The opposition Democratic Party (DP) has warned that unless government empowers the beneficiaries of the Emyooga programme with knowledge on how to apply their skills, the program will never yield positive results.
The government earmarked Shs200billion to be distributed to Saccos in 347 constituencies of the 146 districts in the country and that the intention was to foster development and convert the 68% homesteads on subsistence into market-oriented production.
This program was named “Emyooga”,
Speaking to the media in Kampala, the party’s spokesperson Okoler Opio noted that as much as they agree with the government on the objectives of the programme, they are dissidents on the approach.
He explained that just like previous government programmes such as Poverty Action Plan, Poverty Alleviation Program, NUSAF 1 and 2 among others which lacked structures to help the beneficiaries, Emyooga will soon die unless the government reviews the implantation of the program.
“DP gave its opinion on the programme, we strongly stated that, if the government ignores empowering the beneficiaries with knowledge on how to apply their skills, then, the Emyooga program just like the previous programmes will not yield the desired results,” he said.
In not more than one year, Opio said the country has started registering substantive inadequacies of this programme.
“This in essence imports that the government seems not to have the capacity to determine whether or not the individuals claiming the money under the occupation they claim to belong to have the skills to do the work involved,” he said.
He said those that are without knowledge and skills to work won’t be able to utilize the money appropriately to their benefit.