Ugandans have been advised to stop whining about marginalisation and wean themselves off let the government help us syndrome.
While on his routine mobilisation on operation wealth creation, Paul Kalikwani the deputy resident district commissioner Busia appealed to residents to use the cooperative model and embrace the ongoing government development programmes to invest in income generating activities, as opposed to whining about bad politics.
Farming
Kalikwani singled out the untapped potential in farming, urged able-bodied Ugandans including youth and women to organise themselves in cooperatives, embrace the four-acre model, engage in fishing and grow coffee, oranges, mangoes, poultry, piggery and other enterprises that generate money.
” When you do this, you will attract government’s attention to get more funding which will enable you to start saving money in your cooperatives and undertake serious business so as to fight poverty,” he said.
Begin small at your own level and you will get there, many have done it and realized how lucrative it is.
Kalikwani said, when the residents embraced this, they can end the vicious cycle of poverty.
Youths speak out on cooperatives
Youths in Busia town like the idea of forming cooperatives but feel financially constrained to start saving money because of being unemployed.
They also note that the saving culture amongst both the educated and uneducated youth has deteriorated at an alarming rate.
Speaking to the Cooperator magazine, a section of youths admitted to not being able to save money which they blamed to governments failure to create jobs and also support them to start income generating activities.
“The youth livelihood programme was poorly designed and it has not benefited us,” said Rehema Auma.
According to the youth, forming cooperatives and start saving to invest in meaningful business seems to be an impossible thing, not easy as the government believes.
A number of youths that spoke to the cooperator in Busia town said they are struggling, noting they cannot be able to save money and also meet their daily needs at the same time.
Speaking of their future plans, some said, they fear taking loans to start businesses noting that the economy is too steep and that the interest rates offered by some savings and credit cooperatives are so high.
