Dear Editor,
I wish to appeal to the Office of the President to consider establishing more Presidential Skilling Centers across the country, particularly in densely populated urban areas.
These centers have provided an important opportunity for young Ugandans, especially those from low-income families, to acquire practical skills and improve their chances of employment and self-reliance. However, the limited number and un-even distribution of these centers is making access difficult for some of the young people who need them most.
For example, in Makindye Division in Kampala, there is reportedly only one center, located in Namuwongo. This presents a significant challenge for young people living in distant parts of the division. A young person travelling from areas such as Kansanga to Namuwongo may have to cover a considerable distance and incur transport costs simply to access free government skilling programmes.
This defeats, to some extent, the purpose of making these opportunities accessible to disadvantaged young people. For a young person from a struggling household, even daily transport costs can become a barrier to participating in a training programme.
I therefore humbly appeal to the Office of the President to target establishing at least two centers in each city division, where population and demand justify such an investment. More centers would bring skills training closer to communities, reduce the transport burden on beneficiaries and allow more young Ugandans to take advantage of these programmes.
Government has made significant efforts to equip young people with practical skills. The next step should be ensuring that these opportunities are accessible, affordable and within reasonable reach of the communities they are intended to serve.
Expanding the centers would not only benefit individual young people but could also contribute to reducing un-employment, promoting entrepreneurship and strengthening household incomes.
I hope the relevant authorities will consider this appeal.
Robert Sseremba Ggangu
Wakiso District
