ANKOLE | DIOCESE | VP ALUPO

Ankole Diocese has embarked on a drive to create avenues to raise revenues to support the church mission and also facilitate sustainable development plans to grow the church in the Diocese.

According to the Diocesan Planning and Investment Coordinator, Paul Tumuhairwe, the church needs to diversify activities to meet the increasing financial demands adding that leaning from the COVID experience, the church can no longer rely only on contributions from the members.

At the invitation of Ankole Diocese Bishop Sheldon Mwesigwa, the Vice President Rtd. Maj. Jessica Alupo was in Mbarara and Isingiro districts where she visited some of Ankole Diocese income-generating projects aimed at complimenting member contributions in church work

The Vice President opened millennium SACCO in Isingiro, founded by the Diocese in 2012; the SACOO has 7 branches, a saving threshold of over sh6b, a loan portfolio of sh11bn and a share capital of over sh2b with a membership of 16,000 to date and now transforming into a full-service bank.

She called upon the people to make use of the available increasing opportunities provided by the SACCO which she said, target people irrespective of political or religious affiliations.

Alupo said the gesture of welcoming all Ugandans to buy shares in the SACCO was a patriotic one.

She also opened a sh3bn St. Paul Shopping Mall; a multipurpose commercial Mall in Mbarara City aimed at generating income for the diocese and also commissioned a sh2b Bishop Stewart University nursing and Health Sciences faculty Rubaro Mbarara.

The facility including classrooms, office and hostel will facilitate the training of nurses to Diploma and degree levels.

Bishop Stewart University has other Faculties of law, education, theology and finance and Management at main campus at Kukoba in Mbarara City.

The Vice President who later addressed Christians at the Diocese Head Quarters at Rubaro in Mbarara during the Diocesan day celebrations appreciated the Church of Uganda and other religious groups for complimenting Government efforts in providing essential services to the population in Uganda. 

She also commended Bishop Sheldon Mwesigwa, the Ankole Diocese Bishop for leading development and purposeful crusade and his increased participation in the social-economic development of Ankole and the country for the several development projects he has initiated.

Bishop Mwesigwa said the diocesan and generally the church appreciate to the Government for certification of the University which he said has a student population of both local and foreign of over 5000.