Public officers, Kyabazinga unite to fight poverty in Busoga
Kyabazinga of Busoga William Gabula Nadiope IV and Queen Jovia Mutesi arrive at Igenge Palace for a meeting with Busgoa Public Officers Forum members on Friday. PHOTO | TAUSI NAKATO
What you need to know:
- The region faces significant health challenges, including high malaria rates, sickle diseases, and neonatal issues
Public officers in Uganda have joined forces with the Kyabazinga William Gabula Nadiope IV to tackle the escalating poverty in Busoga sub-region.
The Busoga Public Officers Forum (BPF) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Kyabazinga to contribute to the sub-region's social-economic development.
Despite being endowed with natural resources like fertile arable land and abundant water resources, Busoga's poverty rate remains high. A 2019/2020 report by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos) revealed that Busoga was among the top five sub-regions hindering Uganda's achievement of middle-income status by 2020. A 2022 report showed Busoga's poverty level stood at 29.2 per cent, surpassing the national average of 20.3 per cent.
"We are going to strengthen initiatives like Busoga Consortium for Development, Busoga Development Agenda, Busoga Education Forum, Busoga Health Forum," said Mr Aggrey David Kibenge, Chairperson of BPF. "We are going to put more emphasis on household incomes, education, health, and unity in uplifting the social economy status of Busoga through strategic partnerships."
The BPF plans to promote viable income-generating projects at the household level by mobilising households to participate in the Parish Development Model (PDM). They also aim to revive the Busoga Growers Cooperative union to improve the production, marketing, and pricing of agricultural products.
To address the region's poor education, the BPF will establish school-based sanitary towel production facilities to provide free sanitary towels to school girls.
"We shall give out free sanitary towels to schoolgirls, we shall establish Busoga scholastic support facilities to support poor children who are at risk of dropping out of school," Mr Kibenge said.
The region faces significant health challenges, including high malaria rates, sickle diseases, and neonatal issues. To address this, the BPF plans to lobby for the establishment of a second Referral Hospital in the sub-region.
The Kyabazinga Nadiope emphasised the importance of teamwork in addressing the challenges facing Busoga.
"To overcome challenges like teenage pregnancies, early marriages, school dropouts, food insecurity, and poverty, we have to address them as a team. If we are together, we can put Busoga Forward," he said.
Other initiatives aimed at eradicating poverty in Busoga include a partnership between the Busoga Kingdom and the Government of China to drive growth in the region through agriculture, value addition, and technology.
