Youth aged between 18 and 30 years are estimated at 6.5 million, or 21.3 per cent of the entire population. About 32 per cent of these are jobless, according to a 2018 Bureau of Statistics report. Agricultural employment continues to cater for some 70% of the Ugandan workforce. The non-farm informal sector, which comprises mainly micro enterprises, own account workers and unpaid family workers, has declined in recent years, but still accounts for 18% of total employment, and 58% of the non-agricultural employment. Less than 40% of large and medium firms regard courses offered by BTVET institutions as relevant.

Soft skills necessary to perform well in modern work environments are underdeveloped among the Ugandan workforce and not appropriately taken into account in training programmes . These include communication, computer literacy, customer care, problem solving, work attitudes and ethics. In light of all these realities, climate change remains a major challenge for agriculture, food security and rural livelihoods for approximately 70 percent of the population depending on agriculture as their primary source of livelihood. Agriculture is the sector most vulnerable to climate change because people involved in agriculture tend to be poorer compared with urban residents. The short term losses in the form of reduction in livelihoods and incomes due to impact of climate change on agriculture are well known. It is universally recognised that climate change brings new uncertainties, adds new risks and changes already existing risks, one of the most effective ways for agriculture to adapt to climate change could be to increase its resilience.

HELP Uganda is placing priority on developing practical skills and reviving agriculture, supporting agribusiness and agro processing as its preferred magic bullet against youth unemployment. The programme aims at helping youth develop basic skills that they can translate into income generating activities for their households. Youth can choose from a range of educational and vocational pathways that prepare them to find work across Uganda’s agribusiness value chain and large informal sector. This intervention is integrated with life skills, entrepreneurship, occupational health and safety information and establishment of savings groups to build their financial literacy skills and practice saving

Through partnership with financial banking institutions, youth learn about financial service products that they can use to build and grow their own businesses or pursue other work opportunities. Savings groups foster strong peer support to help them remain focused on career goals and address challenges.