Leaders from Uganda’s Lango sub-region, spearheaded by their Paramount Chief, His Highness Eng. Dr. Moses Michael Odongo Okune, recently presented an important five-year development plan to Gen. Caleb Akandwanaho, widely known as Salim Saleh. Gen. Saleh coordinates Operation Wealth Creation, a key government initiative. The purpose of this ambitious plan is to rapidly improve the social and economic well-being of the Lango people.
Held at Gen. Saleh’s Kirema Farm in Kapeeka, Nakaseke District, the discussions primarily focused on how to significantly boost household incomes. Strategies included improving agriculture, adding value to local products, and establishing agro-industries. Before the meeting, the Lango delegation toured various successful businesses at the farm, seeing firsthand how factories in different sectors operate and create jobs. This experience offered valuable insights into industrial growth models that Lango leaders believe could be successfully copied in their own region.
Mr. Willy Okullo, the Prime Minister of the Lango Cultural Institution, shared that the Paramount Chief extended an invitation to Gen. Saleh to visit Lango. The aim is for Gen. Saleh to personally observe the progress and challenges of government programs designed to eliminate poverty there. Gen. Saleh warmly accepted this invitation, promising to arrange his visit soon. He also committed to sharing the key proposals from the Lango development plan with President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, ensuring they are considered for inclusion in the upcoming National Development Plan IV.
A particularly encouraging discovery for the delegation was the significant number of Lango youth already working in the Kapeeka factories. This observation strongly demonstrated the immense potential that industrial development holds for tackling unemployment within the Lango sub-region. Chief Odongo Okune explained that their five-year plan, carefully put together, prioritizes expanding wealth creation efforts, building better roads, and upgrading essential services and infrastructure across Lango.