At least 72 youth groups have received Shs 1.7 billion in Innovation Development Grants for their outstanding youth-led ventures.
The groups were awarded during the National i-UPSHIFT Youth Social Innovation Summit 2025. Ranging from Shs 18.4 million, Shs 11.05 million, and Shs 7.37 million, the grants supported the most innovative social enterprises developed through the i-UPSHIFT program, empowering young people to create sustainable change in their communities.
Integrated Upshift (i-UPSHIFT) is a social innovation and entrepreneurship skills-building programme for marginalized adolescents and youth, jointly implemented by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF Uganda.
Through interactive boot camps, mentorship, and seed funding, participants learned to design, develop, and implement impactful ideas that address pressing social challenges in their communities.
“Social innovation is a commitment to find new ways to solve problems. It gives us tools to tackle challenges to ensure lives are changing,” said Evans Lwanga, Chief Technical Officer, ILO.
The programme equipped young people with seven key 21st-century skills: problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity and creative confidence, communication and leadership, collaboration and teamwork, hope for the future, and identity and self-esteem.
These skills empowered youth to become changemakers who transform their communities and inspire others to act for social good. The International Labour Organization, working with implementing partners Unleashed, New Life Horizon (NELHIN), RICE West Nile, Windle International Uganda, and Wezesha Impact, executed the i-UPSHIFT project across multiple refugee and host communities in Uganda.
The initiative aimed to empower 1,200 young people to become successful entrepreneurs and community innovators.
“Today was a celebration of resilience for young people. We continue to believe that when you empower young people with the right skills, they not only participate in creating the future they are creating the future. Over the months, we experienced creativity in villages and communities. This summit connected and inspired each other. We believe no young person should be left behind. They have the right skills to change their communities. Young people are a promise and not a problem,” said Solomon Kayiwa Mugambe, Wezesha Impact Executive Director.
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