Be ambassadors of peace and economic transformation, Museveni tells youth
Be ambassadors of peace and economic transformation, Museveni tells youth
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President Yoweri Museveni has today (Sunday, September 21) called upon the youth to be ambassadors of peace and economic transformation in their homes, schools, places of worship, and online.
He said this during the Peace Run event which took place at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds.
Below is his full speech:
I am glad to join you today, for this Peace Run, which is a powerful initiative led by the vibrant youth of our nation, under the theme “Celebrating 30 Years of Peace.” I thank the organizers for this invitation and commend you for your vision, energy, and dedication to the values that sustain our beloved country.
Thirty years ago, Uganda stood at the crossroads emerging from years of instability, division, and insecurity. The path to peace was not easy since it demanded courage, sacrifice, and collective will. Today, we gather not only to run, but to honor the journey of peace, to celebrate the progress we have made, and to recommit ourselves to safeguarding this peace for generations to come.
Peace is not simply the absence of war, but also the presence of justice, opportunity, education, health, and freedom. It is when a young person can dream boldly and pursue that dream without fear. It is when communities live in harmony, when businesses thrive, when girls and boys go to school without worry, and when leaders serve with integrity and vision.
I thank our security forces, our elders, religious and cultural leaders, civil society, and all peace-loving Ugandans who have worked tirelessly to keep our nation steady on the course of peace and development.
As we celebrate 30 years of peace, I, encourage all of us, especially you the young people, to be ambassadors of peace and economic transformation in your homes, your schools, your places of worship, and online.
The NRM government remains focused on building a youthful workforce that is healthy, educated, skilled and with the right ideological orientation.
The youth of the NRM, are fully vaccinated; this explains the rise in population, from 14 million Ugandans in 1986, to 46 million people, today. Similarly, life expectancy has risen from 43 years, in 1986, to 65 years now.
In relation to education, we are now reaping dividends from the Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE) policies, which were introduced earlier. Uganda’s literacy rate now stands at 80%; a rise from 43% in 1986. This is a phenomenal achievement.
The message of the NRM is that every household must select an economic enterprise in the four sectors of commercial agriculture, industries, ICT and Services.
This will enable the households to become creators of wealth and jobs. Currently, we still have 33% of the homesteads outside the money economy. They are in the subsistence economy of working only for food.
How can one expect to take their children to school or buy medicine and clothes for them, if they have no money? Therefore, if you want to build prosperous and stable homes, you must transition from subsistence farming to the modern money economy.
The government has put in place the necessary conditions to ensure the profitability of business enterprises. These include: the good roads, electricity, peace and security; integration of the Ugandan market to the regional, African and international markets; pursuing policies that favor the private sector, etc.
However, these economic advantages, that the NRM has created, should be turned into jobs and wealth for the households, in order for this development to be meaningful.
The Parish Development Model and the other wealth funds are aimed at increasing the number of wealth creators engaged in production, in the four sectors of: commercial agriculture, industries, services and ICT.
In conclusion, I thank the young people for this mass mobilization. I urge you to keep healthy, live responsibly so that you make meaningful contributions to your families and societies. I urge you to avoid reckless and dangerous lifestyles that can expose you to many diseases and cut your lives short.
I thank you all.