“H.E. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni told us, this is ‘Kisanja Hakuna Kulala’, so wake up and wake those slumbering on the job near you. Let us challenge one another where we see complacency. Let us not allow ourselves to settle into comfort or preserve friendships at the expense of performance and progress,” Tumwebaze noted.

"Our people respect conservation, but they also need to eat and earn. If we can protect the most critical breeding zones while opening up part of the 200 square kilometres for regulated community fishing, we protect both the fish and the people," Maseruka said.

UNOC’s bulk procurement system and strategic fuel reserves provide some protection against sudden supply disruptions. The company is responsible for bulk petroleum imports and has a mandate to manage storage facilities and strategic reserves, measures intended to strengthen Uganda’s security of supply. However, strategic reserves cannot repeal the laws of the global oil market. If international crude prices remain elevated, the cost of replacing imported fuel eventually rises. Storage can provide breathing room but it cannot permanently insulate Uganda from international prices.

“When I came here and heard Pastor Kayanja talking about African integration, I said, ‘Praise the Lord,’ because we have already started the AfCFTA,” Museveni noted.

The three-day festival is being held under the theme, “Brewing Prosperity, Cultivating Heritage: Advancing Coffee & Cocoa Value Chains for Youth Employment and Economic Transformation in Busoga.”

Officials explained that the PDM payment system is intended to ensure that beneficiary information is accurately captured and payments are made directly, while also reducing the risks associated with handling cash and travelling long distances to access funds.

The immediate phase will focus on crops that can mature quickly, including sorghum, green gram and white peas. Museveni cautioned households against relying heavily on maize, which he said takes longer to mature and is less suited to Karamoja’s dry conditions.