Busoga teenage skilling initiative boosted with three-year partnership

BUSOGA - Kyabazinga (king) William Gabula Nadiope IV has welcomed a three-year pact with the Microfinance Support Centre (MSC) geared at supporting the kingdom’s ongoing campaign of skilling teenage parents.

The kingdom is empowering teenage mothers and fathers, including out-of-school vulnerable youth, with skills in tailoring, information, communication and technology (ICT), hairdressing, horticulture, as well as promoting talents in music, dance and drama (MDD).

These are among the pathways for development to promote self-reliance for the avoidance of dependency syndrome and engaging in criminality.

However, the new pact, according to MSC head of business development services Gidson Ainamani, will bring on board four more skills in mechanical engineering, carpentry, welding and intensifying in hairdressing.

This was during an exhibition of Emoyooga savings and credit co-operative organisations (SACCOs) organised by MSC, which selected beneficiaries from Busoga who displayed their various products and value-added items at the Busoga kingdom headquarters at Bugembe in Jinja city on December 6, 2025.

MSC Busoga zonal regional manager Martin Isabirye said a total of 576 emyooga SACCOs were registered in the 32 constituencies across Busoga.

He said 18 SACCOs in each constituency shared the initial shillings 17.9 billion seed capital, which they ventured into various enterprises and that those which performed well received an additional sh7b.

Therefore, Isabirye said they deemed it necessary to show the Kyabazinga their contribution to Busoga and also know the intervention of the shillings 24.9 billion altogether for the past four years.

Beneficiaries were into value addition of maize and porridge flour, fruit juice, liquid and bar soap, crafts, carpentry, among others.

Since some were into value addition, he said they were able to link them to relevant institutions such as the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) for certification of their products and Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) to ensure compliance, which had enabled them to target bigger markets.

“We feel this is a milestone that the beneficiaries have registered. We have seen this impacting the community in various ways. The culture of saving has improved, and they have gone beyond lending to value addition,” Isabirye said.

As a result, Ainamani said they turned up to seek a partnership with the kingdom to support the Kyabazinga’s programme of skilling the teenage mothers and fathers.

“We seek that on top of the categories of the enterprises currently running under the skilling in Busoga, we join you in the areas of mechanical engineering, carpentry, hairdressing and welding,” he said.

He added that these would be supported for three years, targeting 350 beneficiaries annually and that they would later be connected to their respective Emyooga to get seed capital.

“We seek and allow us to take this route such that we can fight poverty, and with your support, we know that poverty will be history in the Busoga region,” Ainamani, who was accompanied by MSC head of human resources Claire Lubaale, said.

He assured the Kyabazinga of their continued commitment to serve the Basoga as per their mandate in capacity building, offering grants and affordable credits to address poverty.

Microfinance Support Centre delegation, led by Ainamani, flanked by Isabirye (R) and Claire Lubaale (2nd right), brief the Kyabazinga about their 3-year partnership to skill teenage parents in Busoga. (Credit: Jackie Nambogga)

Youth missing from government initiatives

However, the kingdom's second deputy premier, Osman Noor Ahmed, decried the poor involvement of youth in such government initiatives.

“When His Majesty was touring the stalls, I was looking at the age bracket of the entrepreneur, but I didn’t see the critical youth who were supposed to be part of their targeted beneficiaries,” Ahmed noted.

He said these were very crucial components that needed to be included since they were the largest population.

Accordingly, the Kyabazinga noted the need for the Government to expand funding for youth-related programmes, as many remained locked outside.

On the other hand, the Kyabazinga, who was impressed with the exhibition, commended the beneficiaries for their hard work and for responding to the Government programme, which has enabled them to fulfil their responsibilities.

Florence Maganda of Iganga emyooga tailoring SACCO, said they used to work under a tree with two sawing machines, but now boast of 30 and have so far trained 230 youths.
Maganda said they were exporting their products to South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zanzibar with a pending order in Egypt.

Apparently, she said their savings were standing at shillings 70 million, and their 210 members were able to borrow at a low rate.

The Kyabazinga said the beneficiaries' confessions were evident that they were living a good life and able to educate their children and catering for their basics.