The youth leaders have been warned by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to stay away from politics of identity, sectarianism, and leadership.
Museveni advised them not to fall into the trap of being professional leaders who believe they will perish if they do not exercise leadership. Leadership is not a permanent position.
“As liberation fighters, we are volunteers who brought stability to a volatile nation. You may observe what is taking place in certain African nations, including Somalia, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, the Congo, and Sudan. Don’t assume those people are unintelligent; they simply had trouble making the proper diagnosis,” he insisted.
“Politics is like medicine; if the patient doesn’t receive the right diagnosis, they will die. That is what is taking place in those nations. Here, the NRM made the appropriate diagnosis. Some of your elders were educating our people on religion and tribes.
“We declared that to be a misdiagnosis. No matter what tribe or religion a person belonged to, our response was to address their difficulties.
“We distinguished ourselves from other groupings by emphasizing interests rather than identity politics.”
Museveni made the remarks while speaking with members of the National Youth Council, including their chairman, Jacob Eyeru, at the State House in Entebbe.
He also suggested that the youth leaders engage in wealth-generating initiatives to raise their standard of living.
Because many of the issues I have observed in the last more than 70 years are typically among children who didn’t have wealth creation as part of their culture, it is very dangerous.
Museveni emphasized that all youth, even those who are still growing up with their parents, should get involved in wealth creation.
Because they had a very solid foundation in wealth creation, he said, even the National Resistance Army (NRA) was able to fight and win the protracted battle.
“All of you, whether you are educated or not, put yourself somewhere in wealth creation when you get an opportunity,” he stated.”
Wealth creation areas are well known. I have always discussed this. Commercial agriculture is one, and I’m delighted so many of you are bringing it up.
You want me to assist you in becoming a role-model farmer. Manufacturing or processing comes next.
I was relieved to hear someone from Busoga discuss maize milling because doing so indicates that you have already transitioned to manufacturing.
Additionally, groups can join here. Services like transportation and hospitality make up the third category, while ICT makes up the fourth, according to him.
Regarding the World Bank’s decision to stop lending to Uganda, Museveni reiterated that the nation does not require its financial support, claiming that it can maintain its economy.
“We don’t need that money because, as you can see, the private sector supports us and performs the majority of the work in Uganda. Agriculture and manufacturing support our nation, enabling us to support our own needs. The one for the World Bank assists with a few roads, but we paid for the majority of the roads ourselves, he continued.
The President also exhorted the youth leaders to benefit from government initiatives like Emyooga to advance their own development.
“We will inject more money if you need it,” he said. The youth leaders expressed gratitude to Museveni for providing them with a fair share of the national pie through his visionary leadership.
They also asked him to keep funding youth initiatives across the nation. Prior to the celebration of International Youth Day, the President met with young leaders.
Sarah Nyirabashitsi Mateke, the minister of state for youth and children’s affairs, also attended the conference.