HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi met with HE Minister of External Relations of the Republic of Cameroon Lejeune Mbella Mbella, on the sidelines of the 50th session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers, held in Yaounde.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed cooperation relations between the two countries and ways to support and enhance them.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The State of Qatar.

The State Minister for Northern Uganda, Hon. Kenneth Omona, has proposed that for the region to develop in the agricultural sector, they must have an agreed cash crop which people in the area can grow, to boost incomes.

He said the failure to focus on a singular high value crop to invest in, is among the reasons why the region’s household incomes have not grown.

“People are gambling from oilseeds to other grains to vegetables. Our discussion with relevant agencies especially Uganda Coffee Development Authority and the National Agricultural Advisory Services is on guiding the people of Northern Uganda on what kind of cash crop they can grow to earn income, and we are beginning to zero down on those cash crops,” said Omona.

Presenting during the first regional plenary sitting held in Gulu City on Wednesday, 28 August 2024, Omona also highlighted the need for extension services to reach the local communities, noting concerns that the services have not been received by most sub-counties in Northern Uganda.

“Extension workers are not telling anybody what to do, so people gamble. Northern Uganda was said to have been given 43 million coffee seedlings, and when you ask the agencies where the seedlings are, they cannot show you. When you ask the citizens, they do not even know how to grow coffee and yet they hear that there is money in coffee,” he said.

Hon. Lawrence Biyika (NRM, Ora County) alluded to a suitability and capability study on Uganda’s soils carried out between 1999 and 2002, which he said can guide the selection of crops to prioritise for growth in Northern Uganda.

“I was part of that team and we know exactly what can grow in the upper part of West Nile, we know exactly what can grow in Teso. When the minister says we should identify priority enterprises, we are not stopping those regions from growing all other food or cash crops. These regions must have a priority crop which they are known for,” said Biyika.

The state minister said mechanisation of agriculture will go a long way in improving crop yields, noting that farmers in the area continue using traditional tools like hand-hoes and ox-ploughs to till their land.

“With such primitive tools, we cannot meet the economic demand of crop production we are talking about. All the people I have interacted with including those living around Mount Elgon, want tractors to mechanise and produce massively. This is something we should begin discussing,” Omona said.

He also highlighted the need to utilise the over 20,000 square kilometres of land in Acholi sub-region to engage in livestock production, through supporting provision of livestock breeding at subsidised costs.

The minister’s submissions followed the presentation of a report by the committee on Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, from a field visit to selected districts in Northern Uganda to assess water for agricultural production facilities.

The committee chairperson, Hon. Linda Auma, said there is need for government to support the creation of public and private water sources for production in the region and the country at large.

“Availability of water for production is key in enhancing agricultural production in the face of challenges associated with climate change. Rehabilitating the existing water sources and creating more is vital in promoting usage of water for agricultural production,” said Auma.

While chairing the plenary sitting, the Speaker, Anita Among, said the Committee report needed to address broader issues on the agricultural sector in Northern Uganda, and she tasked the Committee to carry extensive consultations on the matter.

“Agriculture is the backbone of this country and it is something that should be handled holistically. The irrigation is just an auxiliary function that facilitates production,” said Among.

She added that the committee should look at the primary and secondary aspects of agricultural production in different regions of Northern Uganda.

“Look at look at Karamoja, Acholi, Lango and West Nile in terms of mechanization. Find out how many tractors each region needs, what kind of crops grow better in these areas, how we can we improve post-harvest handling, and how we can do value addition to improve the agricultural sector,” Among added.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.

The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) has commenced the construction of a solar-powered water project in Jowhar, the Hirshabelle State.

The project, launched yesterday at the Jowhar Airport Police Station by ATMIS Police Commissioner, Hillary Sao Kanu, will benefit Somali Police officers and local communities.

“We have handed over this water project to the Somali Police Commissioner, who will then pass it on to the contractor. Within 60 days, the water project will be completed and ready for use by officers and residents,” said Commissioner of Police (CP) Kanu.

The brief ceremony was attended by the Hirshabelle State Deputy Police Commissioner, Col. Hassan Kaafi, and the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) John Simons, the coordinator of the ATMIS Police Reform, Restructuring and Development (RR&D) unit.

ATMIS is implementing similar projects in Jubaland and the South West Federal Member States with funding from the Government of Kazakhstan.

The ATMIS Police Commissioner assured that the water project will improve the wellbeing of Somali Police Force officers and neighbouring communities.

“The project will enable the officers to access potable water and also prevent women and girls travelling long distance for water,” said CP Kanu. Col. Kaafi, the Hirshabelle State Deputy Police Commissioner, thanked ATMIS for its continued support to improve the welfare and wellbeing of Somali Police Force and improving policing standards. “

ATMIS Police has built for us a police station at the Jowhar Airfield and two others in Beletweyne.. They continue to conduct capacity-building training for Somali Police Force officers. We are grateful for the support,” he said.

Three solar-powered shallow wells with water storage tank facilities will be built at the Jowhar Airport Police Station, Baakin Police Station in Baidoa, and the Jubaland Police Headquarters in Kismayo.

The Government of Kazakhstan has been a long-standing supporter of ATMIS, providing much needed funds for Quick Impact Projects. Previous initiatives included the construction of 16 water wells for communities in Hirshabelle as part of the Stabilisation and Early Recovery Programme.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).

President Yoweri Museveni has given the people of Northern Uganda reassurance that he will resolve the impasse in compensating war claimants in the region. 

“I will call a meeting and discuss with area Members of Parliament, Ministers and elders in the area. I heard that some of the money was initially taken by lawyers; so many problems but we are committed,” Museveni said. 

He made the commitment while opening the regional plenary sittings at the Kaunda Grounds in Gulu City on Thursday, 29 August 2024. 

According to the Deputy Attorney General, Jackson Kafuuzi, Shs2 trillion is required for compensation of war claimants in Northern and Eastern Uganda, West Nile and Elgon sub regions.  

Museveni, however, said that whilst he will tackle the matter, it is time for the people of Northern Uganda to get out of the hangover of the war, a region that was ravaged by the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels for close to two decades. 

“Many parts of the country have gone through war; Masaka, Mbarara and the Luwero war that lasted five years. Some of these ministers have been with me when I went to Luweero, it has recovered,” he said. 

President Museveni reiterated that the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) was able to restore peace and security in Northern Uganda and the rest of the country through ideology. 

“We believe in individual responsibility, you cannot blame a group because of a mistake of one member of that group and we do not believe in sectarianism,” said Museveni. 

He further said that discipline of the army and appropriate budgeting for security have played a role in pacification of the country. 

“We plan according to our small budget, that is why when we are building the army we start with personnel and weapons, that is how we have been managing,” Museveni said. 

To increase the literacy levels in Northern Uganda and the whole country, the President rallied MPs to focus on successful implementation of Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE). 

“I recently met with religious leaders about schools and one of the issues is school charges. Government since 1996 has been pushing for free education but others are pushing for charges, leading to street children,” Museveni said. 

He urged MPs to identify budgetary gaps, if any, in the implementation of UPE and USE and bring them to his attention.

“If there are unmet costs, bring them, you are MPs. You come and we budget and we provide free education for children in government schools,” said Museveni. 

Another crucial infrastructure that requires attention in Northern Uganda and the whole country according to President Museveni is health, wherein he said MPs play an important role in the supervision of health centers.

“We have health centre III’s in all sub counties because most of the sicknesses can be dealt with. Where the problem is theft of drugs, you [MPs] represent constituencies, if you supervise with your networks, why would the curative side not work,” Museveni asked. 

Museveni took the opportunity to highlight the success registered by government in promoting immunisation of children against killer diseases, saying that this has led to a revolution in population growth. 

“What if we added other measures like nutrition. Food is there but people do not know what to eat. The radios are there but only used to abuse Museveni, the health officers do not tell them what to eat and yet some of the diseases are caused by malnutrition,” Museveni said. 

The President underscored the need to tackle issues affecting the country systematically, saying that they cannot all be resolved at ago. 

“This is what we should be clear about. The voters know, they are not children. If it took God six days to create the world, who are you to finish in one day. I appeal to the voters and to you people,” he said. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.