Skills Festival: Equity Bank and partners celebrate Youth Week

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On Friday, August 16, 2924, Equity Bank Uganda in conjunction with Nation Media Group Uganda and its partners, hosted the two-day NTV Skills Festival at Motiv Kampala (Old Portbell Road), which concluded on Saturday, August 17, with the theme “Explore and Advance”.

The NTV Skills Festival comes as Uganda and countries around the world celebrate Youth Week. The event aims to address the challenges facing the country’s youth, including unemployment and lack of skills best suited to the current job market.

The two-day event includes interactive workshops and hands-on activities across a range of skills, exhibitions showcasing products, services and innovations, masterclasses, learning new skills in technology, arts, crafts and entrepreneurship, and industry expert consultations for young people, enabling participants to explore new ideas, network and discover resources that will aid their skills development and career path.

Mr. Nelson Mugisha, Manager, Enterprise Development, Equity Bank Uganda, cited the role of institutional support in youth development and stressed the importance of initiating skills development efforts.

**Mr. Nelson Mugisha, Enterprise Development Manager at Equity Bank Uganda, addresses youth at the NTV Skills Festival held at Motiv in Kampala on Friday, August 16, 2024**

He added: “Equity Bank is committed to empowering youth through multiple financing efforts and partnerships with NGOs to strengthen services. This is reflected in partnerships such as Young Africa Works, which has provided financial support to more than 36,000 micro-enterprises in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.”

The Guest of Honour and Commissioner for Basic Education at the Ministry of Education and Sports, His Excellency Ismail Mulindwa, expressed his strong commitment to education and youth empowerment.

“As a department responsible for training people across the country, this training supports the various training programmes we undertake. Education is key to our national development; through education, we gain the knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing world,” he said.

His Excellency Ismail Mulindwa, Chief Guest and Commissioner for Basic Education at the Ministry of Education and Sports, will address the youth at the NTV Skills Festival at Motiv, Kampala on Friday, August 16, 2024

Ms. Susan Nsibilwa, Managing Director of National Media Group, stressed the importance of public-private sector collaboration and the role of media in educating and empowering young Ugandans. She outlined Uganda National Television’s mission to use media platforms to introduce skills and opportunities to young people, urging them to explore and enhance their potential.

**Managing Director of Nation Media Group, Mrs. Susan Nsibilwa, addresses the youth at the NTV Skills Festival held at Motiv in Kampala on Friday, August 16**

Uganda’s current demographic structure is dominated by youth, with people under the age of 25 accounting for more than 77% of the total population. Young people are active participants and drivers of Uganda’s socio-economic transformation, and they play an important role in entrepreneurship and digital innovation. Equity Bank understands the key role played by youth, especially in entrepreneurship and social enterprises, and has launched the Young Africa Works program, which, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, provides unsecured loans to youth, aiming to empower youth enterprises and address the challenges of limited funds, curb unemployment, and create wealth opportunities.