery on his leg.
She stressed that since 1986, the message of the National Resistance Movement has been that every adult Ugandan should have omwooga ( an area of economic specialization) that is earning them money. On behalf of the government, Alupo thanked partners for their contribution towards the establishment of Sam Owori skilling hub, saying the project is a transformative initiative that aligns with the government’s efforts to trigger the socio-economic transformation of Uganda. They included; Rotary Club of Innsbruck Alpin in Austria, the Rotary Club of Kampala, Rotary Districts 1920 and 9213, the Rotary Foundation, Habitat for Humanity Uganda, Start Somewhere, the PERI Group, PACODEF, Tororo Youth Initiative for Professional Development, Build Me; and Zefania and Mary Ochieng Trust, who donated the land for the establishment of the hub.
The Vice President commended the Rotary Clubs for collaborating with the NRM government, to extend social services to our people, in the areas of health, education among others. Alupo further said vocational training is an integral part of the NRM’s agenda to transform the human resources in Uganda.
She said the Presidential Skilling Hubs have been training the youths in shoe-making, knitting sweaters, cloth-weaving, furniture making, fruit and food processing, cutting stones for construction, jewelry making, making paper from banana fibres, making strong textile from bark-cloth, leather-tanning, processing herbal medicine from the indigenous herbs, assembling and manufacturing electronic gadgets, making electrical transformers.
“The focus of the skilling hubs is to transform the youth force from a liability to an asset. Hence, our economy of four sectors ─ commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services and ICT ─ will absorb and render useful all our active population, to produce goods and services for import substitution and export promotion, now that we have enough electricity, good roads, peace,” Alupo noted.
The VP revealed that currently the government is prioritizing industrialisation to cut down the hemorrhage caused by the excessive importation of items that can competitively be produced in Uganda.
“When we import these items, we donate both money and jobs to foreigners leaving our own children unemployed. More industries in Uganda means more jobs for the population and taxes to the government to carry out development projects,” she said.
Alupo further noted that there’s need to take some of the youth back into agriculture adding that many of them need to go into manufacturing, in order to stop the importation of textiles, leather goods, alcohol and beverages, electronics, iron and steel. “Many of these can be manufactured by our youth,” she said.
Alupo lauded the people of Tororo for promoting unity and peaceful co-existence among the Iteso and Japadhola communities. She further commended the Kwar Adhola Stephen Moses Owor of Adhola Cultural Institution for his commitment in working with government to drive socioeconomic transformation across Padhola.
The Kwar Adhola appreciated government and its development partners for their contribution towards the construction and equipping of Sam Owori skilling hub, saying the facility will go a long way in training the youth in vocational skills as the chiefdom strives to fight unemployment among the youth. The Kwar Adhola also thanked the family of Ochieng for offering the land for where the facility has been constructed.
MP for Tororo Municipality Apollo Yeri said the facility is among the fundamental gains which must be jealously protected because it’s contribution skills development is immense. Dr. Tanga Odoi, the Chairperson NRM electoral commission lauded vice president Alupo for her outstanding contribution towards the development of Tororo district as a whole…End