President receives US Special Envoy for Sudan, leaves for China

President Yoweri Museveni arrives in the Chinese City Island of Hainan in Sanya for the BOAO Forum for the Asia Annual Conference. PPU

President Yoweri Museveni on Thursday left for China to attend the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) shortly he had received and held a meeting with the visiting US Special Envoy for Sudan, Ambassador Donald Booth, who called on him at State House, Entebbe.

The President and his guest discussed issues affecting the region. The meeting was attended among others by State Minister for Regional Affairs, Mr Philemon Mateke and the Chief of the Defence Forces, General Katumba Wamala.
To China, the president who is accompanied by his wife, Ms Janet Museveni, was seen off at Entebbe International Airport by Vice-President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi, the Head of Public Service, Mr John Mitala, the Chinese Charge d’Affaires, Mr. Chu Maoming.

Others were the Chief of the Defence Forces, General Katumba Wamala, the Inspector General of Police, General Kale Kayihura and the Commissioner General of Prisons, Dr. Johnson Byabashaija.
BFA is a non-profit organization that hosts high-level fora for leaders from government, business and academia in Asia and other continents to share their vision on the most pressing issues in Asia and the world at large. Uganda and Zambia from Africa were invited to participate in this year’s forum.
Meanwhile, President Museveni has expressed his gratitude to the Italian Ambassador to Uganda, Mr Stefano Antonio Dejak for promoting relations between his country and Uganda. He commended the outgoing envoy (Mr Dejak) for a good job done in promoting the relations between the two countries.

The President made the comments earlier on Thursday at State House Entebbe when he received the envoy who came to take leave of the President at the end of his tour of duties in Uganda. Ambassador Dejak has been Italy’s envoy to Uganda since November 2011.

President Museveni said “You have done a good job of promoting our relations with Italy.” He said that he looks forward to working with the Italian business community to attract more investors in Uganda.
Mr Museveni informed the outgoing envoy that Uganda has abundant maize and fruits which need to be processed. He lauded the launching of the European businessmen association in Uganda with the motive of uniting and enhancing their productivity in Uganda saying this will be a good contact point between Uganda and the investors.

The outgoing Italian Ambassador saluted President Museveni for his strength and depth of Pan-Africanism. He revealed that during his tenure of office in Uganda, a club of Italian businessmen has been formed in Kampala. He said that the Italian business community would be very pleased to invest in Uganda.