President Yoweri Museveni on Thursday met and held discussions with the President of São Tomé and Principe, Carlos Manuel Vila Nova at State House Entebbe and discussed issues concerning bilateral relations between the two countries, with key focus on economic cooperation.
President Museveni assured his guest that Uganda is ready to cooperate with São Tomé and Principe in various sectors of the economy.
“We will tap into this opportunity and cooperate in processing fish for you. I will call our fish processors here and we will discuss further on how we can work together,” he said.
“We have got about 22 factories for fish processing for freshwater fish like Nile perch, Tilapia and others along the shores of Lake Victoria. So, I think it would be a great idea for us to utilise that big ocean in your country and we start our partnership.”
Museveni further told Manuel that the National Resistance Movement (NRM) ideology of prosperity is the reason for the country’s progressive development since the 1980s, thus encouraging him to also implement such ideology.
“For prosperity, as a country, you must be able to produce a good or a service and sell it and get money. The people need a market because if you produce something, and nobody buys, you will not be prosperous,” he added.
“In my culture we are cattle keepers, we have milk, beef, bananas, coffee and ghee but we cannot sell much to our tribemates because they also have the same products. That means that our prosperity depends more on Uganda than it depends on Ankole.”
The President also noted that for a country to be prosperous, it must have the elements of Patriotism, Pan-Africanism, socio-economic transformation and Democracy.
“They are vital in promoting prosperity,” he added.
On his part, Manuel affirmed that his country is honoured to partner with Uganda in order to enhance the economies of both countries.
“I support this move, let us see how we can work together in this sector,” he noted.
President Manuel further expressed gratitude towards President Museveni for his efforts aimed at promoting economic development and bringing peace to the region.
“Thank you for inviting me, I am very honoured to be here. As a small island country with a population of about 200,000 people, we have a lot to learn from regional leaders like you.”
Manuel, who is on a two-day working visit to Uganda, will today visit Kiira Motors Corporation in Jinja.
PM Nabanja, Emmanuel Katongole and Gen. Katumba Wamala.
The Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has graduated with a master’s degree in Monitoring and Evaluation from Nkumba University in Entebbe.
She graduated along with 1,856 students who attained Certificates, Diplomas, Degrees, Masters and Doctorates in different academic programs at the 25th graduation ceremony of the University.
The graduation ceremony which was held at the main campus in Entebbe, Gen. Katumba Wamala, the minister for works and transport was accorded a honorary Doctor of Letters degree.
Speaking during the ceremony, Prof Jude Lubega, the Vice Chancellor of Nkumba University urged all graduands to leverage networking to unlock opportunities, develop a Continuous learning culture and skills acquisition for them to prosper.
Opposition legislators protest on the stairs of parliament.
The Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa has revealed that he is in talks with key leaders in government and the Opposition, to settle the stalemate over human rights violations.
Opposition MPs led by their leader, Mathias Mpuuga, walked out of plenary sitting last week, protesting and demanding a government explanation over human rights violations meted against their leaders and supporters, some of whom remain unaccounted for in many months.
In one of the sittings last week, Tayebwa suspended five Opposition MPs, over disruptions in the House.
Tayebwa said is deploying all possible means to reconcile the two parties and have the protesting members back to Parliament.
“All efforts are being deployed, all attention is being given to ensure that we resolve the impasse that is between the two sides in the House. I have held meetings with several leaders from both sides; we are facilitating dialogue, there is progress,” said Tayebwa.
He observed that although Parliament is able to conduct business without the protesting legislators, he was uncomfortable with an ‘incomplete House’ and thus wished for reconciliation.
“I feel that we are incomplete when we are all not here, business can go on but I still register discomfort with it. I would want to see our colleagues joining us, I hope very soon we shall come to an amicable conclusion to this matter,” Tayebwa said.
High Court judge Alex Ajiji Mackay has adjourned the trial of nine suspects implicated in the killing of business woman Susan Magara.
The suspects include: Yusuf Lubega, Hussein Wasswa, Muzamiru Ssali, Hajara Nakandi, Abubaker Kyewolwa, Mahad Kasalita an Imam at Usafi Mosque, Hassan Kato Miiro, Musa Abbas Buwembo and Ismail Bukenya.
Ms. Magara, 28, was in February kidnapped by unknown assailants on her way home in Lungujja, Lubaga Division, tortured for three weeks and killed after her agonizing family paid ransom of over Shs700 million.
On Monday, the Court kicked off the examination of state witnesses who included Yusuf Muhindo, a senior Hansard editor at parliament, the late Magara’s father John Magara, Sgt Enock Kiganyira, Paternal Aunt Flora Megara and others.
Yesterday John Magara narrated a horrible story of how his daughter was kidnapped, paying $200,000 (Shs700 million) ransom, receiving a package containing the late daughter’s fingers to a phone call from President Museveni indicating that Susan’s body was recovered in Kigo.
Mr. Magara said upon kidnapping his daughter, the killers demanded for $1 million (Shs3 billion) to release her. Meanwhile Flora Megara narrated how she delivered the ransom to kidnappers along Busabala road.
Appearing before Court earlier today, the State Prosecutor, Joseph Kyomuhendo, informed the court that the doctors who were supposed to testify were unavailable and sought another date next week.
The defense had no objection, and the matter has been adjourned to October 30, 2023. The suspects are further remanded.
Ambrose Tashobya, Chairman National Council for Sports.
The National Council of Sports (NCS) has withdrawn a Certificate of Recognition issued to the Uganda Netball Federation (UNF).
According to a statement released by NCS, the federation will no longer conduct any business related to the sport of netball on behalf of the Government of Uganda.
The decision arises out of the persistent governance and leadership challenges that have engulfed the UNF and the failure to follow the laws of Uganda
“The governance issues and leadership challenges were brought to the attention of the
NCS and the Ministry of Education and Sports two and a half years ago for an amicable resolution, but all the official processes followed since that time have failed,” NCS said.
NCS Board meeting which was held earlier today, UNF has over time failed to disclose sources of funding to National Council of Sport and revealed several bank accounts that the Federation resolved to open without following procedures.
The board claims that UNF used forged and unauthorized documents to open several bank accounts on which they received funding from unraveled entities.
“UNF may reapply for recognition once the issues that have led to the withdrawal of the Certificate have been addressed. The NCS assures the sport fraternity and the people of Uganda that we remain steadfast and firm in our resolve to develop, promote and control all sports in the country.
The renewal of National Identity Cards had flopped over funding gaps, EagleOnline has learnt. The revelation was made by Rosemary Kisembo, the Executive Director of National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA).
The renewals of IDs were scheduled to start in August 2023 up to August 2025, targeting 17.2 million citizens who have never been registered and 20 million Ugandans who wish to renew their National IDs.
According to Kisembo they are short of Shs666.85 billion which is needed to kick start the exercise. “NIRA cannot commence the mass enrollment of 17.2 million people due to funding gaps,” she said earlier today.
The first batch of 15.8 million identity cards that were printed and issued in the 2014/2015 will expire between August 2024 and June 2025, thus justifying the need for renewal in accordance with Regulation 19(1) of the Registration of Persons Regulations SI 67 /2015.
The renewal was scheduled to happen at each parish in a rotational manner with NIRA deploying 10 registration kits per parish per day. The exercise was expected to happen over a 12-month period beginning August 2023. After that period, these services would be operationalized and delivered at district level.
At parish level, 800 persons wishing to renew their IDs are expected to be served per day while 600 persons who are registering for the first time will be served.
President Museveni pose for a group photo with some of the youth leaders at Kololo.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has revealed that he is going to fund youth-led innovations in Uganda.
“I will have a meeting with your leaders so that we can discuss the funding for your innovations. Of course, there’s already money in Uganda Development Bank (UDB), we are putting that money there but why can’t the youth access it?” he noted.
President Museveni made the revelation yesterday while officiating at the 4th Youth Business Forum and Expo held at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds. The forum ran under the theme: “Building Sustainable Strategic Partnerships and Policy Frameworks for Supporting Youth Innovation and Startups.”
The President affirmed that as the government, they will have to offer all the necessary support to the young innovators as long as their innovations have a clear business perspective.
He also expressed gratitude to the youth for waking up and starting to come up with ideas and solutions to Uganda’s problems.
“I’m glad that you have now woken up and you are not going to be like your ancestors who were asleep and that is what the National Resistance Movement (NRM) has been trying to do right from the time of the bush; to wake our people up. We told you people you can do it,” President Museveni said.
“This is the way to go, it is not always politics oyee. No, let us solve problems, especially problems of poverty and lack of jobs,” he added.
The President also urged that since the majority of Ugandans have woken up, they should now understand themselves, the society and the natural environment and how they can use it to have a better quality of life.
“The moment you wake up and understand the two; understanding yourself and your natural surroundings and understanding society, then now you need to focus on economics. What determines economics? Because what you do should be profitable in order to be sustainable,” he stressed.
“With economics, you should start with human needs like food growing, processing and storage. You cannot go wrong there If you are anywhere in that chain. The second human need is clothing. The next one is shelter. I’m happy the young people have woken up, they are making construction materials. Another need is health. This is a huge area; we call it a pathogenic economy starting with vaccines, disinfectants, among others. It’s a huge business. Then you come to mobility. This is an important human need. People in the past used to walk on foot and now they are moving around in vehicles. Then there’s security. When Africa lagged behind on gunpowder that was our biggest mistake, we are not going to lag behind again, we are now making our own weapons and we shall continue improving.”
President Museveni further advised the youth innovators and entrepreneurs that as they use science to solve the problems of the society, they need to cluster their products and then check on their demand within Uganda, Africa and globally, before assuring them of a common market for Africa.
“We had to work from 1980 at the Lagos Conference. This had been 20 years since independence; our leaders woke up and said if we don’t create one African market, we shall never get out of poverty because you can have a continent of a lot of natural resources but if it is badly organised economically and politically, it will never get out of poverty. We started with COMESA, the East African Community and now we are talking of the African common market,” the President disclosed.
“Look at Latin America, it has got more natural resources than the United States, but you watch on TV people from South America are walking on foot to go to the United States because of the misery in Latin America. Latin America is disorganised politically and economically.”
At the same event, President Museveni launched the Youth and Business Magazine.
The European Union Ambassador to Uganda, H.E Jan Sadek stated that the EU recognizes the importance of youth entrepreneurship and innovation and is committed to supporting the youth in Uganda towards economic empowerment.
“We believe that by empowering young people to start and grow their own businesses, we can collectively address some of the most pressing challenges facing Uganda such as unemployment and poverty and move towards sustainable economic development,” Ambassador Sadek assured.
“The youth are the most valuable resource of any nation since they possess a very unique capacity for fresh ideas, untamed creativity and boundless energy. This potential is the driving energy of progress and development; it is the cornerstone upon which the future of any nation is built,” he added.
H.E Sadek also advised the youth to collaborate with their peers, share knowledge and continue to seek support from their mentors and organisations in order to champion the course of entrepreneurship.
“I want to address the youth of Uganda, you are not alone in this journey I would like to say, you are part of the global community, and the EU stands beside you in the pursuit for a brighter future,” he added.
The Minister of State for Investment and Privatization, Evelyn Anite commended President Museveni for the excellent work he has done for Uganda that has enabled the country to remain stable for the last 37 years.
“Your Excellency for that, we are sincerely grateful to you as citizens of this country especially the young people,” Anite asserted.
“Mr. President, you have been able to support the young people, it is for you that the young people have representation in politics from the village level up to the national level. Uganda has been a ground for learning for many countries due to its involvement of young people in the development of the economy. Mr. President, you have supported the young people to come into the development of the economy through different programs like Youth Livelihood Fund, Youth Capital Venture Fund and when #Covid-19 hit the economies globally, you introduced the SME Recovery Fund,” she added.
The Minister also thanked the President for initiating the Industrial Zonal Hubs under State House aimed at skilling the youth and empowering them to become better citizens.
The National Female Youth Member of Parliament and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Forum on Youth Affairs, Phiona Nyamutoro lauded the President for supporting the youth in the country and assured him that as leaders, they will continue building the entrepreneurship spirit among young people so that the economy thrives.
“Research shows that 38 percent of Ugandans aged 18 to 34 are engaged in some sort of entrepreneurship activities, this is compared to the 36 percent of Ugandans who are above the age of 35. Your Excellency, this only means that young people are more oriented to business than the other older generation and this is because the young are willing to take risks, innovate and learn,” Nyamutoro said.
“This year’s business forum brings together hundreds of young people involved in manufacturing, innovation and economic production,” she added.
The Bank of Uganda (BoU) in collaboration with Uganda Bankers Association have launched the Women Economic Empowerment Initiative (WEEI), a programme that is aimed at addressing issues that hinder the progress of women in the financial sector.
The forum will be an annual UBA event that aims to take stock of and gain insights into specific trends in women’s economic empowerment and sharing of experiences to shape interventions and strategies in the banking and financial services industry focused on breaking barriers constraining access to finance for women.
The forum will specifically focus on creating a formal arena for women in banking/finance supported by the wider fraternity of women to network, collaborate and share ideas about progressing collective opportunities available in the local and global marketplace.
Speaking at the launch in Kampala on Tuesday, UBA chairperson Sarah Arapta said the Women Economic Empowerment Initiative seeks to address the challenges obstructing women’s advancement in banking, finance, and entrepreneurship.
She explained the four key pillars that underpin the UBA Women Economic Empowerment Initiative as Leadership and Empowerment, Rewards and Recognition, Access to and inclusivity of Finance, and Partnerships and Collaboration.
Arapta said women make up 50% of the global population and constitute 40% of the global workforce, yet they only own about 1% of the world’s wealth. In Uganda, women make up 52.5% of the population.
But she acknowledged that in our traditional setting, cultural conditioning often skews power dynamics, decision-making, and entrepreneurship, leaving women at the fringes.
“However, in recent years Uganda is making commendable efforts to reverse this state of affairs through affirmative policy actions across public administration, education, and resource allocation, thanks to the Government’s unwavering stewardship in this direction,” the UBA chairperson said.
Dr Michael Atingi-Ego, the BoU Deputy Governor, in his remarks emphasized the growing recognition of women’s leadership value in the financial sector.
“In the financial industry, women leaders make a positive impact, yet gender diversity efforts persist. More women secure leadership roles, but top-tier positions still lack representation. Ongoing efforts are crucial to promote women into leadership across sectors,” he said.
“Our sustainability agenda places a strong focus on diversity and inclusion, including gender, race, and disability diversity, as well as employee relations, covering areas like satisfaction, engagement, compensation, and benefits. Empowering women within the BoU and supervised financial institutions is an indispensable part of this endeavour,” he added.
The Deputy Governor stressed that BoU in collaboration with stakeholders, is in the process of launching the second National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS), which envisions universal access to quality and affordable formal financial products delivered responsibly and sustainably.
Promoting gender-inclusive finance is a top priority within the NFIS, he said.
The Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) has given embattled city lawyer Patrick Kiconco Katabaazi an ultimatum of six months to repay Shs39 billion obtained from National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) meant for tea nursery bed operators.
The query steamed-up following the 2021/2022 Auditor General’s report which revealed that NAADS advanced Shs39 billion to Pathways Advocates to compensate tea nursery operators who had sued government for failure to procure their seedlings, but there was no evidence furnished to auditors indicating that the intended beneficiaries received the said funds.
This money was meant for nursery bed operators in the Districts of Kisoro, Kabale, Rukiga, Rubanda, Ntungamo, Rukungiri, Mitooma, Kanungu, and Mbarara who had supplied seedlings to NAADS.
Katabaazi was approached by 711 tea nursery bed operators led by Frank Byaruhanga, Francis Runumi, George Owakukiroru, Caleb Tumwesimira, Sam Arinaitwe, Julius Tumushabe, Fidelis Kanyamunyu and Rev Bernard Byamugisha to represent them against a claim they had against National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADs) for their unpaid claims worth Shs143,621,201,500.
The plaintiffs instructed the lawyer to file a suit, Bganthanga Frank & 7 Ors. V Agricultural Advisory Services & 11 Ors. Civil Suit No.889 of 2019, in which they claimed Shs143,621,201,500. The matter culminated in a consent judgment filed on January 7, 2021. At the time of the consent judgment, Shs27.3 billion was outstanding.
The two parties agreed that the payments be made through the lawyer or law firm. The lawyer, Mr Katabaazi informed the Committee that he had received a total Shs39 billion on behalf of the Plaintiffs.
Some of the operators the Committee interfaced with and informed the Committee that they had not received all the money due to them and accused Mr. Katabaazi of not remitting to them all the money due to them.
Mr Katabaazi submitted that the Plaintiffs had instructed him to pay the 711 based on a criteria agreed upon by the Plaintiffs and the persons they had authorised to represent them, and that the persons had received some of the money.
The Committee interacted with some of the beneficiaries who stated that they were not paid money that was due to them. The Committee sought to verify the claims against Mr Katabaazi and requested him to provide evidence that he had paid the beneficiaries.
Katabaazi informed the Committee that with the exception of the Representative Order, other documents the Committee had requested fell in the ambit of the Advocate-Client relationship and was privileged information which he could only provide with consent from the parties involved, and yet he had not sought that consent.
Katabaazi filed a suit seeking a declaration that the committee’s investigations and inquiries into payments made under Orders of Court and or in execution of Orders of Court in High Court (Commercial Division) Civil Suit No. 889 of 2O19; Buanuhanga Frank & 7 otlrcrs u. National Agricultural Advisory Series (NAADS) and 11 others and the actions of the respondents as agents of the 1st respondent are ultra vires, illegal and an affront to the Advocate-client privileged information and the independence of the Judiciary.
However, his submission that farmers are appreciative of the services rendered by the law firm were contested by Richard Mubumuza (Bwamba County) who claimed to be in possession of some bank statements from some tea farmers who raised alarm on the discrepancies in the amount of funds submitted by Katabaazi in his accountability report to NAADs and the amounts that the farmers received in their bank accounts.
In the first payment, according to the accountability submitted by Katabaazi, one farmer Sirajje Mastiko received Shs150, 928,485 that is according to the accountability you submitted. I have a copy of the bank statement for Mastiko from Centenary Bank, what the firm paid instead was Shs105 million, which is a difference of Shs45 million.
The MP further tabled more evidence claiming that Kiconco made a second payment on 1st December 2022 to Mastiko, when the law firm transferred Shs90,704,807 to Mastiko’s account, but on the same day Shs58,911,706 was transferred back to the law firm’s account, with the MP alleging that Pathway Advocates could have imposed a standing order which required a portion of the payment to the beneficiaries be deducted and return to the law firm’s bank account.
The Committee also was informed by Muhumuza that another farmer Henry Tukahirwa on 5th December 2022 received Shs24, 298,160 on his account in Centenary Bank, but on the same day, Shs22, 417,559 was debited back to the law firm’s account. “The law firm was taking more than the beneficiaries, and these are just a few of these claimants. Can you talk to the Committee about these transactions?” asked Muhumuza.
The Committee was also informed by Muhumuza that another farmer Henry Tukahirwa on December 5, 2022 received Shs24, 298,160 on his account in Centenary Bank, but on the same day, Shs22, 417,559 was debited back to the law firm’s account. “The law firm was taking more than the beneficiaries, and these are just a few of these claimants.
The troubled Katabaazi denied these allegations claiming that there are no complaints from his clients.
The committee concluded that Patrick Katabaazi be prosecuted for failure to fully remit money meant for tea nursery bed operators.
However, the committee directed the government to always make all pending payments directly to the beneficiaries.
ZTE’s theme at MWC Kigali 2023 is “Sharing Digital Innovations,” featuring cutting-edge products and solutions
ZTE, as the founding partner of MWC Kigali, showcased innovations that underscore the company’s unwavering commitment to enhancing digital connectivity and promoting sustainability in Africa
Kigali, Rwanda, 20 October 2023 – ZTE Corporation (0763.HK / 000063.SZ), a global leading provider of information and communication technology solutions, has successfully participated in MWC Kigali 2023 under the theme “Sharing Digital Innovations.” During the event, ZTE presented cutting-edge products and solutions while sharing valuable insights on the digital transformation of the continent.
As the founding partner of MWC Kigali, ZTE showcased innovations encompassing the latest wireless and wireline solutions, as well as cutting-edge terminals. These offerings underscore ZTE’s unwavering commitment to enhancing digital connectivity and promoting sustainability in Africa.
Mr. Zhao Peng, SVP, President of the MEA region at ZTE Corporation, gave one keynote speech at the event. “In response to the imperative task of bridging the digital divide, ZTE remains committed to our 4A strategy in Africa, which is built on the four guiding principles of Affordable, Advanced, Adaptive, and Aggressive,” stated Mr. Zhao. “Affordability of the network and terminals will accelerate Africa’s digital transformation and foster sustainable development,” He elaborated on ZTE’s dedication to bringing advanced technologies to the African market and narrowing the digital divide in Africa.
Mr.Zhang Jianpeng, SVP, President of MTO BG & International Marketing at ZTE Corporation, participated in a round table discussion on “African Digital Divide, Green and Sustainable Development,” emphasizing ZTE’s role in providing environmentally responsible solutions for Africa.
Mr.Shen Yang, Senior Solution Architect at ZTE Corporation, delivered a Session Speech on “Is 5G the next step for Africa?” During his speech, Mr.Shen offered insights into the key considerations for 5G deployment in Africa. He mentioned, “We explore three key considerations for 5G deployment in Africa, with a focus on cost, efficiency, and services.” He also shared successful 5G deployment cases, highlighting the value ZTE provides.
Abdessattar Sassi, CTO of ZTE UAE Office, participated in a Session Speech focusing on the theme “Reshaping & Reimagining the Network.” During his speech, he said, “It is crucial to reshape the network architecture and prepare for the current and future needs of communication networks.” “Ubiquitous connectivity, intelligence, and simplicity are going to help operators build efficient and future-proof infrastructure,” he emphasized.
ZTE has been committed to unleashing Africa’s limitless potential and empowering Africa’s digital future, expecting to pave the way for a brighter, more connected continent.
