Ricks Kayizzi,
29 April 2008
Kampala — PAKISTANIS should invest in northern Uganda because it has lagged behind in development, Musa Ecweru, the minister of state in charge of relief and disaster preparedness, has said.
He said the 20-year long war was a disaster. "This has dampened the business environment. Pakistanis, who are the leading importers of vehicles, can use their huge financial resources to venture into agriculture in the north and north-east," Ecweru said at the first anniversary of Al Malik Group at Lugogo, Kampala.
He said places like Gulu, Arua, Lira and Soroti, require urgent investment to escape from poverty.
"You need to look at opportunities such as fruit processing and other commercial agricultural activities. As a result of this investment, you will become rich as you also help the locals escape from the poverty trap."
Fred Omach, the finance state minister in charge of general duties, urged the group to invest in land tillers and give them to farmers on hire purchase.
Janat Mukwaya, the tourism, trade and industry minister, said businesspeople are always driven by a profit motive, and not a humanitarian one. "Evidence has shown that people can earn profits, while putting social responsibility at the front."
Malik Azar, the managing director of Al Malik, lauded citizens and the Government for the partnership and friendship that has made the group succeed.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 New Vision. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
