The Minister of science, technology and innovation Monica Musenero has said that for Uganda to enjoy the middle income status, there is need for Ugandans to embrace Parish Development Model (PDM).
She was on Thursday speaking in a Bukedi region mindset change program which is taking place in all the districts of the sub Region.
Musenero said that this program has come to benefit the subsistence farmers in the communities of Uganda and urged the local leaders to preach the mindset change gospel to the populace to elevate them from poverty through the parish development program.
The minister also assured Bukedi that her Ministry is working around the clock to see how to support innovation across the country and how it can work in remote areas to help in doing away with poverty so that everyone feels the middle income status.
The State Minister for defence Jacob Maxion Oboth Oboth called upon local leaders to sensitize the masses on ways of getting out of poverty and changing from old methods to the current one that will usher them to a money economy as the country moves towards middle income.
Fred Emojong the district councilor representing Kwapa town council raised concerns on why the Emyooga program has been abandoned by government after investing in alot of money.
Eddie Obella the Katajula sub county district councilor questioned on what the government is doing with the state of bad roads and low electricity coverage in the parishes across Tororo district yet parish development model will focus on production and it’s within a short time agricultural inputs will be ready for processing and marketing.
Minister for Bunyoro affairs Jenifer Namuyangu responded that Emyooga program is there and that government will continue investing more sums for the benefit of those involved.
For the roads, Minister Namuyangu said that government is focused to taking on development projects to the parishes indicating that electricity, water and roads are the government’s next priorities to connect producers to market centres.
Dr Patrick Okware, the district production officer said the main enterprises for Tororo district for an average farmer with 2 acres of land are dairy farming, poultry, piggery and horticulture as well as fruits and coffee.
Angura Fredrick the Tororo South County Member of Parliament appealed to the Chief Administrative Officer Dunstan Balaba to kick start the financial disbursement of the Parish Model Funds to for the community members at the parish to get ready and start the action.
Angura asked the district production Officer to equip all Parish Chiefs with information of how best the enterprice can perform and it’s profit for the households to go for viable Enterprise selections according to their soils and profitability.
Danstan Balaba the Chief Administrative Officer raised concerns that Tororo district has 17 uncoded parishes something that will make the program implementation uneasy in such areas.
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