Prime
Envoy woos youth to farming
The Japanese Ambassador to Uganda, Mr Sasayama Takuya (2nd right), Mr Yohei Sasakawa, the chairman of Nippon Foundation in Japan (centre), and SAA- Uganda staff at one of the gardens owned by youth in Zirobwe, Luweero District, last week. Photo/Jane Nafula
What you need to know:
Japan is cooperating with Uganda to boost agriculture production, in addition to infrastructure development in health and education.
The Japanese ambassador to Uganda, Mr Sasayama Takuya, has said young people should be guided to appreciate agriculture as a business.
“Some startup companies from Japan are interested in making investments in this area and we try to facilitate them. We should encourage the youth allover Uganda to take on the mantle and get out of poverty,” he told the media at a vegetable farm owned by Mr Edward Kisekka, a former boda boda rider.
Mr Sasayama had accompanied Mr Yohei Sasakawa, the visiting chairman of Nippon Foundation, Tokyo, Japan, during his visit to Zirobwe Agaliawamu Agri- Business Training Association (ZAABTA) in Luweero District last Friday.
Mr Sasayama said in the past, Japan suffered from the deficit of farm land amid rapid population growth, but through enhanced agriculture, government achieved food security and addressed unemployment, especially among the youth.
He further noted that Japan is cooperating with Ugandans to boost agriculture production, in addition to infrastructure development in health and education.
Mr Sasakawa, who was in company of Sasakawa Africa Association- Uganda(SAA-Uganda) staff, said: “The greatest mottos of SAA is that we should work and walk with the farmers with the never-give-up mentality.”
Mr Sasakawa is the World Health Organisation’s good will ambassador for Leprosy elimination and the son to the Nippon Foundation’s founder Ryoichi Sasakawa.
“28 years ago, I came accompanied by the former US President, Jimmy Carter, and with Dr Norman Borlaug, who is also a Nobel laureate in agriculture. We met President Museveni and discussed how to help the farmers to raise the production as well as to enhance the livelihoods,’’ he told farmers.
Earlier on July 25, Mr Sasakawa met President Museveni at State House Nakasero where the duo discussed ways of improving production among small holder farmers.
Mr Museveni pledged to support Sasakawa Africa Association –Uganda (SAA-Uganda)’s interventions.
In his X (formerly twitter) handle, Mr Museveni said: “We discussed impactful initiatives, that they proposed focusing on small holder farmers in Uganda with the potential to benefit over 500,000 farmers, create jobs for youth and boost agricultural output. The government will support these initiatives.”
Unemployment rate
Youth unemployment remains a challenge that the country continues to grapple with. In 2022, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics estimated that at least 41 percent of out of school youth were not employed.
Background
With financial support from Nippon Foundation, SAA-Uganda, which was formerly known as Sasakawa Global 2000, seeks to collaborate with Uganda to scale up the One Stop Centre Associations (OSCAs) Model. Currently, there are 14 OSCAs in the districts of Lira, Tororo, Kibuku, Bugiri, Kamuli, Buikwe, Kole, Busa, Kitagwenda and Luwero. The Zirobwe Agaliawamu Agri- Business Training Association (ZAABTA) is one of the farmers’organisation formed under the Sasakawa Africa Association’s (SAA) initiative.
