President Yoweri Museveni being welcomed in west Nile sub Region

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni yesterday continued with his second sub-region tour to the West Nile after the Acholi sub-region.

The resourceful sub-regional tours are centered on the theme of “securing your future through wealth creation”. According to UBOS statistics, some parts of the country are still captivated by poverty at a rate of 68%.

It is a culture of the President to follow up on the implementation of his social contract in the NRM manifesto 2021-26 and is reawakening the leadership of the area in the different sub-regions and the peasants about their role in fighting poverty through taking advantage of the government strategic vehicle of the Parish Development Model as per the National Development Plan III.

The meetings at Arua city golf course started early with presentations from the different MDAs about their plans and achievements towards ensuring better livelihood for the people of the West Nile sub-region.

Much as the facilitators explained particularly those from the Ministry of Energy, minerals, and natural resources, the locals were non aligning with their failed promises to make West Nile connected to the National grid for electricity power. Last year around September, the Ministry of Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources set a deadline for powering the area which later shifted to March this year but still non achieved which angered the peasants and thus branded NRM as a party of empty promises.

The President seems to have been technologically following up the entire proceedings and on his turn to address the masses, he called on the minister to explain ” How many more hours for the darkness to end in West Nile”. The Minister Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu using strong technical language “Nebbi sub-station is 85% complete, will get power from Gulu and Gulu from Kole district” fused the peasants which made the President use a simpler explanation and tasked the Minister to ensure that West Nile is powered without fail.

On the PDM, the President also called Hon. Galabuzi Ssozi the National Coordinator to explain how the SACCO is formed and all the requirements for people to benefit.

The President assured the masses “We have enough electricity but the problem is distribution”. The President’s engagements are an expansion of his Musevenomics concept about how Uganda can speedy economic growth and development through taking advantage of value addition on especially the 14 production lines. He said with confidence about the achievement of NRM to have transformed the economy from a GDP of USD 1.5 billion to USD 49.3 billion by June 2023.

Speaking on phone, the ONC Deputy Public Relations Officer Dr. Brenda Tibamwenda said that the President is a kind of a leader who believes in teaching the people to bring about accountability.

“He never gets tired to explain and practically taking lead in ensuring that the main objective of fulfilling the social contract of 5 promises in the NRM manifesto is achieved. It is public evidence now about how the Bazzukulu are so hopeful to have jobs through SMEs and established industries in the sub-region, access finances through PDM, Emyooga and other opportunities and this is to be achieved once the sub-region is connected to electricity on completion of Muni substation in Arua City and Nyagak 1 and Nyagak II in Nebbi and Zombo districts” Tibamwenda added.

Speaking to 25 years old Racheal Atek a saloon owner “If we have a stable power supply, our businesses can easily expand in production which creates increased income and jobs for the youth. Why would we import goods from Kampala or Gulu?”

Minister Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa explained “Only 11 MW are required but on completion, it will be 200 MW” This is for the Muni Sub-station in addition to Nyagak 1 in Nebbi to produce 3.5 MW and Nyagak II in Zombo districts

The President promised to have a detailed explanation regarding how to do away with darkness in West Nile in the next engagement.

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PRESIDENT MUSEVENI URGES EUROPEAN INVESTORS TO TAP INTO UGANDA’S ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged European investors to take advantage of Uganda’s economic opportunities, particularly in infrastructure, energy, manufacturing and agriculture, saying investment in productive sectors is key to expanding markets, creating jobs and accelerating economic transformation. The President made the remarks today at State House Entebbe during a meeting with European Union Ambassadors and investors, where he highlighted Africa’s growing population and expanding market as a major opportunity for European businesses seeking investment and stronger economic partnerships. “This is what we have been advising our European friends to look at, because Africa is a big potential market with its fast-growing population,” he said. President Museveni attributed political instability in some African countries partly to identity-based politics, including tribalism, religious divisions and ideological misunderstandings, as well as a failure to appreciate the role of the private sector in driving economic growth. He said Uganda had learnt from these challenges and emphasised the need for a stable political and economic environment that enables private businesses to invest, expand production and create employment. The President welcomed ongoing and proposed European investments in Uganda, particularly in infrastructure and other productive sectors, saying such projects would strengthen economic links between Uganda and the European market. “All these projects are music to my ears. By constructing these projects here, you are linking the market of Uganda to that of Europe. Why can’t anyone see that?” he asked. On energy, President Museveni said the cost of electricity remained a critical factor in Uganda’s competitiveness, particularly for manufacturers seeking to produce goods at affordable prices. While welcoming private-sector investment in hydropower generation, he called for greater attention to electricity tariffs, arguing that affordable power was essential for industrial expansion and economic growth. He identified affordable electricity, railway transport and accessible financing for productive investments as key priorities for strengthening Uganda’s manufacturing sector. The President cited the Uganda Development Bank as an important source of financing for businesses engaged in productive activities, explaining that the government had retained the institution to support investments capable of expanding production and creating jobs. He also urged the European Investment Bank to channel more financing into strategic infrastructure, particularly railway development, electricity generation and distribution, and selected road projects. On road infrastructure, President Museveni encouraged European investors to explore opportunities in construction and financing models, including tolling arrangements where appropriate. The President also reaffirmed the government’s support for tax incentives aimed at attracting investment, particularly in manufacturing, and emphasised the importance of enabling eligible businesses to benefit from a 10-year tax holiday. ...

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