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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Private Sector Foundation Uganda, the country’s apex body for the private sector, has launched a partnership with Bird Uganda Safaris Limited, a Ugandan birding tour company to establish 3,980 work opportunities for young women and men over a 5-year period.
The partnership is in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation as part of the Young Africa Works–Enhancing Lead Firm Structure for Youth Employment in Uganda, the partners said on Sept.23.
Samuel Yalew Adela, the country head for Uganda at the Mastercard Foundation explained, “Birding and tourism in general is a growing and promising space and we are excited to partner with Bird Uganda Safaris to provide the necessary support to equip youth with the right ideas and skills, not just to improve their own lives, but to improve the lives of their families, the well-being of communities, and the resilience of the country.”
Under this partnership, work opportunities will be generated in birding tours, cultural tours, other nature tours, tour driving, food and craft production, cultural dances value chain and will be implemented in the districts of Kiruhura, Kazo, Isingiro, Mbarara, Rubirizi, Bushenyi, Mpigi, Buikwe, Mukono, Masindi, Hoima, Kasese, Bundibugyo, Ntoroko, Wakiso, Kisoro, Kanungu, Kotido, Moroto, Kabarole, Sembabule, Rubanda and Kabale.
PSFU is the anchor implementing partner of the Young Africa Works strategy in Uganda, and through the Lead Firm Structure Project, aims to create many work opportunities.
The targeted sectors are agriculture, manufacturing, tourism and hospitality, and construction and housing with 70% of the beneficiaries being young women.
To date, the project has generated up to 155,557 potential work opportunities through 22 Lead Firms.
Francis Kisirinya, the acting executive director at PSFU encouraged corporate companies to embrace corporate social investment projects as these have proven to be more fruitful in the long run than corporate social responsibility projects.
“Invest in the future of your business, your customers and your country at large,” he said.
Stephen Asiimwe, the director – Policy and Business Development at PSFU, and a birding enthusiast said, the intervention is timely because tourism and hospitality sectors across the globe have taken the greatest hit from the COVID-19 pandemic and any effort to boost the sector is highly appreciated.
