BUSHENYI –
Bushenyi District Local Government (DLG) has hosted a high-level delegation of senior military officers from the Senior Command and Staff College (SCSC), Kimaka in Jinja, who are in the region to study successful models of socio-economic transformation.
The visiting team, comprising senior officers from East African Community (EAC) member states, Egypt and South Africa, is currently undergoing advanced leadership training at the Kimaka institute.
According to the College Coordinator, Col. Mubangizi, the tour is a practical component of the officers' curriculum, focusing on how local governments can drive national stability through economic empowerment.
“The visiting team is here to benchmark socio-economic transformation programmes, industrial development and the Local Economic Development (LED) agenda,” Col. Mubangizi explained. He noted that the diversity of the group—drawn from across the continent—highlights the regional importance of Uganda's development models.
RDC Emmy Ngabirano presenting his plans to develop Bushenyi district into a model district again
A Hub for Industry and Education
The delegation was officially received by the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Ms Phiona Sanyu, alongside the Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Emmy Ngabirano, and district commercial officers.
In a comprehensive briefing to the officers, CAO Phiona Sanyu detailed the district's LED strategy, emphasising the integration of local production with national markets. RDC Emmy Ngabirano further highlighted the district’s unique positioning in western Uganda.
“Bushenyi serves as both an industrial and educational hub. Our focus has been on creating an environment where value addition and academic excellence go hand in hand to transform the lives of our citizens,” Ngabirano told the delegation.
The Vice District Chairperson, representing the political leadership, lauded the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and its regional partners for evolving into a “productive force” that actively participates in the country's economic transformation.
“We hail the UPDF for being an exemplary army that supports economic development. Your interest in how we manage our local economy shows that modern security is closely linked to the prosperity of the people,” the Vice Chairperson remarked.
Sanyu Phiona, CAO making a presentation to the UPDF delegation
Practical Benchmarking
Throughout the day, the District Commercial Officer and Municipal Commercial Officers conducted technical sessions for the officers, focusing on cooperative management, small-scale industrialisation and wealth creation initiatives such as Emyooga and the Parish Development Model (PDM).
As part of their field study, the delegation is scheduled to visit the Presidential Initiative on Banana Industrial Development (PIBID) in Nyaruzinga. The banana factory serves as a flagship project for value addition in the region, turning raw matooke into high-value flour and other export products.
The visit by the Kimaka senior officers underscores Bushenyi’s growing reputation as a “learning district,” where both civilian and military leaders from across Africa come to study models of grassroots economic development.
Torch Media Africa
