President Yoweri Museveni is tired of seeing some people spectating while others are busy making money.
He therefore, wants all Ugandans to play their part in wealth creation for Uganda to achieve collective development and prosperity.
According to Gen. Museveni, this is possible through among other means; practicing modern commercial and calculated agriculture to fight poverty at household level.
The president made the remarks while addressing leaders in Arua as he begun his tour on investment and wealth creation in West Nile sub-region.
The tour is themed: “Securing your future through wealth creation and shared prosperity”
Museveni revealed that while the money economy has grown from 4% in 1969 to 68 percent currently, there is still a lot to be done.
“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,” he said.
He said that 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 he said had collapsed during Uganda’s political troubles of 1950’s.
The General from Rwakitura said by 1986 when the NRM came into government, he was fully aware of this problem that 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, railway, piped water, internet etc, to facilitate wealth creation are also being worked on and promised to address the problem of intermittent power supply in west Nile.
“We have got alot of power, but the problem is distribution. I have been handling this problem for a long time. The demand for electricity is picking up and with these industrial parks coming up, we shall need more electricity,” he said.
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 money economy.
He asked all people above 18 and want to join wealth creation to 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,” he advised and urged locals to report thugs trying to mess up the PDM.
“The corrupt people will have problems, they will pay. Fearing to expose the corrupt means you’re working with them. Recently I was in 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; the Vice president Major (rtd) Jessica Alupo Epel, Ministers 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.
