President Museveni has said with the shs48 trillion budget for the 2022/ 2023 , Uganda is moving in the right direction.
The Finance Minister, Matia Kasaija on Tuesday read a shs48 trillion budget for the forthcoming financial year as the countries continues to rise from the effect of the Covid pandemic.
Speaking at Kololo independence grounds on Tuesday, the president re-echoed the 2006 decision that he said led to most of the current developments in the country.
"If I had not insisted in 2006 to put money on roads and electricity I don't know where Uganda would be. The wise decision has made so much impact. In 2006, I came out and said we should have our own money to fund the development budget," Museveni said.
"I said I should come here and boast. Because of these measures, the GDP per capita is now $1046. The minister (Matia Kasaija) did not come out to say that we are at the entrance of the middle income status. I don't know whether he feared that we shall go back. I don't think we shall."
He explained that because of the decision, Uganda decided to fund road construction but also extend electricity to many parts of the country; a decision he said was wise and has since paid off.
Museveni mentioned a number of roads and many other development projects that he said would not have been completed had it not been the 2006 decision.
The president cited the Kira electric vehicle plant that has started producing buses and other vehicles that he said is funded solely by government funds, noting that the Kiira Motors Corporation has been capitalized to a tune of shs302 billion.
In aeronautics and space, Uganda's first satellite has passed all requirements for launch. This satellite was developed by three Ugandan students who have been funded by the government to undergo specialized training at Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech) in Japan. The satellite will be launched into the Low Earth Orbit from the International Space Station by NASA in September, 2022. We are now refurbishing Mpoma Satellite Station to receive data from our satellite after the launch. This data will be used to develop applications for agriculture, mineral exploration, weather forecasting, disaster management, communication and security," he said.
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Museveni however noted that a lot is yet to be achieved noting that food security is a key aspect that needs to be implemented.
"The biggest problem for Uganda and Africa is food. As long as Uganda is producing enough food, there is no problem we cannot solve. The only danger is some laziness and unreliable rain."
He also warned against encroachments on wetlands among other activities aimed at degrading the environment that he said are causing problems for the country in form of climate change.
"People going to the wetlands are going there by themselves against our appeal. I demand they get out of the wetlands. They go there knowing that those are wetlands. Even here in Kampala, I see some people."
