Museveni approves three new presidential skilling hubs 

KAampala: President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has approved the establishment of three new Presidential Industrial Skilling Hubs in Ntungamo, Bushenyi and Kalangala districts as government moves to expand access to vocational training for vulnerable young people.

Two of the new hubs will be established in Ntungamo and Bushenyi in the Ankole sub-region, while the third will be constructed in Kalangala District to serve young people in the island district.

The expansion follows concerns from regional leaders over stiff competition for the limited training opportunities available at existing Presidential Industrial Skilling Hubs.

State House Comptroller Jane Barekye announced the development on Monday, August 24, 2026, during stakeholder engagements at the Ankole Zonal Presidential Industrial Skilling Hub and the Greater Masaka Zonal Presidential Industrial Skilling Hub.

Barekye said the Ankole hub currently serves 17 administrative units, including districts, municipalities and a city, resulting in intense competition for available training slots.

“Some administrative units receive an average of only 14 slots per intake, compared with more than 25 slots allocated to some other zones,” Barekye said.

She said the establishment of additional hubs will ease pressure on existing centres and enable more young people to acquire practical skills that can improve their employment and income prospects.

In Greater Masaka, the Kalangala hub is expected to address the challenges faced by young people in the island district, particularly the costs and difficulties associated with travelling to mainland training centres.

The existing Greater Masaka Zonal Presidential Industrial Skilling Hub serves 10 administrative units. Once the Kalangala facility is established, the units will be shared between the two centres, with each hub serving five administrative units.

According to Barekye, construction of the three facilities will begin once the respective local governments identify and formally provide suitable land for the projects.

Four New Vocational Courses

The Director of Presidential Projects and Industrial Hubs at State House, Eng. Raymond Kamugisha, said the expansion will also be accompanied by the introduction of new vocational courses.

On President Museveni’s directive, four additional courses are being introduced: weaving and knitting, plumbing, electrical installation and electrical wiring.

Kamugisha said the courses are intended to broaden the range of practical skills available to beneficiaries and equip young people with competencies that can be directly applied in the labour market or used to establish small businesses.

The State House has also relaxed admission requirements for vulnerable young people who do not possess National Identification Cards.

Kamugisha said applicants without National IDs can now present recommendation letters from their respective LC1 chairpersons and be admitted while efforts are made to help them acquire the required identification documents.

“A lack of national identification should not prevent vulnerable young people from accessing skills training,” Kamugisha said.

He also raised concerns over the low uptake of SACCO loans by graduates of the skilling programme, despite funds being available to support beneficiaries in establishing income-generating activities.

Kamugisha urged graduates to utilise the available financing opportunities and turn the skills acquired through the programme into sustainable businesses and employment.

Call for Increased Enrolment

Greater Masaka Zonal Presidential Industrial Skilling Hub Chairperson Rodgers Bulegeya called for an increase in enrolment, proposing that the number of beneficiaries be raised from the current 24 young people per district to 100.

“The growing demand for vocational training demonstrates the need for government to expand both the number of training centres and the number of beneficiaries admitted in each intake,” Bulegeya said.

The proposed hubs in Ntungamo, Bushenyi and Kalangala are expected to reduce pressure on existing centres while bringing vocational training closer to vulnerable young people who might otherwise struggle to access such opportunities.

The expansion reinforces government’s focus on practical skills development as a pathway to youth employment, entrepreneurship and economic empowermen

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