iiG Oxford, LSE, REU of BRAC-Uganda, and IYF hosted a conference on Adolescent and Youth Development in Kampala on December 05, 2011. Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, UNICEF, World Bank, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and EPRC are partnered with the initiative. The conference brought together policy-makers, practitioners, and researchers involved in the development, design, and implementation of programmes for youth development. The porgramme fostered learning from existing programmes to ensure approaches in Uganda are effective.
The East African countries are going through demographic transitions; in the region’s history never has there been a larger or more educated young generation. This poses its own challenges and opportunities for development. No single policy will be able to address the issues of youth development as issues are multi-dimensional. Required policies range from macro-economic policies aimed at creating employment, to policies aimed at human capital accumulation in terms of education, skills and health, to evolving social norms and aspirations. And in all these ranges of policies and interventions, the voice and perceptions of youth need to be taken into account to create political supports and attain greater success.
Despite the above challenges, lessons can be learned from policy makers, academics and practitioners –both working on Uganda and beyond – to formulate effective policies. Many academics are engaged in rigorous research on creating policy relevant knowledge on youth development. Researchers, analysts and practitioners have a lot to gain from sharing this knowledge for effective policy formulation and designing programmes and interventions. This conference provided a forum to share that knowledge and inform the next steps of the youth development agenda in Uganda.
