President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has requested residents of Ntungamo District identify 300 acres for establishing an industrial charcoal manufacturing facility. During his recent visit to Jinja, Museveni encountered young industrialists from Abyssinia Industries producing steel products who expressed interest in Ntungamo. The President shared these details on Saturday, March 1, 2025, addressing Ankole and Kigezi leaders at Kyamate Secondary School, concluding his assessment tour examining Parish Development Model implementation across the Ankole region. First Lady Janet Museveni, serving as Education and Sports Minister, accompanied him during this regional engagement.
Abyssinia Iron & Steel, located in Jinja district, operates as part of Abyssinia Group of Industries, ranking among East Africa's premier steel producers with annual production capacity exceeding 700,000 metric tons. The President highlighted Uganda's exceptional iron ore quality, describing it as globally superior with 70% steel-making capability, but noted charcoal shortages hamper final production processes. Mr. Jateen Patel, Abyssinia Group CEO attending as special guest, informed attendees his company seeks approximately 10,000 acres or 15 square miles for tree cultivation and industrial charcoal production essential for steel manufacturing.
Patel explained they currently transport iron ore from the Kabale region to Jinja facilities but aim to produce industrial charcoal through disciplined, organized methods enabling liquid steel manufacturing within the region. The investment would generate approximately 1500 direct employment opportunities, predominantly hiring residents, with projected turnover surpassing $300 million annually. He specified eucalyptus as their preferred fast-growing tree species, planning three-year harvest cycles for sustainable charcoal production and providing necessary manufacturing inputs for their operations.
Museveni proposed utilizing bare hillsides throughout Ntungamo and Kigezi regions for tree cultivation, questioning Patel about feasibility since lowland areas already support existing communities. The President has consistently emphasized Uganda's iron ore exceptional quality as positioning the nation potentially among global steel industry leaders through enhanced value addition strategies. First Lady Janet Museveni endorsed this proposal, mentioning previous limited tree-planting initiatives during her time representing the Ruhama constituency, expressing confidence that Ntungamo residents would embrace hillside forestation challenges successfully.
Despite Patel expressing interest, regional leaders offered alternative perspectives regarding implementation approaches. Dr. Charles Ngabirano from Rwampara informed President Museveni about existing tree grower cooperatives managing 4000 hectares of mature trees, suggesting partnerships with established cultivators rather than beginning new plantations. He highlighted substantial mature timber stocks available but mentioned growers lack expertise regarding optimal tree species selection for industrial applications. Ms. Sophia Tukamushaba Kyomugasho similarly advocated for supporting existing local tree producers, questioning the economic benefits if outside investors established independent cultivation operations.
President Museveni, pleased learning the investor would consider purchasing from local growers, delegated NRM Vice Chairperson for the western region, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, alongside First Lady Janet Museveni, Trade Ministers Francis Mwebesa and David Bahati, plus additional stakeholders to formulate implementation strategies within two months. He clarified the initiative represented regional collaboration incorporating trees from Kabale, Ntungamo, Isingiro, and Rwampara areas, emphasizing broader economic impacts beyond individual districts. The President urged Ntungamo residents to prioritize household poverty elimination through wealth creation strategies, including commercial agriculture, manufacturing, service provision, and information technology development.
He distinguished between community development benefiting everyone versus individual household income generation, noting many areas with excellent infrastructure remain populated by impoverished families. The President referenced the Kampala-Masaka-Kabale route, paved since 1963 following independence, yet bordered by numerous poverty-stricken households despite sixty years of improved transportation access. Similarly, he observed Kampala's excellent road networks with modern flyovers exist alongside substantial populations lacking adequate nutrition despite surrounding development.
Museveni highlighted successful Parish Development Model beneficiaries, including Mrs. Tumusiime Deziranta from Rubirizi district and Apio Vicky from Lira, who received their first-ever million-shilling capital through program participation. The PDM initiative launched in 2022 focuses on improving service delivery alongside household incomes by channeling support directly through parish savings cooperatives. Each cooperative receives 100 million shillings annually, distributed among 100 households receiving million-shilling investments intended for income improvement projects supporting long-term economic stability among participating families.
Addressing agricultural challenges, President Museveni promised to address affordable animal feed accessibility through National Enterprise Corporation, the military commercial entity tasked with manufacturing feeds for poultry, swine, and aquaculture operations. He emphasized irrigation's importance in utilizing water from swamplands for sustainable crop production rather than directly cultivating sensitive wetland ecosystems with rice or vegetable farming. The President referenced Dr. Muranga's irrigated banana plantation, yielding 53 tons per acre compared to traditional Banyankore farming methods, producing merely 5 tons annually, illustrating both environmental mismanagement alongside underutilized productive capacity on available drylands.
Abyssinia Iron & Steel, located in Jinja district, operates as part of Abyssinia Group of Industries, ranking among East Africa's premier steel producers with annual production capacity exceeding 700,000 metric tons. The President highlighted Uganda's exceptional iron ore quality, describing it as globally superior with 70% steel-making capability, but noted charcoal shortages hamper final production processes. Mr. Jateen Patel, Abyssinia Group CEO attending as special guest, informed attendees his company seeks approximately 10,000 acres or 15 square miles for tree cultivation and industrial charcoal production essential for steel manufacturing.
Patel explained they currently transport iron ore from the Kabale region to Jinja facilities but aim to produce industrial charcoal through disciplined, organized methods enabling liquid steel manufacturing within the region. The investment would generate approximately 1500 direct employment opportunities, predominantly hiring residents, with projected turnover surpassing $300 million annually. He specified eucalyptus as their preferred fast-growing tree species, planning three-year harvest cycles for sustainable charcoal production and providing necessary manufacturing inputs for their operations.
Museveni proposed utilizing bare hillsides throughout Ntungamo and Kigezi regions for tree cultivation, questioning Patel about feasibility since lowland areas already support existing communities. The President has consistently emphasized Uganda's iron ore exceptional quality as positioning the nation potentially among global steel industry leaders through enhanced value addition strategies. First Lady Janet Museveni endorsed this proposal, mentioning previous limited tree-planting initiatives during her time representing the Ruhama constituency, expressing confidence that Ntungamo residents would embrace hillside forestation challenges successfully.
Despite Patel expressing interest, regional leaders offered alternative perspectives regarding implementation approaches. Dr. Charles Ngabirano from Rwampara informed President Museveni about existing tree grower cooperatives managing 4000 hectares of mature trees, suggesting partnerships with established cultivators rather than beginning new plantations. He highlighted substantial mature timber stocks available but mentioned growers lack expertise regarding optimal tree species selection for industrial applications. Ms. Sophia Tukamushaba Kyomugasho similarly advocated for supporting existing local tree producers, questioning the economic benefits if outside investors established independent cultivation operations.
President Museveni, pleased learning the investor would consider purchasing from local growers, delegated NRM Vice Chairperson for the western region, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, alongside First Lady Janet Museveni, Trade Ministers Francis Mwebesa and David Bahati, plus additional stakeholders to formulate implementation strategies within two months. He clarified the initiative represented regional collaboration incorporating trees from Kabale, Ntungamo, Isingiro, and Rwampara areas, emphasizing broader economic impacts beyond individual districts. The President urged Ntungamo residents to prioritize household poverty elimination through wealth creation strategies, including commercial agriculture, manufacturing, service provision, and information technology development.
He distinguished between community development benefiting everyone versus individual household income generation, noting many areas with excellent infrastructure remain populated by impoverished families. The President referenced the Kampala-Masaka-Kabale route, paved since 1963 following independence, yet bordered by numerous poverty-stricken households despite sixty years of improved transportation access. Similarly, he observed Kampala's excellent road networks with modern flyovers exist alongside substantial populations lacking adequate nutrition despite surrounding development.
Museveni highlighted successful Parish Development Model beneficiaries, including Mrs. Tumusiime Deziranta from Rubirizi district and Apio Vicky from Lira, who received their first-ever million-shilling capital through program participation. The PDM initiative launched in 2022 focuses on improving service delivery alongside household incomes by channeling support directly through parish savings cooperatives. Each cooperative receives 100 million shillings annually, distributed among 100 households receiving million-shilling investments intended for income improvement projects supporting long-term economic stability among participating families.
Addressing agricultural challenges, President Museveni promised to address affordable animal feed accessibility through National Enterprise Corporation, the military commercial entity tasked with manufacturing feeds for poultry, swine, and aquaculture operations. He emphasized irrigation's importance in utilizing water from swamplands for sustainable crop production rather than directly cultivating sensitive wetland ecosystems with rice or vegetable farming. The President referenced Dr. Muranga's irrigated banana plantation, yielding 53 tons per acre compared to traditional Banyankore farming methods, producing merely 5 tons annually, illustrating both environmental mismanagement alongside underutilized productive capacity on available drylands.
