Ugandan youth leaders have been urged to become wealth creators. The call was made by President Yoweri Museveni during the International Youth Day commemoration at State house Entebbe.
The day is commemorated under the theme: “Youth Engagement for Global action.”
The President said the starting point is for youth leaders to wake up their families to learn ways in which to create wealth and have testimonies to this.
He noted that the 2014 census indicated that 68% of the homesteads were still working for their stomachs and not engaging in commercial agriculture.
“A modern youth must take part in waking up your family first, you village, your area and yourself. Because that’s what I did when I came to Rwakitura in 1967 after my A’level, the idea was to buy that land and educate those sleeping Banyankore. People are going to the moon” Museveni said.
He noted that current youth leaders are a mockery and have not helped even themselves to develop and should be called co-sleepers, since they are leading people who are asleep. Adding that while Americans were going to the moon in 1967, Ugandans were still sleeping.
Mr. Museveni noted that the medicine for poverty is money and this can only be achieved through working hard through Commercial Agriculture, Industries, Services and ICT.
“You challenge the youth. Which address have you gone to, or intend to go to? Do you want agriculture, industries, services or ICT? Where do you want to go and how can we help you?” the President said.
He promised to start an industry for leather tanning using the funds of Nakyobe so that all people who want to make shoes can get somewhere to start.
“They built an abattoir to slaughter cows, the cows are there but they are scattered. Gen. Moses Ali one of the richest people in Uganda can supply I don’t know how many bulls in a year. I am not a very poor man, I can supply 2000 bulls a year, but the factory needs 400 bulls per day, so I can only supply the factory for 5 days” the president said.
President Museveni explained that for one year, the factory needs 146,000 bulls and with 14 million cows scattered all over the country, this is very possible to maintain.
He has advised youths to do bull fattening and feed the leather factories to create more jobs. He wondered why Ugandans still import furniture from Dubai, a desert.
Ms. Rosa Malango the UN Resident Coordinator said she led a delegation to South Western Uganda to visit UN frontline staff and many Ugandans were thankful of the President’s support.
She noted that her team visited youth initiatives promoting the attainment of the Sustainable development goals. “We encourage youths to take part in the one million solutions challenge as part of the UN’s 75 anniversary. This innovation challenge aims to identify youth who have viable solutions to address poverty, environment protection, value addition and unemployment” Ms Malango said.
Other guests at the celebrations include; Gen Moses Ali the 1st Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Gender, Labour and Social Development Frank Tumwebaze, Hon. Mwine Mpaka the Youth MP for Western Uganda, Hon. Sarah Kityo Babirye youth MP Central Region, among others.
Also, Ms Elsie Attafuah the UNDP Resident Representatove was also present.
