South Ankole Diocese has received Shs259,321,840 from the government of Uganda through National Agriculture Advisory Services (NAADS) to procure a coffee huller to support them in their agriculture production and value addition agenda for their coffee project.
This is part of the social economic transformation project being implemented by Church of Uganda with support from NAADS to improve the wellbeing of religious leaders, congregations and the Communities.
Last year, the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, His Grace Dr Stephen Kazimba Mugalu commissioned multiple Agrobusiness projects under South Ankole Diocese in Ntungamo district. The agrobusiness projects commissioned included a 273-acre coffee plantation, 17 acres’ of bananas, a fish project, a hatchery, a fully facilitated Health Center III and a newly constructed Dean’s House.
While receiving the dummy Cheque at the Diocesan Secretariat in Kyamate, Ntungamo District today, the Diocesan Bishop, Rt Rev Nathan Ahimbisibwe reiterated his commitment to transform the Diocese through agriculture.
“The Diocese is growing seriously in agriculture production which is the backbone of our nation. We are heading for value addition and establishing a learning centre for many to benchmark, and we are working hard in chasing poverty on household and national levels,” Bishop Ahimbisibwe said.
The Bishop noted that the Diocese has in the recent past established several successful projects and commended the President of Uganda and his government for supporting their development agenda.
“We have the South Ankole Diocese Community Mission Health Centre III and Bishop Bamunoba Health Center in Kitunga Archdeaconry, a Diocesan SACCO, a Mothers’ Union Resource Centre, cows in the Diocesan farm and we are planning to establish a retreat and resource center with a beach and campsite at Lake Nyabihoko,” Bishop Ahimbisibwe said.
He added, “In the water dam dug by Ministry of Water and Environment for irrigation water at the Diocese to conserve water for irrigation, we have 4000 fish and 3000 catfish fingerings put in and not yet harvested. This will yield extra income to our Diocese.”
Bishop Ahimbisibwe further said that from their hatchery project, they have so far sold 10,000 chicks worth Shs50m from April 2021 to October and are now planning for the next brooding season.
Rev Canon William Ongeng the Provincial Secretary of Church of Uganda who handed over the dummy Cheque to Bishop Ahimbisibwe called for transparency and proper accountability in the project and work hard to accumulate wealth to support the work of mission and outreach.
“The Diocese in the near future will hold the economy. We must work hard to accumulate wealth so that the gospel is preached. The Diocese will have the capacity to send out missionaries to preach the gospel,” Canon Ongeng noted.
Mr. Balaam Muheebwa the Provincial Treasurer lauded Bishop Ahimbisibwe for his passion towards household and Community transformation, a key factor that motivated the awarding team to consider South Ankole among the selected 5 pilot Dioceses for the project.
He reiterated the Archbishop’s call for transformation of livelihoods at household level especially on mindset change of congregations towards work.
According to Ms. Irene Anena the Acting Director of Household and Community Transformation in Church of Uganda, the Diocese has been taken through training and implementation guidelines.
“The Diocese has already been given a comprehensive sensitization on what the project is expected to achieve, modalities of implementation and the need to ensure transparency and accountability while empowering households in South Ankole Diocese and other parts of the country where similar intervention is being implemented with support from the government of Uganda through NAADS,” Ms. Anena said.
