President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has launched the Mengo Zonal Presidential Industrial Skilling Hub in Kayunga District, marking yet another milestone in a bold national initiative to empower Uganda’s most vulnerable youth with hands-on vocational skills and a renewed sense of purpose.

Speaking at the commissioning event, the President described the hub not merely as a training facility, but as a “battlefield for wealth creation,” where young Ugandans, many of them school dropouts and economically marginalized are being empowered to fight poverty with tools instead of guns.

“This is not just a hub. These are my new frontlines. We are skilling, transforming, and liberating Uganda’s youth,” President Museveni said.

“The traditional education system betrayed many young people. Now, we are giving them a second chance free of charge with dignity and skills that bring income,” he added.

The Mengo hub is one of 19 established under the Presidential Initiative on Skilling the Youth, a program designed to train over 12,000 youth annually in trades such as welding, tailoring, baking, shoe-making, carpentry, and mechanics.

Each graduate earns a DIT Level One Certificate, nationally recognized and internationally equivalent to the Uganda Certificate of Education.

For many of its beneficiaries, the program is not just a skills-training course, it is a life-changing intervention.

Mastula Nantongo, a 28-year-old single mother from Luwero, shared how the skilling hub gave her a way out of poverty.

“I was a Primary Five dropout, washing clothes for people just to feed my kids. I had given up,” she revealed.

“Then I was enrolled into the Presidential Skilling Hub. Within months, I was trained, saved money, and opened my own salon. Today, I employ nine people and support my family. I even bought a plot of lands,” she added.

Another graduate, Ashraf Semakata, 23, from Gomba District, shared a similar story.

“I used to carry loads in the market to survive. But after joining the bakery course at the hub, I opened my own business. I now earn over UGX 800,000 per month and train others. My life has meaning again.”

These testimonies underscore the deeper purpose of the hubs, which is to provide a second chance to youth marginalized by poverty, school dropouts, and systemic barriers.

“This initiative is more impactful than UPE or USE,” Museveni said. “Here, we feed, house, and fully train the youth, many of whom were left behind by the formal education system.”

Hon Amos Lugoloobi, Minister of State for Finance in charge of Planning and MP for Ntenjeru North, described the hub as a “life-changing sanctuary,” empowering 420 youth every six months.

He urged the government to expand accommodation facilities and increase the number of beneficiaries.

“These hubs are restoring hope. They are turning despair into dreams,” Lugoloobi said.

President Museveni also pledged additional support, including funds for youth SACCOs and the introduction of common user machines to support production across districts.

“This is about equity and empowerment; we are creating job creators, not job seekers,” the president added.

Beyond skills and certificates, the Presidential Skilling Initiative is redefining Uganda’s approach to youth empowerment, especially for those the formal education system left behind.

“This initiative is more impactful than UPE or USE,” the President stated. “Here, we do not just educate. We feed, house, and train our young people in how to survive and thrive.”

With its combination of hands-on training, social support, and market-ready certification, the Mengo Zonal Hub now stands as a symbol of second chances, a place where forgotten youth are reclaiming their futures with pride and purpose.