NSSF targets informal workers with first skills hub in Northern Uganda

The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has launched its first Common User Facility (CUF) in Northern Uganda, a move aimed at boosting youth and women’s livelihoods through skills development, access to shared production equipment and promotion of a savings culture among informal sector workers.

The facility, commissioned at the Northern Uganda Women’s Business Network for Development (NUWEBIZ) Foundation in Lira City, is part of NSSF’s broader strategy to extend social security services beyond formally employed workers.

The centre is equipped with industrial sewing machines, embroidery and overlocking machines, automotive mechanic tool kits, as well as fish preservation and packaging equipment intended to support small-scale entrepreneurs and vocational trainees.

Speaking during the launch, NSSF Managing Director Patrick Ayota said the initiative seeks to empower informal sector workers with practical income-generating skills while encouraging them to embrace voluntary saving schemes under the Fund.

Mr Ayota explained that amendments to the NSSF law in 2022 opened the Fund to workers outside formal employment, with operational regulations rolled out in 2024.

“NSSF previously focused on formally employed workers, but the law now allows everyone, including those in the informal sector, to save with the Fund,” he said.

He added that the Common User Facility programme is being piloted in four districts across the country, including Lira, Kayunga, Sheema and Mitooma, with plans for expansion depending on its impact.

“As a Fund, we realised that informal workers often lack access to equipment and organised workspaces. Through shared facilities like this, we can improve productivity and support sustainable livelihoods while encouraging a savings culture,” Mr Ayota said.

The Minister for Gender, Labour and Social Development, Ms Betty Amongi, who officiated at the commissioning, welcomed the initiative, saying it aligns with the government’s National Development Plans aimed at job creation, skilling and wealth generation.

She said the project would especially benefit young women and vulnerable groups by giving them access to modern production tools and business opportunities.

“With this initiative, many young people and women will acquire practical skills, improve their incomes and contribute to the objectives of NDP III and the upcoming NDP IV,” Ms Amongi said.

The minister acknowledged that unreliable electricity remains a challenge affecting operations at the facility, adding that her ministry was engaging relevant agencies to address the problem and improve service delivery.

For the past three years, NUWEBIZ Foundation, working with partners including the World Bank and the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, has been training young people in tailoring, hairdressing and motor vehicle mechanics.

Ms Sharon Okello Nagenjwa, the executive director of NUWEBIZ Foundation, described the partnership with NSSF as a major milestone after years of seeking support to improve training facilities and equipment.

Workshop manager Linda Petra Agudo said the newly acquired industrial sewing machines had significantly improved productivity and reduced the health strain associated with operating small manual machines for long hours.

She added that beyond training students at the centre, the facility would also be opened to community members seeking tailoring skills or access to professional equipment at an affordable fee.

“We want this facility to become a community resource centre where people can train, work and improve their livelihoods,” she said.

NUWEBIZ received 20 industrial sewing machines, two embroidery machines, one sweater machine, four overlocking machines, and additional button-fixing and button-hole machines under the project.