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Construction of Kampala-Jinja Expressway: Museveni, MPs clash over sources of funding

By
Isaiah Mwebaze
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President Museveni

 

President Yoweri Museveni insists no money will be borrowed externally to fund the construction of the already delayed Kampala-Jinja Expressway, stating that there is a Chinese firm that wants to sink in the project its own money and recover it later via road tolls.

“In my earlier letter, I have expressly ruled out external borrowing except for the railway, electricity, controlling the cost of money…, the oil roads, the tourism roads, some aspects of education, some aspects of health and irrigation,” Museveni’s letter of September 18, 2019 to the Minister of Works and Transport, reads in part.

Museveni says he met delegates of a Chinese company by the names of China Railway No.17 and that they are ready to build the road using their own money. “Why then, should we borrow for this road?” He said.

Museveni in his letter invited China Railway No.17 to make their presentations and proposals.

However, MPs from the eastern region have rejected a plan by government to fund the construction of Kampala -Jinja expressway through a Public Private Partnership (PPP). They want government to borrow the funds from the African Development Bank (AfDB) as earlier planned, saying PPP arrangement has many disadvantages compared to borrowing.

The 85-kilometre road was planned to be constructed using funding from a loan from the African AfDB. The expressway is located along Uganda’s Northern Corridor, a strategic route within the region linking Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan with Kenya’s Mombasa maritime port.

Raising on a matter of national importance during last Thursday’s sitting, James Waluswaka (Bunyole West County) tasked government to explain the changes and the delayed commencement of works on the road.

“Why are they targeting eastern Uganda where indicators show that we have the worst poverty levels in the country? Is it a deliberate effort to leave the easterners stunted?” said Waluswaka.

Barnabas Tinkasimire (NRM, Buyaga County West) questioned the change and yet signing of the contract with ADB was in the final stages.  “Why are you abandoning ADB and resorting to another source of funding. How has government abandoned an already finished contract to start afresh,” said Tinkasimire.

Jacob Marksons Oboth (Ind. West Budama County South) said that PPP is not a guaranteed source of funding. “If you want construction of an 85-kilometer road to fail, take it to PPP. PPP is still a struggling source of funding,” Oboth said, adding that the current traffic jam was interfering conjugal rights of people staying along that road as they have to wake up early to beat traffic jam.

Jack Wamanga- Wamai termed the change of plans as ‘unfair, saying that whilst roads in other parts of the country are financed using loans, the ones in the Eastern Uganda are not.
“I think we should mobilize the people hailing from the side of the Nile to come and tell Government that this road must be constructed. We must force government to get this loan and work on this road,” Wamanga Wamai said.

Efforts by the Minister of State for Planning, David Bahati to justify the decision to fund the road construction through PPP met resistance from Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga and several legislators. “Government is prioritizing construction of the road through the Public Private Partnership,” said Bahati.

Kadaga warned government against the use of PPP, saying that it is a risky investment.
“On this one, I will take off my gloves. You cannot experiment PPP on the east. Everywhere else in the country we have got loans, when it comes to the east, you want PPP. It is unacceptable, we don’t want it,” Kadaga said.

 

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We need entrepreneurs who think like revolutionaries

By
Guest Writer
-
Martin Zwilling

 

By Martin Zwilling

The realm of an entrepreneur is all about change, but in my experience as a mentor to business founders, I hear too much about incremental change, and not enough about revolutionary change. Adding a couple of new features to Facebook, and calling it something new, may seem less risky, but creating a whole new industry, such as smartphones, has far more potential.

Of course, many would argue that more fundamental innovations, or paradigm shifts, take a long time and cost more money, but from my perspective, these are what really move our society forward. We need more people who are willing to follow the mantra of business leader David McCourt in his new book, “Total Rethink: Why Entrepreneurs Should Act Like Revolutionaries.”

David is an award-winning entrepreneur, and often described as an early revolutionary in the telecom industry, based on early innovation in fiber networks, cable TV systems, and international communications. I was impressed with his many insights into what makes a world-class revolutionary entrepreneur, including the following:

Never be afraid to think big – or to think young. Whenever you have a great idea, ask yourself why it couldn’t be made 10 times bigger, or even 100 times. Talk to everyone and think young. Too many people leave it to the younger generation to find answers to the problems of the future. Don’t be hamstrung by your biases or your past experiences.

Today every small business can look big, via a modern website, visibility on social media, and taking an active role in popular causes. Uber and Airbnb are examples of startups that started the sharing movement, but quickly grew to challenge large conglomerates.

The best are insatiably curious about everything. Some of the innovations with the biggest business opportunities, including the Internet of Things (IoT), are coming from technical advances in one industry applied to another. Great entrepreneurs cross industry boundaries to find synergies, and are constantly in learn mode on several fronts.

Elon Musk, for example, not only runs Tesla and SpaceX, but has several seemingly unrelated other initiatives, including OpenAI, Neuralink, and The Boring Company. Sir Richard Branson has initiated over 200 companies, from airlines to music labels.

Utilize the power shift from top-down to bottom-up. The top-down, centralized way we have been running the world for the last couple of centuries is no longer a viable model to follow. The shift is being caused by a combination of technology, social media, and the way people now absorb information, particularly the younger generations.

When Uber met with opposition to their new model for transport, the company was able to harness the power of crowdsourcing and social media and use it to support a cause. The changes are happening because every individual can now make their voice heard.

The power of diversity no longer requires immigration. With today’s world-wide instant communication and the internet, every new business is global by default, and distributed team members are spread across international boundaries without waiting for immigration. The diversity of ideas, cultures, and motivations is a powerful change agent.

For example, Alibaba Group in China was able to become the world’s largest e-commerce company, serving millions of B2B customers around the world, by capitalizing on diverse cultural needs and strengths, both inside and outside the company.

Achieving the impossible is within reach. Impossible has never been a fact, it’s an opinion and a mindset. These days, all of us have seen so many amazing changes, through new technologies, dramatic social change, and a better understanding of the universe, that we believe the impossible will be available just by persistent effort.

A generation ago, who would have believed that we would soon have self-driving cars, robots with artificial intelligence, or people queueing up for a trip to Mars? As entrepreneurs adopt this new mindset, they are becoming fearless and more powerful.

Entrepreneurs thinking like revolutionaries, with the mindset outlined here, are the ones that will really reshape our future, and garner the biggest opportunities at the same time. The rest may see some short-term success, but face the greater risk of being trampled into extinction before their time. Which category do you want to be a part of?

The writer is a veteran startup mentor, executive, blogger, author, tech professional, professor, and investor. Published on Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc., Huffington Post, among others.

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Africa Risk-Reward Index 2019 reveals the trends shaping a new investment landscape

By
Our Reporter
-

The fourth edition of the Africa Risk-Reward Index from specialist global risk consultancy Control Risks and independent global advisory firm Oxford Economics has been released today. The report offers a comprehensive and up-to-date view of the highly-dynamic business investment landscape in Africa. The respected index tracks the evolution of the investment landscape in major African markets, and this year’s edition marks several important and intriguing trends that impact investment strategy across the continent.

The benchmark research recognises that elections in African markets can often fuel tensions and raise investment concerns. However, it also demonstrates how elections increasingly serve to stabilise Africa’s evolving political landscape. It is crucial to identify how elections can end prolonged uncertainty, provide legitimacy, and empower existing or new African leaders with the mandates required to push forward with reform or counter-reform agendas.

“Do not get carried away by enthusiastic reform promises by assuming that reform-minded ‘strong-man’ leaders can push their way through free of any constraints,” Barnaby Fletcher, Associate Director Analyst at Control Risks, warns. “The real political lesson of recent years is to not underestimate the strength of counter-reform efforts by existing political structures, as well as the complexity of the undertaking,” he explains.

African investment has traditionally been dominated by its big economies but the long-awaited emergence of intercontinental trade blocs is shifting the balance of power. The paper explores the huge potential significance of introduction of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in late May, while raising some concerns about its implementation. It also analyses the significant progress made by regional blocs such as the strengthening East African Community (EAC).

“The current edition of the index shows a slight increase in reward scores for some of the continent’s largest economies, including Nigeria, Angola, and Egypt, as the economic recoveries in these giants gain traction. However, the highest reward potential remains centred in the East Africa region, with expanding services and infrastructure development boosting demand and improving business environments,” says Jacques Nel, Chief Economist Southern & East Africa of Oxford Economics.

The comprehensive paper also tackles common misinterpretations of the external influences affecting African economies. Africa is no longer an even battlefield for US and Chinese players as commonly thought. Current US-Africa totals USD 39bn, while China-Africa represents more than USD 200bn, and EU-Africa trade is now over USD 300bn according to data revealed in the paper. The research also notes a surge of interest in Africa from smaller geopolitical players such as Russia, the Gulf states, Turkey, and India.

“The standard narrative of US-China rivalry in Africa had always looked like an over-simplification, but is certainly outdated now. China’s engagement with Africa is undergoing a fundamental shift, the US is playing catch-up, and a host of other countries are seeking to expand their influence in an increasingly multipolar landscape,” explains Barnaby Fletcher, Associate Director at Control Risks. “Geopolitical objectives are being supported by a flood of development finance, creating both opportunity and competition for private-sector players.”

Africa remains a desirable investment destination with a young and increasingly urban demographic, a wealth of natural resources, and a proven ability to leapfrog technologies in areas such as telecommunications or finance. The growing competition for investment across the continent is helping to promote reform, which in turn encourages greater investment. In Africa, diversification increasingly equals success and economies can no longer rely on merely holding the most mineral resources.

“Especially at a time of a trade war, which threatens to further depress Chinese demand for commodities and global demand for oil and gas, dependence on raw commodities exports is a serious weakness for an economy. It is for this reason that governments are competing to attract investment capital and firms in order to grow their manufacturing and services sectors, to supply goods and services to the many millions of Africans moving to the continent’s cities,” says François Conradie, Head of Africa Research at Oxford Economics.

For the less experienced investor in Africa, the index offers a comparative snapshot of market opportunities and risks across the continent – offering critical information for market entry strategies. For the more seasoned Africa investor, the index provides a grounded, longer-term outlook of key trends shaping the investment landscape in major African economies. The Africa Risk-Reward Index goes beyond the headline-grabbing news and noise surrounding the topic to provide an informed view on investment into Africa.

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UN, African Development Bank High-Level Meeting calls for speed and action on SDGs

By
Our Reporter
-

With an estimated 390 million people living in extreme poverty, hunger and food insecurity, Africa is in a race against time to deliver on its regional and global development goals.

On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Sunday, African heads of states and governments met to emphasize urgent collective action and the need for greater collaboration between the United Nations and the African Development Bank to fast-track Africa’s development.

The meeting, convened by the African Development and the United Nations, is “the first of its kind” between the two institutions taking place at the UN Headquarters, UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed said.

Underscoring the strong convergence between the continent’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and the African Development Bank’s High 5s, Mohammed said it was time to join forces to deliver.

“We are entering into the decade of action to deliver the SDG’s…The investment requirements are vast,” Mohammed said. “The role of the African Development Bank is crucial…to help de-risk investments and attract investment flows……..Africa’s premier institution needs much more support” she added.

The leaders called for additional resources to drive the urgent task of Africa’s development.

Speaking at the meeting, the President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina said, “The clock is ticking, the seconds are passing very fast, yet we still have time left on the clock. We can still close the gap. I am fully convinced that with a change of pace, driven by a greater sense of urgency, and global collective responsibility, Africa can still achieve the SDGs”.

The two-hour meeting, moderated by the African Development Bank, was attended by seven African presidents – from Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Guinea, Ethiopia and Lesotho, in addition to  representatives of some 30 governments.

The leaders spoke of what had worked in their countries – including mainstreaming development goals into national plans, scaling up initiatives, and the implications of harmonizing policies and strategic entry points for the implementation of development goals at national, regional and global levels.

Ambitious development initiatives undertaken by the Bank with regional collaboration are already showing success, such as Desert to Power, which aims to provide access to electricity for 250 million people across the 11 countries of the Sahel, 90 million of them through off-grid systems.

Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa called the SDGs Africa’s “highest challenge.”

Stemming the tide of illicit financial flows, public debt and tax evasion would be urgent measures to be taken by leaders if they meant to stay on track, she said.

Areas for potential collaboration include climate change in Africa, gender mainstreaming, promoting private sector investment, measures to utilize risk insurance to mitigate impact of natural disasters in Africa and appropriate security arrangements to support the Bank’s operations in fragile states in on the continent.

The African Continental Free Trade Area, which came into force this year and creates the world’s largest free trade zone, will be another major area for collaboration under the partnership.

An assessment by the United Nations Development Program has clearly shown that achieving the Bank’s High 5s will allow Africa to achieve about 90 percent of the SDGs.  “So, the faster we deliver on the High 5s, the faster we will reach our goal and desired destination,” Adesina said.

Attachments area

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NRM mourns mysterious death of RCC Deborah Nabukenya

By
George Mangula
-

The National resistance movement (NRM) is mourning the mysterious death of Kawempe Deputy Resident City Commissioner (Deborah Nabukenya, who passed on last evening at Mengo Hospital where she had been admitted.

Nabukenya’s death was first confirmed by the Minister of Information, Technology and Communications (ICT) and National Guidance Frank Tumwebaze. Nabukenya was appointed deputy RCC by President Yoweri Museveni in June last year.

“It’s not so long ago when we last saw each other at Mulago hospital where we had gone to check on Baker. Receiving news of your demise last evening deeply shocks and saddens me. I pray the Lord strengths your family and friends through this trying time. RIP Ms Deborah Nabukenya.” Wrote the secretary general of NRM Justine Kasule Lumumba.

“I have just received sad news of the untimely death of Kawempe Division Deputy Resident City Commissioner, Ms. Deborah Nabukenya. On behalf of all leaders in Kawempe Division, I convey my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, the people of Kawempe,” mayor of Kawempe Dr. Emmanuel Serunjoji, said in his condolence message.

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COSAFA 2019: Uganda U-17 women qualify for semifinals

By
Our Reporter
-
Uganda U17 women team

 

Uganda, which is a guest nation at this year’s 2019 COSAFA Women’s Under-17 Championship, sealed a place in the semifinals after an emphatic 20-0 victory over Comoros in the final game of Group A match on Tuesday afternoon.

The result meant that both Uganda and Zambia finished on seven points in Group A, but Uganda will head the pool due to a better goal-difference after the head-to-head fixture between the sides finished 1-1 on the opening day.

Uganda Captain Juliet Nalukenge netted seven goals in the win to take her tally in the competition to 14 and the top of the scorers’ charts. She scored six against the hosts Mauritius in a 11-0 victory and in the one-all draw with Zambia.

Uganda led 14-0 at the break as they ran riot in the opening half, with Margret Kunihira scoring five goals in the match, and Shakira Nyinagahirwa and Fauzia Najjemba (four goals) also managing to net hat-tricks in what was an emphatic display.

Ayub Khalifa’s team will now wait for Wednesday’s final round of Group B fixtures to find out who they will play in the semifinals.

The same for Zambia, who dispatched host nation Mauritius with a 8-0 victory as Florence Kasonde bagged a hat-trick. Tisilile Lungu, Maweta Chilenga, Comfort Selemani (two) and Cindy Banda were also on target.

The semifinals are scheduled for the 27th of September and will be held at the François Xavier Stadium.

South Africa will secure top spot of group B if they get a point in their final Group B clash against Madagascar at the St. François Xavier Stadium on Wednesday.

The Malagasy would then need to hope that the Seychelles beat Botswana, which seem unlikely given how the tournament has gone for the latter so far. That match is at the Anjalay Stadium at the same time.

If both Botswana and Madagascar win, that would leave them on six points along with South Africa, and create a mini-league between the teams of matches played between them to determine which two teams finish top.

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Ugandan companies wary about foreign competition in the oil industry

By
George Mangula
-
oil pipes

 

 

Evelyne Birungi Turumanya, a sole proprietor from Hoima Municipality, is doing her utmost to get set for engaging in Uganda’s expected oil and gas sector. Her restaurant/mobile food business is one of the 1004 Ugandan enterprises registered in the National Oil Suppliers database (NSD) for possible supply of services and goods based majorly on competitive bidding.

As the big oil companies continue to negotiate with government on the investments that will help start oil production in Uganda, Ms Turumanya is also making her own moves. “Since I registered I have been improving my services and taking my business seriously by keeping records,” she says. As required by the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, prior to being registered in the database, she made her business tax compliant registered her employees with the National Social Security Fund (NSSF).

However, Ms Turumanya is fearful that she does not have the technical and financial capacity to compete with foreign companies or hotels owned by foreigners but are registered in Uganda. In addition to the 1004 Ugandan businesses, there are 424 Foreign Service providers in the database that has 19 sectors that will deliver services and goods to players in the oil sector.

For instance, there are three registered companies in the food/restaurant and hotels business, like Turumanya’s. They are; Newest Catering Tanzania Limited, Les vins Yannick de VERMONT from France and Ecolog International from United Arab Emirates.

Like Ms Turumanya, other local companies/ individuals are concerned that they may not compete favorably with the Chinese, British, German, Russian and other foreign companies, which have far more experience in the sector that requires high standards.

“Much as I registered in the NSD I expect stiff competition from foreign companies which have both technical and financial capacity to do the job,” said Aisha Tumusiime who wants to participate as sole proprietor in providing transport and storage services.

Ugandan firms are expected to join foreign ones in providing services and goods for the construction of US$4 billion oil refinery and the US$ 309 million Kabaale International Airport in Hoima, the US$ 3.5 billion East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), as well as the Kampala Storage Terminal, whose tender is out.

                                            Source-PAU

The Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) says that registration on the NSD does not necessary lead to automatic award of contracts but is a mandatory legal requirement for all buyers and sellers of goods and services in the country’s oil and gas sector.

A baseline study of the industry in 2013, highlighted many obstacles for Ugandan firms that may try to get oil and gas contract. Many remain unresolved for many firms. The study, for instance, highlighted access to cheap credit as a major barrier. Rates for loans in Uganda are still extremely high making it nearly impossible for interested parties to develop any business. Local bankers say the cost of capital is too high, which explains high interest rates.

The survey also highlighted quality assurance and corporate governance as lacking. “All sectors will need to upgrade the quality of their overall management standards and quality of delivery to align with oil and gas expectations,” it says. Indeed, it called for a complete transformation of sectors like transport, logistics and hazardous waste management.

Ernst Rubondo, the executive director of PAU, says several strategies are being developed to ensure that locally owned companies partake of the activities in the oil and gas sector where they are expected to supply services and materials.

He says government has reserved 15 categories of goods and services for Ugandan enterprises to provide. They include; transportation, security, foods and beverages, hotel, accommodation and catering, human resource management, office supplies, fuel supply, land surveying, clearing and forwarding and IT services among a few others.

Rubondo also says the Authority does quarterly workshops where information regarding major requirements and investment opportunities in oil and gas sector is disseminated. Upon the completion of the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED), over 1000 Ugandan companies received information on the requirements of Tilenga, Kingfisher and EACOP projects, he says.

He also adds that government is planning to establish an Industry Enhancement Centre (IEC) which be key in raising standards in health, safety, international business operations that will in the end improve competitiveness of local enterprises in oil and gas sector. Already, government and the oil companies launched the Agriculture Development Programme for the Albertine Graben. It is expected to build the capacity of farmers in the region to meet the expected demand for food.

Private players like Stanbic Bank are also supporting capacity growth in the sector has helped a total of 514 entrepreneurs from 153 companies have been trained on standards and business management for the oil sector, in the Stanbic Bank Business Incubator Programme.

However, the 2013 baseline survey pointed out that some of Uganda’s industries like those cement and steel will simply be unable to meet the sheer size of oil & gas needs, at peak demand, given the gap between the current supply and expected future demand.

Emmanuel Mugarura, the Executive officer of the Association of Uganda Oil and Gas Service Providers (AUGOS) urges local firms to partner with foreign companies, to meet these demands.

Indeed, partnerships were an effective strategy for those that are already participating. John Bosco Lubega, General Manager Geotech Solutions (U) Ltd, involved in geotechnical, geophysical and specialised construction works and services, says their entry into the oil and gas sector started in 2013 when they responded to an advert in the print media run by Total E & P Uganda B.V., for geophysical survey services at the Central Processing Facility (CPF) in Buliisa.

“We did not have the capability to go it alone then. Nonetheless, we had in 2012 worked with Geo2X S.A (Switzerland) on a geophysical component of feasibility studies for Ayago Hydropower Project. We contacted Geo2X and successfully worked together on the CPF tender, and execution of the assignment. We again worked together on the geophysical survey for the well pads in 2017/18. In 2018, we worked on the Tilenga soil investigation for enabling infrastructure trial pits and core drilling. Recently, Saipem SpA have engaged us on Topographical (Lidar Survey), Geotechnical and Hydrogeological Studies at the oil refinery in Hoima, pipeline corridor and tank farm area.”

Edgar Mugisha, Managing Partner Atacama Consulting says his firm that focuses on environment was able to get the capacity and skills and international exposure after partnering with international players in the oil and gas sector. “Partnerships are another key to consider, as they are key in the mobilisation of resources; both human and financial, he says.

He advises other local firms that they should aim at quality work as it makes one get referrals that can sustain their businesses. “There are no short-cuts when it comes to delivering quality work in the oil and gas sector,” he says.

 

 

 

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Another Kagame political opponent killed in Rwanda

By
Our Reporter
-
Mr. Syridio Dusabumuremy

A prominent opposition politician in Rwanda, Mr. Syridio Dusabumuremyi, has been stabbed to death, FDU-Inkingi unregistered political party has reported.

The murder of Dusabumuremyi adds to endless list of President Paul Kagame’s opponents who have been murdered within the country and in diaspora.

According to the party’s leader, Victoire Ingabire, Dusabumuremyi, the then FDU-Inkingi’s coordinator, was attacked by two assailants, at his work place.

He has been running a canteen at a health centre in the central district of Muhanga. The police has however conferment that two suspects have been nabbed, in relation to the gruesome murder and investigations are ongoing.

Ms Ingabire told BCC that the murder of Mr Dusabumuremyi is the latest in a series of attacks on members of her party with the aim of terrifying them.

Two months ago, Eugène Ndereyimana, a FDU-Inkingi representative in the east of Rwanda, went missing. He has still not been found.

In March, Anselme Mutuyimana, the party’s spokesperson, was abducted and later found dead in a forest in the west of the country.

In 2016, FDU-Inkingi member Jean Damascène Habarugira was killed.

Ms Ingabire, a leading critic of President Paul Kagame, said her party was being targeted because it strove for Rwandans rights and freedoms. “Our cause is good and we will never give up on it whatever they do,” she said.

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Families of the 346 Ethiopia, Indonesia plane crash victims to be compensated with $145,000 each

By
Geoffery Serugo
-
Ethiopian-plane

 

A $50 million compensation fund for the families of people killed in Boeing 737 Max plane crashes has begun taking claims. Fund officials said Monday that they have begun accepting applications, with a deadline of December 31 for submitting claims.

Boeing is providing money for the fund, which works out to nearly $145,000 for each of the 346 people who died in crashes in Indonesia in October and in Ethiopia in March. Dozens of families are suing the company, with families of about 60 victims yet to file, according to Reuters.

Families will not be required to sign away their rights to sue in order to claim compensation from Boeing’s fund, the company said.

Administrators of the fund include Kenneth Feinberg, who oversaw compensation for victims of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.

The 737 Max has been grounded since March, shortly after the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. The Federal Aviation Administration is meeting with international regulators to explain its review of changes that Boeing is making in the plane, including updates to a flight-control system implicated in the accidents.

Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg has said he hopes to win approval to resume flights in October.

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Eastern African stand by force opens maritime search and rescue course in Entebbe

By
Our Reporter
-
UPDF soldiers

 

Eastern African Stand by Force (EASF) maritime search and rescue course has kicked off today at Botanical hotel -Entebbe.

The course will run for two weeks with participants from the ten member states; Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda the host.

Maritime search and rescue involves Navy, coastal guards, marines, Air Force and the Civil community.

The training that will run from 23 Sept 19 to 04 Oct 19, aims at enhancing effective and competence skills in Search and Rescue (SAR ) operations. It is expected to improve the trainees’ capability to maintain the Standby Force’s capacity and readiness to intervene in regional threats of a maritime nature.

In his opening remarks, the Chief Guest and the Deputy Commander Air Force Maj Gen Gavas Mugyenyi, on behalf of the Chief of Defence Forces Gen David Muhoozi, expressed UPDF’s immense honor to be the host of such a course.” Our country has had incidents on our Waters that require various agencies to pool resources and technical requirements to save lives in our water bodies. Critical to this are skilled human resource thus the relevance of this course” Maj Gen Gavas Mugenyi said.

He further noted that His presence is an expression of the CDF’s unwavering commitment and continued support to Eastern African Standby Force (EASF) in its effort for a safe and secure maritime domine.

In addition, Maj General Gavas noted that, it is essential for all those who ply the maritime spaces to understand the search and rescue system and organisation to be able to coordinate, execute and plan maritime search and rescue operation up and down chain of command.

He encouraged the participants to have an opportunity to learn from each other’s experience.

The Director Eastern African Standby Force Dr Abdillahi Omar Bouth encouraged the participants to put all necessary effort into the course and actively engage the instructors and always have desire to learn from the opportunity availed to them.

The UPDF marines brigade commander Brig Gen Michael Nyarwa, noted that the Eastern African Standby Force is one of the five regional mechanisms of Africa’s stand by force and it has a maritime component that has now chosen Uganda as a host country because it has deployed a maritime component to secure the coast of Mogadishu.

Uganda also has a fifth of its territory covered by water bodies therefore the need for maritime search and rescue skills.

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