We don’t need spectators in wealth creation – President

President Museveni has called upon all Ugandans to play a part in wealth creation for Uganda to achieve collective development and prosperity.

Addressing leaders in Arua District as he began his tour on investment and wealth creation in West Nile on Tuesday under the theme: “Securing your future through wealth creation and shared prosperity”, the President revealed that while the money economy has grown from 4 percent in 1969 to 68 percent currently, there is still a lot to be done.

He called upon Ugandans to join the money economy.

“For economy, we don’t need spectators, we need all people to be players. Seeing some people spectating while others are making money, that’s not acceptable,”  Mr Museveni said.

According to President Museveni, Uganda has achieved the minimum economic recovery by reviving items such as the three Cs-coffee, cotton, copper and the three Ts-tea, tourism and tobacco, which had collapsed during Uganda’s political troubles of 1960s and 1970s.

“And within a short time, as I speak today, cotton has come back, tea production has come up, we are now producing around 12 million bags of coffee up from nine million bags, recently. So, the minimum economic recovery has been achieved,” the President said, adding that the economy has expanded with the addition of other products such as milk, beef, soap, sugar, fish, fruits, steel and maize, which was not a cash crop by 1971. 

He said economic infrastructure development such as roads, railway, piped water, and the Internet are also being worked on to facilitate wealth creation.

“We have got a lot of power, but the problem is distribution. I have been handling this problem for a long time. The demand for electricity is picking up and with these industrial parks coming up, we shall need more electricity,” Mr Museveni further noted.

Money economy

The President expressed optimism in the PDM, which is aimed at getting people out of poverty through enterprises that have a global demand to uplift the remaining 38 percent of Ugandans still in substance to money economy.

“All the people above 18 [years] and want to join wealth creation should join the parish Sacco. For us we shall bring you Shs100 million each year to your Sacco and each year we need 100 families to benefit. The point is that in four years’ time, you parish people will have your own bank of Shs400 million,” he said.

He called upon the local people to report the corrupt messing up the PDM.

“The corrupt people will have problems, they will pay. Fearing to expose the corrupt means you’re working with them. Recently, I was in Gulu area, I got some culprits, and my State House Anti-Corruption Unit is going for all of them,” Mr Museveni said.

The meeting was attended by among others, Vice President Jessica Alupo, ministers Joyce Moriku Kaducu (State for Primary Education), Evelyn Anite (State for Finance), Dr Chris Baryomunsi (ICT and National Guidance), Ruth Nankabirwa (Energy and Mineral Development), among others.