KAMPALA– The Minister for Gender and Labour and Social Development Hon Betty Amongi has commended the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for its pivotal role in expanding social protection to rural population and agri-food system workers.
While Opening Regional dialogue for social protection for rural population at Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in Kampala on 28th May 2024, Hon Amongi said that the government has been closely collaborating with Food and Agriculture Organization to implement interventions that promote coherence between social protection and agriculture.
“Bearing this in mind, it is clear that not only investing in social protection is a moral imperative, but linking to agri food systems is also a smart economic strategy,” Minister Amongi said.
She added that by supporting rural populations, they can boost agricultural productivity, promote livelihoods and contribute to food security and poverty reduction and ultimately, a robust social protection system can help create a more inclusive and resilient agrifood system that benefits both rural farmers and consumers alike.
Minister Amongi called upon government agencies, civil society organizations, private sector and development partners to join hands in the effort to build a more inclusive and productive society.
The dialogue was jointly organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization and Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (FUORUM) in collaboration with the government.
Minister Amongi added that her Ministry holds the comprehensive mandate for the policy and program implementation of social protection in Uganda and emphasized the pivotal role of social protection not solely within Uganda but across the African continent and globally saying that Uganda uphold social protection as an inherent human right. It is thus our duty as government to ensure that all members of our society enjoy access to fundamental social protection benefits.
She added that the benefits encompass vital services such as healthcare, education, housing, income support and other necessities, thereby facilitating dignified livelihoods.
She also informed the members that her Ministry is currently implementing Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for women’s enterprise (GROW) project worth over Ugx 800 billion which is funded by the World Bank as a way of transforming livelihood of women in Uganda.
