Government and Development partners have invested in Value Addition Facilities in most of the Districts in Uganda through different programs and projects but the majority of the facilities are in sorry states as they have no connection to the power grid making them not operational.
In Omoro district, Acoli Sub-region, Northern Uganda, there are Seventeen Value Addition Facilities but only Six are operational.
With the current Value addition focus of the Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) Initiative headed by General Caleb Akandwanaho Alias Salim Saleh, it is the first target of OWC to ensure that the existing Value Addition Facilities are operational.
Statistics from Omoro district reveal that only six out of the Seventeen Value Addition Facilities are operational due to connectivity issues with the Power Grid.
The Facilities include Rice, Maize Millers, and Oil Seed processing where some of them since installment ten years ago, had never been connected to the power grid and did not serve the intended purposes.
This came to light on January 9th,2024 as the OWC Chief Coordinator was in Omoro District passing out over 500 Omoro district leaders who were for a one-week ideological clinic organized by Catherine Lamwaka the Omoro Woman Member of Parliament themed “Unlocking the Potential of Omoro District for Socio-Economic Transformation”.
Omoro District Chairperson, Okello Douglas Peter Okao in his submission called for Omoro First Ever Investment Conference to open Omoro to investors and set a strategic direction for the district’s growth via investment opportunities. He appealed to the OWC Chief Coordinator to support the district in developing its comprehensive Investment plan.
Okello also highlighted the need for institutional electrification of schools, hospitals, and some Value Addition Facilities in Omoro district because electricity connectivity is one of the biggest challenges to value-addition establishments.
Audio File one: Okello Douglas Peter Okao on Electricity-Eng
Gen.Salim Saleh who had traveled to Omoro to provide a solution, called for the cost of the power connection but none of the district officials had the figure at their fingertips as the District Engineer was absent including the Production Officer and the Umeme representative who was at the function said the district had never written to them to do the costing.
Gen.Salim put John Oyambi from the Ministry of Information Communication Technology and National Guidance, the day’s Master of Ceremony, and Okello Douglas Peter, the district Chairperson on the spot over the cost of the connectivity of electricity for the Value Addition Facilities not linked to the power grid.
Audio File two: General Salim Saleh and Okao on costing-Eng
This is the point that the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development came to the limelight as Tumwine Stephen, a Senior Development Officer in the Ministry of Local Government expressed his dismay on the delay in connecting the Value Addition Facilities in the Country by the Ministry of Energy despite several attempts to remind them.
Audio File Three: The Voice of General Saleh and Tumwine on Electricity –Eng
Status of the Agricultural Processing/Value Addition facility inventory in Omoro District Local Government as of the Position paper October 2023:
| S/No | Host group | Number | Nature of the facility | Location | Linkage PDM (Yes/NO) | Connectivity to power grid (Yes/NO) | Functionality (Yes/NO) | Ownership | Source of fund | |
| Parish | Subcounty | |||||||||
| 1 | Ongako United Block Farmer | 1 | Rice mill | Kal | Ongako | N | N | N | Public | ACDP |
| 2 | Pur Ber | 1 | Rice mill | Acet Central | Acet TC | Y | N | N | Community | ACDP |
| 3 | Parak Machine Shade | 1 | Maize | Parak | Akidi | Y | N | N | Community | WFP |
| 4 | Bobi Satellite Collection Centre | 1 | Maize Gridnign mill | Paidongo | Bobi | Y | N | N | Public | WFP |
| 5 | Palenga TC | 1 | Maize milling | Gudu | Palenga TC | N | Y | Y | Private | Private |
| 6 | Kweyo Growers’ Cooperative | 1 | Peanut butter | Kal | Ongako | N | Y | Y | Private | Private |
| 7 | Amuru Agro Processor | 1 | Rice mill | Pida | Koro | Y | Y | Y | Private | Private |
| 8 | CAAIP Rice Mill | 1 | Rice mill | Acet | Acet TC | Y | Y | Y | Public | CAIIP |
| 9 | CANNA Miller Grain Miller | 1 | Maize mill | Barogal | Koro | N | Y | Y | Private | Private |
| 10 | MK Modern Organic | 1 | Organic Product | Keto | Lakwaya | N | N | Y | Private | Private |
| 11 | CAIIP Maize Mill Opit | 1 | Maize mill | Opit | Omoro TC | Y | Y | N | Public | CAIIP |
| 12 | Mini Ginnery Wiagweng | 1 | Oil Seed extraction | Lagude | Omoro TC | N | N | N | Community | USAID |
| 13 | Mini Ginnery Awor | 1 | Oil Seed extraction | Parak | Akidi | N | N | N | Community | USAID |
| 14 | Dream Centre | 1 | Livestock feed | Adak | Lakwaya | N | N | Y | Private | Private |
| 15 | Awere Fronasa Maize Mill | 1 | Maize mill | Awere | Odek | Y | N | N | Community | OWC |
| 16 | CAIIP Maize Mill Ongako | 1 | Maize mill | Kal | Ongako | Y | N | Y | Public | CAIIP |
| 17 | Kulu Otit | 1 | Maize mill | Kulu Otit | Bobi | Y | N | Y | Community | |
|
|
Total | 17 | 8 N, and 9 Y | 6 Y and 11 N | 9 Y and 8 N | |||||
Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development Talked to The Elephant on the Matter:
Muyita Solomon, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development Spokesperson, when contacted by the Elephant on the matter, said his Ministry has goodwill for all Ugandans and their entities to be connected to the power grid except at times budgetary limitation affects their interventions.
Muyita also revealed that the Ministry of Energy on January 30th,2024 is going to launch a World Bank USD 638 Million funded project to connect one Million People by 2027 for free and believes that it’s the project to handle urgent cases of people who would write to the Permanent Secretary or Minister of Energy and Mineral Development where Omoro leadership can also take advantage.
Audio File Four: Muyita Solomon on response-Eng
Attachment one:
The entire Omoro District Local Government Position paper can be found here Omoro DLG Position Paper October 2023
Ends
