A new study has found that 80 percent of Ugandan youths are employed in jobs that are not their preferred careers, with the majority aspiring to pursue entrepreneurship in green sectors.
The research, titled “In Search of Green Jobs: Voices of (Unheard) Young People and Their Aspirations, Barriers and Negotiations with Work,” was conducted by Makerere University in collaboration with the University of Cambridge and Restless Development, an international NGO funded by the MasterCard Foundation.
It involved interviews with 600 youths aged 18 to 35 in Jinja and Nakasongola districts.
Dennis Mwesigwa, Research and Learning Manager at Restless Development, presenting the findings on September 2 said 81.6 percent of the youths are not working in their dream jobs and 74 percent of these aspire to run private entities.
The study found that formal jobs are often seen as inaccessible due to corruption and stringent qualification requirements.
As a result, 525 respondents expressed interest in green jobs, which they believe address their experiences with climate change and offer sustainable livelihood opportunities.
Dr Anthony Mugeere, senior lecturer at Makerere University’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology, stressed the importance of green jobs for Uganda’s future economic growth.
Mugeere also highlighted limited youth involvement in policy design and implementation, citing government initiatives like the Parish Development Model (PDM).
The study further identified challenges including lack of financing, poor coordination among government ministries, and limited integration of green jobs into local government budgets.
According to official 2024 government data, 78 percent of Uganda’s nearly 46 million people population are youth, many of whom struggle to afford financing options.
Nathan Mununuzi, senior environment officer at the Ministry of Water and Environment, said the government is implementing some green initiatives, including electric motorcycles.
The report recommends leveraging programs like PDM to fund youth-led green initiatives, expanding vocational training and apprenticeships, and integrating clear green job targets and budgets into the National Development Plan (NDP IV).
