As unemployment continues to weigh heavily on Uganda’s youth, students have been urged to shift their mindset and embrace entrepreneurship, innovation, and smart saving as tools to navigate life beyond university.
Speaking at the NSSF Career Expo hosted at Bishop Stuart University under the theme Smart Money Moves, experts underscored that academic qualifications alone are no longer sufficient for success in today’s job market.
“It’s important to prepare students from where they are right now to face the world through engagement, employment, ideas, innovation and starting their own businesses,” said Jackline Kansiime Umwiza, regional manager at the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU).
The expo gathered hundreds of students and youth leaders to reflect on realistic paths to financial independence, with a focus on building sustainable futures through self-employment and prudent financial habits.
Nuwamanya Hillary, coordinator of the NSSF Career Expo in institutions, stressed that financial literacy is critical for any young person preparing for life after graduation.
“Education will only help you realise success but can't guarantee success,” he said. “Telling these students to start saving and about insurance is to prepare them for life after university and reality.”
He encouraged students to begin saving early, even from minimal income, arguing that developing a saving culture fosters financial discipline, resilience, and confidence.
“If you are looking for jobs and they are nowhere, use the savings to start up a business and become an employer of your own and many others,” he advised.
According to Nuwamanya, saving is not just about accumulating money—it is a mindset that builds self-reliance and instils a sense of purpose.
He acknowledged the anxiety many students feel about returning home jobless after graduation, but said that consistent saving and entrepreneurial thinking could offer an alternative route to stability.
He also raised concerns about the impact of taxation on youth-led enterprises, calling for government and policymakers to ease the burden and create an environment where young entrepreneurs can thrive.
The NSSF Career Expo served as both a motivational and practical platform, challenging students to be proactive in shaping their financial futures through planning, creativity, and enterprise.