President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has approved a plan that will enable graduates from the zonal Presidential Industrial Hubs to borrow start-up capital for their enterprises.
“When the children were leaving here, they went and struggled on their own. Now the Comptroller has brought a very good idea which I have approved.She said let’s have a SACCO per district of the graduates of the Presidential Industrial hubs so that they start saving together and the government can put money in it,” he said.
President Museveni made the remarks today while commissioning the Bukedi Zonal Presidential Industrial Hub in Kibuku District.
The Bukedi Industrial hub, is among the 19 hubs spread across the country under the Presidential Initiative on Skilling with an aim of combating unemployment among the youths through equipping them with vocational skills and ushering them into the money economy.
According to the President, the district SACCO will operate just like the Parish Development Model (PDM) SACCO where the graduate will borrow money to start up an enterprise and then pay back later.
“Together with District SACCOs, we are going to look at the Common User facilities per district so that when a child borrows from her SACCO to buy material, she can also borrow tools. These tools will belong to the SACCOs. It’s going to be a big organisation,” he emphasised.
President Museveni also agreed to increase the intake number of beneficiaries in the Bukedi hub.
“Instead of 240, we can have 280 learners. The idea of a transport van for each hub is also a good one.”
On the other hand, President Museveni urged the people of Bukedi to always distinguish between development and wealth creation, explaining that an area can be developed but with poor people,thus calling upon the residents to work towards creating wealth to improve their livelihoods.
“We have talked to you about development and wealth creation. There’s a lot of confusion there. You find so many people only talking about development like roads, electricity, schools, health centres. You go to an area that is what the leaders are talking about but Omusoga says what is mine is not yours. The road is ours, the school is ours, the health centre is ours, what is yours is the goat, pig or a cow in your compound or an acre of coffee,” he urged.
“When we do a tarmac road here, you are not going to sleep on the tarmac road, the tarmac road will be there but you will go and sleep in your leaking grass-thatched house and in that house you don’t have money. Development is for everybody but the poverty is yours in your home. And the other day we were with a lady called Nabutono, she has got her pigs under PDM, turkeys, and there is no tarmacked road but she already has some income. The tarmacked road will come and find her already well-off.”
On the issue of free education for all, the President rallied the people of Bukedi to work with the government to solve the challenge of Education stakeholders who charge fees in government schools.
“Now because of that, you hear that in Kibuku 82 percent of the children are dropping out of school by Primary seven, only 18 are remaining, the blockage are the charges,” he said.
He also revealed that he was prompted to start up the Presidential Industrial hub initiative to show Ugandans the advantages of free education.
“I always fight wars but sometimes I say, let me wait, I will deal with that later. I had a lot of other things to do, I didn’t have time to fight with those people who introduce fees in government schools, so I said let me start my own small thing which is under me directly so that these Ugandans see how it works, that’s how I started the hubs; one per zone and we said children will study for free and you have seen how it works,” the President noted.
“And this one is actually expensive because we spend a lot more money than in Universal Primary Education because here we are bringing children from the whole of Bukedi from their homes so we need to accommodate them here and we need to feed them also.”
The President also pledged to support the women of Kibuku with Friesan cows.
The Prime Minister, Rt.Hon Robinah Nabbanja thanked the President for his vision in initiating developmental projects that have transformed the country.
She reflected on Kibuku’s transformation since she was appointed RDC for the District in 2001, highlighting improved roads, schools, health facilities, and housing. However, she noted the continued challenge of headteachers demanding fees in government schools, promising a swift action alongside local authorities to ensure that free education for all is honoured.
The Kibuku District LCV Chairperson, Hajji Nakeba Muhammad thanked President Museveni for initiating the hub project that has benefited a good number of youths in the subregion.
“This hub aligns very well with the NRM Manifesto of 2021-2026 and particularly page 70 which puts emphasis on turning youths into manufacturers using zonal industrial hubs,” he said.
“Using these skills acquired here, some youths have already established welding workshops, saloons, carpentry workshops while others have been employed in the UPDF and factories.”
Hajji Nakeba added that in a period of one year, a total of 719 youths have been trained and skilled in different disciplines with 372 being girls and 347 being boys.
“The four acre model farm established at the hub will now be serving as a training ground for the surrounding communities to help them optimally utilise the small pieces of land to create wealth through commercial agriculture,” he said.
“This hub has already answered the question of youth unemployment and value addition.”
He also commended the State House Comptroller, Ms. Jane Barekye for the support towards the hub.
The event was also attended by Ministers, Members of Parliament, among others.
