President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has issued eight crucial ingredients to deliver success in Uganda and the African continent once they’re effectively implemented.
This is contained in a message to mark Uganda’s 61st Independence which he delivered during the state of nation address at Nakasero State Lodge on Sunday, October 8, 2023.
In his message, President Museveni noted that, the politics of identity must be rejected in order to ensure the economic and social prosperity of African people.
“We reject the pseudo-ideology of emphasizing the politics of identity, and we emphasize the politics of interests. While we recognize and respect the respective identities of our people, we insist that, in order to ensure the economic and social prosperity of our people, we must not forget their needs (food, jobs, markets for their products, sources of raw materials for their industries, shelter, etc.),” President Museveni said.
Museveni said that, hunger, poverty, shelter, poor infrastructure, inadequate clothing, and poor health issues affect everyone, regardless of tribes and religions.
According to President Museveni, the philosophy and strategy of emancipating the private sector and encouraging it to be the basic creator of wealth in the economy remains critical.
“The private sector players-foreign and local-are very reliable actors because they act in the interest of the country,” President Museveni said.
He said that there is, however, a great need for the government to play a regulatory role to ensure that the private sector does not take short cuts and endanger the health of consumers.
He listed economic infrastructure, including electricity, railways, roads, the ICT backbone, airports, ports, piped water, and irrigation channels, among others, as crucial drivers to create connectivity by linking producers with consumers.
“The fourth ingredient is social infrastructure in the form of schools, health centres, and research institutions that will help us or are helping us to deal with the health, knowledge, and skills of the human resource,” President Museveni said.
He noted that, a modern society and economy need healthy people who are knowledgeable and skilled.
According to Museveni, it is crucial to work on regional economic and political integration so as to guarantee a market for products and ensure strategic security against any and all threats to the future of Africa.
The president further advised on the critical need to embrace international contacts willing to trade with Uganda and Africa on an equitable basis when it comes to the exchange of goods and services.
“Some of these international contacts, apart from trading with us, can also generate investors to come to our country; they can be sources of tourists and can bring technology into our country,” the President noted.
On corruption, President Museveni emphasized the immediate need to eliminate it.
“Ugandans and non-Ugandans that want to do business in Uganda, do not pay bribes. Report the scum to the State House Anti-Corruption team and Colonel Nakalema’s group. Action will be taken,” the President said.
Museveni directed that, those living in the wetlands must unconditionally and peacefully leave.
“Those who have encroached on wetlands in other areas must leave unconditionally because they went there, knowing it was a mistake. The ones of Busoga, Bukedi, and Kigezi were misled by the governments, e.g. the Kibimba Rice Scheme. Those ones shall be supported to leave the wetlands,” President Museveni noted.
He also directed that, two hundred meters from the lake shore and 100 meters from the river banks must be vacated and allowed to regenerate into forest or waterline shrubbery.
“It is only the factories that are already built in what used to be wetlands that will be kept. No new ones. Even those that were erroneously licensed by the UIA but where the construction has not yet started should be allocated alternative land,” the President said.
President Museveni warned that, no country should interfere in the internal affairs of another country.
“Ugandans should not waste time worrying about aid, loans, etc. We do not need most of these loans. We happily work with all the countries in the world that respect our sovereignty. That is how the UN system should operate. No country should interfere in the internal affairs of another country. That is why we separate “foreign” affairs from “internal” affairs. Why should anybody catapult his values, through foreign affairs, into the internal affairs of another country? Human needs are similar-food, shelter, clothing, mobility, poverty, etc.,” President Museveni noted.
He said that, those actors who try to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries overestimate themselves and underestimate the capacity of the people of the world and their ability to defend their legitimate interests.
“With these 8 ingredients, Uganda is unstoppable. With these eight, talk of aid is laughable. We do not need aid. It is the mishandling of these eight that is the killer. Jesus, in the book of Matthew, Chapter 15, Verse 11, pointed out that what kills a person is what comes from within him but not what comes from outside.
Uganda’s 61st Independence Day is being celebrated under the theme ‘sustaining a united and progressive nation: Taking charge of our future as a free nation.’
