By Admin
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has launched a landmark initiative aimed at accelerating economic empowerment for youth undergoing training at Skilling Centres across Kampala.
Under this new directive, dedicated SACCOs (Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations) will be established in each of Kampala’s five divisions, to support graduates of the Presidential Skilling Programme with access to startup capital.
The move is part of a broader vision by the President to translate skills into incomes and dignified livelihoods. It complements the Kisanja for Socio-Economic Transformation, which prioritises practical skilling, financial inclusion, and enterprise development.
The SACCOs will be tailored to benefit all trainees across Kampala’s divisions which include Central, Nakawa, Makindye, Rubaga, and Kawempe where a total of nine Presidential Skilling Centres are already operational.
These centres include: Mulago, Wandegeya, Kikoni, Kigoowa, Mutundwe, Wabigalo, Luzira, Subway and Nakulabye.
Each division will have its own SACCO structure, meaning thousands of youths undergoing training will now have a well-organised, formal platform to access financial support to start their own businesses or invest in tools and materials to boost employment prospects.
Dr. Faith Katana Mirembe, Head of the Skilling the Girl and Boy Child Programme, announced the development during an engagement at Mulago Skilling Centre.
“This is a fresh Presidential directive. These SACCOs are different from any previous financial arrangements and will directly serve the skilled youth,” Dr. Katana said.
Students have already begun receiving training in financial literacy, SACCO management, and entrepreneurship, with the first sessions taking place at the Mulago Skilling Centre.
These trainings are crucial in ensuring that beneficiaries use the funds productively and sustainably.
Dr. Katana noted that the Presidential Skilling Centres have already trained hundreds of young Ugandans in trades such as tailoring, welding, carpentry, baking, and hairdressing.
Many of these graduates have gone on to secure jobs or start small businesses.“Now, with the SACCOs in place, we are closing the loop, raining people, then equipping them with financial tools to implement what they have learnt,” she explained.
Several trainees gave testimonies of how the programme has transformed their lives.
One student shared how she now earns a stable income from her baking business, which she started after training at Wandegeya Centre.
Another welding graduate at Mutundwe spoke of contracts he’s landed with local hardware dealers.
The SACCO initiative reaffirms President Museveni’s commitment to creating jobs, fighting poverty, and fostering self-reliance among Uganda’s youth.
The President has consistently emphasised that equipping young people with hands-on skills, then enabling them to access affordable finance, is key to building a productive, modern economy.“This is what the President has always advocated, that we give our young people not just knowledge, but the power to act on it,” Dr. Katana said.
As the initiative gains ground, it is expected to become a model for youth-focused financial empowerment in other urban areas beyond Kampala.
With strong oversight, community involvement, and continuous training, the new SACCO model promises to be a sustainable financial engine that supports the dreams of skilled Ugandans, particularly those from vulnerable backgrounds.
Through this bold Presidential initiative, the government is not just training youth, it is giving them a ladder to climb into the economy, equipped with skills, confidence, and capital
