Activation Policies for the Poor in OIC Member States

Uganda is similar to the Cameroon case study in that activation projects do not tend to target the

poor directly. Rather, they target regions with higher incidences of poverty or groups of vulnerable

people, such as child labourers and communities affected by the impacts of war. However, some

projects are not necessarily targeted at the population groups most likely to be poor. For example,

many projects are targeted at the urban youth. It is in rural areas though that poverty rates are

highest and where young people have most difficulty gaining access to services. Local structures are

in place which, if utilised properly, could improve the access that rural youth have to information.

For example, there are youth councillors within each local authority who could be given roles to

reach out to young people.

Improved coordination at several levels is also required. Efforts have been made to engage with

stakeholders but these tend to be sporadic and there is no structure in place to ensure input by

relevant organisations. For example, there is a lack of regular interaction between employer bodies

and the business, technical and vocational education and training (BTVET) and other educational

organisations, although it should be noted that employers were consulted in the development of the

Skilling Uganda strategy paper.

Nevertheless, lessons are being learned by policy makers and some well considered activation

strategies are in place, such as Skilling Uganda, the BTVET strategic plan for the period 2011-2020.

Skilling Uganda aims to address skills mismatch by instigating a paradigm shift within the education

sector, moving from a focus on acquiring only educational certificates, irrespective of their relevance

to the labour market, to a focus on acquiring the employability skills and competencies required by

employers. Educational certificates will continue to be used in the formal BTVET system, but they

will signify that the content of training is allied to the needs of the labour market. The strategy

includes targets to increase the number of primary school leavers to enrol on BTVET courses. This

will require a change in the public perception of BTVET because vocational skills training tends to be

perceived as being inferior to traditional academic studies.

The key challenge for Skilling Uganda, and other government policies, lies in their implementation in

a country where lack of funding is a severe constraint. The implementation of Skilling Uganda did

not begin until 2012 for example, instead of 2011 as the strategy had set out, due to lack of funding.

The strategy paper also clearly states that there is a funding gap to implement the policies. Current

budget projections for the BTVET sector have been based on the current low expenditure levels, for

example, which have led to underfunding for BTVET institutions. For the first four years of the plan

alone, the funding gap is estimated by the Skilling Uganda strategy paper to be 424 billion UGX

(equivalent to US$ 155 million

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. Doubts could therefore be raised as to whether the targets set out

in the strategy are realistic. However, the World Bank, which supported the development of Skilling

Uganda, has developed a plan to continue supporting the government to implement the plan.

Lack of funding for activation measures also means that measures traditionally delivered by the PES,

such as job search support, are not widely available, as is discussed below.

Job search support

The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD) has nine departments, one of

which is the Employment Services department. Within this department is the directorate for

external employment services. It is this directorate which, theoretically, is responsible for the

provision of job search support to jobseekers. However, there is only one public employment

services bureau operated by the ministry and this is located in Kampala. Kampala Capital City

Authority also recently set up a public employment services bureau. Other employment services in

Uganda are provided by private job placement agencies, most of which are also located in Kampala.

The Employment Services department provides licenses to private job placement agencies and

monitors their services. Although the department is constrained in terms of what it can achieve due

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Based on a conversion rate as at 18

November 2014.