Makerere University School of Women and Gender Studies wins a grant to study Rural Youth Employment
The Uganda Research team comprising of Dr. Prossy Isubikalu (L), Dr. Victoria Flavia Namuggala (M) and Mr. David Mpiima(R) poses for the Camera with the IDS East Africa Region PI, Dr. Marjoke Oosterom (2nd R) and the Dean SWGS, Assoc. Prof. Ssali (2nd L).
The School of Women and Gender Studies wins a grant to undertake research in Challenges and Opportunities for Rural Youth Employment in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Mixed Methods Study to Inform Policy and Programmes.
Associate Prof. Sarah N. Ssali, Dean SWGS and Dr. Marjoke Oosterom, IDS East Africa Region PI sign the aggrement. On the right is Assoc. Prof. Ssali (L) shaking hands with Dr. Oosterom after signing the Partnership Agreement.
Project Funder: International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
Overall IFAD Funding: USD$ 1,500,000
Project Duration: 3 YEARS since October 2016
Consortium Members: CIMMYT, University of Sussex, ActionAID
Key Implementing Partners: Makerere University School of Women and Gender Studies and Institute of Development Studies (IDS), Brighton (UK).
Participating Countries: Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia
Uganda Partner Collaborators: Makerere University School of Women and Gender Studies, and Department of Agriculture Extension, Gulu University.
Uganda Implementing Districts: Luweero, Gulu and Kitgum.
IDS PI: Dr. James Sumberg
IDS East Africa Region PI: Dr. Marjoke Oosterom
Makerere University PI: Dr. Victoria Namugala
Gulu University PI: Prof. Okello Ouma
Ugandan Research Team: Dr. Victoria Flavia Namuggala (MAK-SWGS), Dr. Prossy Isubikalu (MAK-Department of Agricultural extension), Mr. David Mpiima (MAK-SWGS) and Prof. Okello Ouma from Gulu University.
Project Abstract:
Unemployment and underemployment among young people[1] are critical issues in international development today and will remain so in years to come. This is particularly the case in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where large groups of youth are under 25. It is generally agreed that even under the most optimistic scenarios, the modern, primarily urban sectors of most if not all African economies will not be able to provide decent jobs for the growing numbers of young people who are set to enter SSA’s labour markets. There is also an emerging orthodoxy among policy makers and development professionals that the agricultural sector and the rural economy more broadly can provide a key to the problem of youth employment in Africa. However, in much of rural Africa, income generation opportunities within the rural economy are limited by deep structural constraints. The research project intends to generate robust evidence on the aspirations of rural youth in Africa and the ways in which they navigate livelihood opportunities.
The Dean SWGS Associate Prof. Sarah N. Ssali (3rd left) poses for the Camera with the IDS project research team
[1] Important note: no single term or phrase (e.g. youth or young people) adequately conveys the social and economic diversity and heterogeneity that is so central to this research. In the remainder of the document the term young people should be read and understood to encompass this diversity – in terms of gender, age, marital status, degree of dependence or independence, level of family responsibility, education, religion, social status, ambition and so forth.