Museveni urges Muslim community to join Government wealth creation drive

He said all believers should endeavor to join wealth creation simply because life has both spiritual and material needs where one cannot satisfy the spirit and starve the body.

“I want to use this occasion to rally the Muslim community to join the NRM’s wealth creation sensitization drive that I am currently conducting across the country. Whereas we can have spectators in sports and theatre, wealth creation must involve everyone,” H.E Museveni emphasised.

His remarks were contained in a speech delivered on his behalf by the Vice President Jessica Alupo during the Iftar dinner to the Muslim Community hosted at State House Entebbe on Friday evening.

It should be noted that early this year President Museveni embarked on an investment and wealth creation tour across the country starting with Acholi sub region and recently West Nile on the theme “securing your future through wealth creation and shared prosperity.”

According to H.E the President, in order to achieve happiness, both the spirit and the body must be fully catered for in terms of food, clothes, medicine, shelter etc, where in a modern economy, you cannot obtain the above without money because they have a monetary cost.

“Money-lessness in a modern economy is equivalent to social suicide. You cannot survive if you are not earning money. This is why we talk of eliminating subsistence farming i.e., the habit of working only for the stomach or food. A person who produces only for his or her own consumption has little output. Such a person cannot prosper because their labour is insufficient to ably provide all the necessities of life,” H.E Museveni added.

He said for instance, the 39% of the households still engaged in subsistence farming, producing only for the stomach, must be integrated into the money economy, to tap into their dormant potential.

“This is very dangerous for the country because it means that they cannot satisfy other needs that can only be obtained with money. Their productivity is very low. This results in low incomes and thus low purchasing power,” the President emphasised, adding that this condition must be addressed by having more people selecting viable enterprises in the four sectors of: commercial agriculture, industries, services and ICT.

Museveni said although the NRM has established the economic base for Uganda’s socio-economic transformation by prioritising peace, security, infrastructure development and lobbying for access to regional and international markets, development alone is not enough, although it must come first.

Development becomes useful when it is translated into jobs and wealth for the households.

“Therefore, I urge you all to take advantage of these positive conditions to create wealthy and prosperous families,” he noted.

The President congratulated the Muslim Community in Uganda for coming this far in the month of Ramadan and encouraged them to uphold the good deeds.

“It is my prayer that you continue upholding the virtues of discipline, humility and charity, which you have displayed during the fasting period. Your righteousness should not be limited only to the holy month of Ramadan; it should be part of you throughout,” he said.

The Vice President of Uganda, Jessica Alupo, on her own behalf also congratulated the Muslim community for nearing the end of the holy month and for always accepting and welcoming her as a messenger whenever the President sends her to them.

“I wish you to continue with the holy month of Ramadan successfully and peacefully,” the Vice President said.

The Mufti of Uganda, His Eminence Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubajje congratulated the Muslim community upon the peaceful fasting period and reaching the last 10 days of the holy month of Ramathan and thanked the President and the First lady for making it a culture of hosting Muslims during the holy month.

In a special way he thanked President Museveni for championing unity of the Muslim fraternity and his continuous support towards Uganda Muslim Supreme Council in reviewing their constitution and carrying out Uganda Muslim general elections from the grassroots to the national level, where thousands of qualified new Muslim leaders were elected including women, youth.

“On behalf of Uganda Muslim Supreme Council and the entire Muslim fraternity, I commend your unreserved contribution towards the unity of Muslims. I personally appreciate you for intervening and encouraging the Muslim unity of Uganda,” Mubajje said, adding that among the new developments is the creation of a property trust which is an independent body established to supervise and develop Muslim properties in Uganda.

On poverty alleviation efforts in the country and other financial programs, the Mufti requested the President to consider operationalisation of Islamic banking to allow inclusiveness of all people including the Muslims.