1. Posted on Wednesday 30 April 2008 - 11:46

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   mugira

   

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   Fredrick Mugira

   The Danish Ambassador to Uganda Mr. Stig Barling has expressed happiness that the 3 basic elements of a democratic Uganda – the Legislature, the Executive and Judiciary – have been available to the people in Uganda.
   
   He says that apart from peace itself, law and order as well as justice, are important elements.
   
   Barling was speaking during the commissioning of Yumbe District Magistrates’ Court constructed by the Danish government at a cost of 400 million shillings.
   
   He reported that between 2008 and 2011, an additional 9 smaller court buildings will be erected in Northern Uganda as components in the normalization process of the situation for the people of the area following the ending of the LRA conflict.
   
   Recently Denmark also donated US$28 million for the rehabilitation of Entebbe International Airport runway that is now complete. DANIDA has also been providing milk coolers to milk producing areas in Western Uganda.
   
   The President called on Denmark to assist Uganda in the fight against corruption.
   
   Uganda’s Chief Justice, Justice Ben Odoki, commended Denmark for facilitating the construction of similar facilities in Arua, Nebbi and Adjumani districts

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Reactions

1. Posted on Friday 09 May 2008 16:46

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   bhukabijumiro

   

   
   31 berichten
   Lid sinds April 2008

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   I am so much grateful to DANIDA, The Danish NGO through which the Danish government and peoples have greatly contributed to various development-related projects in Uganda and perhaps other African countries. DANIDA's work in Uganda is highly commendable.
   
   Be that as it may, there is a saying that he who gives a fishing line to a hungry man and teaches him how to fish, does the hungry man a better deal than one who simply goes on feeding the hungry man with fish but leaving the man ignorant. It is time for DANIDA to now shift from being a donor to a real donor: one who helps teach the Africans to do things for themselves. During the early 1970, Prince Charles, heir to the Bristish throne said that Culture is not what is done for a people but what people do themselves. Why not give a grant to a man who has demonstrated creativity in developing a technology, help him manage his creative works and show him where he needs advice to advance it better for his self, his nation and humanity?
   
   It is my belief that in the midst of all foreign aid what Africa needs most is the investment into her own super-gifted minds. If DANIDA could help Africa or Uganda for instance to launch a nationwide project to identify and support super-gifted minds or children, DANIDA would have done the best for Africa.
   
   However, I would rather have Africa start on this kind of program by acts of parliament recognizing and launching special programs for our super-gifted kids and citizens because I know many such individuals with inborn talents and with a bias in science or technology but who have not been recognized, not supported but left to go everything on their own. So they are usually found in Jua Khali centers in African city-suburbs across the continent doing Jua khali technology. In Uganda we find most of the concentrated in laces like Katwe/ Kampala. They live in the shanty towns and from there they produce motor vehicle spare parts and they improvise all kinds of industry parts when modern industrial machines break down all over Africa. Yet no one sees their labor and creativity as of any sound use for our nations. This is unbelievable and it needs to stop.
   
   Recently I learned of a Nigerian young man who built a helicopter from scratch. During the 1990,s there was news of a Uganda young man, Makumbi now known as Armstrong who at age sixteen or so at Mityana built a helicopter and later built a military jeep and an astronuat space-jacket all by himself. This native African creativity languishes in neglect and lack of recognition and support by governments every where across the continent. African governments continue spending billions od dollars on imports of items that can be directly produced in Africa by African minds if and when they are supported by their national governments and institutions.
   
   So, while DANIDA does what they do in Africa, I still think their true contribution to Africa remains undone until they will invest in African creativity and discovery but I do not blame the Danish for the fact that Africa herself has yet to awaken to her plight and strive to get herself out of the ditch into which slavery and colonialism dumped us.

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