President Yoweri Museveni has approved the establishment of three new Presidential Industrial Skilling Hubs in Ankole and Greater Masaka as the government moves to expand vocational training opportunities for vulnerable youths across the country.
Two of the new hubs will be established in Ntungamo and Bushenyi districts, while the third will be constructed in Kalangala District, a hard-to-reach island district in Greater Masaka.
State House Comptroller Jane Barekye announced the development during separate stakeholders’ engagements at the Ankole Zonal Presidential Industrial Skilling Hub and the Greater Masaka Zonal Presidential Industrial Skilling Hub on Thursday 20th August 2026 and Monday 24th August 2026 respectively.
Barekye said the President approved the additional hubs following concerns from leaders over stiff competition for the limited training slots available at the existing centres.
The Ankole Zonal Presidential Industrial Skilling Hub currently serves one of the highest numbers of administrative units in the country, covering Ibanda, Ntungamo, Mitooma, Mbarara, Isingiro, Kiruhura, Sheema, Bushenyi, Mbarara City, Rubirizi, Rwampara, Kazo and Buhweju, as well as municipalities within the region.
According to Barekye, the large number of administrative units means some areas receive an average of only 14 training slots per intake, compared to more than 25 in some other zones.
She asked the local governments of Ntungamo and Bushenyi to expedite the identification and allocation of suitable land so that State House can begin the process of establishing the two new hubs.
“Please expedite the process of finding land and inform us as soon as possible so that we embark on the establishment of the hubs. If you fail, please tell us so that we look for other options,” Barekye told the leaders.
Ntungamo District Vice Chairperson Asuman Kigongo said the district is ready to provide about 150 hectares of land in Rubaare Town Council, together with infrastructure valued at about Shs500 million, to facilitate the establishment of the hub.
Bushenyi District Secretary for Finance Didas Ihoza Tumwijukye also welcomed the President’s decision, saying the district is ready to provide approximately 30 acres of land at Ruyonza in Nyakabirizi Division, Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipality.
He said that should State House find the proposed site unsuitable, the district has another option of about 100 acres in Buyanja, Kyeizoba Sub-county.
At the Greater Masaka Zonal Presidential Industrial Skilling Hub, Barekye announced that President Museveni had also agreed to establish another hub in Kalangala District following concerns about the competitiveness of enrolment and the difficulties young people from the island district face in accessing the existing hub.
The Greater Masaka hub currently serves 10 administrative units, including Kalungu, Kalangala, Bukomansimbi, Masaka City, Masaka District, Rakai, Lwengo, Lyantonde, Sembabule and Kyotera.
Barekye said once the Kalangala hub is established, the administrative units will be shared between the two centres, with each hub serving five units, consequently increasing the number of young people able to benefit from the programme.
She asked Kalangala District leaders to identify and provide suitable land to State House to enable construction to commence.
The expansion comes as State House moves to increase both the capacity and range of courses offered under the Presidential Industrial Skilling Hubs programme.
Eng. Raymond Kamugisha, the Director of Presidential Projects and Industrial Hubs at State House, said four additional courses are being introduced following a directive from President Museveni. These include weaving and knitting, plumbing, electrical installation and electrical wiring.
Kamugisha also announced changes intended to make enrolment easier for vulnerable youths without National Identification Cards.
He said possession of a National ID is no longer a prerequisite for admission, explaining that applicants can present letters from their respective LC I chairpersons and be enrolled as State House works with the relevant authorities to facilitate their acquisition of identification documents.
The issue of National IDs has also affected graduates seeking to access start-up capital through the Presidential Industrial Skilling Hubs SACCOs.
Rwampara RDC Harriet Nakamya expressed concern that some graduates, including those in Sheema, had failed to access SACCO financing because they lacked National IDs.
“We are ashamed. This shows we have failed to mobilise. From today onwards, let’s mobilise these youths and link them to NIRA so that they get IDs and start investing in production,” Nakamya said.
Kamugisha also expressed concern about the low uptake of SACCO loans in Ankole and Greater Masaka despite the availability of funds provided by the President to help graduates establish businesses.
“We do have money that the President sent for the graduates’ SACCOs, but graduates are not taking this money. We want to find out why. Masaka City, the best performer, has only taken Shs16 million,” Kamugisha said.
Greater Masaka Zonal Presidential Industrial Skilling Hub Chairperson Rodgers Bulegeya described the programme as one of President Museveni’s most significant wealth-creation interventions and called for the number of beneficiaries to be increased.
He appealed to State House to consider increasing enrolment from 24 beneficiaries per district to 100, saying competition for places, particularly in Masaka City, remains high.
Bukomansimbi District NRM Chairperson Shafic Mwanje called on leaders and communities to embrace technical education, arguing that practical skills provide a direct route to employment and wealth creation.
Mwanje said Bukomansimbi District had already provided an office for the graduates’ SACCO and that he had personally provided a motorcycle to facilitate the SACCO coordinator’s work.
“Fellow leaders, let’s go back home and spread the gospel of skilling. Mobilise our communities towards this cause. We need to get into the innovation space, and this has to be done through skilling,” Mwanje said.
