Uganda Announces Three New Vocational Hubs to Broaden Skills Access for Vulnerable Youth

President Yoweri Museveni has signed off on the construction of three additional Presidential Industrial Skilling Hubs, a move aimed at easing the bottleneck that has long constrained Uganda’s vocational training system for disadvantaged young people. The new facilities will be sited in Ntungamo and Bushenyi districts of the Ankole sub‑region, and on the island district of Kalangala, extending the reach of practical‑skills programmes beyond the crowded existing centres.

Stakeholder meetings held on 24 August 2026 at the Ankole Zonal Hub and the Greater Masaka Zonal Hub gave State House Comptroller Jane Barekye a platform to outline the rationale behind the expansion. The Ankole hub currently serves 17 administrative units – a mix of districts, municipalities and a city – and averages fewer than 15 training slots per intake for many of those units. By contrast, better‑off zones enjoy more than 25 places, creating a stark disparity that has left many young Ugandans on the sidelines.

“The pressure on the existing hubs is unsustainable,” Barekye said. “When a young person from a remote sub‑county cannot secure a slot, the whole promise of skills‑based employment falls apart.” The three new hubs are expected to redistribute the workload, allowing each centre to focus on a smaller set of administrative units and thereby increase the number of youths who can enroll.

In the Ankole sub‑region, the Ntungamo and Bushenyi hubs will each take on a share of the 17 units currently fed by the single Ankole hub. Meanwhile, the Kalangala hub will serve the island district’s unique logistical challenges. Young people on the islands often face prohibitive travel costs and limited ferry schedules when trying to reach mainland training sites. By locating a hub on the islands, the government hopes to cut those barriers and bring skills development directly to the community.

Construction of the facilities will commence once local governments provide the requisite land parcels, a step that underscores the partnership model the State House is pursuing with district authorities. Eng. Raymond Kamugisha, Director of Presidential Projects and Industrial Hubs, confirmed that the expansion will be accompanied by a fresh curriculum package. Four new courses – weaving and knitting, plumbing, electrical installation and electrical wiring – have been added to the roster, reflecting market demand for both artisanal trades and essential construction skills.

These additions are more than a diversification of the training menu; they are a strategic response to Uganda’s growing need for low‑capital entrepreneurship and skilled labour in the construction sector, which has been a cornerstone of the country’s infrastructure push.

In a notable policy shift, the State House has also loosened admission criteria for the most vulnerable applicants. Young people lacking a National Identification Card can now submit a recommendation letter from their local council (LC1) chairperson, allowing them to enrol while the government assists them in obtaining official documentation. This change aims to prevent bureaucratic hurdles from turning away potential beneficiaries.

Despite the expanded training capacity, Eng. Kamugisha warned that graduates are still under‑utilising the financial support mechanisms designed to help them launch income‑generating activities. Low uptake of SACCO loans has been observed, prompting calls for greater awareness and more proactive counselling to translate newly acquired skills into sustainable enterprises.

Local leaders echoed the demand for broader access. Rodgers Bulegeya, chair of the Greater Masaka Zonal Hub, urged the government to raise the beneficiary quota from the current 24 youths per district to 100, arguing that the appetite for vocational education far exceeds the supply.

The three upcoming hubs – Ntungamo, Bushenyi and Kalangala – therefore represent a dual promise: they will alleviate congestion at existing centres and bring training opportunities closer to the most marginalized youths. By expanding both the physical infrastructure and the range of courses on offer, the Museveni administration is reinforcing its narrative that practical skills are a key driver of youth employment, entrepreneurship and broader economic empowerment across Uganda.