Kampala – President Yoweri Museveni has promised to create a dedicated fund to support university graduates who remain unemployed for two years after completing their studies.
The President made the pledge on Tuesday at Kololo Independence Grounds, shortly after being nominated by the Electoral Commission as a candidate in Uganda’s upcoming presidential elections. He said the initiative will provide graduates with access to loans to help them start businesses and become self-reliant.
“I had brought an idea that a university graduate who has left university, and has not got a job for two years, should go to a certain fund where he can borrow and start his or her own business,” Museveni told his supporters.
The proposal, he added, is part of a broader plan to move Ugandans away from subsistence living into the money economy, with the aim of raising household incomes and improving standards of living.
Uganda continues to face one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the world, despite having one of the youngest and most educated populations globally. Each year, thousands of graduates enter the labor market, but limited opportunities force many to migrate in search of work, often taking up low-skilled jobs abroad.
Analysts warn that the country risks wasting the potential of its youthful workforce if long-term solutions are not implemented. They note that while education levels have risen, the mismatch between skills and available jobs undermines the return on investment in higher education.
Museveni has consistently argued that an educated but jobless population is preferable to one that is illiterate. However, experts caution that without adequate opportunities, graduates will remain underutilized, reducing Uganda’s ability to drive innovation, entrepreneurship, and productivity.
The President said the graduate fund would be a key priority in his next term, describing it as an investment not only in young people but also in the nation’s economic future.
