Kampala, UG: Uganda’s hope of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) remains a dream until the country establishes the Agriculture and Cooperative Bank, says Lt (rtd) Moses Mugisha Magufuri Babyomera, the lead promoter and coordinator of agriculture and cooperative Bank.

Magufuri was speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the Local Government Management of Service Delivery (LGMSD) report 2023, launched on Thursday June 20, 2024 by President Yoweri Museveni at the Speke Resort Convention Center, Munyonyo in Kampala. The assessment was produced by the Office of Prime Minister.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

The short titles of the 17 SDGs are: No poverty (SDG 1), Zero hunger (SDG 2), Good health and well-being (SDG 3), Quality education (SDG 4), Gender equality (SDG 5), Clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), Affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), Decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), Industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9), Reduced inequalities (SDG 10), Sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), Responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), Climate action (SDG 13), Life below water (SDG 14), Life on land (SDG 15), Peace, justice, and strong institutions (SDG 16), and Partnerships for the goals (SDG 17).

However, Magufuri believes that for Uganda to achieve a zero hunger as well as agro- industrialization through strengthening localization and service delivery mechanisms for national development and SDG acceleration, Uganda needs a local Agricultural cooperative bank as ignitor of import substitution “buy Uganda build Uganda”.

‘’Commercial banks in Uganda have exploited much and affected HE the President Museveni’s crusade of Agricultural industrialization, social economic transformation agenda in development initiatives and sustainable growth to move Farmers from subsistence to money economy’ ’he said.

He said Commercial Banks don’t care more on gestation period, insurance and climate challenges like drought, heavy rains and strong winds that normally affects Agricultural value chain and delay the value addition agenda.

At the conference, he requested Permanent secretaries of both local government and OPM to explain why 40 percent “Non-operational agro processing facilities procured under CAIIP are not functional which he termed as uncoordinated government procurement for example NAADs, OPM, MAAIF, Ministry of trade and cooperative ‘’President’s office procures or donates value additional equipment without effective coordination. Magufuri also raise dust on contradicting the directives on the government’s wealth creation initiatives from implementing agencies say government ministries and departments, they seems to be like duplication the likes of GROW, UWEP, Emyooga,Youth livelihood- YLP,. Youth venture capital funds -YVCF, Agricultural facility funds, SBRF-Small business recovery funds ,UDC,Naads/OWC, crop finance ,NUSAF, presidential initiatives,Funds under MAAIF now PDM all seems to be like duplications and ineffective ( begabira bboka vs Museveni agabudde)’’, said Magufuri.

This prompted the prime minister to task the minister of local government Raphael Magyezi to explain which he said it’s not true, Permanent Secretary of OPM dodged magufuri’s question on uncoordinated procurement of Agricultural value addition equipment.

Magufuri told prime minister Rt.Hon Nabbanja that they don’t want government’s money, land allocation or neither tax holiday as they have doing to other investors ,but establishment of Agricultural cooperative bank concept need to be understood first by HE the president and it will be governed by Farmers & cooperators for easy accessibility to funds at affordable rates, high machinery aquisition mechanization for high production boost that can accelerate high income revenue generation to the economy to strengthen the national treasury because this has worked for China and Norway economies and cooperators. Etc

‘’With high production and boost on the Agricultural value chain strategic agenda, budget to empower local farmers with an agricultural bank Uganda will be in position to strengthen its capacity to support on our national budget given the fact that we can’t fully support our national budget due to much reliance on external borrowing since this has made us ignore the support to the backbone of our country Uganda in agriculture , we shall have developed enough capacity to compete in the world market globally will give our shilling currency exchange power to reconcile the dollar . Our shilling is weak because we are doing little in the world market in line with the export base, we import more and export less’’, he added.

It’s believed that interactions were made by the inter-religious council and kingdoms over the sensitivity of Agricultural cooperative bank to the president about the Matter that is the only hope of effective social economic transformation programs for the Ugandan common class to see full realization of a middle income status in our community.

it’s believed that on 21 may 2024 HE the President YK Museveni while in Rwashsmaire Ntungamo directed his PPS to arrange meeting between Magufuri’s team to meet president over establishment of Agricultural cooperative bank in Uganda, the meeting at Munyonyo attended by all RDCs, CAOs, town clerks, City mayor’s, municipality mayor’s, local government council five, UN diplomats not forgetting IRC of Uganda.