Article By, Gad Kanyesigye_The Patriot_ a community empowerment advocate. To begin with, many Ugandan parents are not business-oriented, which is a significant reason why their children often finish school and find themselves lingering on city streets of Kampala without jobs or any income generating activities to support a dignified life.
In my opinion, families should consider starting their own small companies/businesses, regardless of or in line with their professions. This will allow children to participate in family business activities during holidays, so that after graduation, they can build and maintain these family businesses.
Many of the admired companies, such as Toyota in Japan, wal-mart of Walton Family, Cargill of Cargill Family – a multinational that deals in Agricultural products, PepsiCo, Tata group of Tata family, Ford in Detroit, US, Samsung, part of a chaebol family business in South Korea and Mukwano in Uganda serve as outstanding examples to inspire this mindset.
Also Read – GAD KANYESIGYE: The Kiteezi Tragedy; As a citizen, I should be the one asking questions
Alternatively, farmers with sufficient land, should consider allocating a portion of their land to their children even when they’re still in school. This will enable children to cultivate crops or rare animals independently, with the parents providing guidance and supervision.
Unfortunately, many parents possess enough land to support their children’s business ventures but are reluctant to allow their children return home and earn a living after school. They often say, “I paid for your school fees; now you need to find your own way.” In a country that produces over 40,000 graduates annually but only has around 9,000 job openings, with an average of 5 million shillings needed to start a small business in Kikuubo, the situation is dire. Young people facing life, such as rent in places like Bwaise and daily transport costs to Kikuubo, before they interact with the complexities of dealing with URA during their SMEs infant stage.
Dear compatriots, we need to change our perspective regarding education for both parents and children. Families need to understand the importance of agricultural studies, as the future lies in agriculture and high-tech industries. Children should be encouraged to pursue technical skills rather than solely focusing on the humanities and social sciences. Although these fields are valuable, their oversaturation in the job market has made them less advantageous. This is why many international companies in construction, high-tech, and manufacturing often hire skilled expatriates from countries like China and India.
Also Read – THE GAPS HINDERING YOUTH EMPOWERMENT & SOCIO-ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION!
We must critically evaluate the business opportunities and marketable skills required in today’s job industry, and adjust our children’s education accordingly, so they do not end up seeking casual labor jobs in the Middle East after earning a degree. Instead, we should aspire to help them secure professional jobs there or, better yet, export what their family businesses produce. Gad Kanyesigye_The Patriot_ is a community empowerment and socioeconomic transformation advocate hailing from Kiruhura district,western Uganda.
Also Read – AFRICA: Can Green Technology Training Curb Unemployment?
