Different youths engaged in environmental rights promotion have asked the government to stop talking and formulate and implement policies aimed at protecting the environment.
Speaking at the maiden inter-University sustainable energy summit at the Makerere University School of Pharmacy this week, Nurudin Busingye, the team leader at Smart Youth Network Initiative said that it’s time for the government to take some action instead of just lamenting.
The energy gap being witnessed in the country, he said, can be addressed should the government have the Will.
“We need sustainable solutions to solve Uganda’s energy crisis and to combat the climate emergency more so, the Global Accelerator for Jobs and Social, Protection for a Just Transition is a real opportunity to help countries like Uganda in the Great Lakes region to create 100 million decent jobs, including in the green, digital and care economies,” he said
Ms Mercy Melody Kayodi, the youth and innovation program officer at UNDP rallied her fellow youth to innovate different solutions that will help in enhancing their lives as well protect the environment.
“There’s just a lot more young people can do. I can promise you that you can create change by just mobilizing young people and telling them what they need to do in the climate space,”
The summit was organized by the Smart Youth Network Initiative in collaboration with other partners.
It was held under the theme: youth reimagining the Future with the aim of creating a sustainable outlook for the energy transition by connecting students to energy professions, policies, jobs, and financing.
“The Acute shortage of electricity or power that has led to massive load shedding in the country due to poor planning, poor policies, and corruption in Uganda has led to human rights violations which cost the country a lot,” Busingye said.
The summit attracted both students from different Universities and different youth-led environment rights organizations.
Lynet Murungi, the operations officer at Smart Youth Network Initiative said that the summit focused on sustainable resource management and the role that students played in defining the future of energy development.
“We are targeting international, multidisciplinary post-secondary students in undergraduate and graduate studies interested in energy-related courses, careers, and innovators. The main goal is to inspire the current and future generations of students to bring change by allowing them to take part in the edge of energy!” she said
“We are creating a sustainable outlook for the energy transition by connecting young students of today to leaders of the energy sector to educate the leaders of tomorrow,” he added.
Robert J. Turyakira, the deputy executive director of environment shield said that there is a need for ensuring that clean energy is generated and guaranteed to each and every one.
“Our planet and its people are worth protecting, and that means a just transition to clean energy soon I continued to advocacy and influence emerging national just transition policies which attracted threats, abuses, and intimidation on my life by the people in power due to corruption,” he said
Anyeko Piloya, a law student at Uganda Christian University said, “Big terms have been used to address sustainable energy, now the question is how many people in our different villages can understand these terms, fossil fuels and its underlying principles,”
