Ugandan youth make up almost half of the voting population. However, youth voices have failed to be reflected in policy outcomes, especially youth interest areas like education, health services and employment. Youth rarely come together to collectively pursue common interests, the result of a lack of coordination as well other resources. Although reforms have created a number of leadership spaces for youth to participate in national governance and development.

On 12th March, 2018, 30 young leaders from Kigezi region were participants at day-long training on advocacy, social mobilization and political economy analysis. The training, part of our political leadership advancement project (PoLA LAB) with the University Forum on Governance (UNIFOG) was the third in the series after previous ones held in Lango and Basoga sub-regions.

On 03 March, the University Forum on Governance (UNIFOG) and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) partnered to hold the first POLA-LAB workshop in Lira, Northern Uganda. The platform for political leadership advancement aims to mentor effective young political and community leaders by training them in the areas of political and social mobilisation, advocacy and political economy analysis.

This year the National Youth Conference dealt with the topic of gender equality and how the youth can change the gender equality legislative landscape in Uganda. On two days, representatives of the youth discussed issues related to the equality of rights, opportunities and challenges for youth and tools to influence politics.