East African Business Week (Kampala)
Brian Coutinho
29 November 2008
editorial
Last week, East African Business Week reported about a new project by an energy company that has transformed lives and people in Uganda.
The Africa Power Initiative (API) is in advanced stages of refining 60,000 litters of bio-diesel a day produced from locally grown jatropha and other oil seeds in Uganda's north eastern region of Karamoja. The Karimojong are cattle keepers.
Karamoja occupies about 10% of Uganda's landspace, (close to the size of Belgium) but has the least population and development.
The Karimojong have traditional beliefs that they own all the cattle by a divine right. Cattle are also an important element in the negotiations for a bride and young men use the raids as a right of passage and way of increasing their herds to gain status. The shift from using spears and clubs to advanced weapons like the AK47 made things worse in the late 70's todate.
The Karimojong way of life is similar to that of its neighbours the Dodoth and Jie in Uganda, Turkana, Pokot and Kalenjin in Kenya, Jiye and Toposa in southern Sudan. They all raid, with guns! Insecuruty has been rife in the horn of Africa as guns have slipped into this region causing massive suffering and underdevelopment.
But that is changing now. Thanks to API's comprehensive energy and development plan.
Their farm located in Karamoja's southern most district of Nakapiripirit district, employs over 500 people on 2,000 acres of land.
This is the only project of its kind in Africa. What makes this a unique project is that local people have been engaged in growing crops used to produce bio-fuels. The farm is self-sufficient in food production. The locals grow their vegetables, fruit and cereals, something very novel in this area. The by-products and waste from the farm are put to several other uses but what is most amazing is that the farm workers on the farm have formed a co-operative that now has services like banks, forestry groups, bee-keeping and are planning on selling electricty to the main grid.
Added to that is that the API Foundation is building a 100-bed hospital and is upgrading a school. The result is that the area is now free of cattle rustling. The country is spending less on security, children are going to school and the community is more healthy. This is a succesful case of transforming old habits by involving the population in development. That's a paradigm shift and governments should support this.
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