Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses Uganda’s Parliament
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses Ugandan Parliament, the first ever by an Indian Prime Minister, says Uganda is the pearl of Africa and a land of great wealth of resources and rich heritage, Adds India is proud to be Africa’s partner and Uganda central to India’s commitment to the continent.
On the second day of his Uganda visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday addressed the Parliament in capital Kampala, the first Indian Prime Minister to do so. PM said that India and Africa stand on the threshold of a future of great promise as confident, secure, youthful, innovative, and dynamic people.
Referring to Mahatma Gandhi’s 21-year stay in South Africa, PM said the story of India’s independence was closely linked to Africa. He further said that India pursued Afro-Asian solidarity in Bandung and stood firm in opposition to apartheid in South Africa.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also participated in the India-Uganda Business forum event on the second day of his Uganda visit. CII from India and Private Sector Foundation of Uganda. Although the Balance of Trade is heavily in favour of India, India encourages higher Ugandan exports to India. Prime Minister Modi said that India is ready to take the lead in correcting the trade imbalance in Uganda’s favour.
PM Modi hailed India’s growth journey which is fueled by a policy driven governance and a stable tax regime.
Prime Minister called for value addition to natural resources available in the country. He said that organic agro production is one of the many fields that offer vast potential for growth in Uganda. Prime Minister described skill development with a youth focus as a primary priority for Uganda.
Prime Minister assured Uganda that India will supply zero defect machinery to aid growth in manufacturing in the country. He said India is an innovation and start up hub and will take the young minds of Uganda along with it as it treads the path of growth.
Ugandan President Museveni also addressed the India Uganda Business Forum. He exhorted the business community from both countries to tap the opportunities available for enhancing trade and investment.
Earlier, India and Uganda signed four MoUs in the areas of defence cooperation, visa exemption for official and diplomatic passport holders, cultural exchange programme and material testing laboratory. The agreements were inked following delegation-level talks between Prime Minister NarendraModi and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in Kampala last evening. The two leaders comprehensively reviewed all aspects of bilateral relations. India also announced two Lines of Credit worth nearly 200 million US dollars to Uganda in energy, infrastructure, agriculture and dairy sectors. Later, PM Modi addressed the Indian community in Kampala.
