Ministers Kabanda,Namuganza urge Mulago Ghetto youth to be productive

By Kitts D.Mabonga

A total of 650 ghetto youth have taken part in showcasing their skilling hands-on talents which would turn them into productive citizens well-positioned to fight household poverty.

The call was made last week by the Minister of Kampala Metropolitan Affairs Hajjati Minsa Kabanda while officiating at the Mulago presidential initiative on Skilling the girl/Boy Child Project Centre where students showcased different professional skills that they have learned at the Centre.

The minister pointed out that the youths among the different Ghetto communities needed to come out and access the free vocational skills training opportunities courtesy of the Presidential initiative on skilling the girl/boy child program spearheaded by the State house.

‘This is a big opportunity for our youth to take up positions and enroll for these strategic courses which shall effectively turn them into productive and prosperous citizens given that the training Centers are scattered all over the five divisions of the Greater Kampala Metropolitan area’ noted Kabanda who is eying to replace the current and outgoing Kampala Central legislator Muhammad Nsereko.

She congratulated the current cohort of students who have decided to enlist for training in various courses saying they stand to benefit from the strategic employment fruits ushered in by the NRM administration led by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.   

The state minister for lands Princess  Persis Namuganza said the government was determined to ensure that the youth across the country who form the majority population are given entrepreneurship skills training opportunities such that they can embark on their journey of creating their own jobs thus contributing to the poverty eradication programs of the government.

Namuganza also MP for Bukoona county in Namutumba district urged the youth to desist from accepting to be lured into acts of criminality by bad groups but instead enlist with such training opportunities and also access the PDM funds to set up joint workshops within their respective communities and earn an incomes.

The Kampala RCC Hajjat Amina Lukanga in her brief remarks said she was excited that more young people are steadily accepting to become trained under such strategic government programs and used the opportunity to call upon others still walking the streets in search of white-collar jobs that skilling programs was the way to go given that the skills acquired can lead one to set up own business.

The director of the presidential initiative on skilling the girl/boy child project in State House Dr. Faith Katana Mirembe thanked the Mulago center administrator Wanyana Juliet with the team for a great job well done for training the youth saying the resultant fruits are poised to have a positive multiplier effect on communities were the beneficiary students come from.

Wanyana Juliet as the center boss flanked by his deputy Luboyera Kraish said they are offering strategic training services to over 657 students undertaking various courses of their choice and are happy for both the logistical and technical support rendered which has effectively enabled them to handle this huge team.

She listed challenges they are encountering such as escalating cases of student drop outs due to several societal and household shortcomings such as domestic violence at household level, shifting to new location and peer pressure from old friends which is being handled by special counseling g services extended to the potential victims by experts among others.

The course units undertaken includes hairdressing [112], tailoring [101], Plumbing [70], electricity and electronic each with [63], wielding [57] respectively.

Others are construction [54], shoe making [36], Knitting [33] and embroidery [29].