Urging delegates to take interest in the housing sector, The Rt Hon Speaker shared basic statistics about Uganda which included the following;
(i) The population of Uganda is growing at a rate of 3.2 % which means that the bulk of the population is below 35 years. These are young people who will need houses; most of them are in the lower and middle income group.
(ii)Currently Uganda has a deficit of more than 2million housing units just for the urban areas although it is a fact that this population will need schools, quality hospitals and quality recreation facilities.
(iii) The oil industry which has recently been discovered will bring new opportunities. Uganda expects to receive more expatriates with their families with their support services. They will need satellite cities in different parts of Uganda, facilities unique to them, opportunities that she would like delegates to explore.
(iv) Uganda has become the UN regional office for Africa. This presents opportunities as they require office space, housing and sports and other facilities.
The Oil Sector
The Rt. Hon Speaker started off by reminding delegates of the opportunities in the oil, gas,mining and energy areas,as the minister had advised them,are available for investing in.
Agriculture Sector
Rt. Hon. Speaker informed delegates that because of Uganda’s placement in the region, the country can become the food basket for the region. With a favourable climate and great seasons, there are many opportunities in agriculture and she invited Ugandans in Diaspora to take interest in commercial agriculture and also in food processing.
The Banking Industry
Hon. Kadaga invited delegates to take interest in the banking industry which she said one of the fast growing sectors in the Uganda economy. The banking industry will support the industries and support other facilities.
Transport Sector
She informed delegates that Government is constructing the Entebbe Kampala express highway to minimise inconveniencing travellers on that route. She said government is expected to construct additional facilities like flyovers within the city and in other towns to ease their movements so that they are not inconvenienced.
She called on delegates to takeinterest in the water transport, in leisure boats on all our lakes.
She assured them that the aviation industry in Uganda continues to grow. Uganda is serviced by over 14 airlines and plans are underway to attract more airlines as plans are in advanced stages for the expansion of the airport as well as improving other facilities that they may need at the airport. She was confident that things are moving in the right direction.
The local transport industry is another area she identified asgrowing. In the absence of public government transport, this is an area they could consider, for Kampala, Jinjaand other towns. She also advised them to consider the rail industry.
Industrialisation
Hon. Kadaga singledout industrialisation as the most important sector for them to get interestedin. She informed delegates that for too long Uganda have sent raw materials into the market, butin this second part of the century, it is important for Uganda to export finished products. She therefore called upon delegates to invest in industries that will not only support agriculture but will also create markets and employment opportunities for the millions of Ugandans who are unemployed.
Education Sector
Hon. Kadaga informed the convention that Uganda has the advantage of a fairly educated population,possibly not very skilled in certain technologies but she was confidentthat Ugandans are very adaptable.
She inviteddelegates to invest in higher education, polytechnics, vocation schools etc in Uganda. She added that if oneinvested in education in Uganda, they would have an advantage throughout East Africa because Ugandais still the education destination of choice in the community. Many people from Rwanda, Kenya, Sudan and Tanzania study in Uganda, so Uganda is the main destination for education in the area.
The Rt. Hon. Speaker concluded her address by thanking everybody for listening to her. She called upon the ministers present to elaborate on their areas that the delegateswanted to learn about. She ended by reiterating her delight to be at the convention and that all she had said was for God and her country.