26/6/2018
Cabinet Media Briefing
Cabinet sat on Monday June 25, 2018 at State House Entebbe under the Chairmanship of H.E the President and;
1. Approved the proposal to borrow USD 76.95Million from the African Development Bank (ADB) to support the Agricultural Value Chain Development Program (AVCP)This program will focus on:
(i) Provision of water for irrigation at two levels: for rice farmers in Eastern Uganda through construction of a big irrigation scheme; and small scale irrigation for upland rice farmers in Northern Uganda;
(ii) Addressing value chain constraints for maize, rice and dairy/beef farmers in 28 districts;
(iii) Increasing volumes of high value grades of maize and rice in order to obtain premium prices in the Domestic and Regional markets; and
(iv) Providing logistical support to dairy regulatory activities countrywide and supporting the construction and equipping of an internationally accredited laboratory at the Uganda National Bureau of Standards, for Ugandan exports.
2. Approved the National Curriculum Development Centre (Amendment) Bill, 2017. The amendment is intended to:
(i) Broaden the ex-officio membership of the Governing Council of the Centre to include more stakeholders on the Council and remove non existing Institutions and titles such as; the National Institute of Education, the East African Academy and the National Federation of Uganda Employees which are defunct, and include new Institutions and titles;
(ii) Remove limitations over eligibility of appointment of Chairperson of the Council; and
(iii) Harmonize the budgeting cycle of the Centre with that of Government (from Calendar Year to Financial Year) since Government is the statutory source of funds.
3. Approved the Local Content Policy for the Oil and Gas Industry in Uganda. The Policy has the following objectives:
(i) To build capacity of Uganda’s Human Resources in the Oil and Gas Industry;
(ii) To promote employment of Ugandans in the Oil and Gas Industry;
(iii) To enhance the competitiveness of Ugandan Enterprises as suppliers and Joint Venture Partners;
(iv) To increase the use of domestically produced or available goods and services by the Oil and Gas Industry; and
(v) To promote the in-country Research and Development (R&D) and Technology transfer to Ugandans.
4. Noted that the Ministry of Health will launch and initiate the National Physical Activity Day on Sunday 8th July, 2018 at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds under the theme “my health is my responsibility”. The objectives of the National Physical Day are:
(i) To strengthen efforts in the prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases;
(ii) To take timely action on promotion of physical activity in order to keep the population of Uganda healthy and fit;
(iii) To encourage the population to adopt physical activity as a routine in their lifestyles in order to prevent Non- Communicable Diseases; and
(iv) To equip members of the public with more information about the importance of physical activities in Non-Communicable Diseases prevention and control.
The following services will be provided during the National Physical Activity Day;
(i) Health Education Talks by the experts in the area of Non-Communicable Diseases.
(ii) Screening of major Non-Communicable Diseases and their risk factors including blood pressure, blood sugar, blood cholesterol and cancer among others.
(iii) Health advice prior to engaging in physical activities and the recommended measures.
Ofwono Opondo
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UGANDA MEDIA CENTRE
