Lango leaders demand empowerment and economic inclusion for the boy child

13 August 2026, 8:46 am

By Frank Oyugi

Lira City — As Uganda marked International Youth Day on 12 August 2026 alongside the global community, local leaders in the Lango Sub-region called for greater economic and moral support for young people, highlighting the need for boy-child empowerment and targeted inclusion in national development programmes.

Speaking during the commemorations, stakeholders from civil society, local government and youth leadership emphasised that addressing unemployment requires both structural government support and proactive innovation from young people themselves.

Empowering the boy child and fostering innovation

Dr Morris Chris Ongom, Team Leader at the Lira-based civil society organisation Global Forum for Development Uganda (GLOFORD), urged young people to take ownership of their future through creativity and enterprise to address unemployment.

“Young people must rise to the occasion, be creative and innovate to cushion the challenges of unemployment that our society continues to grapple with,” Ongom said.

Ongom also called on cultural institutions, civic leaders and community mentors to actively nurture young people morally while equipping them with practical life skills to navigate modern socio-economic challenges.

Calls for inclusion in government wealth programmes

Echoing these concerns, Santa Angela, Female Councillor for Lira City East Division A, pointed to what she described as an emerging imbalance in youth advocacy. She argued that the strong emphasis on girl-child empowerment in recent years has inadvertently left many young men vulnerable and without adequate guidance.

Santa called for the explicit inclusion of all young people in key government wealth-creation initiatives, such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga, to help systematically lift young people out of poverty.

Adding to the call, Sodrick Ogwang, former Youth Chairperson of Lira District, emphasised that young people remain key drivers of economic transformation if structural barriers are removed.

“Young people possess immense potential and are key drivers of socio-economic growth, but they must be given genuine opportunities to thrive,” Ogwang told QFM.

Global alignment: focus on vulnerable regions

The calls from Lango reflect the broader global theme of International Youth Day 2026, which highlights the shared aspirations of young people worldwide for dignity, quality education, decent work and meaningful participation.

This year’s international focus draws particular attention to young people in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), including Uganda, who face intersecting challenges such as poverty, geographical isolation, the impacts of climate change and limited access to digital technology.

Despite these constraints, local leaders maintain that targeted investment in young people can harness their resilience and drive sustainable development at the community level.