A woman in subsistence agriculture threshes Soya bean harvest last season in Gulu city.
The Executive Director of the revamped Uganda Development Bank, Mrs. Patricia Adong Ojalongo has reiterated that there are so many opportunities and potential for the northern part of Uganda which has not been tapped to spur recovery of the region through appropriate use of new agro-industrial as the region is so blessed with vast arable underutilized land and good climate.
“There are so many opportunities not yet exploited. We should know that development is in our own hands and we should take the first step by taking responsibility for the growth of this country. We have organized this Northern Uganda Investment Forum to scout for potential business entities from both the private sectors and registered business companies to come on board and transform our society from subsistence to farming as a business no matter the size of your land,” Adong Ojalongo said. The forum took place last month at the Conference Hall of Watoto Church along Sir Samuel Baker road in Gulu City which drew participants from the business community, private sector, elders, youths and women group leaders from the Greater Northern Region of West Nile, Lango and Acholi.
It was also addressed by officials from Uganda Investment Authority, Electricity Regulatory Authority, Operation Wealth Creation Co-coordinator, General Salim Saleh, UMEME, Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) Uganda Tourism Board (UTB). General Salim Saleh, the brother of the dictator, Gen. Yoweri Museveni, said there was a lack of coordination among government agencies operating in the northern part of Uganda where over UGX. 3.9 trillion (about US$ 1.1 billion) was injected for the economic recovery since the gun fell silent but noted with regret that the region was still in abject poverty. Substantial sums have been stolen by corrupt government officials.
Of the total population living below the National Poverty Line, the share located in the Northern and Eastern Uganda regions increased from 67% in 2006 to 84% in 2013. Uganda’s substantial geographic disparities in patterns of growth and poverty reduction underscores the importance of mapping the poverty to ensure that policy intervention and expernal aid effectively target poor house-holds, according to a World Bank survey.
In his sixth-term reelection manifesto, Gen. Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, said, “The mantle of securing the future of Uganda is so great a task for one to play bets on. It is not a gamble. It is a matter which requires lifelong commitment, unending sacrifice and vast experience. NRM is the only political organization that can be trusted with the sacred responsibility of securing Uganda’s future” “After years of turmoil, this is the first time ever that Ugandan has enjoyed more than three decades of uninterrupted stable democratic process buttressed by NRM’s core principles of Democracy, Patriotism, Pan-Africanism and socio-economic transformation. We have built a firm foundation to steer the economy for social transformation and economic take-off into self-sustaining growth.”
Observers believe, Museveni has been forced to re-direct his energy to fight endemic poverty among Ugandans which stands after going through one of the most trying moments of his entire presidency with the rise of 39-year-old musician-turned-politician Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi, a.k.a. Bobi Wine. Many Ugandans believe Bobi Wine, who heads the National Unity Party (NUP) party defeated Gen. Museveni decisivley in the Jan. 14 presidential election. An independent App developed by Ugandans that captured substantial portions of votes recorded on the official declaration forms in polling stations showed Bobi Wine winning by 54.19% to Museveni’s 34.83%.
Instead, the Election “commission” all of whose members are appointed by Gen. Museveni awarded him “victory” with 59% and credited Bobi Wine with 34.8–which is precisely the votes earned by Museveni accoridng to the Uvote App.
