President Yoweri Museveni has said Uganda’s road to industrialisation is unstoppable because of the enabling environment that has attracted investors to the country.
The President made the assurance on Wednesday while officiating at the commissioning of the newly constructed Nile Fibre Board Ltd, a multi-million wood processing plant in Kinooni village of Kakooge Sub-County in Nakasongola District.
Museveni congratulated Nile Fibre Board Ltd for joining a list of several other entrepreneurs who have taken advantage of the excellent business environment in Uganda and invested their capital in the country.
Nile Fibre Board Ltd is a wood processing enterprise that makes modern fibre boards – a type of engineered wood products made of wood fibre – that forms the raw material for the latest world class furniture and other wood products.
The President used the occasion to strong warn landlords against evicting bibanja holders.
“Landlords should never evict bibanja holders because it is illegal as bibanja holders are protected by the 1995 constitution, the land law of 1998, but are taking advantage if the ignorance of the law by bibanja holders to evict them,” he said.
“Resist them and let all government officials ensure that the people are not evicted. NRM will introduce an amendment to the land law so that landlords who refuse to receive the agreed busuulu, their due busuulu will be deposited by the bibanja holders at the Sub-County and issued with a receipt so that the landlords can pick their dues at the time of their convenience,” he added.
The President assured the management of Nile Fibre Board Ltd that the government will give them all the support they need for the growth and expansion of their business as the company is answering the government call to produce for import substitution; thus reducing the continued wasting of the country’s foreign earnings in the importation of products that can be produced in the country.
He encouraged the people of Nakasongola and the neighbouring districts to take advantage of the factory, plant trees and avail raw materials to the factory so as to get out of poverty. He also commended the people of Nakasongola District for the reported excellent relationship with the investors that he said will help attract more entrepreneurs to the area.
The President, however, reminded them that as investment in forestry was a long time venture, Ugandans especially those with small land holdings, should do commercial profit oriented agriculture in order to get out of household poverty. He singled out fruit and dairy farming, poultry and goat rearing as some of the undertakings that people of the area should focus on. He pledged government support to avail machines to helping farmers with water for agricultural production.
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