Sworn-in Museveni promises wealth creation, jobs and industrial growth in new term
Speaking during his swearing-in ceremony at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds on Tuesday, Museveni described the new administration as a “kisanja of no more sleep for all Ugandans,” urging citizens to actively participate in wealth creation and take advantage of government programmes aimed at fighting poverty.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has pledged to focus his new term on wealth creation, job generation and industrial transformation, saying Uganda’s next phase of development will build on the peace, infrastructure and economic progress achieved since the National Resistance Movement (NRM) came to power in 1986.
Speaking during his swearing-in ceremony at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds on Tuesday, Museveni described the new administration as a “kisanja of no more sleep for all Ugandans,” urging citizens to actively participate in wealth creation and take advantage of government programmes aimed at fighting poverty.
Museveni said the NRM government had over the past four decades laid a foundation of peace, infrastructure development, service delivery and market expansion that Ugandans should now use to improve household incomes and create employment opportunities.
He pointed to visible changes in Kampala and surrounding areas as evidence of economic transformation since 1986, citing the expansion of real estate, roads, electricity, water systems, schools, hospitals and communication infrastructure.
The President said his government would continue supporting citizens through programmes such as the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga, Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) and financing from the Uganda Development Bank (UDB). According to Museveni, these initiatives are intended to provide cheap capital, agricultural inputs and business support to help Ugandans join the money economy.
Museveni promised that the coming term would prioritize job creation through commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services and Information Communication Technology (ICT), which he described as the four key sectors of Uganda’s economy.
He said Uganda possesses enough resources to generate millions of jobs if citizens embrace commercial production. The President cited examples of successful farmers and industrial parks, arguing that small-scale commercial agriculture alone could create over 100 million jobs if land is effectively utilized.
Museveni also promised to expand industrialization and value addition, warning against the continued export of raw materials. He said Uganda would maintain its ban on the export of unprocessed minerals and encourage local processing of agricultural and mineral products to increase national earnings and employment opportunities.
“In Uganda here, we are always talking about the importance of value addition,” Museveni said, arguing that exporting raw materials deprives Africans of jobs and wealth that should remain on the continent.
The President further pledged to align the education system with labour market demands by promoting skills-based learning. He said Uganda needed more graduates equipped for jobs in manufacturing, engineering, ICT, pharmaceuticals, electronics and other technical fields.
