Increasing jobs amidst a weak private sector and a rapidly growing population is the primary development challenge. Northern Uganda has a youthful population with energy to drive economic progress. However, the potential workforce is poorly educated and unskilled.
Combined with limited private sector opportunities, this has resulted in low productivity, underemployment, and unemployment in the region. For growth to take place, a skilled and efficient workforce capable of meeting the varied demands of a growing economy is needed.
Improving the private sector growth requires human capital which is able to compliment other investments to boost productivity and subsequently translate into economic progress.
Therefore, we recognize that the development of human capital is one essential components for growth. Under this pillar, human capital development will be in three areas:
(1) for people, who must be equipped with necessary education and skills to allow them further economic opportunities;
(2) for business, which require a capable workforce; and,
(3) for the needed economic development.
There is need to ensure that the development of human capital is inclusive and takes into account special interest groups, including women and persons with disabilities. Women make up 76 percent of the agricultural workforce and yet are typically marginalized in skills development, access to finance and employment opportunities outside of agriculture.
The future of Northern Uganda will depend on women playing an active role in which they will need to be equipped and empowered. Environmental protection and climate adaptation will become increasingly important in the near future. People and communities will need to be prepared for inevitable changes to be able to adapt accordingly.
Sustainable progress will ultimately depend on the capabilities of leadership and local governments. Currently, low administrative and technical capacity of local governments hinders service delivery. Effective service delivery requires competent leaders. The proliferation of districts has left new districts under-resourced for sufficient management. Lack of communication, coordination, and cooperation between local and central government has created gaps in effective service delivery. Therefore, interventions to build the capacity of leaders, managers, and local governments to improve performance and enhance accountability are needed.
An economically prosperous Northern Uganda is possible. The mutually reinforcing nature of human capital development for increasing skills, employment, and productivity combined with leadership and good governance will ensure broad-based and sustainable growth. The development hypothesis for Pillar 1 is that if there is knowledgeable, skilled, and available human capital accompanied by effective governance, access to quality health, and education; 9 then Northern Uganda will have strengthened the fundamentals for inclusive socio-economic transformation to take shape. The selected projects under Pillar 1 are highlighted below