ARUA-President Yoweri Museveni has asked Emyooga SACCOs to give their members a grace period of at least two years to pay off their loans.
Museveni made the call yesterday in Arua City as he started his three-day tour of West Region to speak about the need for wealth creation, investment, and tackling household poverty in the communities.
While addressing residents, Museveni said Emyooga SACCOs currently give members a grace period of less than one year to pay back the loans, which he said has forced beneficiaries to engage in short-term projects that cannot fight household poverty.
The President advised that the beneficiaries of Emyooga Programme should engage in investments such as coffee and maize growing.
“In 1996, only 4 percent of the Ugandans were in the market economy. This has slightly improved…So if we embrace large-scale production with the support of Emyooga and Parish Development Model [PDM], all Ugandans can be in the market economy,” Museveni said.
He added:” All my children are doing their own things, apart from Muhoozi Kainerugaba who is in the army. If previous governments had no problems, I would not be in government, I came to government to sort the messes that existed. That is why I emphasis on wealth creation.”
Citing an example of a model farmer that he visited in Madi Okollo district, who earns Shs 20 million per year from an acre of orange farmland, Museveni called upon leaders to encourage the community to emulate such farmers if they are to fight household poverty.
Museveni said if beneficiaries embrace agriculture and are given enough time to repay their loans, there will be market for their produce due to industrialisation.
He said that West Nile will soon be connected to the national electricity transmission grid. “Darkness soon will be over in West Nile. It’s just a matter of time,” he said urging residents to take advantage of the power to alleviate power.
On her side, the State Minister of Investment, Evelyn Anite, said that if large-scale farming is enhanced with the support of Emyooga Programme and PDM, West Nile business community will benefit from the regional markets. “As West Nile people, we border DRC and South Sudan. We need to take advantage of our neighbours’ markets as we fight poverty in the wealth creation programmes,” Anite argued.
The member of Parliament of Upper Madi Constituency, Izaak Etuka, was optimistic that large-scale agriculture will now be boosted in West Nile with the visit of Museveni. “If the advice of the president is put into practice, our people will be soon in the market economy,” Etuka noted.
Museveni is expected to tour Masaka Sub-region next as he continues with his regional wealth creation tour.
https://thecooperator.news/govt-sinks-shs-540mln-in-ajuri-county-emyooga-saccos/
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