Jovia KAVULU | 13/03/2024
At the recent
Uganda-EU Business Forum (UEUBF), Enabel, in collaboration with the European
Union, unveiled 2 initiatives aimed at fostering sustainable development and
promoting ethical business practices in Uganda. These initiatives emphasize the
strong commitment by Enabel and the European Union to facilitate positive
change and drive sustainable development in Uganda. One of the flagship
projects, "WeWork," sets out to address the pressing issue of youth
unemployment by collaborating with the private sector to identify labour market
needs. Through this initiative, Enabel will work with vocational education trainers
to skill and empower 20,000 youths with the necessary expertise to secure
decent employment or pursue entrepreneurial ventures. The skilling programs will
focus on key sectors such as agriculture, renewable energy, green construction,
eco-tourism and hospitality, manufacturing, and ICT, aligning with Uganda's
strategic development priorities. The youth will be exposed to work-based
learning opportunities through industrial trainings and job placements. It is
anticipated that over 10,000 jobs will be created by matching skills training
with labour market needs.The second initiative,
"Advancing Respect for Human Rights by Businesses in Uganda," will
address the challenge of human rights abuses within business activities. With a
particular emphasis on gender equality, this initiative seeks to mitigate human
rights violations, especially those affecting women in the business sphere. By
promoting ethical conduct and accountability, the project aims to create a more
inclusive and socially responsible business environment in Uganda.The unveiling of these
projects together with 6 others under the Team Europe initiative was a key
highlight of the forum.“We are proud to unveil 8 Team Europe
projects worth 850billion shillings aimed at creating decent employment in
Uganda,” The European Union Ambassador, Jan Sadek said. He reiterated Uganda's
positive trade balance with the EU and reaffirmed the EU's commitment to strengthening
Uganda's economic growth
trajectory.The 3-day forum was
graced by the presence of top dignitaries, diplomats, investors, and
entrepreneurs from both Europe and Uganda. The forum comprised vibrant B2B sessions, insightful
plenary discussions, and an exhibition showcasing 100 companies from both
Europe and Uganda across various sectors such as agribusiness, sustainable
tourism, construction, mining, and finance.The chairman of Private
Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) Mr. Humphrey Nzeyi stated that the forum was
the biggest summit ever with 3,700 delegates. The first summit was held in 2022
and by the end of that year, 442 million Euros had been invested in Uganda.
That figure has since grown to 800million Euros. He thanked the President of Uganda for
creating a liberal environment between Europe and Uganda.President Yoweri
Kaguta Museveni acknowledged the significance of European investments in Uganda
while urging European leaders to refrain from mixing politics with business. He
emphasized the importance of dialogue and called for the removal of non-trade barriers
hindering economic cooperation. As a symbol of
commitment to the projects, President Museveni ceremonially endorsed the
initiatives, signalling a new chapter in Uganda's journey towards sustainable
development and economic prosperity.
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