Local Governments to continue benefiting from the Emyooga Initiative
Our reporter
Local governments across the country shall continue to benefit from the government initiative of transforming people from poverty dubbed Emyooga.
Harunah Kyeyune Kasolo, the State Minister for Micro Finance last week told reporters at the Media Centre in Kampala said that the program which was initiated prior to elections will continue in spite of receiving criticism from politicians.
He refuted all propaganda running around that Emyooga is a political program that came into existence to aid the Ruling NRM attain votes.
“Emyooga isn’t a political program, in fact politics ended on Wednesday but government programs must continue and must be beneficial to all Ugandans irrespective of their political affiliations,” he said. “Those who thought that the program had come to aid NRM to attain votes, please here we are disproving you and want to appeal to all Ugandans to tap and penetrate into this program,” he added.
The Program according to the minister targets to financially boost 18 SACCOs in every Sub County in Kampala and Wakiso as well as 18 SACCOs per Constituency in other districts.
The 18 targeted clusters of the economy are; boda boda riders, women entrepreneurs, carpenters, salon operators, taxi operators and restaurant owners.
Others are welders, market vendors, youth leaders, persons with disabilities (PWDS), produce dealers, mechanics, tailors, journalists, performing artists, veterans, fishermen and elected leaders.
Kasolo revealed that a total amount of Shs184.8bn has so far been disbursed by the micro finance Centre citing that the program is still ongoing to offer financial assistance and liberation to organized Ugandan citizens.
“As a result, 247,353 leaders of associations and 2,900 SACCO leaders have been trained in basic records management, governance for effective SACCO operations,” he said.
He further noted that the Micro finance support Centre has successfully trained a total of 2,809 technical district officers and equipped them with the skills and content necessary to cascade training of Emyooga.
The Minister who is among the NRM recent polls losers urged his fellow losers, to concede defeat and rally behind those that emerged victors citing that Ugandans deserve effective service delivery and that this can’t be achieved without joint collaboration irrespective of difference in political ideologies.
“If you were defeated rally behind someone who defeated you and we move on because at the end of the day Uganda is bigger than all of us,” he said.
Kasolo however, urged members of the Emyooga SACCOs not to divide money and split but they should instead keep on saving for future investment.
