President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged the people of Tororo District to join the money economy in order to fight poverty.
"We have told you, please working only for the stomach is not good. You must all join the money economy because you have got needs of the stomach and non-stomach needs. So how will you solve the non-stomach needs like education if you are looking at only the stomach?" President Museveni noted.
The President who was accompanied by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Museveni, made the appeal today as they commissioned a Church and a two-classroom block at St. Joseph's Catholic Church and Siwa Primary School respectively at Siwa Sub County, West Budama, Tororo District. The facilities were donated by Tororo Cement Ltd.
The President informed the residents that they could join the money economy by engaging in the four sectors of the economy which include agriculture, Industry, services and ICT.
He, however, advised that for people in rural areas, the best sector that could quickly get them out of poverty is agriculture with "ekibaro" (calculation), saying that those with small pieces of land like four acres, can use the first acre for coffee because coffee is on high demand, the second acre for fruits like Oranges, mangoes, then the third acre for pasture for zero grazing of cows and the fourth one for food crop for the family.
"In the backyard, you have poultry for eggs and also if you are not a Muslim you have pigs and then if you are near the wetland, you do fish farming," President Museveni said.
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President Museveni further cautioned Tororo residents to stop growing crops that will not bring money quickly like maize and cotton which require one to have huge chunks of land to benefit from them.
He also thanked the investors- Tororo Cement Ltd for not only bringing investment to Uganda but also doing corporate social responsibility by building schools and Churches.
The President attributed the growing number of investors in Uganda to the wise policy decisions made by the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government. President Museveni pointed out returning Indians' property that was seized by former President Idi Amin to the owners, as one of the wise policy decisions the government made.
"Wisdom is stronger than strength. This progress you see is mainly policy-stimulated. Even before you do anything, just by a correct policy you will get a lot of solutions," he noted.
President Museveni on the other hand, promised that he would return to the Bukedi sub-region so that they could have a deep discussion with the residents on the issue of wealth creation.
The Minister of State for Defense, Hon. Jacob Oboth Oboth thanked the President and Maama for gracing the event.
The function was attended by Ministers and members of Parliament, among others.
