President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has Tuesday arrived in Arua City, starting his 3-day investment and wealth creation tour in resource-rich West Nile Sub-region. Mr Museveni, who is also the NRM Party National Chairman will meet various stakeholders in the region to discuss investment, wealth creation, and deliberate strategies to reduce unemployment and poverty in the population.
During his visit, the President will visit model farms, engage with the business community, local leaders and the residents as they map strategies of getting more people involved in the money economy. The President will also interface with value-addition exhibitors.
At the start of his tour today, the President is expected to have an interactive session with the West Nile political, cultural and civil leaders. Later, officials from the Uganda Investment Authority as well as Ministries, departments and Agencies, will also make presentations on investment opportunities and incentives and development issues.
Museveni meets India’s external affairs minister
President Museveni on Monday held discussions with India’s External Affairs Minister; Dr. S. Jaishankar. The meeting took place at Rwakitura in Kiruhura District in Western Uganda. Dr. Jaishankar is in Uganda to strengthen the relations between the East African country and India and also explore potential areas of cooperation.
During the discussion, President Museveni assured the visiting Minister that Uganda was open to work with India in the field of minerals and agro-business as far as value addition is concerned.
“We have been looking for people to add value to our steel for a long time, but now we seem to be making a success. In order to assist the automobile industry which, we are building here; we have always wanted an integrated steel industry which I think we are about to solve. There are other minerals like Gold, Copper and so on. This is a very huge area if we can work together,” he observed.
The President also assured Dr. Jaishankar that there is an advantage of working with Uganda due to the availability of a wider and ready market for products.
President Museveni stated that Uganda was banking on India for defence cooperation.
“We need a system that can help us to track phone calls outside Uganda. Terrorists sometimes call from neighboring countries”.
“We can deal with these terrorists if we are able to locate exactly where they are. Our army is quite strong and very capable. That is why we have been able to survive in this wild place. We have a very strong tradition of training in India,” he added.
There is nothing Uganda won’t achieve
In his Easter message at the weekend, the President congratulated Ugandans, especially the youth who he fondly refers to as his grandchildren, upon surviving Corona and Ebola, as well as high commodity prices. Mr Museveni, who released a written statements stated that he has always advised Ugandans to follow the guidance of his ruling NRM party. “As I always tell you, if you maintain peace and listen to the guidance of the NRM, there is no obstacle, we cannot overcome,” the President wrote.
He further noted that Uganda’s economy is expanding both quantitatively and qualitatively, citing coffee production which has risen from 2 million, 60kgs bags in 1986 to 8.5 million bags, with a targeted 12 million bags soon; tea which was 3 million kgs in 1986 and is now 60 million kgs; Milk which was 200 million litres per annum and now stands at 5.3bn litres per annum, and 3.6bn litres go to factories for processing. Mr Museveni also cited cotton saying it is no longer being exported as just lint cotton. The fifth example Mr Museveni cites is Kiira Motors, where the Uganda Scientists with government funding, are addressing the issue of Electric-mobility by making electric cars and buses.
Museveni affirmed that there is nothing Uganda aims at and cannot achieve. He, however, points out that corruption has slowed down the progress of the nation. “The only delaying factors have been the phenomenon of the parasitism by some careerist politicians and civil servants andintroduce corruption in the process of implementing government programmes such as: PDM, Emyooga, micro-finance etc. These should not be tolerated and will not be tolerated,” he states.
Abyei area a priority
The Vice-President of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council, Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Daglo has emphasized the need for continued coordination and cooperation between Sudan and South Sudan.
Daglo, also Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Political and Administrative Oversight of Abyei area, said the move would help build trust and exchange views on how to provide a solid basis for the final solution for the Abyei area issue.
He was speaking at the joint meeting between Sudan and South Sudan on Abyei area at Al-Salam Rotana Hotel in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum on Sunday.
Dago further stressed that despite the critical conditions that Sudan is going through, holding the meeting was a priority in appreciation of the sensitivity of the area’s issue and the human suffering that the communities are going through.
He also emphasized the importance of reaching positive results to put Abyei area on the path of just and sustainable peace, through the meeting held in Khartoum.
According to the Sudanese official, the common historical ties between the communities of the area and the strategic relations that unite Sudan and South Sudan are all motivating factors that contribute to achieving real progress that guarantees a better future for the residents of the disputed oil-producing region
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