Bukedi in accelerated drive to end poverty

BUKEDI - Residents of Bukedi region have been advised to embrace the area's science-prioritised value chain to create socio socio-economic leap.

Science, technology and innovation minister Dr Monica Musenero says Bukedi, which ranks second poorest region in Uganda, is capable of setting its own economic transformation agenda.

“We are tired of being counted from the bottom,” Musenero says and encourages the Bakedi to become intentional in the fight against poverty.

She notes that as science minister, she is determined to find new ways of addressing differently the challenges to poverty elimination in the region.

Musenero was on March 15, 2025, addressing farmers and district leaders at Golden Gardens Hotel in Masafu town council during which she launched of Busia district accelerated wealth creation plan.

Wealth creation strategy

The idea of earning up to shillings 30 million annually by 2040, was welcomed and embraced by Busia district leaders and residents who voted to continue mobilising others to join the Bukedi region's accelerated wealth creation strategic plan (2024-2040).

The strategic plan will be implemented through its agency, Bukedi Development Consortium (BUDECO), which wants to reduce the area household subsistence to 5% and increase household income to shillings 30 million per annum.

Coffee and cocoa have been selected as the most suitable value chain perianal crops while poultry and fish raring were selected as the quick value chain.

2,500 acres of coffee out of the total 140,000 acres have been already up in Bukedi out of which Busia leads with more acres of coffee and cocoa. Bukedi is made up of Tororo, Busia, Butaleja, Budaka, Butebo, Kibuuku and Pallisa districts.

Dr James Kisale, the chairperson BUDECO said they are planning to set up selected value chain factories in each in Bukedi for value addition.

During the launch of Bukedi strategic plan last year, President Yoweri Museveni announced the support of shillings 500 billion to BUDECO annually for 15 years.

The funds are expected to be spent on promotion of the selected value-chain enterprises.
Concerning the market, Kisale said BUDECO will provide the market by linking farmers to the market noting that they have already started looking for foreign markets in the diaspora.

Kisale says they have embarked on creating grassroots awareness and launching the strategic plan in all seven districts.

Farmers in Busia who attended the strategic plan launch welcomed the idea with ululation and registered to the enterprises of their choice.

Those already undertaking the enterprises on a small scale promised to put in more effort while some of those who were willing to start grumbled that the cost of starting the enterprises was expensive for an ordinary farmer.

Busia district National Resistance Movement (NRM) party chairperson Erick Masiga described the strategic plan as a creative nature the NRM bringing developed to residents.

Masiga said Busia lacks an income earner for residents since smuggling was stopped.
Busia district chairperson Stephen Mugeni Wasike commended Musenero for a research-based initiative which he hoped would change Bukedi.