By Walker
Newly elected Kampala Lord Mayor Ronald Balimwezo has urged the Ugandan government to increase investment in skills development as a way to enhance productivity and address the country’s high unemployment levels.
Balimwezo made the remarks on Monday at the conclusion of a one-week entrepreneurship training at the Enterprise Uganda Centre of Excellence in Butabika, stressing that while wealth-creation programmes like the Parish Development Model are important, many Ugandans lack the skills needed to start and sustain successful businesses.
“People open businesses and close them within months because they don’t have the necessary skills,” he said, pointing out that government employment opportunities are limited and cannot absorb Uganda’s growing labour force. Uganda’s universities produce over 30,000 graduates annually, yet only a small fraction are absorbed by the formal sector, he noted.
Balimwezo emphasised that productivity — a key driver of employability — must be at the core of economic growth. He explained that participants in the training learned practical work ethics, client management and how to value time, which he described as “money.”
He also warned that inefficiency has broader economic costs. According to Balimwezo, traffic congestion in Kampala alone results in the loss of 240,000 man-hours daily, equivalent to an economic loss of about Shs10 trillion annually, undermining the competitiveness of Ugandan workers compared with regional peers.
Training Focus and Broader Perspectives
Enterprise Uganda Executive Director Charles Ocici said the training emphasised how entrepreneurs can leverage not only financial capital but also skills, time and existing assets to grow their enterprises sustainably. He encouraged participants to reinvest profits and maximise available resources to build resilient businesses.
Nakawa East MP-elect Freddie Ruhindi also spoke at the event, citing China’s focus on long-term vision, discipline and education as examples of how mindset transformation can drive national development. He stressed that development must translate into tangible economic benefits for citizens.
The training is part of broader efforts to promote entrepreneurship and economic self-reliance among Ugandans, as the country seeks ways to reduce over-dependence on limited formal employment opportunities.
