President Museveni has ordered the URA to release hundreds of confiscated containers belonging to Ugandan traders.
President Yoweri Museveni has called on youth leaders to spearhead a shift toward private wealth creation, citing a limited number of government jobs. During a meeting in Gomba, he identified commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services and ICT as the four pillars of Uganda's future economy.

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Museveni directs cabinet to settle sugar factory issues

MAYUGE, Uganda – President Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday directed his Cabinet to handle the future of two sugar factories, CN Sugar Ltd. and Shakti Sugar Ltd., which were closed due to operational issues. He said a decision on the matter would be made next week.

The directive came during a meeting with sugarcane growers, millers and manufacturers at Kityerera State Lodge. The president’s broader agenda for the meeting was to reform the agro-industrial sector and uplift communities from poverty.

In the same meeting, Museveni announced the government will purchase the Mayuge Sugar Factory and transfer ownership to the sugarcane farmers of the Busoga region. This move is in line with a government pledge to build a processing plant for the farmers, and it aims to ensure profits return directly to them. The farmers unanimously gave their approval for the government to begin negotiations for the factory’s purchase.

Museveni also directed Minister for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Francis Mwebesa to establish the long-awaited Sugar Council, which was mandated by the Sugarcane (Amendment) Act of 2023. The council is expected to regulate the industry and represent the interests of both growers and millers.

The president also addressed a complaint from Budugo Isa, chairman of the Uganda National Association of Sugarcane Growers, about a 5% levy still being deducted from farmers’ payments. Museveni directed that the charge “must stop” and urged manufacturers to reject deliveries of unclean sugarcane.

Museveni used the meeting to discuss his vision for wealth creation, advising small-scale farmers to move away from low-profit crops like sugarcane and cotton. He recommended a “four acres model,” which includes a mix of food crops, coffee, pasture and livestock, citing examples of farmers who have achieved significant success with this method.

The meeting was attended by key stakeholders from Uganda’s major sugarcane growing regions, as well as senior government officials and members of Parliament.