Greater Nebbi Youth Endowment Fund Initiative Targets Transformation of 10,000 Youths into Entrepreneurs

By Mike Rwothomio

A significant gathering of youths from the districts of Zombo, Nebbi, and Pakwach convened at Leosim Motel in Nebbi Municipality recently to endorse the Youth Endowment Fund, a Youth-led venture designed to foster entrepreneurial self-reliance and socio-economic transformation in the Greater Nebbi sub-region.

The initiative establishes a forward-looking framework for youths to pool resources, save, and collectively fund their own business ventures through community-led Youth Savings and Lending (YSL) groups and peer crowdfunding mechanisms.

By circumventing traditional banking barriers such as requirements for collateral and established credit history, the program promotes financial autonomy, equity retention, and enhanced financial literacy among participants.

The Self-Funded Youth Cooperatives model emphasizes overcoming credit access challenges while equipping young people with essential business skills and long-term sustainability.

According to the architect of the venture, the Youth Endowment Fund primarily targets students from higher institutions of learning. 

Its core objectives include providing seed capital for youth-led businesses, implementing a structured incubation and mentorship program, financing innovative projects, generating employment opportunities, and positioning the fund as a platform managed by young professionals for young people. 

The initiative also seeks to attract government youth-focused investment programs to scale impact.

Emilio Odongo, Head of the Forum for Development of Greater Nebbi and a key brainchild behind the venture, described the effort as a strategic move to “change the narrative” around youth associations.

“We have formed what we are calling the Youth Endowment Fund. We want a specialized framework where young people contribute something towards the realization of their dreams,” Odongo stated. 

He highlighted the challenge of a sizable educated youth population in Greater Nebbi remaining idle and underutilized.

The venture directly addresses the prevailing unemployment rate of approximately 18.5% for persons aged 15 years and above across the three districts in the West Nile region, according to the National Population and Housing Census 2024. 

Compounding this, studies indicate that up to 60% of young people in the sub-region are not in education, employment, or training

“We are not a business entity; we are youth building youth to challenge the status quo of our generation,” Odongo emphasized.

In the current digital economy, the initiative aims to redirect youth engagement away from unproductive social media discourse toward value-creating activities.

Recent data compiled by Next Com, a Kampala-based digital and communications agency using Hootsuite and We Are Social tools, shows Uganda has approximately 3.4 million active social media users, with an annual growth rate of 36%.

To this end, the group has launched an official WhatsApp platform uniting youths from Greater Nebbi, particularly higher institution students.

The forum has grown to over 400 members, focusing on productive discussions, networking, education, commerce, and developmental initiatives distinct from platforms centered on trivial or political matters.

Odongo added, “We want to change your mindset on how you can use social media without trading blames, insults, and abuse..." highlighting the benefits social media has in development.

The platform serves as a dedicated empowerment hub where participants network, generate ideas, mobilize resources, and advance entrepreneurial plans into actionable ventures.

Brenda Muber, President of the Greater Nebbi University Students Development Association, commended the initiative for uniting youths toward a common socio-economic cause. 

Debora Pimer, Female District Youth Councillor for Nebbi, welcomed the program and urged broader youthful participation.

During the recent meeting at Leosim Motel, which brought together youths and local leaders, the association outlined plans to register over 10,000 youths for the socio-economic transformation drive.

The Nebbi District Vice Chairperson appealed to participants to embrace mindset change and productive ventures, noting that opportunities exist.

Mr. Robert Abak, Nebbi Resident District Commissioner, in an hour-long address to hundreds of youths, urged patriotism and the leveraging of the enabling environment created by government to transform livelihoods. 

He encouraged participants to abandon laziness and actively engage with programs such as the Youth Livelihood Programme (YLP), Emyooga, and the Parish Development Model (PDM), which aim to transition citizens from subsistence to a market-oriented economy.

The initiative seeks to address structural youth unemployment drivers in Uganda including skills mismatches, demographic pressures, limited capital access, and societal attitudes while shifting mindsets toward effective utilization of existing government poverty alleviation programs.

Through the Youth Endowment Fund, organizers aim to drive a fundamental mindset shift and narrative change to unlock the productive potential of Greater Nebbi’s youth population.

Uganda is ranked as a “low youth development” country (157th out of 181) in the Commonwealth’s 2021 Global Youth Development Index, with a particularly weak performance (167th) in employment and opportunity.

Despite national policies prioritizing youth employment, labor underutilization remains high.

Youths During the Engagement at Leosim Motel in Nebbi Municipality

Mike Rwothomio is news editor at Zoomer Africa your number one grassroot information hub for African news trends and updates.