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Ugandan Youth Form an Association of Science and Technology Innovation
Dr Joseph Obua, National Coordinator, ATPS-Uganda Chapter presided over a half-day seminar organized by Ugandan youth on 14 July 2005 in Kampala, Uganda. This meeting was a follow up to the youth conference on, Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation: Opportunities in Agriculture, Science and Technology, held from 20-23 June, 2005 in Nairobi, Kenya.
The Ugandan representatives to the congress, Winnie Alum and Albert Lwanga, explained that the purpose of the seminar was to discuss key resolutions of the Nairobi conference and also initiate a starting point to disseminate the outcomes and follow up actions on wealth creation and employment among young people. Alum and Lwanga took part in the essay competition preceding the congress in which Alum emerged the overall winner.
During the seminar, the youth also deliberated on strategies for exploiting the potential of agriculture, science, technology and innovation to develop their communities and to create wealth and employment for young people in Uganda. Lwanga outlined ways of enhancing wealth creation and employment among the youth and noted that, "...youth need to build self-confidence and eliminate self-doubt..." He also advised that embedding science, technology and innovation in youth at an earlier age will open the minds of young people to unlimited possibilities of science, technology and innovation to create wealth hence contributing to national prosperity and poverty alleviation.
Alum cautioned the youth to desist from irresponsible behaviour that would defeat the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS among them. She encouraged young people to be self reliant, seek knowledge and information to develop relevant skills and also remember to be creative and innovative as these qualities will lead to employment and wealth creation.
An important aspect of the meeting was the forming of Uganda Youth Association of Science and Technology Innovation that will empower the youth, through the application of science, technology and innovation, to contribute to the development of their communities, and also create employment and wealth.
The participants responded that the biggest challenges to the youth are related to policies that ignore the contribution of young people to development. They maintained that most issues regarding the youth never trickle down to the grassroots but remained on paper. This tradition limits opportunities in employment and wealth creation, thereby hindering community development.
The participants elected an Interim Executive Committee to coordinate and follow-up the activities of the association and to prepare documents for its registration. The committee was also charged with the responsibility of recruiting members, and developing the objectives and the constitution of the association.
The members of the committee are:
- Mr George Waligo - Kyambogo University
- Ms Winnie Alum - National Agricultural Research Organisation
- Ms Winnie Onziru - Electrical Engineer (Private practice)
- Mr Bosco Otulo - Journalist
- Ms Evalyne Nabukera - Student
- Mr Herbert Lwanga Log'el - project
The ATPS Uganda Chapter will nurture and guide the association.
During the same meeting, James Kakooza, an ATPS researcher presented the outline of a research project funded by ATPS titled, Ability and Willingness to Adopt Ecological Sanitation as a Water and Environmental Conservation Technology: The Case for Peri-urban Communities of Kampala. He reported that the study is still in the preliminary phase and the results will be presented later in another research progress seminar to be organized by ATPS Uganda Chapter.
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