President Museveni promotes Industrial Development in Karamoja Sub-region

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is committed to ensuring that the people of the Karamoja sub-region benefit from ongoing industrial development initiatives.

During the groundbreaking ceremony of a clinker and cement production plant in Moroto District, President Museveni emphasized the importance of these projects for the local community.

Clinker, a vital component in cement production, has the potential to save Uganda millions of dollars in imports.

“You heard that these factories which will make clinker will save Uganda 380 million US Dollars of imported clinker and they will create jobs as well as pay taxes. So the people working in the factories will benefit, the government will benefit by taxes but I also want all the Karimojongs to benefit in all the other ways,” President Museveni said.

In his address, President Museveni encouraged the local population to explore various business opportunities linked to the factory, noting the need for supplying food, milk, beef, and other essentials to the factory workers. He stressed the importance of economic growth through entrepreneurship and cited his own experience as a cattlekeeper.

The factory, established by West International Holding Limited, a subsidiary of China West Cement Limited, aims to contribute to Uganda’s development through industrialization. President Museveni expressed his gratitude to the company, emphasizing that its operations could potentially earn Uganda $900 million annually.

“I want to thank West International Holding again because as you have heard when their operations are fully developed, they will be earning 900 million US Dollars in a year and that is slightly higher than what we are earning from coffee now. So you can see the contribution that they are making,” Gen. Museveni expounded.

“We are beginning to move on very well now and I want to thank the people of Rupa for organizing themselves into a Trust. The benefits they are getting now, the scholarships, the health centre, the ambulance, all that is what we call Corporate Social Responsibility but there are two more ways that the community can be involved in the case of Amuru Sugar, we have shares for the community in the factory of sugar which is going to be built there or if the government wants to give the investor land for free to attract them, the government can compensate you with money. This is how the community can be involved in modernization.”

Addressing concerns of crime in the region, President Museveni urged the locals to maintain peace, emphasizing that security was essential for the success of industrial development projects. He called for cooperation in dealing with cross-border issues and encouraged firmness in dealing with cattle theft.

“Now that means you need to completely uproot those spoilers. In any case, if they don’t come out peacefully, they will die. When I met the groups in Baralegi , they said these Karachunas are now staying in the wilderness so I told them that those are very easy to deal with because the government has got the eyes to see everywhere by day and night,” he said.

“For the Turkana, I told them that you will not come back to Uganda unless you hand over the people who killed my people. They are now talking of compensation, which is alright, but they must bring the killers first because we cannot go on with this nonsense. Other people are going to the moon, but we are here wasting time. For my people of Pokot, the leaders must be very firm. This game of using the fact that you have Pokot in Uganda and Kenya, and you steal cows and take them to Kenya, that should stop.”

President Museveni also pledged government support for road infrastructure, announcing plans to tarmac roads from Moroto to Kotido and Kaabong, as well as from Kitgum to Kidepo. He discussed efforts to stabilize electricity costs to 5 cents per unit, further promoting a conducive business environment.

The Minister of State for Minerals, Hon. Peter Lokeris, highlighted the government’s strategic objective to promote value addition, employment creation, industrialization, and local content development in the mineral sector. He praised the $300 million clinker and cement project as a significant investment that would contribute to Uganda’s growing cement production capacity.

Representatives from West International Holding Limited, China Railway 20th Bureau Group Corporation, and West China Cement expressed their commitment to the project’s success and commended President Museveni’s visionary leadership.

The event was attended by various dignitaries, including ministers and members of parliament, underscoring the importance of this industrial development initiative for Uganda’s economic growth.