On March 14, 2025, during a stakeholder meeting at New Fort view Hotel in Fort portal City, Arthur Hakiza Nzeimana, the Deputy District Chief Administrative Officer of Kabarole district local government, commended Uganda Rural Development and Training Institute (URDT-I) and the Mastercard Foundation for their efforts in equipping young Ugandans with vocational and soft skills. The meeting, which aimed to enhance public-private partnerships, focused on improving youth transitions and elevating the program’s impact.
URDT-I Staff, Partners from the Foundation and Kabarole district Local Government during the stakeholder engagement meeting at New Fort View Hotel, Fort Portal City (Photo by Susan Abigaba).
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Nzeimana emphasized the importance of the theme “Skilling Youth for Entrepreneurship and Dignified Employment,” stating that its effective implementation could boost Uganda’s employment rate hence improved service delivery and stability in the local communities.
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Mr. Nzeimana shares about prospects available under the government youth livelihood program during the meeting
Dr.Mwalimu and Senior labor officer interacting with the Epicenter Manager Kabarole and Allan Ampulile, one of the graduates
Dr. Mwalimu Musheshe, founder of URDT, thanked Kabarole district led by the Deputy CAO for its collaborative efforts and support towards the skilling project. He shared that the partnership, supported by the Mastercard Foundation, is part of a broader initiative to enable 4.3 million young Ugandans find dignified employment by 2030. URDT’s approach combines hard and soft skills training, targeting individuals, families, communities, and the nation. Originally aiming to train 70,000 youth in five years, the program exceeded expectations by training this number in just four years and establishing 703 community-run learning centres.
Participants take a group photo Infront of the venue
Prossy Kobusobozi,a graduate skilled in  fish farming shares her story during the stakeholder engagement
Ismail Banduga, the Team Lead Mastercard Foundation highlighted the program’s adaptability, noting that the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a shift from using established vocational institutes to the “Satellite Approach,” which has proven very successful
URDT-I Staff and Mastercard Foundation during the debrief meeting of the field visit in Bundibugyo District
Busobozi Ivan, principal URDT-I elaborating to the participants the power of the visionary approach   while referring to Biira Melena and husband’s family vision
Sylvia Atugonza, the District
Epicenter Manager Kabarole District, reported that the program has reached five
sub-counties in Kabarole district, training 2,523(1352F,1171M) youth, with
1,358(717F,641M) youth transitioning to work, where;786(477F,309M) are self-employed
and 572(240F,332M) have been employed. Additionally, the program has
strengthened Artisans’ skills through the DIT Workers PAS Assessment, ensuring
their employability and improving service delivery in the region.
uploaded by Twagira Mahoro IT systems assistant
written by Abigaba Susan Documentation communication officer
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