President Yoweri Museveni has said that whereas the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Government has lifted Uganda from a collapsed state and economy and registered commendable development especially in the infrastructure sector of the economy, the failure by majority of Ugandans to make good use of it to produce, generate wealth and overcome household poverty, remains a roadblock to the country’s prosperity agenda.
The President made the remarks on Friday at Bukomero Technical Institute in Bukomero Town Council in Kiboga District while closing a four-day economic empowerment and sensitisation workshop for the youth of Kiboga District.
He said that NRM fought and ushered into the country peace, democratic governance and developed the economic infrastructure such as roads, electricity, schools and health facilities that have seen Uganda generally develop but noted that failure by the population to differentiate between the importance of development infrastructure and individual household income, is a stumbling bloc to the progress of the country.
He attributed much of the poverty in the country to ignorance by a big section of the population that own land but are stuck in subsistence agriculture as opposed to commercial profit oriented production. He said that this trend of affairs makes them non-participants in the country’s money economy that leads to poverty.
He, therefore, urged the youth in Kiboga District to make good use of the skills acquired during the economic workshop they have undergone, sensitize and put into practice modern commercial oriented agriculture to be able to generate good income even when utilizes small acreage of land holding.
He observed that commercial agriculture does not only have potential to generate income for the youth and their families but also ensures food security for them as well as being a source of employment. He reminded the youth that the country has a high purchasing power to consume all they produce.
He illustrated that capacity by reminding them of the billions of dollars Uganda spends annually on goods that can be manufactured locally such as textiles, hides and skins products, wood products and steel products, among others, that come from outside. He encouraged them to study the market and produce for import substitution.
The President pledged government commitment to train, equip and offer financial support to youth groups all over the country to start large and small-scale import substitution industries. He also called on Members of Parliament to support him for enhanced budgeting for this program to solve both poverty and unemployment challenges among the youth.
