Saleh to Investors: Make Use of Namanve's Multi-Billion Machine-Making Machine

KYANKWANZI: Chief Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), Gen. Caleb Akandwanaho, popularly known as Salim Saleh, has challenged Ugandan industrialists and both local and foreign investors to seize a once-in-a-generation opportunity by putting to use a powerful “machine-making machine” that has been lying idle for years at the Namanve Industrial Park.

Speaking during the signing of a Memorandum of Recognition between Farasi Agricultural Company Limited, The Grain Council of Uganda (TGCU) and Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) at the Kirema Heritage branch of the Gen. Akandwanaho School of Research in Kyankwanzi, recently commissioned by President Museveni, Gen. Saleh revealed that the sophisticated equipment was imported specifically to manufacture machines and spare parts locally.

“The President brought in a machine-making machine that can make any machine and spare parts at the request of the industrial sector many years ago, but it has been lying idle in Namanve Industrial Park,” Saleh said, urging investors to take interest in the facility and use it to drive Uganda’s industrial transformation.

The General said Uganda cannot achieve true industrialisation if such strategic investments remain unused while manufacturers continue importing machinery and spare parts from abroad.

Saleh also clarified that the memorandum signed with Farasi Agricultural Company Limited was not intended to grant the company a monopoly over tractor supply under Operation Wealth Creation.

He explained that OWC already has several partnerships with other tractor dealers, but decided to support Farasi because of its ambitious vision to manufacture a tractor using up to 85 percent locally sourced Ugandan materials.

Farasi, a home-grown initiative, aims to develop an indigenous tractor designed specifically for Ugandan farming conditions. According to Saleh, if the project succeeds, it will create thousands of skilled jobs, promote technology transfer and significantly reduce dependence on imported agricultural machinery.

However, the OWC boss warned the company against focusing solely on selling tractors and spare parts. He advised Farasi to establish regional service centres capable of supporting the entire agricultural value chain, including maintenance services and agro-input distribution.

The National Enterprise Corporation (NEC), represented by Gen. Innocent Oula, pledged full support to the initiative, saying it would assist in manufacturing spare parts whenever necessary and also deploy Farasi tractors on its extensive commercial farms.

The ceremony attracted several senior government officials, including Bank of Uganda Deputy Governor Prof. Augustus Nuwagaba, the Commissioner General of Prisons, the Inspector General of Police, officials from the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, and representatives from various government agencies, underscoring the strategic importance attached to Uganda’s push for home-grown industrial manufacturing.