President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has met and held discussions with the President of São Tomé and Principe, H.E. Carlos Manuel Vila Nova.
During a meeting held at State House Entebbe, we discussed matters of mutual interest to Uganda and Sao Tome. President Museveni assured his guests that Uganda is ready to cooperate with São Tomé and Principe in various sectors of the economy.
“We will tap into this opportunity and cooperate in processing fish for you. I will call our fish processors here, and we will discuss further how we can work together,” he said.
“We have got about 22 factories for fish processing for freshwater fish like Nile perch, Tilapia and others along the shores of Lake Victoria. So, I think it would be a great idea for us to utilize that big ocean in your country and start our partnership.”
“For a country to prosper through trade, you must be able to produce a good or a service, sell it, and get money. The people need a market because if you produce something and nobody buys it, you will not be prosperous,” he added.
“In my culture, we are cattle keepers; we have milk, beef, bananas, coffee, and ghee, but we cannot sell much to our tribemates because they also have the same products. That means that our prosperity depends more on Uganda than it depends on Ankole.”
The President also opined that for a country to be prosperous, it must have elements of patriotism, pan-Africanism, and democracy among its ideological foundations. “They are vital in promoting prosperity,” he added.
On his part, H.E. Manuel affirmed that his country is honored to partner with Uganda in order to enhance the economies of both countries.
“I support this move; let us see how we can work together in this sector,” he noted.
President Manuel further expressed gratitude towards President Museveni for his efforts in promoting economic development and bringing peace to the region.
“Thank you for inviting me; I am very honored to be here. As a small island country with a population of about 200,000 people, we have a lot to learn from regional leaders like you.”
H.E Manuel who is on a two-day working visit to Uganda, will visit Kiira Motors Corporation in Jinja.
The meeting was also attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gen. Jeje Odongo and the Director General of External Security Organization (ESO), Ambassador Joseph Ocwet.
