The Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Henry Ariganyira Musasizi has challenged leaders in Kigezi Sub-region to focus on measurable wealth creation instead of political mobilization and ceremonial activities.
Minister Musasizi, who is also the Rubanda East MP, said leaders should be judged by their contribution to improving household incomes and helping communities move from subsistence production to productive enterprises.
He was speaking on Thursday as the chief guest at a Kigezi Sub-region stakeholders’ meeting organised by the Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises (GROW) Project at the UNITE Kabale campus, formerly National Teachers’ College (NTC) Kabale.
Minister Musasizi said government programmes such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) and GROW were designed to complement each other by supporting households and businesses at different stages of economic growth.
He said PDM targets households at the lower end of the economic pyramid, while GROW provides financing and other support to enterprises that have grown beyond the level supported by PDM.
The minister urged leaders to identify beneficiaries whose enterprises have expanded through government programmes and use their experiences to demonstrate the impact of such interventions.
He commended the government under President Museveni for introducing programmes aimed at helping households shift from subsistence production to income-generating activities.
Minister Musasizi also urged Kigezi leaders to provide the government with accurate information about challenges affecting communities so that available resources and programmes can be directed to areas where they are most needed.
He said the ultimate measure of government interventions should be the number of households moving out of poverty and subsistence production into sustainable wealth creation.
CUE IN MINISTER MUSASIZI…ON LEADERS…RR/ENG//
Minister Musasizi also said the government was pursuing major infrastructure projects aimed at reducing the cost of doing business and improving Uganda’s competitiveness.
He cited the planned Standard Gauge Railway as one of the projects expected to reduce transportation costs for businesses importing goods through the Port of Mombasa.
He said transporting a 40-foot container from Mombasa to Kampala currently costs more than $3,000, while a smaller container costs about $2,500. Under the Standard Gauge Railway, Minister Musasizi said, the cost of transporting a container from Mombasa to Kampala is expected to fall to about $1,600.
CUE IN MINISTER MUSASIZI…ON GAUGE RAILWAY…ENG//
