“A key contributing factor is the persistent skills gap and inefficiencies within the education system. While millions enter the education system, only a small proportion complete secondary and post-secondary education,” he said.
The Government of Uganda plans to create more than two million green jobs over the next decade, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Aggrey David Kibenge, has revealed.
Kibenge made the remarks during a stakeholders’ validation workshop on the draft 10-year Uganda National Green Jobs Creation Strategy and Plan held in Entebbe on Wednesday.
He said Uganda’s rapidly growing working population has led to increased commercial and subsistence activities such as expanding settlements, sand mining, car washing, cultivation, infrastructure development and urbanisation.
According to Kibenge, these activities have contributed to the degradation of natural resources, including forests, wetlands, soils, vegetation and freshwater sources.
In a speech delivered on his behalf by Zachary Kansiime, the ministry’s Senior Skills Development, Technology Uptake and Innovation Officer, Kibenge noted that Uganda’s environmental stress is worsened by heavy dependence on unsustainable energy sources.
He cited statistics showing that 92.7 per cent of households rely on biomass for cooking, with 64.5 per cent using firewood and 28.2 per cent depending on charcoal. He said the widespread use of biomass contributes to deforestation, land degradation and rising carbon emissions.
Kibenge added that climate change has intensified the country’s environmental challenges, exposing Uganda to hazards such as floods, prolonged droughts, erratic rainfall and landslides, especially in the Mount Elgon region and Kasese District, where lives and property have been lost.
He also linked the transition to green growth to Uganda’s low labour productivity.
According to International Labour Organisation modelled statistics for 2022, Uganda’s labour productivity stands at USD 3.6 GDP per hour worked, ranking the country 175th out of 185 countries globally.
Kibenge said the low productivity negatively affects foreign direct investment, economic expansion and Uganda’s competitiveness in regional and international labour markets.
“A key contributing factor is the persistent skills gap and inefficiencies within the education system. While millions enter the education system, only a small proportion complete secondary and post-secondary education,” he said.
He stressed the need for all key sectors of the economy to adopt climate-smart and low-carbon technologies that require new skills and jobs.
“In order to reverse the trend and address these challenges, all key economic sectors should adopt climate-smart, low-carbon technologies, which require a new set of skills and jobs — the green jobs — to expand decent employment and promote a just transition to a sustainable economy,” Kibenge said.
Green jobs refer to employment opportunities that promote efficient use of energy and raw materials while minimising waste and pollution.
According to the United Nations International Labour Organisation (UN-ILO), green jobs are decent jobs that contribute to preserving or restoring the environment, either in traditional sectors such as manufacturing and construction or in emerging sectors like renewable energy and energy efficiency.
These jobs also focus on improving energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, minimising waste and pollution, protecting ecosystems and supporting adaptation to climate change.
Kibenge said the ministry had developed the 10-year framework to guide Uganda’s transition towards a greener, more productive and employment-intensive economy.
The strategy seeks to promote the creation, protection and sustainability of decent green jobs that enhance productivity, environmental stewardship and inclusive economic growth across all sectors.
The draft strategy further states that green jobs must meet decent work standards, including fair income, workplace security, social protection, equal opportunities and prospects for personal development.
Isaac Rubagumya, the Green Jobs Programme Coordinator, described the transition to green jobs as one of the most critical aspects of achieving green growth.
“This strategy will provide policy options that enhance and exploit synergies between economic growth, environmental sustainability and social equity across all sectors of the economy,” Rubagumya said.
He added that evidence shows Uganda’s medium- and long-term development targets largely depend on transitioning to green growth.
“Accelerated achievement of medium- and long-term targets is highly hinged on the transition to green growth, making it a necessity rather than an alternative,” he said.
The workshop attracted representatives from ministries, departments and agencies, development partners, employers’ and workers’ organisations, the private sector, civil society organisations and academia.
