Joyce Namutebi
29 November 2008
Kampala — PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has reiterated that he is happy with the current food crisis, saying it is a good opportunity for Africa.
"If the world is now desperate for food, that is good for Africa.
Certainly, it is good for Uganda," Museveni said at the opening of the 31st conference of the African Parliamentary Union at Speke Hotel, Munyonyo yesterday.
Uganda, he pointed out, has always produced a lot of food, even under the bad government of Idi Amin, but the problem was lack of market.
This, he said, was because African markets were fragmented "and the Europeans were not allowing us to sell them food because they had protectionalism".
"They put taxes and protectionist measures like subsiding their farmers within Europe," Museveni said at the conference attended by African Speakers and Parliamentarians from about 40 countries.
He said Uganda is now selling food to neighbouring countries, and milk and fish all over the world. "In Uganda, we are ready," he said, noting the availability of improved seeds, modern agricultural practices among others.
The legislators were deliberating on problems plaguing the continent such as poverty, hunger, HIV/AIDS, maternal and child mortality.
It was attended by a number of organisations in observer status, including the World Bank, the United Nation's Fund for Population Activities, IGAD and UNHCR.
The President who referred to his 17-page speech, appealed to political leaders to provide electricity to their people. "I don't want to hear anybody delaying our dams," he warned.
He also wondered how Africa could develop without railway transport, which is one of the cheapest modes of transport. He expressed concern that not a single modern railway has been built in tropical Africa in the last 50 years, except that built by the Chinese from Dar-es-Salaam to Zambia.
On telecommunications, he noted that many parts of Africa were using mobile phones, but that there is need to make it cheaper.
On agriculture, he stressed the importance of value addition, saying: "You cannot talk of agriculture without talking of industries."
"Cotton must result in textile. Coffee must result in finished coffee. Fruits must result in juice. Everything must be processed."
On AIDS, the president said the disease is very easy to prevent because it is mainly spread through promiscuity, insecure blood transfusion in hospitals and some traditional practices that use unsterilised instruments, which are all preventable.
The Speaker of Uganda's Parliament, Edward Sekandi noted that although it is coming to 10 years since when the MDGs commitment was solemnized, what is on the ground is not something good to write about.
"It is in light of the continuing disturbing health and poverty indicators on the African continent that I believe African parliaments should go back to the drawing board and try to find out what we need to do differently."
On the food crisis Sekandi said, "Instead of Africa supplying full baskets of food to the world market, it goes out with begging baskets to the world market."
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