By Mike Rwothomio

The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development has officially handed over the expansive Paidha Town Council Cultural Center in Zombo District for a mega rehabilitation to support its five-year nationwide expansion under the Support to Integrated Community Learning for Wealth Creation (ICOLEW) Programme.

Zombo is among the three districts including Kaliro and Rakai , benefitting from the five-year community-based adult learning and education initiative.

The programme targets low-literate, neo-literate, and semi-literate youth and adults aged 15 years and above. It integrates functional literacy and numeracy skills with livelihoods development to foster demand for and sustain lifelong learning opportunities.

The Ministry will rehabilitate six learning centers in Zombo District, including Paidha Cultural Center, Alangi Community Hall, Zeu, Nyapea, Warr Community Center, and Athuma Social Center. Selected beneficiaries will be trained in village savings, community development, financial literacy, and other skills at these rehabilitated learning centers.

In Zombo District, where the poverty rate stands at a concerning 44 percent according to the multi-dimensional poverty index released by UBOS last week, and recent local reports from organizations such as Life Concern indicate that about 65% of youths are unable to read and write, reflecting elevated illiteracy levels compared to the national average, such government interventions come as a big blessing.

Mr. Everest Tumwesigye, Commissioner for Community Development and Literacy at the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, handed over the site of Paidha Cultural Center to the contractor, EBA Business and Finance Company Ltd, on Friday, March 27.

The contract is valued at Ugandan shillings 197.6 million.

He urged leaders, including the district engineering department, to keenly monitor the project to ensure its success.

Site handover

“We are handing over this site to you the contractor which you will need to deliver within 60 days,” Tumwesigye said during the ceremony.

Under this project, approved in December 2024 with effective implementation in the 2025/2026 financial year, the Ministry will rehabilitate three learning centers in the initial phase, including Paidha Cultural Center in Zombo, one cultural center in Kaliro District, and one in Rakai District.

Tumwesigye encouraged the contractors to expedite the work within the sixty days to deliver the project goals and objectives. 

He added that within the five years, the Ministry will work in 77 districts across the country, and at the end of the project, the Ministry targets the renovation of 213 community learning centers nationwide.

He disclosed that the Ministry has started the procurement process of assorted furniture, equipment, and other learning materials to be delivered to the community learning centers, warning against shoddy work and emphasized timely schedule delivery.

“The success of the sixty days they have will demonstrate to the Ministry of Finance that we are in real business and what they will want is to ensure that we have engaged you, you have owned it,” Tumwesigye noted.

He urged the district community development department to develop a functionality and utilization plan for the services, including the Parish Development Model (PDM), agriculture, forestry and environment, immunization, amongst others.

For the smooth running of the facility once completed, the Ministry will conduct a diagnostic study to design programmes for each center. These programmes will assist and empower the people, and the curriculum delivered at the respective centers will depend on the issues identified through the diagnostic study.

Fulgence Turyatemba, the Executive Director of EBA Business and Finance Company Ltd, who is undertaking the rehabilitation work, promised to deliver quality work within the stipulated two months. He called for collaboration and support from local leaders, stakeholders, and security.

Samwel Ocaki, the Community Development Officer of Zombo, commended the Ministry of Gender for the transformative programme, urging the Senior CDO of Paidha Town Council to “form a committee to monitor the project to give effective report to the district.”

The LCIII Chairperson of Paidha Town Council, Innocent Godfred Onega, said the rehabilitation project has come at a timely moment. He noted that under his administration, the council managed to construct the Paidha Cultural Center in 2003, thus becoming a center for hosting religious, government, and other social events.

Onega, who called for cooperation and assured of serious monitoring of the project, urged the contractor to “use labour and materials from here such that our people can also benefit from your work here.”

Narsis Binwengi, the workers’ representative at the district council, who represented the LCV Chairperson, said: “This project we believe will address the high illiteracy rate in our district,” calling upon would-be beneficiaries not to take the project lightly.

Meanwhile, Bruno Mananu, the Assistant Resident District Commissioner of Zombo, emphasized the need for quality work and urged the utilization of local labour, warned against sabotage and called for peaceful coexistence with local leaders and security.

The Paidha Cultural Center, last constructed in 2003, will receive a mega facelift with project components including floor replacement with tiles, ceiling replacement, ramps installation for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in toilet facilities and buildings, boarding, gutter installation, replacement of broken glasses, installation of lightning arrestors, amongst others.

The ICOLEW Programme supports socio-economic empowerment, mindset change, and active participation in development processes, aligning with Uganda’s Non-Formal Adult Learning and Community Education Strategy (NALCES).

The move comes as Uganda continues to grapple with significant challenges in adult literacy and poverty.

According to the 2022 available data from UNESCO and the World Bank, the national adult literacy rate for ages 15 and above stands at approximately 80.59%, meaning about 19.4% of adults remain illiterate. This represents progress from earlier years, though disparities persist, particularly in rural and marginalized areas.

Poverty remains a linked barrier, with recent estimates indicating a national poverty rate of around 20.3% . Rural poverty is notably higher, exacerbating cycles of limited access to education and economic opportunities.

Mr. Everest Tumwesigye, Commissioner for Community Development and Literacy at the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development addressess the gathering during the site handover.

Mike Rwothomio is news editor at zoomer Africa your number one grassroot information hub