Vice President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi has urged Ugandans in diaspora to take advantage of the conducive investment environment in Uganda to invest back home saying in future it might be difficult as Uganda is turning out as a leading global investment destination.

Ssekandi told Ugandans to make use of their connections to link with agencies and companies for possible partnerships and funding opportunities to invest in the various sectors of Uganda economy which he said will also support and motivate Ugandans to come home and use the expertise attained abroad for the development of the country.

The Vice President who was on September 18 speaking at the 7^th Uganda – UK investment Convention at Troxy Conference Centre in London, said Uganda’s vision 2020 of wealth creation for all by 2020 can easily be achieved if all Ugandans contributed to the efforts of moving Uganda to middle income status by 2040.

He said was grateful that the theme of the Convention, “Partnering for wealth creation” was in line with Government aspiration towards a better Uganda through investment adding that it is the reason why Government has invested heavily in infrastructure development as an amenity for investment.

Ssekandi assured the business executives at the convention that Uganda with a readily available young, educated and innovative workforce, abundant raw materials for industrial development and a favorable climate was ready for any volume of investment and also assured returns.

Speaking at the same event, the British Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Uganda and Rwanda, Lord Dolar Popat re-affirmed Britain’s support through investment saying that though prominent UK companies are already in Uganda, more are still interested in Uganda and disclosed that he will be leading a business delegation to Uganda by the end of this year.

The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga who also attended the convention told Ugandans that government is registering Ugandans to be issued with national IDs and dual-citizenship but urged Ugandans to be patriotic and pay the stipulated US$ 400.

She also assured the Ugandans in the diaspora and the multinationals of friendly legislative investment environment in Uganda in which everyone wins saying the security of their investment is guaranteed.

The chairman Uganda – UK Investment Convention, Willy Mutenza assured government of continued support in promoting Uganda as the land of opportunity and expanding the role of the diaspora from family remittance to financial and social investment by exposing Ugandans to various partners in development.

Other speakers at event included, Minister for Presidency, Esther Mbayo, State Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Isaaca Musumba and Uganda’s High Commissioner to the UK and Ireland Julius Peter Moto.

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President Yoweri Museveni has called for the economic empowerment of young girls if child marriages are to end.
The President who was accompanied by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports Janet Kataaha Museveni was two days ago speaking at a high level side event on the margins of the 72 Session of the United Nations General Assembly under the theme; “Accelerating Efforts to Eliminate Child Marriage in Africa by 2030” at the UNICEF Labouisse Hall in New York.

President Museveni said that because of poverty, parents marry off their children so that their husbands can look after them but if the young girls are empowered economically and through education and skills, this could reduce on the rate of child marriages as the girls would spend more years in school.

“In the past many young girls in the old African societies were immediately married off the moment they started their menstrual periods due to poor knowledge about biology. Biology now tells us that menstruation does not mean a child is ready for marriage,” he said.

Citing Uganda, Museveni said that there is need to sensitize people about the right age for one to get married and then for the governments to come up with laws that ban early child marriages. “Once we sensitized Ugandans that before the age of 18 children are too young to be married government legislated and banned marriage before the age of 18 years,” he said.

Museveni added that there is need follow up the discussion with action, and to find social programs to occupy children such as free education so that children of the poor can study and acquire skills.

According to UNICEF, more than 700 million girls and women alive today were married as children. Child marriage is a violation of human rights, compromising the development of girls and often resulting in early pregnancy and social isolation. Young married girls face onerous domestic burdens, constrained decision-making and reduced life choices. This is a human rights violation on a vast scale and a major obstacle to sustainable development.

While the practice of child marriage has slowly been declining, particularly for girls under age 15, additional, more concerted efforts are needed to accelerate the pace of change.

The UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage offers a framework promoting the right of girls to delay marriage, addressing the conditions that keep the practice in place, and caring for girls already in union.

The programme targets adolescent girls (ages 10-19) at risk of child marriage or already in union, in 12 selected countries: Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Yemen, and Zambia.

President Edgar Lungu Chagwa of the Republic of Zambia said that if there is no reduction in child marriages, up to 280 million more girls alive today are at risk of becoming brides before they turn 18 and that the effects of population growth mean that this number will approach 320 million by 2050.

“If current trends continue, the total number of women alive today that were married in childhood will grow from more than 700 million to almost 1 billion women and girls by 2030,” he said.
President Arthur Peter Mutharika of the Republic of Malawi called for political commitment to enable girls at the risk of child marriage to choose and direct their own futures, supporting households in demonstrating positive attitudes towards adolescent girls, and strengthening the systems that deliver services to adolescent girls.

“It will also seek to ensure laws and policies protect and promote adolescent girls’ rights, and highlight the importance of using robust data to inform policies relating to adolescent girls,” he said.

The Executive Director UN Women Phunzile Malmbo Ngcuka, the Canadian Deputy Minister for International Development Diane Jacovella, the Netherlands Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Liliane Ploumen, the African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs H.E Mrs. Amira Elfadil Mohammed Elfadil, the Deputy Executive Director UNFPA Ms. Laura Londen and the African Union Goodwill Ambassador for Ending Child Marriages Ms. Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda attended the event.

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Sadati Waliggo, a Correspondent of Red Pepper newspaper in Lyantonde District has been acquitted of charges of criminal defamation by Lyantonde Magistrates Court.

“I find that the prosecution did not prove or place the accused person on the scene of crime in participation yet every element of the offence has to be proved beyond reasonable doubt. On that basis I find that the prosecution failed to prove the guilt of Sadat Waligo on the offence of criminal libel and I hereby acquit him and set him free. The charge is dismissed,” ruled the Lyantonde Grade One Magistrate Tadeo Muhinda on September 18, 2017.

“I feel very excited that I am now a free man,” Walligo said.

Prosecution led by Anthony Wamibu alleged that Walligo posted on his Facebook page defamatory statements against the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) of Lyantonde, Sulaiman Tugaragara Matojo. The alleged statements are said to have been uttered by Diana Kategaya, a widow of the late Eriya Kategaya the former Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda. The widow made the said statements during a press conference in her home in January 2015 accusing the RDC of conniving with people to steal her cows and entering her house while she was in a bathroom naked.

Welcoming the ruling, Robert Ssempala, the coordinator of Human Rights Network for Journalists (HRNJ) Uganda said: “This is a big milestone in the fight against criminal defamation. It is unfortunate that the innocent journalist has had to wait for a year to get his full freedom back. These kind of charges have a chilling effect on media and should be condemned in the strongest terms possible. However, we are appreciative of the judiciary for ensuring that Sadat is set free.”

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