On 25 November 2025, Enabel held a vibrant Job Fair in Jinja under the theme “Employable Skills for Youth Job Retention.”  The job fair was hosted by the Hotel and Tourism Training College (HTTC), formerly known as the Uganda Hotel and Tourism Training Institute. The event gathered youth, employers, training institutions and government representatives, and also marked the official launch and handover of the Jinja Job Centre to Jinja City Council.

Throughout the day, young entrepreneurs from Busoga showcased their products and services in an exhibition that ran alongside the job fair activities. One exhibitor said the new centre would help many job seekers avoid misinformation, noting that “it will address the issue of fake job adverts, because many youth are being conned.”

During the opening session, the Principal of HTTC, Mr. Richard Kawere, said the Job Centre had come at “the right time” for Jinja. He explained that employers often struggle to find reliable candidates yet graduates also lack a central place where they can be accessed easily. With this centre, he said, “you will now have a full-time database where you can find contacts,” instead of depending on informal networks.

The job fair was organised under the WeWork – green and decent jobs for Youth project, funded by the European Union and the Government of Belgium, and implemented by Enabel in Jinja City, Jinja District and Kamuli District. Project Manager Umut Pamuk described the day as an important moment to connect skills with real jobs. “Today is about one core mission… to connect skills with real jobs. I am happy to see both sides of this equation in this hall—the youth seeking for jobs and employers. What is critical is employment promotion that bridges those two sides. Today’s job fair is quite critical to bring all those actors together.”

Later, Diana Tumuhimbise, Enabel’s Employment Promotion Officer, explained that the centre will help graduates improve their CVs and application letters, prepare for interviews, and access information on job openings within and beyond the region. It will also offer free internet and a computer room for job searches. “Graduates, this will be your home,” she said, adding that employers are also welcome to use the centre to share vacancies or conduct interviews.

Representing the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Mr. Bernard Asekol encouraged youth to walk into the centre whenever they need information. He noted that government is working on improving job matching systems and reducing scams that target young job seekers. He said the ministry views the Jinja Job Centre as “a place where a youth can find out which jobs are available and connect with the employer.”

Local government leaders echoed the call for young people to make use of the new facility. Deputy City Clerk Ms. Isabella Ndauwla urged graduates not to rush through their careers, sharing her own experience of rising slowly through the ranks. She encouraged employers to make use of the Job Centre, saying there is no need “to advertise far yet we have this facility.”

Deputy RCC Mr. Paul Balidawa, speaking on behalf of the RCC, described unemployment as a major challenge for the region and commended Enabel for creating a platform that links job seekers and employers.

With the launch of the Jinja Job Centre, the Busoga region now has a dedicated place where job seekers can access opportunities and employers can find work-ready candidates—helping young people move closer to decent and meaningful employment.

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