Leaders Given One Month Select Industrial Hub Beneficiaries

State House Comptroller Jane Barekye gave leaders of sub-regions where Presidential Industrial Hubs have been established a grace period of one month to get organised and complete the selection of beneficiaries to be skilled at the hubs.

“Don’t look at the education background of the beneficiary. Select a Ugandan from a disadvantaged background who is capable, willing, well-behaved and committed to be trained. We are giving you a period of one month to select beneficiaries,” she said. 

Barekye, who was meeting a delegation of leaders from Lango sub-region at the Hub at Lira University near Lira City, also cautioned leaders against corruption during selection pointing out that the program which the President pledged to provide wanainchi during campaigns is free.

She also asked leaders not to delegate during the selection exercise unless the person to be delegated is of high integrity.

The State House Comptroller clarified that the project is to benefit the ten districts of the Lango sub-region that include Amolatar, Alebtong, Apac, Dokolo, Otuke, Kole, Lira, Lira City, Oyam and Kwania. 

She gave the breakdown capacity of learners per skill as 60 for carpentry, 60 shoe making, 60 tailoring and 40 for value- addition.

On value-addition, she said machines that have been procured are of high quality for the production of good products citing shoe making for which they will get their raw material from Kawumu leather tanning factory in Luweero district.

She explained that the same applies to the carpentry department that now has quality machines adding that relevant machinery for value addition will be sent to the hub according to the scale of produce made available by farmers. Machines that are irrelevant to  the area will be replaced.

“If all the skills are captured in the long run, all beneficiaries will be covered,” she said.

The Director of Industrial Hubs and Presidential projects in State House Eng. Raymond Kamugisha urged Lango leaders to embrace and support the project for the good of the youths as well as wanainchi of the area.

The representative of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government Emmanuel Muhanguzi urged leaders to work together with the Ministry to ensure the success of the project.

He called on them to mobilise the youths to acquire skills from the hub that will make them economically  prosperous.

The 21 hubs are set to revolutionize youth empowerment and drive to promote the social transformation of the Ugandan society from a predominant peasant and low-income economy to a competitive middle-income economy

Some of the skills to be acquired are baking, block making, stone cutting, shoemaking, tailoring and knitting, coffee and maize processing, welding and hairdressing.