Heifer International, in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation, is launching a significant project titled the “Stimulating Agribusiness for Youth Employment Project” (SAYE) to expand access to agribusiness opportunities for over 250,000 young people in Uganda.
The project aims to empower 250,000 young people aged 16 to 35 (70% females, 3% youth with disabilities) by improving their skills, expanding market access, and offering inclusive financing in key sectors.
Targeting female youth (70 percent) and youth with disabilities, the project emphasizes poultry, horticulture, oilseed, dairy, and beef value chains.
“Among them, 175,000 of the targeted young people will be transitioned into dignified and fulfilling work within agribusiness and non-agribusiness enterprises,” says Ms. Flavia Nalubega, the communication officer at Heifer International.
The project aims to improve the socio-economic well-being and resilience of young people in the Busoga sub-region by 2029.
According to Ms. Nalubega, the youth in the districts of Jinja, Mayuge, Iganga, Kamuli, Kaliro, Namutumba, Bugweri, Luka, Buyende, Bugiri, and Namayengo will benefit from the initiative.
SAYE envisions facilitating the acquisition of market-relevant skills for young people, including women, to increase access to and utilization of quality services and market opportunities by 2029.
“The project focuses on building self-sustaining youth agri-hubs and an MSME ecosystem to stimulate job creation for young people by 2029. It will also facilitate access to innovative financing mechanisms for young entrepreneurs to start or expand opportunities by 2029,” Ms. Nalubega told Busoga Today.
Busoga subregion is one of Uganda’s regions prioritizing agriculture, particularly sugarcane growing as the core crop. With over seven sugar mills, the region has fertile soils that favor the growth of other crops like maize, cassava, millet, and beans.
Efforts to revamp agribusinesses include several initiatives. Recently, the Busoga Consortium for Development (BCD) launched the Village Development Model (VDM), a Chinese agricultural methodology to improve agricultural production and transform lives in Busoga and beyond.
According to the Third Deputy Prime Minister, Hajjat Lukia Isanga Nakadama, VDM, which is being piloted by BCD in collaboration with China Agricultural University (CAU) and the Office of the Vice President, is a key vehicle for implementing the ten-year Busoga Development Agenda (BDA) and the Parish Development Model (PDM) program in Busoga.
“By adopting a village-wide perspective, VDM aligns seamlessly with the overarching goals of PDM, particularly in regions like Busoga, where a comprehensive approach is needed to break the cycle of poverty and deprivation,” Nakadama said on August 4, 2024, while launching the model program in Mayuge district.
She said VDM embodies a holistic approach that transcends individual farms to encompass entire villages, fostering community engagement, collaboration, and sustainable agricultural practices.
Twelve model villages will be established across Busoga (one village per local government). These selected villages will be holistically developed into flagship centers from where local economic transformation will spread across the entire local government.
The Uganda National Development Plan III (NDPIII) states that “To make agriculture more productive, cumulative water for production storage capacity, the percentage of functional water for production facilities, and the percentage of irrigated area will be increased. In addition, post-harvest losses for priority commodities will be reduced, and storage capacity will be extended by 2025.”
According to NDPIII, job opportunities will increase by strengthening the capacity of the agro-industry sector, as well as other key growth sectors. Access to financing, extension services, and agricultural mechanization will be provided to farmers.
The government has pledged to implement poverty alleviation strategies with a special emphasis on vulnerable and marginalized individuals, promoting household participation in public development initiatives, and raising public awareness of national and governmental programs.
Ms. Nalubega from Heifer says SAYE will improve the business environment for young people, including women, to access resources and job opportunities in the Busoga region by 2029.
By the end of the program, there will be increased access to and utilization of market-relevant skills among youth. Growth of youth-led agri-enterprises and service-based enterprises, and participation of youth in decision-making, resource allocation, and utilization will be enhanced.
Despite being the backbone of Uganda’s economy, agriculture was allocated shs644 billion in the shs72 trillion national budget for the financial year 2024/2025. This represents a reduction of shs347.522 billion (37 percent) from the previous financial year’s allocation of shs1 trillion.
Reports show that in the financial year (FY) 2022/23, agriculture accounted for about 24% of GDP and 35% of export earnings. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimates that about 68% of Uganda’s working population is employed in agriculture.
