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President Museveni launches Uganda’s green jobs programme

Sunday, September 13th, 2020

KAMULI DISTRICT: President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has

launched the Uganda Green Jobs Programme, under the Ministry of
Gender Labor and Social Development in Busoga sub-region and
handed over Business Start-up Toolkits and Equipments to Jua-
Kali and womens groups.
The launch and handover ceremony took place on Saturday at
Kamuli District Headquarters Saza Grounds in Kamuli
Municipality, Busoga Sub-region.
On arrival, President Yoweri Museveni was received by the Speaker
of Parliament Rt. Hon Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, the State Minister
for Youth and Children affairs, Hon. Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi
among others. He later inspected stalls of exhibitors that included
Animal feeds millers, Grain millers, Commercial bakers and tailors.
The Uganda Green Jobs Programme aims at creating green and
decent jobs to enhance labour productivity and reduce poverty
through promotion of workplace skilling and enhancement of
productivity and competitiveness of workers and enterprises.

For information on this and other media information contact PPU/State House
Speaking shortly after the launch, President Yoweri Kaguta
Museveni revealed that he started waking up Ugandans to get out of
poverty in the early 60s and has not relented.
“I have been doing this work of getting Ugandans out of sleeping
since the early 60s. I started from our place in secondary school.
That time all people did not know how to make money, they were
only working for the stomach. When you hear people talking about
poverty, the cause is working only for the stomach. Others who try
to work for money do it without a calculation (Ekibalo). I want us to
fight this war in phases,” Mr. Museveni said.
The President appealed to all people with land to engage in money-
making enterprises such as commercial agriculture.
“In a parish, households that have one or two acres of land should
grow food for both eating and selling for money but doing so with
‘Ekibalo’ (Calculation),” he said.
He explained to the attentive audience the four sectors of money
that include; Commercial Agriculture, Industries (small and big)
and adding value to what is produced, services like hotels,
transports etc. and ICT.
“The NRM government recommends that all households should
participate or get involved in any of the above sectors,” he said.
President Museveni urged Ugandans especially the Jua-Kali groups
across the country to be patient and wait for their turn because the
programme will be rolled out country wide.
“Don’t envy groups that have got help yet, we shall give everyone at
an opportune time. People were asking why I started from Kampala,

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I had to start somewhere and the rest will follow. We could not start
from all places at ago,” he said.
The President was pleased to note that the country is now speaking
with one voice of prioritizing infrastructure development and money
making sectors which has seen an increase in production which
has led to surplus of sugar, coffee, milk, bananas etc.
“Now the Problem is the market. How to solve it? By collaborating
with our neighbors in East Africa, Africa and others. Africans
admire America because they have a big market with a big
population that can consume their products,” he said.
The President congratulated the NRM fraternity in Busoga and
Uganda in general for turning up in big numbers in the just
concluded NRM primaries. He condemned violence, and
intimidation of voters by some elements that were seen in some
areas.
“In Mbarara, I gave them 4 days amnesty to come out and repent,
failure to do it the law will take its course. Using violence is bad and
beating people should stop. This government is for the people, so
nobody should go back to that primitive politics of beating up
people and intimidating others,” he said.
Responding to Speaker Kadaga’s reminder of the un-tamarched
roads in the region, President Museveni said they have already
agreed with UNRA to work on the Bukungu-Kamuli-Mbulamuti to
Buyende road.
The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga
thanked President Museveni and the NRM Government for

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supporting the youth and women with tools now in Busoga but also
in Buganda recently.
“Today you are giving 79 groups tailoring machines, 11 groups will
get ovens, 9 groups are getting desktop computers and so many
others. The programme caters for both the educated and non-
educated,” she said.
She appealed to the Ministry of Finance to increase the budget of
this programme in the next financial year so that the programme
can benefit many people.
The Minister of Gender Labor and Social Development in a
statement read by the State Minister for Youth and Children’s Affair
Hon. Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi said that this programme is a
manifestation of the NRM Government’s commitment to support
citizens of Uganda to engage in economic activities and also create
employment for all.
She said the programme supports informal sector businesses in
mechanical, metal fabrication and welding, electrical, woodwork
and carpentry, art and design, leatherworks, textile and tailoring,
plumbing and construction, agro-processing and ICT among others.
In December 2017, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni handed over
equipment to the first cohort 87 groups with 2000 beneficiaries
from Kampala and Wakiso districts respectively. Since then, these
groups have expanded and grown, creating more employment and
improving household incomes of the beneficiaries.
This Second Cohort launched today in Busoga is composed of 190
groups with a total membership of 3,228 members drawn from 9

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districts namely; Kamuli, Buikwe, Jinja, Kaliro, Iganga, Mayuge,
Namutumba, Mukono and Wakiso.

#END….