President Julius Maada Bio Visits Industrial Hub that Supports Innovation and Agro-based SMEs in Uganda

Kapeeka, Uganda, Tuesday 2 July 2019 – His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has visited Uganda’s major hub that supports agro-based small and medium-sized enterprises for a first-hand experience of how factories in Kapeeka, in the Nakaseke district, promote commercial agriculture.

The rural industrial hub, 63 kilometres from
the Capital, Kampala, is a joint pub-private partnership venture and
plays host to a 2.5 square mile industrial park, a logistic and
e-voucher servicing centre that provides genuine seeds, equipment and
fertilizers. The hub also produces innovative young entrepreneurs and
agribusiness leaders to champion productivity that can spinoff new
enterprises.

The President, who was in his second of an official
three-day state visit to the east African nation, was also taken on a
conducted tour of the industrial area and agro-processing facility by
the Minister of agriculture, animal industry and fisheries in Uganda,
Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja, MP.

The minister said they had
empowered farmers to not only farm but also to be able to process
agricultural produce, adding that it was President Museveni’s vision to
promote farming and process farm harvests to boost the economy and to
help farmers to get the most out of their harvests.

Mr Ssempijja
also briefed the Sierra Leone delegation, which comprised Minister of
Finance, Jacob Jusu Saffa and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mrs Nabeela
Tunis, on the technology and strategy they were using to promote farming
and agro-processing. He also showed them the Ho and Mu Food Technology,
a multinational The company deals in fruits, makes dried mangoes, dried
pineapple, mango whisky and pineapple wine.

In his remarks,
President Bio told dignitaries present at the agro-processing facility
that Sierra Leone would want to learn from the Ugandan experiment and
experience. He applauded the initiative while noting that because of the
similarity in culture it was important that they shared experiences and
skills on successful policies and technologies in the agriculture
sector.

He thanked the government and people of Uganda for
supporting their President and promised that his minister of agriculture
would visit Uganda in the near future to further strengthen the
cooperation in ways that would help Sierra Leone transform its
agriculture industry.

President Bio also disclosed that his visit
to the Namunkekera Agro Processing hub was the idea of host President
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who was showcasing efforts being made by his
government to promote agro-processing in Uganda. He praised the strategy
that the Ugandan government was using to enhance farming, improve the
lives of farmers and boost the country’s economy.

The President
also shared his vision and commitment to expanding the economy of Sierra
Leone with agriculture as one of his key economic diversification
vehicles.

President Bio will wrap up his visit on Wednesday 3
July 2019 after his keynote address on “Africa’s Opportunity to Lead in
the 4th Industrial Revolution” at the Africa Blockchain Conference in
Kampala.