Africa-Press – Uganda. Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) has spearheaded a project that seeks to create a market for fruit farmers in northern Uganda.
The project, codenamed Delight for Youth, which is an initiative of PSFU, Delight and Mastercard Foundation, seeks to create a market for mangoes, citrus and guavas, grown on a nucleus farm of approximately 2,000 acres in Nwoya District.
The project also seeks to enhance value addition through the Young Africa Works Lead Firm Structure programme, an initiative of PSFU and Mastercard that seeks to create meaningful and sustainable employment.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ engagement in Nwoya District, Mr Stephen Asiimwe, the PSFU chief executive officer, said that whereas creating employment is the biggest driver of the project, the country is benefiting through adding value to primary raw materials such as fruits.
“We are giving value to primary products as people also earn and transform their lives,” he said, noting that the project was designed to create sustainable and transformative employment.
The demand for processed fruit juice is rising in Uganda due to growth in urbanisation, incomes and middle class, which has created a market for fruits.
However, even with availability of locally-processed fruit juice, Uganda still imports a large amount of fruit juice from mainly South Africa and Kenya.
Dr Julian Adyeri, the Delight chief executive officer, said the project, which sits on two square miles in Anaka, Nwoya District, will lift hundreds of people out of poverty as well as change the face of Uganda’s fruit juice industry.
Delight is one of Uganda’s largest fruit juice manufacturers, producing a variety of juice brands, among which include Cheers, the flagship brand.
Col Charles Engola, the Minister of State for Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations, who was also the chief guest, said the project is a huge milestone, which will support creation of sustainable jobs for youth and women.
The project, he said, fits well with Vision 2040, which desires to drive national development, especially through import substitution and value addition.
The Young Africa Works Lead Firm Structure programme has so far created 90,000 jobs across Uganda, with a target of creating at least 300,000 by 2025.
Youth unemployment in Uganda is estimated at 17 percent with higher rates seen among females – 20 percent – compared to 14 percent for males.
The State of Uganda Population report 2018 noted that 1.2 million youth between 15 and 29 years, who are out of school, are not engaged in any productive work.
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