Parliament has passed Shs 7.5 billion to support the Busoga Special Programme Fund intended to lift the region out of poverty.
This, the Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, said would be used to support a range of sectors to improve economic standards in the region.
The Speaker made the revelation in a speech read for her by Busiki County MP, Paul Akamba, at the 2019 Basoga Twegaite Convention in New Jersey, United States of America.
Bugabula South MP, Henry Maurice Kibalya told the convention that the programme is similar to others like NUSAF and the Karamoja Integrated Development Programme.
Kadaga also used the occasion to make a passionate appeal to the Ugandans living in the diaspora to invest in tourism in the Busoga sub-region, saying it is one of the lucrative sectors that will benefit the region.
Different sites in Busoga, Kadaga said, have been identified and that once developed, have the potential to generate revenue for the region.
“We have partnered with Busoga Tourism Initiative, Ministry of Tourism and Uganda Tourism Board to attract both local and international tourists. I urge you, the people of Busoga living in the diaspora, to support our economy through tourism.”
“We have developed Bishop Hannington Memorial Site in Kyando, Mayuge District; a religious site where Bishop James Hannington is believed to have been murdered. Every year thousands make pilgrimage to the site,” the Speaker added.
She called on Ugandans to take advantage of Kagulu Hill in Buyende District and Itanda Falls in Jinja District. The Kagulu Hill which is about 3,500 feet above the sea level provides an adventurous hill climbing challenge.
The Twegaite Convention which was founded in New Jersey in 1998 is a bi-annual event which brings together Ugandans from Busoga region living in the United States. Every two years, friends of Busoga travel from all over the world to converge at Twegaite Conventions hosted in different states.
The convention has pioneered and implemented projects in Uganda including; a microfinance project for Women in Kagoma County, Jinja District and the Annual Source of the Nile Marathon among others. The convention also recently refurbished wards at the Jinja Regional Referral Hospital and donated a service van for transporting patients in the hard-to-reach areas of Busoga.
