Gulu bakery turns youth unemployment into skills opportunities

2 November 2026, 4:46 pm

By Ekel Bonny Daniel

Jovnat Bakery in Gulu City is empowering vulnerable youth through practical baking skills training and employment opportunities. Having benefited approximately 200 young people, the bakery also plans to expand into soap making and poultry keeping to promote livelihoods.

As youth unemployment continues to challenge communities across Northern Uganda, a bakery in Gulu City is using practical skills training and employment opportunities to help young people explore alternative paths to earning a living.

Jovnat Bakery, located in Bardege-Layibi Division, was established in 2019 by Aloach Margaret with a vision of supporting vulnerable young people, particularly orphans, school dropouts and those with limited access to formal education.

Ronnie Regan, the company’s director, says the business was founded not only to produce bakery products but also to give disadvantaged young people an opportunity to acquire practical skills and become economically independent.

The bakery provides practical training in bread making, pastry preparation, cake decoration, icing and confectionery production.

Regan estimates that approximately 200 people have benefited from the training, with some reportedly securing employment in other establishments.

As the business marks six years of operation, Regan says it has experienced challenges, including a period of declining performance.

However, customer demand has since increased beyond the bakery’s current production capacity.

Beyond baking, management plans to introduce additional livelihood activities, including liquid soap making and poultry keeping, through organised customer groups.

Josephine Akello, a resident of Bardege who works with Equity Bank, said she has purchased bread and doughnuts from the bakery for several years, citing convenient service as one of its attractions.

Okello Daniel Akaa, from Ngomrom, Gulu City, said he prefers the bakery because of its timely services, particularly when ordering birthday cakes.

Another customer, Lakica Nema, a resident of Kabedopong, praised the bakery’s customer care and urged management to maintain its service standards, saying customers are treated with great respect.