OPINION – The job market in developing countries like Uganda is a sham. The government’s focus on initiatives that boost the economy rings hollow when the president advises uneducated and unemployed individuals to engage in small-scale farming, rearing goats, pigs, and chickens. This advice ignores the reality that subsistence farming, prevalent in Africa, barely covers a family’s financial needs.
With skyrocketing medical bills, school fees, and daily expenses, it’s laughable to suggest that people can survive on farming alone. This approach demonstrates misplaced priorities, as peasantry living translates to low living standards. The lack of vast lands and resources makes it impossible for small-scale farmers to earn a decent living wage.
Furthermore, supporting farmers with improved seeds and fertilizers has led to increased exposure to hazardous pesticides and chemicals, resulting in poor health, cancer, and malnutrition. If everyone engages in piggery and poultry farming, there will be no market for their products. Countless times, we have seen remarkable seasonal harvests followed by enormous drops in crop prices. Maize, green bananas, and fruits are some of the crops that have resulted in remarkable losses for farmers after heavy investment. This is demoralizing and draining, throwing many peasants into days of despair and suffering.
Moreover, if there was more manufacturing, these foods would be better utilized. This would not only provide a stable market for farmers but also create jobs in processing, packaging, and distribution.
To address Africa’s job crisis, industrialization is crucial. Policymakers must recognize that subsistence agriculture without mechanization and value addition is futile. Industrial development should focus on producing goods that add value to our daily lives, creating jobs in production, engineering, packaging, marketing, and retail.
The fact that Africa remains a significant market for developed nations, despite being one of the poorest continents, is damning evidence. We cannot perpetuate a system where we serve as a dumping ground for wealthy nations’ goods while failing to develop our own industries. Furthermore, the exploitative extraction of our natural resources at paltry prices exacerbates the poverty and ignorance that plagues our masses. It is imperative that our leaders assume a proactive stance in addressing these grievances and enact transformative policies, lest we continue down a path of stagnation.
Industrialisation Is The Key To Job Creation; Unlocking Africa’s Economic Potential,-Katushemererwe Brenda
OPINION – The job market in developing countries like Uganda is a sham. The government’s focus on initiatives that boost the economy rings hollow when the president advises uneducated and unemployed individuals to engage in small-scale farming, rearing goats, pigs, and chickens. This advice ignores the reality that subsistence farming, prevalent in Africa, barely covers a family’s financial needs.
With skyrocketing medical bills, school fees, and daily expenses, it’s laughable to suggest that people can survive on farming alone. This approach demonstrates misplaced priorities, as peasantry living translates to low living standards. The lack of vast lands and resources makes it impossible for small-scale farmers to earn a decent living wage.
Furthermore, supporting farmers with improved seeds and fertilizers has led to increased exposure to hazardous pesticides and chemicals, resulting in poor health, cancer, and malnutrition. If everyone engages in piggery and poultry farming, there will be no market for their products. Countless times, we have seen remarkable seasonal harvests followed by enormous drops in crop prices. Maize, green bananas, and fruits are some of the crops that have resulted in remarkable losses for farmers after heavy investment. This is demoralizing and draining, throwing many peasants into days of despair and suffering.
Moreover, if there was more manufacturing, these foods would be better utilized. This would not only provide a stable market for farmers but also create jobs in processing, packaging, and distribution.
To address Africa’s job crisis, industrialization is crucial. Policymakers must recognize that subsistence agriculture without mechanization and value addition is futile. Industrial development should focus on producing goods that add value to our daily lives, creating jobs in production, engineering, packaging, marketing, and retail.
The fact that Africa remains a significant market for developed nations, despite being one of the poorest continents, is damning evidence. We cannot perpetuate a system where we serve as a dumping ground for wealthy nations’ goods while failing to develop our own industries. Furthermore, the exploitative extraction of our natural resources at paltry prices exacerbates the poverty and ignorance that plagues our masses. It is imperative that our leaders assume a proactive stance in addressing these grievances and enact transformative policies, lest we continue down a path of stagnation.
The author is a Pan Afrikanist,Former Media Administrator, Health Promoter, Technology Activist, Social Worker and Politician: Katushemererwe Brenda (Aspirant MP Igara West Constituency, Bushenyi District)
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