Press Release: Italy joins Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa with USD 8-million contribution, raises continent’s green energy potential (15.12.2015)

At the global climate summit in Paris on December 10, the Government of Italy announced a USD 8-million contribution to the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) managed by the African Development Bank (AfDB). Italy’s capital infusion substantially raises the value of SEFA from USD 87 million to nearly USD 95 million, enabling it to continue scaling up its assistance to African nations to unlock private investments in sustainable energy. Italy joins the Governments of Denmark, the United Kingdom and the United States in support of SEFA.

The Italian contribution comes at a critical point for climate change. As Governments meet in Paris to map out their evolving approach to global climate response, practical actions such as Italy’s announcement can help ensure that developing countries have the support they need for building their renewable energy sectors in their quest for fundamental sustainable development.  

“Italy is pleased to contribute to Africa’s sustainable energy development, particularly by supporting the development of more renewable energy projects, as well as AfDB President Adesina’s ambitious ‘New Deal’ to electrify the whole continent in the next 10 years,” stated Francesco La Camera, Italy’s Director General, Ministry for the Environment, Land, and Sea. “SEFA’s objectives are fully in line with our Government’s commitment to support African countries’ work to achieve economic development which is both green and inclusive. As our Prime Minister Renzi said during this summit gathering, Italy wants to ‘be among the protagonists of the fight against selfishness, on the side of those who choose non-negotiable values like the defence of our Mother Earth.’ We believe that joining forces in SEFA is an opportunity to do that.”

SEFA is an important element in the AfDB’s landmark New Deal on Energy for Africa, which looks to solve Africa’s huge energy deficit by 2025 under the pivotal leadership of AfDB’s new President, Akinwumi Adesina. SEFA was launched in 2012 to address several constraints to the development of Africa’s renewable energy sector, including a lack of bankable projects coming to market, limited access to finance for small and medium-sized projects, and challenging policy environments for private investment in the energy sector.

“AfDB deeply welcomes Italy and is grateful for its contribution to the SEFA partnership,” said Alex Rugamba, AfDB’s Energy, Environment and Climate Change Director. “SEFA plays critical role in opening the door for more private sector engagement in delivering energy infrastructure as well as connecting more Africans to modern energy sources, using technologies which are not damaging to our global environment.”

Statement By H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni President of Uganda as the Co-Chair of the Summit for the Adoption of the Post-2015 Development Agenda at the U.N. (25.09.2015)

At UN Summit for the Adoption of the Post-2015 Development Agenda

New York 25 September, 2015

Your Excellencies Heads of State and Government,
Your Excellency Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark and co-chair of the Summit,
Mr. Secretary-General,
President of the General Assembly,
Honourable Ministers,
Distinguished participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am pleased to co-chair this important Summit as we gather as a community of nations to adopt a new development agenda that will guide our development efforts for the next 15 years.

This historic Summit is the culmination of months of tireless efforts and unprecedented commitment by Member States and stakeholders to formulate a universal, inclusive and transformative development agenda.

I would like to pay tribute to H.E. Sam Kutesa for his leadership and accomplishments as President of the 69th Session of the General Assembly and thank all of you for supporting Uganda in that responsibility.
I also congratulate and convey appreciation to the President of the 70th Session, H.E. Mogens Lykketoft and the Secretary-General, H.E. Ban Ki-moon for their leadership.
Today heralds the dawn of a new era in our collective efforts towards eradicating poverty, improving livelihoods of people everywhere, transforming economies and protecting our planet.

Together, we are sending a powerful message to people in every village, every city and every nation worldwide ─ that we are committed to taking bold steps to change their lives, for the better.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which we will adopt today, is ambitious in its scope and breadth. In the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development are addressed in an integrated way. The agenda also carries forward the unfinished business of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Over the last fifteen years, we have attained significant achievements through implementing the MDGs. Globally, more than one billion people have been lifted from extreme poverty and improvements have been made in access to education, health, water and sanitation, advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.

In Uganda, we have been able to reduce the percentage of people living in extreme poverty from 56% in 2000 to 19% currently. We have also attained universal primary education, promoted gender equality and empowerment of women and continue to reduce child and maternal mortality. From our experience, it has been clear that to sustainably achieve the MDGs we must have socio-economic transformation.

It is, therefore, refreshing that in the successor framework, the SDGs, key drivers of economic growth, have been duly prioritized. These include infrastructure development especially energy, transport and ICT; industrialization and value-addition; human resource development; improving market access and greater participation of the private sector.

While the SDGs will be universally applicable, we also recognize national circumstances, different levels of development and the needs of countries in special situations, particularly the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and African countries.

Taking urgent action to combat climate change and its severe impacts is also prioritised in the new agenda. We should redouble efforts towards reaching an ambitious legally-binding agreement on climate change in Paris in December that promotes the achievement of sustainable development, while protecting the planet.

The new agenda also rightly underscores the important linkages between development, peace and security and human rights. We have to intensify efforts to combat transnational crime, terrorism and the rise of radicalization and violent extremism around the world.

We should reject pseudo ─ ideologies that manipulate identity (by promoting sectarianism of religion and communities) and eclipse the legitimate interests of peoples through investment and trade. Where identity issues are legitimate, they should be expeditiously handled.

Excellencies,

We should all be proud of what has been accomplished so far as we usher in this new development agenda. However, the critical next step will be to ensure its successful implementation on the ground.

In this context, integrating the SDGs into our respective national and regional development plans, mobilizing adequate financial resources, technology development and transfer as well as capacity building will be critical.

We have to ensure full implementation of the comprehensive framework for financing sustainable development, which we adopted in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda to support achievement of the goals and targets of Agenda 2030.
One of the major challenges many developing countries continue to face is accessing affordable long-term financing for critical infrastructure projects.

In this regard, it will be vital to promptly establish and operationalize the proposed new forum to bridge the infrastructure gap and complement existing initiatives and multilateral mechanisms to facilitate access to long-term financing at concessional and affordable rates.

The efforts of developing countries to improve domestic resource mobilization, boost economic growth and address major challenges such as unemployment should be supported by development partners as well as international financial institutions and regional development banks. We also need to do more to promote Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), support entrepreneurship especially for women and youth and enhance the contribution of the private sector and other stakeholders to sustainable development. Through prioritization, the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) themselves can also contribute to their own infrastructure development.

In order to build effective, inclusive and accountable institutions at all levels, we have to ensure that the voices of developing countries and regions are heard and that they are treated as equal partners in multilateral decision-making. At the international level, we need urgent reform of the United Nations ─ particularly the Security Council ─ and other multilateral institutions to reflect the current geo-political realities.

We need a renewed global partnership for development in which all the commitments made, including on Overseas Development Assistance (ODA), trade and investment are fulfilled.

While the Agenda represents the collective aspirations of all peoples, its success will hinge on its ability to reduce inequalities and improve the lives of the most vulnerable among us, including women, children, the elderly and persons with disabilities.

After months of intense negotiations and steadfast commitment, we have before us an Agenda that represents our best opportunity to transform our world.

We have heard the voices of people spanning the globe; from eager children asking for access to a quality education to young women seeking better maternal health; from rural villagers whose farmlands have been ravaged by droughts to the coastal fishermen on Small Island States who fear their entire existence will soon be swallowed up by rising sea levels.

We continue to witness the influx of refugees and migrants into Europe from Africa and the Middle East, which is partly caused by conflict and lack of economic opportunities.

These voices may speak many language and dialects, but in the end their message is the same ─ please help us to live happier, more prosperous lives, while also protecting the planet for our children and grandchildren.

After adoption of this Agenda, it is incumbent upon us all to take the development aspirations laid out in this document and turn them into reality on the ground; for our people, our communities and our nations. This agenda will create global prosperity different from the past arrangements of prosperity for some through parasitism and misery and under-development for others.

I thank you for your attention.

IGP. Gen. Kale Kayihura discribes and argues for the UPF involvement in the tear-gas and violence at Soroti and Jinja recently

We all have followed the recent events that UPF went bat-crazy on the consultant meetings that Amama Mbabazi had in Jinja and Soroti. Some places even had the pictures for a fighter airplane flying over the place that had the meeting in the Soroti. And all the tear-gas that they shuffled into the people who showed up the events should be not forgiven. What seems strange to people is the issues with campaigning, though Museveni did the same thing two weeks before in the same area as Mbabazi! The IGP Gen. Kale Kayihura didn’t talk about that… though… but the one feed you sure get shield by the UPF. So that Amama Mbabazi has fallen from the grace and throne and now the cronies of the government is showing its true color.

Gen. Kale Kayihura said earlier today to the press:

“When he asked to hold the first phase of the consultation meetings in Eastern Uganda, I was relaxed and allowed him to do so. However, Mr Mbabazi deviated from what the law provides for. He went ahead and organized and held public rallies yet he is not a presidential candidate there by provoking police to fire tear gas. He (Mbabazi) is still an aspirant” (…)”Don’t blame the police (for firing tear gas and live bullets at Mr Mbabazi’s supporters). Blame Mbabazi who organized and held illegal rallies in a market and near the schools. Don’t blame the consequences, blame the cause” (…)”an aspirant may consult in preparation for his or her nomination as a presidential candidate within twelve months before the nomination date” (…)”while consulting under subsection one, a presidential aspirant may carry out nationwide consultations, prepare his or her manifesto and other campaign materials, raise funds for his or her campaign through lawful means and convene meetings of national delegates” (…)”while consulting, the aspirant shall introduce himself or herself to the Electoral Commission and notify the relevant local council and the police of the area he or she goes to” (Daily Monitor, 2015).

He also said:

“An aspiring leader must be responsible” (…)”Police comes in when rights and freedoms of society is violated” (…)”Why not? We facilitated Mbabazi meeting at that place” (…)”Consultation mean exchange of views quietly. Why hurrying the campaigns?” (…)”Mbabazi must hold consultative meetings in confined place so that they don’t degenerate into rallies and campaigns” (…)”He [Mbabazi] should not defy the police” (…)”Mbabazi wanted to have two rallies including one in a market in Jinja. He wanted to build up mass of supporters from Iganga” (…)”I should have asked for specifics” (…)”They must be lawful. Why put rally in a market? Crime prevention is provided by law” (…)”Mbabazi should stop creating situations and blame us for the consequence (on teargas in Jinja)” (…)”Why aren’t aspiring leaders responsibility? Why did Mbabazi organize in a rally in a market and near school in Jinja?” (…)”Mbabazi is a clever lawyer, trying to use the public meetings for campaigns which are not authorized at this stage” (…)”Mbabazi is the one introduced the idea of town hall meetings. He is turning consultations into open campaigns” (TheInsider.co.ug, 2015).

Another report says that IGP said this:

“Accordingly, while you can go ahead and hold town hall meetings, we cannot clear you to hold your planned public meetings in the mayor’s gardens in Lira, in Pece Stadium, Gulu, and at the Boma grounds in Arua because that would be in violation of the Presidential Elections Act” (Mulondo, 2015).

If this wasn’t amazing quotes and telling how they are augmenting their ways. It should be put a light on especially with the knowledge of how the people who showed up to the meetings and the way the police acted towards its own citizens. So with the following post and updates from the events that you should look upon if you don’t know. Since then the words of the IGP will be utter nonsense from a police chief. Secondly you should also look into the history of Amama Mbabazi an seen the way he has gone through a wildfire from being one of the poster boys of the NRM to the independent candidate who now recently gone together with The Democratic Alliance. But that happen after the famous meetings that Gen. Kale Kayihura talked about! He is surely hold under surveillance since he can hold certain ways of meetings, but not the way the “clever laywer” wish to hold. Peace.

PLO Lumumba – “We are Co-Authors of our misfortune”

Interesting, right? Enlightenment, right?

Peace!