On October 26, 2020, Jinja City and Shenyang City signed a five-year cooperation agreement aimed at fostering collaboration in trade and investment, education, health, culture, sports, human resources development and among other fields.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the smooth implementation of the partnership, limiting progress due to restricted movement and global uncertainties.
In a bid to revive the agreement, Dr. Anthony Mula, the Director General of the Busoga Consortium, led a delegation to Shenyang City of Liaoning Province, China, on November 8, 2024. During this official visit, Dr. Mula engaged in productive discussions with Shenyang Cityβs leadership, resulting into consensus to renew and strengthen the cooperation between the two cities.
At a ceremony held at Jinja City Hall on Wednesday, 8th January 2024, Dr. Mula officially handed over a special message from the mayor of Shenyang City, Mr. Lyu Zhicheng to the His Worship Mayor of Jinja city Mayor Kasolo Peter Okotcha
In his message to the mayor Jinja city, Mr. Lyu conveyed his appreciation to his Jinja counterpart for the mutually enjoyed cooperation thanking him for the longstanding care and support in promoting deeper friendly exchanges and cooperationβs between the two cities.
He regretted the effect of the covid pandemic that is said to have hampered exchange visits and several programs vital for facilitating the growth of the established cooperation.
He extended an invitation to the mayor of Jinja to lead a delegation of Political, Technical and member of the Business community to visit Shenyang and jointly host the βHello, Shenyangβ International Sister City Mayor Exchange Day Event during the first half of the year. Related Mr. Lyu Zhicheng pledged to lead a counter delegation of both government and business community officials from sheyang city to visit jinja city during the second half of the year.
The two city leaders are expected to renew the sister city cooperation during the exchange visits in 2025. The current agreement expires at the end of September 2025.
The visit of the Director General to Shenyang is said to have marked the reactivation of the cooperation between jinja and Shenyang, paving the way for enhanced collaboration across the sectors outlined in the original agreement.
Mayor Kasolo commended the efforts of Dr. Mula in ensuring the restoration of the collaboration and expressed optimism about the opportunities it presents. “The reactivation of our cooperation is a testament to the resilience of our collaboration and the shared vision we have with Shenyang City to drive development and mutual prosperity,” the mayor said.
The restored sister city cooperation is expected to bring tangible benefits to both cities, including increased trade opportunities, cultural exchange programs, strengthened educational and healthcare programs, etc. As Jinja and Shenyang embark on this new chapter, the focus remains on achieving practical outcomes that will benefit the people of their two cities and Countries.
Although the meeting focused on the renewal of cooperation between Jinja city and sheyang city agreement, further exchanges during the meeting expanded to include promotion of chilli cultivation in the Busoga region. This was unveiled by the Goodwill Ambassador Sichuan – Uganda Cooperation Ms. Shu Xiao Li, who had accompanied the director general along with other Chinese agricultural experts for the meeting.
Ms. Shu pledged the support of china Uganda agriculture cooperation industrial park Luwero to providing chilli seed varieties, technical expart support, and a guaranteed market for farmers ready to grow the crop. Concensus was generated to establish a regional demonstration garden of the chilli in jinja with the view of rolling out the growing of the crop in Busoga during the second season of the year.