By Weswa Ronnie
MBALE CITY
The Multi-Party Youth Forum, a non-government organization, today, Wednesday, engaged youth leaders from different political parties to look into ways of solving the problem of youth unemployment in the country.
The two-day engagement runs from today, Wednesday, to Thursday, 9th July, 2026 at Mt. Elgon Hotel in Industrial City, Mbale City. Youths from different regions across the country and from all political parties are participating.
According to Jacob Eyeru, former Chairperson of the National Youth Council, leaders have to come up with ideas and solutions that they can present to government officials on how to address youth unemployment and other issues such as education and involvement in government programs, among others.
Fredrick Nambafu, Youth Leader at the National Youth Council in Mbale District, said there are many ways the government can improve job creation for young people. These include opening more Skilling Hubs and allowing a larger number of children to join the institutions.
He said that currently, during admission, Skilling Hubs only give opportunities to a few youths from each district, leaving out the majority.
Nambafu added that if youths are skilled, it is easier to solve the problem of youth unemployment because they will be able to start their own businesses.
Phiona Nakayenze, the Forum for Democratic Change [FDC] National Vice Chairperson, says Bugisu is blessed with mountains. She notes that if the government improves tourism by constructing hotels, it can create jobs for young people in the Bugisu region.
She added that most of the roads in Bugisu are in a poor state. She said that if the roads are worked on, it will enable young people to engage in agriculture and transport their products to markets in Mbale Town, which will give them income.
According to the Multi-Party Youth Forum, these views will be compiled and submitted to the relevant government authorities so that issues affecting youths across the country can be addressed.
According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS, 2025) 16.1% of youth (18–30) are unemployed and roughly 48.8% of youth are NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training)
