Impact of population growth rate on unemployment: case study Kasanga Parish

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Date
2012-06
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Publisher
Kampala International University; College of Economics and management
Abstract
This study was intended to find out how population growth rate affects unemployment 111 Kansanga Parish, in Kampala-Uganda. At a population growth rate of three percent per annum, Kansanga has one of the highest growth rates in Kampala. The country depends predominantly on agriculture as the backbone of its economy. The sector employs well over 81 percent of the country's 35 million people and contributes about 34 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). But despite the importance of the agricultural sector to the economy, most agriculture remains subsistence and relies mainly on the rains as the main source of water. Uganda has been challenged to translate recovery-based economic buoyancy into sustainable growth with solving unemployment in pursuit of national and international development targets. As the country weighs various options for stimulating an appropriate response to the economic slowdown of the recent years, it is impot1ant that policy considerations be informed by a review of the different growth strategies and episodes that the country has experienced. This paper, therefore, provides an overview of the broad economic strategies that have been implemented in Uganda since 1962 when it attained independence. By focusing on what transpired during the 1990s into the 2000s, the paper aims to assess the extent to which recent development strategies promoted the participation of unemployed poor people in Kansanga growth process. Furthermore, the paper highlights the tradeoffs associated with policies that emphasize growth versus those that emphasize distribution in pursuit of solving w1cmployment/poverty reduction in Kansanga. With a whooping unemployment rate of 30%, but boasting of an 88% literacy rate, the embers of the Tunisian Revolution were kept glowing by an army of frustrated angry, but highly intelligent techno-save young people. Although Tunisia is an Arab country with little in common in terms of standard of living, history and culture with Uganda. There are some uncanny similarities between the two countries that can pro\'ide some invaluable lessons to the Kampala regime. One such lesson is that it's dru1gcrous to ignore soaring unemployment among a country's youths, especially the educated lot. During the just concluded pol ls at kansanga , president Museveni enthralled the young people of this country with "you want another rap?" song. Subsequently, millions of youths decided to entrust their destiny with president Museveni by overwhelmingly voting for him. Whether president Museveni reciprocates the confidence Ugandan youths reposed in his leadership by sanctioning policies aimed at helping youths meet challenges- such as unemployment facing them remains to be seen. However, what is indisputable is that the unemployment statistics and the concomitant poverty among the youths especially the educated lot is a cause for concern, since Uganda has largely a young population.
Description
A research report submitted to the College of Applied Economics and Management Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Award of Bachelor of Arts in Economics of Kampala International University
Keywords
Population growth rate, Unemployment case, Kasanga Parish
Citation