The 1st Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda and Patron of the Busoga Consortium for Development, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga hosted a high-level delegation from Liaoning Province, China, led by H.E. Hon. Yu Tianmin, Vice Chairman of the Liaoning Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of the Liaoning Law Society on Thursday 12th December 2024.
This visit was a follow-up to the July 2024 official visit by a Uganda-Busoga delegation to Liaoning Province, led by His Royal Highness William Gabula Nadiope IV, the Kyabazinga of Busoga, and Uganda’s 3rd Deputy Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Hajjat Nakadama Rukia Isanga that resulted into the establishment of bilateral relations between the Busoga Consortium for Development (BCD) and Liaoning Province. The Busoga-Liaoning cooperation became the 1st Provincial Cooperation under the China Africa Cooperation framework.
The landmark agreement was signed by Mr. Wakaze Simon, the former Governor of the Busoga Consortium for Development and current District Chairperson of Luuka Local Government, on behalf of the Busoga Consortium Province.
During the meeting held the Ministry of East African Community Affairs at Kingdom Kampala plaza, Kadaga commended the role of Chinese companies and institutions in advancing Uganda’s Business, infrastructure and service sectors. She highlighted some of the significant projects such as the ongoing redevelopment of Entebbe International Airport, the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway, Mandela National Stadium, and Karuma Power Dam, among others supported by Chinese friends and Government.
“The established provincial cooperation between the Busoga Consortium and Liaoning Province should enable us to leverage the existing diplomatic and bilateral relations to identify and implement key projects that will further strengthen Uganda-China and Africa-China relations to benefit our people,” she stated.
As a means to enhancing investment and trade relations between Busoga and Liaoning Province as well as China Uganda Cooperation, Kadaga proposed the establishment of the China-Uganda International Trade Facilitation Centre in Jinja City. She said “the Trade Facilitation Centre will be a one stop—stop facility to promote and strengthen bilateral trade between Uganda and China. The centre will work to simplify export and import polices, drive the automation of cross-border trade and transport, and bring ordinary Ugandans into the export-Import eco-system. The Trade Facilitation Centre will also support the tail-end realization and entry of the Busoga Consortium’s Village Agricultural Model agro-products and other products into the Chinese markets”.
Dr. Mula Anthony, Director General of the Busoga Consortium, provided a brief overview of the organization, noting its formation in April 2017 as a provincial body working closely with Local Governments, Busoga Kingdom and all stakeholders of Busoga to steer socioeconomic transformation.
In his remarks, H.E Hon Yu Tianmin thanked Rt. Hon. Kadaga for the proposal made and promised to present them before the Provincial leadership for consideration.
Hon. Yu highlighted the Liaoshing Industrial Park as a beacon of unity between Uganda and China. He outlined plans to further develop the park by attracting more investors from Liaoning Province, emphasizing its role as a hub for Uganda-China industrial collaboration.
He expressed gratitude to Mr. Zhang and the Chinese Embassy in Uganda for their pivotal role in fostering bilateral relations and highlighted the ongoing provincial-level cooperation as the first of its kind, underlining sincerity in areas such as agriculture, trade, and cultural exchange.
The meeting was attended among others by Hon. Namuganzi Persis (State Minister for Housing), Hon. Kisa Stephen (MP for Luuka South and Chairperson of the Busoga Prayer Week Organizing Committee), Mr. Maxwell Kuwebula (Vice Governor, Busoga Consortium), and Mr. Zhang Hao (Goodwill Ambassador, Liaoning-Uganda Cooperation).
Strengthening Educational and Economic Ties
The Liaoning delegation later in the afternoon proceeded to Makerere University to renew cooperation with Makerere University. At Makerere, the delegation was received by Professor Buyinza Mukadasi, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs.
The focus of the meeting was on fostering academic collaboration between Liaoning University of Traditional Medicine and Makerere University in the fields of student and tutor exchanges, joint research and publications, innovation, health sector development, among others.
In his message, H.E Yu Tianmin introduced Liaoning Province and Liaoning University of Traditional Medicine to Prof. Buyinza and renewed that commitment of Chinese Government to promoting the cooperation in line with President Xi’s recently declared 10 Partnership Action points for deepening China Africa Cooperation at the September 2024 Forum on China Africa Cooperation Summit (FOCAC).
Prof. Buyinza welcomed H.E Hon. Yu Tianmin to Makerere University and extended appreciation to the Busoga Consortium leadership for the contributions being made towards the development of Busoga. He noted that the offing cooperation between Makerere University and Liaoning University of Traditional Medicine will contribute to the needed human resource development desired to lead the transformation of Busoga. He said that Makerere University was in the process of establishing a substantive campus in Jinja City that will give a significant boost to Busoga’s development aspirations.
Hon. Yu Tianmin expressed his appreciation for the warm reception and emphasized the sincerity of Liaoning Province in strengthening cooperation in the fields of agriculture, trade, and people-to-people engagements. He highlighted the importance of the Uganda-Liaoning Industrial Park as a symbol of unity and pledged to attract more investors from Liaoning Province.
He urged Busoga to support ongoing projects such as the Wagagai gold mining initiative in Busia and copper mining at Kilembe, emphasizing the mutual benefits of these ventures.
“This cooperation reflects China’s commitment to enhancing its ties with Africa, as reaffirmed by President Xi Jinping during the September FOCAC meeting. The people-to-people collaborations will be instrumental in shaping the future of our partnership,” he stated.
The delegation’s visit marks a significant milestone in Uganda-China relations, with Busoga playing a pivotal role as a bridge for provincial-level collaboration.