LocationsInternational Youth Day 2025
Transforming Uganda's Youth Potential into Sustainable Development Impact
August 13, 2025
Mr. Ian King, UNDP Resident Representative a.i shares a moment with youth during the United Nations Day celebrations.
UNDP Uganda
Every 12th August since 2000, the world commemorates International Youth Day. A day established by the United Nations in 1999 following the adoption of Resolution 54/120 by the General Assembly. This annual observance spotlights the challenges young people face and celebrates their contributions to peace, social progress and development. It presents the moment to reflect on the aspirations, struggles, and achievements of youth across the globe, and to reaffirm collective commitment to empowering them as stakeholders in building the future we want.
This year’s theme, “Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond,” challenges us to reimagine the role of youth, not as passive beneficiaries of development but as active architects of a more inclusive, sustainable, and just world. It is a recognition that transformation unfolds from the day-to-day actions of young people in villages, schools, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), start-ups, farms, creative spaces, civic platforms and among peers where exchange of ideas, innovation and impact are born. As the United Nations Secretary General puts it “When young people lead, societies thrive”, which is in line with the World Programme of Action for Youth.
UNDP in Uganda is contributing to Uganda’s efforts to harness the potential of the youth through enabling the youth to gain skills, foster innovation, facilitate entrepreneurship and empower them to meaningfully participate in strengthening Uganda’s Journey towards Vision 2040
Josephine Aanyu, UNDP youth leadership beneficiary
UNDP Uganda
A Generation Like No Other
Over 60 percent of the world’s population is below the age of 30 years, with Africa at the heart of this demographic shift. Uganda is emblematic of this trend. According to the 2024 Uganda National Housing and Population Census report, individuals aged 18 to 30 make up 22.7 percent of the Ugandan population. This formidable demographic embodies a nation teeming with possibility. It represents a potential that can be harnessed to drive local, sub national and national development aligned with Uganda’s transformative Vision 2040. It means that concerted efforts are needed to address at a broader scale challenge such as unemployment, low access to finance and markets, and barriers to meaningful civic participation etc. It means that more efforts must be instituted to ensure that young women overcome steeper challenges of discriminatory social norms and heightened vulnerability to sexual and gender-based violence.
Kwagala Ion Miriam, Beneficiary of the UNDP/MAK Unipod/Kiira Motors Electric Mobility Skilling Programme
UNDP Uganda
The Paradox and the Promise
The paradox of our time is striking. According to the International Labour Organization, we are witnessing one of the most educated, connected, and globally aware generations in human history, yet youth unemployment remains alarmingly high. Even more concerning is the large number of young people who do not complete primary or secondary education. This group urgently needs alternative pathways to acquire foundational skills for employment and prosperity.
At the same time, a significant portion of the population remains outside the productive economy. In Uganda, for example, nearly 51 percent of Uganda’s youth are neither in employment, education or training (NEET) , with young women disproportionately affected.
This disconnect is a development challenge. The young people present one of the greatest resources of this era with potential to drive development right to the last mile – at the local level. We therefore must, with urgency and ambition, boldly support, invest in, and partner with young people, particularly young women, to unlock their full potential. The energy, creativity, solidarity and resilience of the youth can be an acceleration in addressing the challenges of our time.
Some of the youth beneficiaries of the UNDP/Smart Girls Uganda TVET Skilling displaying smart bags.
UNDP Uganda
UNDP Building Bridges to Opportunity - Harnessing youth Potential through Skilling and Collaboration
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Uganda is bridging the gap between youth potential and opportunities through development programming. Its skilling programme ranges from IT skilling, innovation and technology to green skills for educated youth. For out-of-school youth, UNDP continues to provide vocational and technical skills, enabling them to be employed and improve their livelihood options.
Skills for Digital Jobs programme (In partnership with Refactory Academy). This targets youth aged 18–35, with a strong emphasis on gender inclusion and rural outreach. Participants are equipped with skills in high-demand fields (Data science, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and software development), in readiness for jobs for the future.
The training has equipped me with practical skills to analyze business trends, interpret data, and even forecast revenue. As an aspiring entrepreneur, these tools are invaluable. This experience has far surpassed my expectations and opened my eyes to the power of digital skills in transforming lives and businesses.Eugene Katusiime, Beneficiary, Skills for Digital Jobs Programme
Innovative and sustainable mobility solutions programme (In partnership with Makerere University Innovation Pod and Kiira Motors Corporation). This is equipping students with cutting-edge skills in electric mobility, related technologies (Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) systems, Autonomous and Connected Electric Vehicles (EVs), EV Software Configuration and Development), and emerging trends in sustainable transport. Preparing Uganda’s youth for careers in the green economy but also positioning the country as a regional leader in innovative and sustainable mobility solutions.
I have been able to learn how to design and implement electrical systems that make a car work. I am also part of the team that is building an autonomous campus shuttle. I have also gained project management skills from participating in this programme.Kwagala Ion Miriam, beneficiary of the UNDP/MAK Unipod/Kiira Motors Electric Mobility Skilling Programme
Industry 4.0 transformation programme (In partnership with Lwera Electronics and Semiconductors) This is building Uganda’s capacity in electronics manufacturing, additive manufacturing, and innovation-led entrepreneurship. Students are gaining hands-on experience in designing and prototyping a range of smart products, including health and fitness smartwatches, wireless EarPods, smartphone chargers, and hospital-grade vein locators.
The Industry 4.0 Initiative has turned engineering into something tangible for me. I have gained skills that have empowered me to design and develop the products of tomorrow. Being part of something this revolutionary is not just exciting, it’s an honour.Gukiina Patricia, Beneficiary of the UNDP/MAK Unipod/Lwera Electronics and Semiconductors Industry 4.0 Initiative
Youth technical, vocational, education and Training programme (In partnership with the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)). Using indigenous technical, vocational, education and training (TVET) institutions in over 18 districts, this programme is equipping over 1,250 youth with market-relevant skills in motor vehicle mechanics, building and construction, photovoltaic systems repair, brick and block making, electrical engineering, plumbing, and fashion and design. These interventions have enhanced youth employability, contributing to poverty reduction and greater socio-economic inclusion in local communities. Programmes like Girls with Tools and targeted initiatives within TVETs are challenging gender stereotypes, thereby expanding women and girls’ pathways to employment.
As a girl, I’ve always loved cars, and that passion led me to join the automotive mechanics’ course. At first, many people judged me and said I couldn’t do it, that I was too weak to lift an engine. But that didn’t stop me. I’ve grown and gained valuable skills in automotive mechanics, and I hope to further become an engineer who inspires other girls to dream big and act.Naiga Swabra, Smart Girls Uganda
Beyond training, UNDP provides continuous coaching and mentorship and tracks employment outcomes. Here supporting business start-ups, and measuring income growth, ensuring that skills translate into lasting livelihoods and the impacts outlast interventions. Local stories of success from the communities illustrate this.
Teddy Kasara (A 28-year-old single mother of four children) is a resilient refugee youth from South Sudan. She was supported to start a business, she used her training and skills and founded M&J fashion and design, which is now a thriving tailoring initiative. She is already earning up to UGX 250,000 in monthly profit. Teddy is committed to growing her venture into a full-scale training center. She also plans to establish a child-friendly space, recognizing that 11 of her female trainees are mothers. She is now mentoring 24 aspiring tailors (22 women and 2 men).
Through the YouthConnekt Uganda Chapter, UNDP together with the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development are engaging and empowering the youth through strategic participation in regional YouthConnekt summits in Ghana, Rwanda, and Kenya. Over the years Ugandan youth have built valuable networks with investors, donors, and peers. The chapter has catalyzed youth-led innovation and entrepreneurship via initiatives like the Ideathon, Youth4Innovation Challenge Fund, and Creatives. It also facilitates access to grants and loans, enabling young people to launch and scale sustainable businesses. Moreover, YouthConnekt Uganda fosters inclusive policy dialogue, allowing youth to co-create strategies that enhance civic engagement, creativity, and economic resilience.
UNDP is also empowering Uganda’s youth to act on climate change and biodiversity conservation through nationwide consultations and capacity-building initiatives. These engagements, held across the Western, Eastern, Northern, and Central regions, include university students and generate important inputs into national, regional and global climate conferences. The youth are shaping solutions on waste management, deforestation, pollution, biodiversity loss, and drought. Increasingly young people are leading community-based engagements and identifying opportunities for collaboration with government, private sector, academia, and civil society on these issues. Peer-to-peer learning, policy participation, and youth-driven solutions are shaping a more inclusive and sustainable future for Uganda.
A Call to Action
The choices we make today will determine whether this generation becomes a force for transformation or a generation of missed opportunities. The path to future ready-made employment, economic empowerment and transformation of the youth requires a whole of society approach. The youth at the forefront, local communities, government at all levels, private sector, civil society organizations, development partners, academic and training institutions, have to work together with urgency, creativity, and unwavering commitment to turn local solutions of sustainable development into lived progress.
By Mr. Ian King, UNDP Uganda Resident Representative a.i