📸 Indian Embassy sponsors 40 RDCs for entrepreneurship training in New Delhi

KAMPALA - The Secretary Office of the President, Haji Yunus Kakande has commended the Government of India for the long-term good working relationship with Uganda, which he says dates back over a century.

He said this working relationship started in 1901 when many Indians were employed to build the Uganda Railway from Mombasa to Kampala and later to Kasese in Western Uganda, enduring many hardships. 

The Secretary Office of the President, Haji Yunus Kakande many Indians in Uganda have been leading in the manufacturing, agricultural and other sectors. (All Photos by Eddie Ssejjoba)

The Indian High Commissioner to Uganda, Upender Singh Rawat, was in attendance.

He said several Indian railway workers were eaten by lions in the Tsavo region of Kenya, but they endured and worked and completed the job, and some stayed behind and invested in the country, laying a firm political and economic foundation for Uganda.

Up to now, many Indians in Uganda have been leading in the manufacturing, agricultural and other sectors.

Kakande was Monday speaking to the second cohort of 40 Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) and Resident City Commissioners (RCCs) who were selected to go for a two-week sponsored training in entrepreneurship and promotion of livelihood generation activities in New Delhi, India.

The Indian High Commissioner to Uganda, Upender Singh Rawat, attended the briefing on Monday.

Florence Kiremerwa, the special presidential assistant on diaspora issues, coordinated the training programme, the undersecretary finance and administration in the Office of the President, Emmanuel Walani, the head of the RDC secretariat Major (Rtd) Martha Asiimwe, and her deputy, Sister Grace Akiror, who headed the group that left on Tuesday for India.

The training was fully sponsored by the Government of India. The first cohort consisted of 20 RDCs.

According to Haji Kakande, the Indian embassy has pledged to take another group of 40 soon, and the programme will cover all 146 RDCs/RCCs. 

The training will be conducted at the National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development.

“This sponsorship shows that India is a true friend of Uganda. We indeed value this long-standing partnership between our two nations, which has manifested through numerous initiatives such as the logistical support extended to Uganda during the 19th Non-Aligned Movement Summit, and India donated 10 buses to transport our guests,”
the secretary said.

Other recent donations include the installation of the Bhabhatron-II Cancer Radiotherapy Machine at the Uganda Cancer Institute; solar electrification projects; the Pan-African e-Network Project, among others, which Kakande said had contributed significantly to Uganda’s development journey.

He explains that the training programme for RDCs, coordinated by Florence Kiremerwa, presidential advisor on the diaspora, is expected to impart practical skills in alternative livelihoods, rural industrialization and inclusive entrepreneurship.

“By drawing on the proven models of the Republic of India in agro-processing, cottage industries, financial inclusion, and technology-enabled enterprises, this training will enable our RDCs to serve as effective change agents in driving community-level economic transformation,” he explained.

It will combine classroom instruction with practical exposure through case studies, field visits to agro-processing units and start-up incubators, as well as collaborative planning for pilot projects to be implemented in Uganda.

Topics to be covered include rural entrepreneurship, agro-processing, women and youth enterprise models, microfinance and self-help groups, ICT tools for rural enterprise management, and policy support mechanisms for enterprise growth.

“We expect this Program to produce tangible outcomes, including enhanced capacity of RDCs to design and implement alternative livelihood initiatives, adoption of best practices from Indian rural industrialisation and entrepreneurship models, and strengthened bilateral cooperation between Uganda and India in micro-enterprises
development and technology-enabled livelihoods,” he said.

Kakande says the RDCs are expected to exhibit the highest standards of discipline and avoid incidents of drinking and merry-making, but rather, they should concentrate on their training.

“You are not only representing yourselves but the Presidency and the Government of Uganda. We expect you to exhibit the highest standards of discipline, cooperation, and professionalism throughout your stay in India. Your conduct should reflect the dignity of your offices and the trust placed in you by His Excellency the President,” he stressed.

The High Commissioner says the training is part of the Indian government's 68-year-old program geared towards countries of the global south to enhance skills and capacity building, with the aim of promoting development.

“I welcome all the RDCs going to India; the host institute is in Noida and very close to our capital, New Delhi and will offer you skills and entrepreneurship enhancements,” he said, adding that the programme targets those who are already working and have certain skills.

The trainees, he explains, are expected to return and share the skills with their respective communities.

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40 Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) and Resident City Commissioners (RCCs) have been selected to go for a two-week sponsored training in entrepreneurship and promotion of livelihood generation activities in New Delhi, India. (All Photos by Eddie Ssejjoba)