President Yoweri Museveni wants all Ugandans to play their part in wealth creation for Uganda to achieve collective development and prosperity through among other means practising modern commercial and calculated agriculture to fight poverty at the household level.
While addressing leaders in Arua as he began his tour on investment and wealth creation in West Nile on Tuesday under the theme: “Securing your future through wealth creation and shared prosperity”.
His Excellency the President revealed that while the money economy has grown from four percent in 1969 to 68 percent currently, there is still a lot to be done. He called upon every Ugandan to join the money economy.
“For economy, we don’t need spectators, we need all people to be players. Seeing some people spectating while others are making money, that’s not acceptable,” H.E Museveni said.
According to President Museveni, Uganda has achieved the minimum economic recovery by reviving items like the 3 Cs-coffee, cotton, copper and the 3 Ts-Tea, Tourism and Tobacco which had collapsed during Uganda’s political troubles of the 1950s.
He said by 1986 when the NRM came into government, he was fully aware of this problem that the money economy had collapsed and they embarked on the minimum economic recovery by reviving the 3Ts and 3Cs.
“And within a short time, as I speak today, cotton has come back, tea production has come up, we are now producing around 12 million bags of coffee up from 9 million bags recently. So, the minimum economic recovery has been achieved,” the President noted, adding that the economy has expanded with the addition of other products like milk, beef, soap, sugar, fish, fruits, steel and maize which was not a cash crop by 1971.
He said economic Infrastructure development such as; roads, railways, piped water, internet etc, to facilitate wealth creation is also being worked on and promised to address the problem of intermittent power supply in west Nile.
“We have got a lot of power, but the problem is distribution. I have been handling this problem for a long time. The electricity demand is picking up and with these industrial parks coming up, we shall need more electricity,” H.E Museveni further noted.
He expressed optimism in the parish development model which is aimed at getting people out of poverty through enterprises that have a global demand to uplift the remaining 38% of Ugandans still in substance to the money economy.
“All the people above 18 and want to join wealth creation should join the parish SACCO. For us, we shall bring you 100 million shillings each year to your SACCO and each year we need 100 families to benefit. The point is that in 4 years’ time, you parish people will have your own bank of 400 million shillings,” the President said, calling upon the local people to come out and report the corrupt messing up of the Parish Development Model.
“The corrupt people will have problems, they will pay. Fearing to expose the corrupt means you’re working with them. Recently I was in the Gulu area, I got some culprits, and my State House Anti-Corruption unit is going for all of them,” Gen Museveni further said.
The meeting was attended by among others; Vice President Major (Rtd) Jessica Alupo Epel, Ministers, especially those hailing from West Nile, Dr Joyce Moriku Kaducu (State for Primary Education), Evelyn Anite (State for Finance), Dr Chris Baryomunsi (ICT and National Guidance), Ruth Nankabirwa (Energy and Mineral Development), among others.
