On promotion of digital information and using data to tackle unemployment, it was noted that digital inclusion is a vital tool in struggling to battle a situation where about 60% of youth aged between 18 and 30 years are unemployed with Bukedi and Madi leading at 19%.
Research by Makerere University Population Statistics students has revealed that while 60% of Africa’s population is comprised by youths, Uganda’s youth form over 70% of the population with a lacuna of 700,000 graduates passing out annually, chasing only 90,000 jobs, in effect creating a total of 610,000 unemployed youths annually.
This is contained in a report titled ‘Youth Employment in Africa – A Graduate Data Story’ presented by Buluuba Timothy Kisuule, a second-year population statistics student of Makerere University, who represented a three-man team at the launch of the Africa Statistics Week celebrations organized last week on Friday by Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) and Mukono Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Business.
It was held at Mukono UCU and attended by teams from nine universities including Kisubi University, Islamic University In Uganda (IUIU), Busitema University, Kampala International University (KIU), Makerere University Business School (MUBS), Makerere University (MUK), Kyambogo University and Uganda Martyrs University (UMU) Nkozi.
The interaction held under the theme “Leveraging Innovations in Data and Statistics to Provide a Just, Peaceful, Inclusive and Prosperous Society For Africans”, was geared at training students on data-based storytelling in a comprehensible manner, understandable even to the illiterate.
Buluuba was saddened by the fact that those of them nearing completion of their courses are about to join scores of their earlier colleagues who contribute to the statistics of the unemployed thousands joining the army every year.
“It is unfortunate that many of our parents sell their land to pay tuition, only to help us contribute to these embarrassing statistics; Uganda has an inverted skills triangle of more graduates than available jobs on the job market,” Buluuba lamented.
On promotion of digital information and using data to tackle unemployment, it was noted that digital inclusion is a vital tool in struggling to battle a situation where about 60% of youth aged between 18 and 30 years are unemployed with Bukedi and Madi leading at 19%.
Buluuba advised that the way to go is for stakeholders being thinkers more than workers, by using whatever resource available to put in place what can be used to achieve the Strategic Development Goals (SDGs).
‘Recycled’ Aspirants Ssempijja, Bakaluba Mukasa, Mulindwa Ssozi Fighting For Comeback
Presenters Akankwasa John Patrick, Ainomugisha Irene and Arinda Conrad who are offering bachelors of science at Kyambogo University suggested promotion of digital literacy programmes targeting young women and rural youths, and to subsidize internet access and ICT tools to reduce costs and barriers.
They observed that through internet use, youths can engage in online marketing, find jobs, and engage in data driven discussions especially given that today, organizations need people who can use and open data.
Presenters from different universities made topical discussions on issues surrounding communal lifestyles and requirements including conflicts in Africa, coffee production, gender-based marginalization to the underprivileged, the position of Education in the sustainable development goals (SDGs), youth employment in Africa, using data information to tackle unemployment, and many other topics.
In her opening remarks, UBOS Principal IT Officer, Flavia Ouma said the bureau has the culture of celebrating statistics as a profession through bringing together stakeholders including the academia, researchers, ministries, departments, agencies, partners and local governments.
Ouma noted that stakeholders need data as a foundation on which to carry on their research, and that it is the reason why they converged to show visualization, to be able to show what they can do for tangible results out of their research.
“People are always asking ‘where is data?’, and in this light we have been able to showcase the 2024 National Housing and Population Census dissemination processes, and we have showcased the census chart board from where they can pick data in five selected languages”, Ouma said.
Reacting to public complaints of people claiming they were never enumerated in the last census, the head of department at UBOS Quality Assurance department, Lydia Namono said the bureau recruited people from villages who were presumed to know the boundaries, and they worked under the guidance of local council leaders.
“If the people closest to you and who know where you are at any time when they need you did not come to your home, how is UBOS to blame for this shortcoming? Because it was assumed that if they did not find you on day one, the LCs should have come again to identify who was not enumerated and is back home,” Namono said.
Minister Magyezi Appreciates Mukono Municipality for Excelling in GKMA Project
Exonerating UBOS further, she pointed out that the extension of the enumeration period was an effort to ensure that everyone is counted. She blamed whoever caused the flaw for ignoring the fact that statistics so collected is used by government to plan for their areas.
Nakawa Grade I Magistrate, Daphne Ayebare who is the Vice President of Uganda Judicial Officers Association (UJOA) noted that society cannot be prosperous if decision making is based on inaccuracies, adding that when citizens receive timely and accurate information, matters follow the right order.
Ayebare expressed appreciation to UBOS and their partners for organizing the function and giving UJOA the opportunity to attend. “I have attentively listened to all presentations and I have a lot to take home with me,” she said.
At the final count, Uganda Christian University (UCU) and Kampala International University (KIU) emerged overall winners followed by MUBS as runners up, Uganda Martyrs University, MUK, Kyambogo, Busitema University, IUIU and Kisubi University in that order.