Mitala tips officials on Songhai model

Inspection. The Permanent Secretaries during a tour of the Songhai farm project last Friday in Kampiringisa, Mpigi District. PHOTO BY MICHAEL KAKUMIRIZI

What you need to know:

  • Advice. Permanent secretaries have been advised to acquaint themselves with what happens in other ministries.

MPIGI. The head of Public Service and Secretary to Cabinet, Mr John Mitala, has challenged permanent secretaries to apply the Songhai Model approach in commercial agriculture to encourage youth create jobs for themselves.
Mr Mitala made the remarks on Friday at the end of a tour of the Songhai Integrated Model Site at Kampiringisa in Mpigi District by some Permanent Secretaries.
The site is being developed under the Uganda Green Incubation Programme by the Gender ministry.
The Songhai Model is a regenerative integrated production system which uses agro-ecological practices to boost soil fertility, increase yields while protecting the environment.
The now eight-month old Model that originates from the West African country of Benin, puts emphasis on; production of more with less, zero waste, creation of green jobs, inclusive economy and self-reliance.
“There is hope of using this model to potentially solve the question of unemployment and transfer of skills. As a chief executive of a ministry, the Permanent Secretaries will use the knowledge attained today to encourage youth to be self-employed instead of waiting for white collar jobs,” he said.
Mr Mitala, who said it is important for the Permanent Secretaries to acquaint themselves with what happens in other ministries, added that, such tours help them discuss authoritatively on different government projects.
He revealed that Cabinet has given the Gender ministry two years to have set up the multi-billion project since production has been achieved within less than 12 months.
“They are already moving ahead of time as everyone can see. Government will continue supporting this project,” he said.
At the farm, the Permanent Secretaries who included Mr Vincent Waiswa of ICT, Mr Robert Kasande of Energy, Ms Catherine Bitarakwate of Public Service, Mr Kagole Kivumbi of the Judiciary and Ms Edith Mwanje of East African Affairs, among others, had a guided tour of the seven sections of the site.
These include market garden for mostly vegetables, aquaculture, piggery, free range for poultry; food crop unit for commercial purposes and agro-forestry.
Some of the vegetables that have been grown and reached the first harvest stage are tomatoes, green beans, okra, cabbages, African garden egg plants, cucumbers and pepper. There are also 18 fish ponds stocked with fish and 35 pigs at the piggery unit.

Funding
Mr Pius Bigirimana, the Gender ministry Permanent Secretary, said the site has been developed with funding from the government while the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) finances the technical part which includes sponsoring trainings in Benin.
“We want to be the first in East and Central African region to have huge production of organic goods and with this we will tap in the world market where organic products are on demand. We have started small but will grow big,” Mr Bigirimana said.
He said the site manned by 13 youth trained in Benin last year will be self-sustaining in the next three years.