By Obbo Yusuf
The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Chairperson for Iganga District, Hajji Abubaker Walubi, has intensified efforts to mobilize stakeholders and patriotic citizens across the Busoga sub-region to support the establishment of an industrial park in Iganga, a project he says will create thousands of jobs for unemployed youth.
Walubi said Iganga, one of the most populous and commercially active districts in Busoga, is experiencing a rapidly growing youth population, many of whom remain unemployed. He warned that the lack of job opportunities has left many young people vulnerable to crime and other social challenges.
According to Walubi, the proposed industrial park would provide a sustainable solution by attracting factories and manufacturing industries capable of employing thousands of youths from Iganga and the wider Busoga region.
He revealed that during President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s campaign visit to Iganga last year, he joined the First Deputy Prime Minister, Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, in presenting a request for government support to establish the industrial park as a strategy to boost industrialization and create employment opportunities for young people.
However, Walubi noted that the project faces a major hurdle due to the shortage of suitable land for its development. He appealed to President Museveni, local leaders, cultural elders, and other stakeholders to work together to identify and secure adequate land for the proposed industrial park.
He acknowledged that government initiatives such as the Parish Development Model (PDM), the Youth Livelihood Programme, and the Ghetto Fund have benefited many young people. Nevertheless, he said these interventions alone are not sufficient to address the growing unemployment challenge, stressing the need for large-scale industrial investment.
Walubi expressed optimism that once established, the industrial park would transform Iganga into a key industrial hub, stimulate economic growth, attract investment, and significantly reduce youth unemployment and crime across the Busoga sub-region.
