Oil prospects should not divert you from creating jobs, wealth, Museveni tells Bunyoro people

President Yoweri Museveni has urged the people of Bunyoro, especially the youth not to be diverted by prospects in the oil sector and ignore engagement in job and wealth creation activities.

“Oil is good and it is coming but don’t be swayed from engaging in wealth and job creation activities. Government has identified seven sectors that every Ugandan can get involved in to create wealth and improve incomes,” he said.

The sectors include industries, commercial agro production, ICT and services sector. The President said government has also submitted a proposal to cabinet to consider approving project centered SACCOs for financial support and easy access by the people. The sectors include Bodabodas groups, Women entrepreneurs, Carpentry, Saloons, Taxi operators, Restaurants, Welders, Market vendors, Youth leaders, people with disabilities, Produce dealers, Mechanics and Tailors.

The President was speaking during a Press Conference at Masindi State Lodge. The President is in Bunyoro region as part of his national tours to promote government’s job and wealth creation campaign to drive people out of household poverty

The President however urged the people to exploit the infrastructure in place to create jobs including lodges, restaurants etc that will support the oil sector. He urged youth engaged in sand and other mineral products to exploit the need for stone pavers for pathways in the district to fill the gap.

Museveni who is also the NRM National Chairman said that it’s NRM’s ideology that mitigated people’s thinking that the only cash crops have to be cotton, coffee, tea…as proposed by colonialists.

“It’s a wrong perception for people of the modern world to believe that the traditional cash crops that were introduced by the colonial masters are the only items that can earn anyone money. Any agricultural produce including milk, banana’s etc can be cash generating,” he said.

The President said while traditional cash crops earn a lot of money because they are grown on a large land acreage for a huge production, people on small land acreage should adopt NRM’s four acre plan of cost effective enterprises including coffee, fruits, food crops for the family, zero grazing animals, piggery, poultry, fish farming.

“This concept of modern agriculture earns an individual about one million shillings annually but as a start, one can be able to fetch at least 20 million shillings per year”, he said.

The President noted that the government put more emphasis on building the general infrastructure such as roads, electricity, hospitals, etc for every citizen to benefit from and urged people to focus on exploiting them to improve their household income.

“When you have some money, many things are possible. One can access water by harvesting it by roof catchment, educate children, meet medical needs without government support,” he said.

During the press conference, the president assured the country that the future of Uganda’s economy is bright. “The economy is one of the fastest growing economies in the world”, he said.

Responding to the questions raised from the public phone calls and the journalists from Bunyoro media group, the president said that crime on the lakes will be handled as government was planning to install a surface radar system for surveillance and security purposes to monitor lakes. This was after complaints that Congolese militias killing fishermen on Lake Albert is on the rise.

will soon come to an end saying that the government has plans to on Uganda’s fishing water bodies. The system will also help government to contain illegal fishing practices on its waters.

The President also said, government will protect the Bugoma Forest that is being cleared for sugar production. The forest is a matter of contention between the National Forest authority and the Bunyoro Kingdom.

Among other things, the President said he would address the issue of rehabilitation of Masindi Hospital, Kigumba technical institute etc.