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Uganda's demographic profile is unambiguous: More than 78% of the country’s 35 million people are aged below 35 with the youth (aged 18 – 30) effectively constituting no less than 22% of the entire population. Even though these figures cannot be misinterpreted, Uganda stills fails to put the youth into the centre of political deliberations and socio-economic development. The result is that the youth, even though it has the potential to be a crucial human resource, is often uneducated, unemployed, and indifferent towards political and social processes. Therefore it is up to the youth to reflect on possible solutions concerning the challenges they themselves and their country face.

It is against this background that the University Forum on Governance (UNIFOG) in cooperation with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung used the student leadership elections to identify and support future leaders to present themselves, their leadership capacities, and their vision for the future of Uganda. In this context it is worth noting that the guild presidency is a highly prestigious and important position at both the university and the national political level. It can be considered a stepping stone for young people into national leadership positions which give them the opportunity to contribute to democratisation, good governance, and economic growth. Besides the students’ community, high level decision makers from politics, academia, and civil society attended the event and added value to the discussion.