ICT minister Rugunda launches Uganda at 50 magazine

Feb 15, 2012

Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, the ICT minister Tuesday morning launched the Uganda at 50 magazine and hailed Vision Group for pioneering the campaign to celebrate Uganda's 50th independence anniversary.

By Steven Candia                                            

Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, the ICT minister Tuesday morning launched the Uganda at 50 magazine and hailed Vision Group for pioneering the campaign to celebrate Uganda's 50th independence anniversary.

The glossy 200-page mag is yet another Vision Group innovation aimed at marking Uganda's 50 years of independence and projects into the country's future over the next 50 years, according to the David Mukholi, Vision Group’s coordinator of Uganda at 50 Project.

"I want to salute you [Vision Group] for the pioneering role in celebrating our 50 years of independence," Rugunda said as he addressed Vision Group staff at the company’s head offices in Kamapala.

In particular reference to the Vision Group, he said, it is even nicer when people who are not in government take it upon themselves "to discharge this duty of informing Ugandans about the 50th anniversary."

Robert Kabushenga, the media company’s Chief Executive officer (CEO) described the publication as another milestone, pledging the company's commitment to maintain its pole position in the market.

"We are not going to be partners, we are going to lead," Kabushenga said. 

Mukholi said the magazine: 50th Uganda, Past, Present, Future casts light into Uganda's next 50 years, basing on Uganda's political history.

"This is to celebrate our 50 years of Independence by looking back at what happened in the past and present and project into what Uganda will be in the next 50 years," Mukholi said.

Though penned by experts from an optimistic perspective, the articles, many of which are laced with caution, make incisive projections into an array of sectors such as education, sports, entertainment, agriculture and infrastructure among others.

Rugunda urged the Ugandan's to be mindful of the country's turbulent political past riddled with conflict, turmoil, dictatorship and brutality so as to positively shape the country's future.

"I call on the wanainchi [citizens] to recall our 50 years of independence and use it to lay a more solid foundation for peace and stability to ensure a high quality of life," he said and later autographed a copy of the magazine.

It is important for the county, he said, to create an enabling environment that will stimulate trade and investment and thus development. "Let us provide an environment that will promote entrepreneurship, investments and production and attract investors and transform this into a haven for jobs and fight this monster of unemployment."

But he cautioned that the future of the country is in the hands of Ugandans. “We want to ensure that we hand the baton to you to consolidate on these gains.”

Uganda, he said, cannot be delinked from other countries in the region and Uganda's stability and prosperity would mean well for the entire region.

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