KATAKWI – Vice President Jessica Rose Epel Alupo has called on citizens to leverage the country’s peace, improved infrastructure, and government development programs to improve their lives and boost socio-economic growth.
Speaking at belated International Women’s Day celebrations at Toroma Primary School in the Katakwi District, Alupo urged a move from subsistence to commercial farming, stressing that current conditions favor economic transformation.
“I urge all of us to utilise the current conducive conditions and infrastructure in the country to shift from subsistence to commercial farming in order to transform ourselves,” she said.
Alupo highlighted ongoing government investments in infrastructure in the Teso Sub-region, including the construction and upgrading of roads like the Kumi–Ngora–Serere–Pagwara road and the Serere–Soroti City Road. She noted these projects complement the existing Soroti–Moroto highway, linking Teso and Karamoja.
She also pointed to key government initiatives such as road development, rural electrification, the Women’s Fund, disability grants, and the Emyooga program as crucial for driving transformation.
Alupo encouraged Ugandans to explore sectors like agriculture, ICT, manufacturing, and services to create wealth and jobs.
She praised the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) government under President Yoweri Museveni for prioritizing women’s issues in national development.
“They are fully integrated into government policies,” she said, adding that women have been empowered at all leadership levels to actively participate in the country’s transformation.
The Iteso Cultural Leader, Papa Paul Sande Emolot, emphasized unity and the preservation of cultural heritage among the Ateker communities and conveyed greetings from the wider Ateker region.
The event was attended by State Ministers Hellen Asamo (Disability Affairs) and Rose Lilly Akello (Ethics and Integrity), Members of Parliament, Col. Allan Kyangungu (3rd Division Deputy Commander), security force commanders, district leaders, and local residents.
