Bishop Tibagendeka Leads Busoga Consortium Delegation to China for Benchmarking

By Sadique Bamwita

ENTEBBE

The Director General Busoga Consortium for Development , Anthony Mula on August 21,2024 , flagged off a delegation of members from Busoga region led by Bishop Frank Tibagendeka –the Vice governor Busoga consortium to China for a benchmarking program on the Village Agricultural Development Model Initiative and Young Entrepreneurship Initiative being implemented in the districts of Busoga region.

According to Mr. Anthony Mula, the benchmarking exercise has attracted participants from 21 African countries who will share their experiences on best agricultural practices. While flagging off the delegation from Busoga region in Entebbe, Mr. Mula challenged the delegates to be good ambassadors and also create strong networks while in China.

Mr. Anthony Mula said the benchmarking program will enable Ugandan delegates learn from the Chinese who succeeded in the implementation of the Village agricultural initiative program. He adds that when this delegation returns, it will impart the knowledge and skills acquired to local farmers in Busoga region.

“We shall champion commercialization of agriculture as pillar number one in leading household transformation within Busoga region. Then within the village setting being piloted as epic centers we shall have production as a component, value addition, marketing and packaging of what we have produced and distribution of what is produced in a particular village.

‘We want to have a village with the capacity to sustain it. Chinese have used the Village agricultural model initiative to emancipate themselves out of poverty and have succeeded and by 2020 China declared that they didn’t have any poor people. So, working together with Chinese friends is one of the ways to learn from them through benchmarking so as to know how they did it and eventually succeeded.  Benchmarking will enable us to learn from the Chinese and see how agricultural industrial parks are established because we intend to set up processing centers and agricultural industrial parks in Busoga region, “ Mula revealed.

Mr. Mula explained that by sending a delegation to China for benchmarking on the village agricultural model aligns with their dream to establish agricultural industrial parks in Busoga region and to have an economically empowered and transformed Busoga region which in future will serve as a benchmarking reference point.

“We want Busoga region to be a benchmarking area across the country. This will attract many people within and outside Uganda coming to do benchmarking in Busoga region. We hope our delegation team will return with a lot of expertise that will help us to successfully implement the Village Agricultural development model initiative,” Mr. Mula expressed hope.

Bishop Frank Tibagendeka, the Deputy Governor Busoga Consortium as well as the LC5 Chairperson for Mayuge district who led the Busoga delegation to China for a benchmarking exercise, pledged to use the knowledge acquired to boost food production in the selected villages in the districts of Busoga region.

“I’m excited to be flagged off to China for the bench-marking exercise and my people in Mayuge district that have represented are ready to champion the Village model agricultural initiative program. We are ready to learn during the bench-marking trip and we shall transfer the knowledge to our local farmers in Busoga region.

‘The knowledge that we will acquire from China will help us  increase food production in the selected villages of Busoga region. People will have food for home consumption and sale. I believe our engagement with the Chinese will greatly impact our respective societies within the Busoga region, “Bishop Tibagendeka expressed optimism.’

The Chair lady Kamuli  district Women’s council  as well as the publicist secretary National women’s council also among the delegation, Mastula Namatovu, believes that the benchmarking program will enable them acquire the necessary  knowledge  that in turn will be imparted on local farmers  for the successful  implementation of the Village agricultural model within the selected villages in Busoga region.

“ Alot will come out of our engagement and as young people we look forward to getting knowledge from China through the bench-marking program. When we come back we want to impact our experience on the ground on what China does to implement the Village Agricultural model initiative.

“We hope to become change agents as we pilot the Village agricultural model initiative in the selected villages in Busoga region. The bench-marking is also hoped to improve our exports at the international level. ‘