President Yoweri Museveni has applauded organizers of Africa now for attempting to improve the economy in Africa and ridding the continent of poverty The president was opening the 2019 Africa Now summit at Speke Resort Munyonyo this morning.
The summit which is running under the theme; "Towards a secure integrated and growing Africa," has attracted over 800 delegates from all over Africa and is also being attended by the President of Somalia Mohamed Mohamed Deputy Presidents of Kenya and Tanzania H.EWilliam Ruto and H.E Samia Hassan among other dignitaries.
Delivering his speech, Museveni blamed his predecessors Dr. Milton Obote and Iddi Amin Dada for the poverty that continues to eat Uganda to its bone. He says they expulsion of Asians by Amini was a mistake that took Ugandans back.
"Someone is producing sugar for you instead of importing it and you declare him a problem. The president is there, the ministers are there, they did not understand the private sector" Mr. Museveni said.
The president told the delegates that it was his NRM government that allowed Indians back and returned their properties. He however says this was a hard battle as most MPs at the time had taken over the 4000 houses formerly owned by Indians.
Mr. Museveni says Ugandans have built more than 1 million properties in Kampala and Entebbe after being chased from aindian houses.
"I told them, return the property of Indians. And when we were doing that, the whole Parliament was full of people sleeping in Indian houses. I nearly developed throat cancer trying to convince these people to leave Indian houses. Now they have built more, Kampala and Entebbe are now one town built by Africans, because I dian houses were 'Ekisilani' that conceptual confusion is very dangerous" he added.
He also advised that there is need for regional market integration to help in transformation. He gave an example of a Ugandan industry which produced 10,000 tires while Ugandans can only consume 3,000. The president argues that there's need for a regional market where the remaining 7,000 can be sold.