Africa-Press – Uganda. Vice President Jessica Alupo has urged Ugandan households to embrace income-generating activities as a pathway to eradicating poverty and unemployment, calling on families to actively participate in commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services, and information and communication technology (ICT).
Alupo made the remarks on behalf of President Yoweri Museveni during the commissioning of the Sam Owori Skilling Hub in Tororo Municipality on December 18, 2025, describing economic specialisation as a long-standing African tradition.
“Before colonialism, our ancestors built a productive society by encouraging every individual to belong to at least one emyooga an area of specialisation,” Alupo said, citing traditional professions such as blacksmithing, carpentry, clay work, bark-cloth making, and tool production.
The Vice President emphasised that since 1986, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) has consistently promoted economic specialisation, noting that every adult Ugandan should have a sustainable source of income.
The skilling hub was constructed in memory of the late Rotary International President-Elect Sam Owori, who passed away in 2017 while undergoing surgery in the United States.
Alupo described the facility as a transformative project aligned with government efforts to drive socio-economic change, particularly among young people. She commended development partners for supporting the initiative, including the Rotary Club of Innsbruck Alpin (Austria), Rotary Club of Kampala, Rotary Districts 1920 and 9213, the Rotary Foundation, Habitat for Humanity Uganda, Start Somewhere, PERI Group, PACODEF, Tororo Youth Initiative for Professional Development, Build Me, and the Zefania and Mary Ochieng Trust, which donated the land for the project.
The Vice President praised Rotary Clubs for their continued collaboration with government in extending social services, particularly in health and education.
She highlighted vocational training as a cornerstone of the NRM’s development agenda, noting that Presidential Skilling Hubs across the country are equipping young people with practical skills such as shoe-making, textile production, furniture making, food processing, stone cutting, jewelry making, leather tanning, herbal medicine processing, electronics assembly, and transformer manufacturing.
“The aim is to transform the youth from a liability into a national asset,” Alupo said, adding that Uganda’s four-sector economy will absorb the country’s active population through production for both domestic consumption and export.
Alupo further revealed that government is prioritising industrialisation to reduce reliance on imports. “When we import items that can be made locally, we export jobs and income while leaving our children unemployed,” she said, stressing the need for young people to venture into manufacturing and modern agriculture.
She also applauded the people of Tororo for fostering unity and peaceful coexistence among the Iteso and Japadhola communities, and commended the Kwar Adhola, Stephen Moses Owor, for working with government to advance development in Padhola.
Speaking at the event, the Kwar Adhola expressed gratitude to government and development partners, saying the skilling hub will play a critical role in addressing youth unemployment through vocational training. He also thanked the Ochieng family for donating land for the facility.
Tororo Municipality MP Apollo Yeri described the hub as a major milestone in skills development, calling for its protection and sustainability.
Meanwhile, NRM Electoral Commission Chairperson Dr. Tanga Odoi praised Vice President Alupo for her contribution to the development of Tororo District, noting her consistent support for community-based initiatives.
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