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The vision and mission of the NRM is to have all Ugandans shown the way to prosperity mostly through commercial agriculture and President Museveni has asked the business people to help government in this area for their businesses to thrive and be sustained.

 

President Yoweri Museveni has urged the business community in Arua to understand the ideology of the NRM on doing business. He asked business people not to restrict themselves to trading and value addition and forget about commercial farming, because they need more raw materials for value addition. The President said this on Wednesday 12th April 2023 while addressing the business community and investors of West Nile in Arua who included small, medium and large-scale businesses in different sectors such as value addition, manufacturing, hospitality industry, transportation, among others.

The President who is on an investment and wealth creation tour in West Nile under the theme: “securing your future through wealth creation and shared prosperity”, informed the gathering that all Ugandans must be supported to engage in commercial agriculture using the 4-acres model and the seven activities proposed in the NRM Manifesto. The seven activities include; growing of coffee, fruits, food crops, zero grazing dairy cattle, poultry, pigs, and fish farming. He said if people in West Nile have 4 acres of land to get involved in the 4 acres model plus the 7 activities, he said that the Parish Development Model is there to help them out.

President Museveni ordered for the arrest of all those involved in staging multiple roadblocks to collect taxes from businesspeople saying roadblocks were abolished a long time ago. “We are talking of the Common Market for East Africa which means free movement of goods within the region. Multiple taxation should stop,” the President warned.

About the roads, the President said that government will ensure there is money to maintain the roads once constructed but also to constantly check on the quality of the constructed roads to avoid poor quality work giving an Example of the road from Karuma to Arua that is under reconstruction. “My Engineering Unit of State House will come and check and tell me. If we find bad works, we are going to blacklist or even prosecute them,” Gen. Museveni noted.

The president also responded to the issue of insufficient capital and the high interest rates on loans from Commercial Banks, and he said that the Parish Development Model (PDM) will solve this immediately once it is fully understood and supported. The PDM will help to start the Parish Banks which will be receiving 100 million Shillings each year,” the President emphasized.

The Minister of State for Finance in charge of Investments, Evelyn Anite; informed the President that in line with his directive, land was secured in different Districts of West Nile to establish Industrial Parks.

The Chairperson of Arua Business Community; Moses Obetya, on behalf of the large-scale businesspersons in West Nile, appreciated President Museveni for the prevailing peace that has enabled them to do business. “We used to spend nights on the road from Arua to Kampala and sometimes not being sure of our safety while returning to Arua. Today, this is no-longer the case,” Mr Obetya said.

The meeting was also attended and addressed by the Vice President, Major (Rtd) Jessica Alupo Rose Epel. Others were Ministers; Obiga Kania (Urban Development), Dr. Joyce Moriku Kaducu (Primary Education), Gen. Katumba Wamala (Works & Transport), Dr. Chris Baryomunsi (ICT & National Guidance) and Ruth Nankabirwa (Energy & Mineral Development). Others included the NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong, Hon. Members of Parliament from Arua and officials from Uganda Revenue Authority and Uganda Investment Authority.