President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni met with Ambassador Josefa Sacko, the African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment, during her courtesy visit to State House Entebbe this afternoon.
Ambassador Sacko was accompanied by
Frank Tumwebaze, the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries.
The president expressed his deep
appreciation for the opportunity to host the summit.
"That is music to my ears, and
I am delighted to host this summit. The potential for agriculture in Africa is
immense. Uganda is well-positioned to base our agricultural outlook on what we
have preserved, such as indigenous agriculture: cows, goats, bananas, cassava,
fish, and more. Our task has been to modernize and commercialize our
agriculture," Museveni remarked.
He continued, "When you hear
that people in Africa lack food, it is often a consequence of colonialism and
the disruption of people's connection to their heritage. Africans begin to look
down on themselves and glorify everything foreign. But when it comes to
agriculture, we are truly at home. Uganda is the place—we have the crops of the
forest, tropical savanna, and temperate regions."
The previous AU agricultural summit
was held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, in 2014. That summit was instrumental in
developing the action plan guided by the Malabo Declaration, which focused on
accelerating agricultural growth and transformation for shared prosperity and
improved livelihoods.
The meeting was also attended by
Maj. Gen. David Kasura Kyomukama, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of
Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries, among other officials