Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Technical Skills Training programs are aimed at building capacities of MSMEs to acquire the necessary basic skills and produce improved high quality products that fetch high monetary values thus improving house hold income and promoting industrialization.
Recently, a five days charcoal briquette making skills training was conducted in Kamengo Sub County where majority of the participants were parents dominating in usage of charcoal for cooking. It equipped MSMEs and teachers with the appropriate technical skills and exposure to appropriate technologies that enhance production and marketability for their products and services.
Particularly, this hands-on training program was aimed at imparting hands-on skills in producing charcoal briquettes from locally generated materials like banana wastes, dry leaves, grass, charcoal dust, fruit dry leaves among other agricultural wastes.
A group of 45 Participants were trained and urged by the UIA project Manager Mr. Byaruhanga Steven to work together, form an association and practice the acquired skills. This is to improve their income status by producing charcoal briquettes for both home and business use. “There is no hesitation that these Innovations are one of the biggest challenges in Uganda but at the same time a golden investment opportunity for youth and women”. He said
There is currently a lot of waste mismanagement through burning of wastes during bump harvests due to lack of skills for value addition. Innovation of charcoal briquettes production is now one of the means to save the environment and earn an extra income from waste and provide a service that has been missing for so long not only in Mpigi but in the whole country.
