Ugandan gov’t should implement a green growth strategy to create nearly 4 million jobs

A spectacle plays out at Entebbe International Airport in Uganda nearly every day. Throngs of girls dressed in long skirts, t-shirts and hijabs line up as they wait their turn to be cleared through airport security and customs before they get on their way to the only jobs they can find: those of performing menial tasks in the Middle East.

Because of Uganda’s relatively high youth unemployment rate standing at 13%, the Ugandan government adopted the labour externalisation programme. Through the programme, Ugandan girls and boys (youth), among others, are placed by private companies in jobs in the Middle East. The crowds of girls seen at the airport every day are part of this externalised labour.

Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development estimates that over 3,000 Ugandans, especially youth, are externalised every month. This means that over 36,000 Ugandans travel for work to the Middle East every year.

In 2017, the Ugandan Auditor General indicated that an estimated 70,000 Ugandans were working in the Middle East.

While government efforts to address the national and youth unemployment challenge may be commended, boosting youth employment opportunities in Uganda and East Africa is important. This is more so when one considers the challenges such as mistreatment, failure to pay wages, and others associated with external labour.

To boost youth employment, Uganda need not look further than at the country’s own Uganda Green Growth Development Strategy (UGGDS). In the 2017/2018 to 2030/2031 strategy, the Ugandan government recognised that investment in the green economic sectors of agriculture, energy, tourism, forestry and others would do the following:

• Boost GDP by 10 percent above the Business as Usual (BAU) scenario;

• Deliver an additional four million green jobs in clean energy transition, city-level infrastructure investments, solar-powered irrigation and agroforestry;

• Reduce future greenhouse gas emissions by 28 percent, equivalent to 30.4 million tonnes of emissions and;

• Address climate change concerns whose 2010 to 2050 estimated cost is between US$273 and US$437 billion.

 The UGGDS underscored the importance of promoting the aforementioned green economic sectors to addressing unemployment, noting that growth in the service sector would not have the same job multiplier effect as growth in the green sectors.

Despite the importance of investment in the green economic sectors in Uganda, efforts to implement the UGGDS remain limited. An IGEN-EA analysis of Uganda’s 2021/2022 budget shows that investment in the green economic sectors is still low.

Yet, investment in the sectors can boost inclusive green growth. The agriculture sector employs over 70% of Uganda’s labour force, and through the UGGDS, the government itself shows how investment in the sector can contribute to increased household incomes.

Information in the UGGDS shows that when USAID attracted US$3 million of new private investment for value addition actions under the organisation’s Feed the Future programme, the investment resulted in a more than a two-fold return. Feed the Future farmers earned US$7.5 million in income in 2014.

Further, the country’s renewable energy potential is estimated at 5,300MW, with large hydropower dams, mini-hydropower dams and solar having immense potential to power Uganda’s economy. While efforts to harness this potential have been implemented, clean energy access still remains low, with grid access standing at only 19%. More investment in off-grid energy options while encouraging the productive use of energy is needed.

Already, the productive use of power has shown that immense economic benefits can be accrued. One need not look further than at the solar milk cooling technology that some farmers in Uganda have adopted.

Available information indicates that “dairy farmers can save an estimated 5 million shillings each on electricity expenses and reduce milk waste by up to 20-40%” when off-grid solar milk cooling technology is adopted.

Below are also the number of jobs and benefits that can accrue when green economic growth is encouraged in Uganda.

Source: UGGDS

To realise the above jobs and benefits, youth who stand to benefit the most from the implementation of the UGGDS must task the Ugandan government to implement the strategy.