The Minister for Local Government, Raphael Magyezi has hailed the Lives and livelihood Fund Board(LLF) and Islamic Development Banking(IsDB) for helping to foster Uganda's economic growth and development.
Speaking during the a meeting about the Local Economic Growth Support Project(LEGs) at Serena Hotel in Kampala, Magyezi said the program has benefitted a number of Ugandans in different parts of the country.
"This is one of the programmes enhancing decentralisation and we have beneficiaries many beneficiaries. We are very proud of this program because we now see local governments delivering on services away from mere administrative units to becoming local economic development units," Magyezi said.
Minister Magyezi also revealed that the Local Economic Growth Support Project is helping actualise the implementation of Islamic banking in Uganda.
James Kelsey, the Deputy Director for the Middle East and East Asia at the Bill and Melinda Foundation, said they have been impressed by the results of the project.
"I think the integrated approach is really a very impressive way of doing things."
Mohammad. M. Jawabreh the senior program management specialist Islamic Solidarity Fund for development revealed by funding this project, they were inspired by Uganda being one of the least developed countries, a category it has been in for over 46 years.
He added that Uganda is considered as one of the countries whose government efforts to alleviate poverty in different they are supporting.
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"We are part of the donors, this project is responding directly to our mandate, and also to the LLF . We are here today as part of the elders but it is also responding to our mandate because it is covering different sectors and dimensions. We have seen that there is a lot of impact on the lives of the people, either on the level of their income or the quality of their lives," Jawabreh said.
The project
The Local Economic Growth Support Project(LEGs) is a $33 million LLF-supported initiative donated by Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD) and King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief).
The project is executed through the ministry of Local Government with the Microfinance Centre (MSC) and Millennium Promise Alliance as an implementing partner.
It covers 17 districts including Adjumani, Alebtong, Bunyangabu, Buikwe, Buyende, Gomba, Kabarole, Katakwi, Kyenjojo, Kibuuku, Kumi, Luweero, Nakaseke, Ntoroko, Nwoya, Rukungiri and Tororo.
On Monday, beneficiaries of the project gave testimonies on how impactful and life changing the project has been towards the development of farming and market for their produces.
The chairperson of Tisai Dairy Farmers corporative, Ben Chilakol, thanked donors for constructing a well-equipped milk collecting centre in his village with equipment such as coolers, generators and others.
He added that they are still waiting for water supply system for milk facility and their trading centre.
Chilakol begged funders to construct for them enough facilities to supply milk but also train them on how to balance their books.
