TITLE:
Youth Bulge and Income Generating Activities [IGAs]: A Case of Youth Livelihood Programme [YLP] in Wakiso District, Central Uganda
AUTHORS:
Sendawula Noah, Edaku Charles, Andrew P. Yiga
KEYWORDS:
Youth Bulge, Income Generating Activities, Youth Livelihood Programme [YLP], Wakiso District
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.9 No.5,
May
25,
2021
ABSTRACT: The study focused on the need for income generation activities as a response
to the challenge of a bulging youth population. When neglected, youth bulge has
effects on the socio-economic development process of countries that could
result into catastrophic consequences especially for poor countries whose
ability to plan, provide for and reap demographic dividends is low. Globally,
historical and current analysis of conflicts, suggest that between 1970 and
1999, close to 80% of civil unrest and conflict took place in countries with 60%
of their population below age of 30. Utilising a qualitative research approach,
this study took a case of Wakiso district in central Uganda, to examine the
extent to which the youth livelihood programme (YLP) has enable youth set up
income generating activities for self-employment. YLP was an initiative of the
Government of Uganda (GOU) to assist multitudes of youth acquire employment and
improve their standards of living with a view of averting the negative
consequences of bulging youth population (MGLSD, 2013). Data was collected
using group and in-depth interviews, documentary review, and observation. A
sample of 67 respondents was purposively selected. Findings revealed that, the
financial support extended to youth was awfully inadequate to facilitate and
support establishment of effective and sustainable IGAs. Furthermore, it was
awfully, it was established that, YLP opted to deal with youth who had already
established enterprises with own capital from various sources and as such,
rather than provide financial support for youth to establish IGAs, YLP
facilitated recapitalization and boosting of existing youth enterprises. The
study recommended that, YLP overhauls its operational framework to enable
provision of adequate financial support and include youth without running
enterprise among target beneficiary categories since they are equally
distressed and needy.