President Yoweri Museveni has praised the Church for its support of government projects, describing it as a good partner of development.

He claims that the Church has played a critical role in ensuring that government projects, particularly those related to development, are prioritized by the people.

“Your participation in development programs demonstrates that the Church is concerned not only with spiritual transformation, but also with social-economic change,” Museveni remarks.

President Museveni exhorted the Christian faithful to emulate Jesus Christ, who he said engaged in various economic enterprises such as carpentry and fishing in addition to preaching the gospel, in a speech read by former Prime Minister Dr Ruhakana Rukunda.

“We should follow Christ’s example; even while fasting, he worked.” “He worked as a carpenter and a fisherman,” Museveni explained.

President Museveni made the remarks on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, during the opening ceremony of the two-day East Africa Fire and Anointing Pastors Conference at Sharing Youth Centre at Nsambya in Kampala.

He also observed that up to 39% of the Ugandan population is still impoverished since they are still engaged in subsistence farming, which he claims does not promote rapid economic growth.

“Poverty in Uganda is caused by the fact that approximately 39% of the population still relies solely on subsistence agriculture.” “This only makes you satisfied, not wealthy,” he explained.

He went on to say that it is risky to have practically everything needed to support livelihoods purchased rather than produced.

He believes that commercial farming is the ideal spark for the country’s development, but he is concerned that not many individuals are willing to try the enterprise.

“Through the wealth creation campaign, we have managed to sensitize the people to ensure transformation through four areas: commercial farming, services, industries, and information technology,” stated the president.

Museveni stated that the government has prioritized security and better trade policies in order to secure national growth. This, he claims, has attracted more international and domestic investment to help the country flourish.

He stated that the administration is working to guarantee that the economic benefits gained are transformed into jobs and wealth in order to expedite future development.

“Uganda continues to accelerate toward political stability, job creation, and improving our people’s livelihoods.” If we want to prosper as a country, you must participate in and support wealth creation programs such as the Parish Development Model (PDM),” he stated.