KAMPALA — In a significant meeting held on Thursday, July 25, 2024, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni engaged with Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, the Chairman of the Nippon Foundation, to discuss Uganda’s agricultural development and the broader socio-economic challenges facing the nation.
The Nippon Foundation, based in Tokyo, Japan, is a private, non-profit organization established in 1962, known for its philanthropic activities funded through motorboat racing.
President Museveni expressed his gratitude to Mr. Sasakawa for his continued support and the foundation’s contributions to Uganda.
“I remember when you first came here with the Nobel Prize winner and Mr. Jimmy Carter. I thank you so much for the great work you have done,” Museveni remarked.
President Museveni highlighted the potential of Uganda’s agricultural sector, emphasizing the importance of fertilizers and irrigation to increase production.
He encouraged the foundation to align its efforts with Uganda’s Parish Development Model (PDM) program, which focuses on integrating households into the money economy through commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services, and ICT.
“Production can go up to 10 times by use of fertilizers and irrigation. The potential here is very huge and I encourage you to continue doing your work, especially linking up with our PDM program,” Museveni urged.
In a candid discussion, President Museveni addressed the country’s economic situation, stating that Uganda’s primary issue is not poverty but a need for lifestyle changes among its citizens.
He noted that while 61 percent of households are engaged in the money economy, 39 percent remain outside it.
“Our struggle from 1986 was to get our people in the money economy from the pre-capitalist mode of economy. Now, based on the census we did, 61 percent of the homesteads are in the money economy and 39 percent are still outside the money economy,” he explained.
“The PDM is to make sure that all the homesteads join the money economy through the four sectors; commercial agriculture, manufacturing and artisanship, services and ICT.”
Museveni also advised Mr. Sasakawa to promote upland rice cultivation over swamp rice to protect natural resources and appreciated Sasakawa’s efforts to improve soil fertility in the Karamoja sub-region.
“I’m happy with Mr. Sasakawa’s emphasis on the health of the soil because sometimes we just get lost trying to use fertilizers without taking care to know the problem of each area,” Museveni said. “You should manufacture useful and safe fertilizers and you should give us more ideas in this area and where you can give us more direct support, please do so.”
Mr. Sasakawa reciprocated the President’s sentiments, praising Uganda’s agricultural potential and pledging further support to enhance productivity and food security.
“Thank you, Your Excellency, for your strong leadership. We see great potential in Uganda’s agriculture sector. We’re committed to giving proactive support to the farmers here in Uganda,” Sasakawa said. “The Islamic Development Bank is also showing great interest in the agricultural sector here in Uganda and looks forward to collaborating with the government.”
President Museveni concluded by highlighting Uganda’s progress in the dairy industry and plans to extend similar development to other agricultural products like coffee and beef.
As Uganda continues its journey towards economic transformation, partnerships like that with the Nippon Foundation play a crucial role in realizing the country’s agricultural and socio-economic goals.
Email us at: info@alleastafrica.com
