By Aggrey Baba
In his next political term (2026-2031), President YK Museveni has announced plans to establish a special revolving fund targeting unemployed university graduates, as part of a broader economic expansion drive aimed at growing the country’s economy tenfold in the next 15 years.
Speaking at campaign rallies in Madi-Okollo and Arua yesterday, the NRM flagbearer said the fund will be distributed regionally, with each zone (such as West Nile) receiving specific allocations to help jobless graduates start businesses and reduce dependency.
According to the President, the initiative is designed for graduates who have spent at least two years without jobs. Museveni said the move is part of his efforts to ensure that every Ugandan actively participates in income generation instead of being a mere spectator in the wealth creation campaign.
Figures from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) show that the graduate unemployment rate currently stands at 15.2%, with the overall national rate at 12.3%. About 50.9% of young people aged 18 to 30 are classified as NEET (not in employment, education, or training). Observers have described the figures as alarming, warning that the growing number of idle graduates poses an economic and social threat if not addressed urgently.
Museveni said the new graduate fund will work alongside other interventions, including the Parish Development Model (PDM), to push more people into the money economy, adding that similar savings and credit cooperative societies (SACCOS) will also be established for church, Muslim, and cultural leaders, as well as fishermen, whose operations near the lakes require greater financial support than the current parish allocations can provide.
In his address, Museveni said the SACCOS for church and Muslim leaders would be run at the diocesan level, while that for cultural leaders would serve as a platform for engaging traditional institutions in wealth creation. He emphasized that development projects such as roads and schools are government-driven, but wealth creation must be personal and household-based.
During the Madi-Okollo rally, Museveni also pledged to strengthen service delivery through technology, promising to deploy digital systems to track medicines in hospitals and curb absenteeism among health workers. He also committed to renovating primary schools, constructing new secondary schools across the five subcounties of the district, and tarmacking the road from Panyimur through Pakwach and Madi-Okollo to Wadelai.
At the Arua City Golf Course, Museveni reiterated the government’s commitment to free education in all public primary and secondary schools, saying the model had already proved successful through the State House skilling hubs. He explained that several youths who previously dropped out of school have become self-employed after six months of training in these hubs.
The First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Kataha Museveni, praised the people of West Nile for their loyalty to the ruling party and urged them to remain steadfast. She said the NRM has laid the foundation for progress in education, health, and infrastructure and called on citizens to turn out in large numbers on voting day to consolidate these achievements. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
