In a powerful endorsement of faith-led socio-economic transformation, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has highly commended Pastor Robert Kayanja and Pastor Jessica Kayanja for shifting the African narrative from dependency on handouts to self-sustaining regional development.
Presiding over the Big Fix Holy Spirit Global Conference at the Miracle Centre Cathedral in Rubaga, Kampala, President Museveni hailed the ministry’s mega agricultural footprints in Karamoja and Kiryandongo as a prime example of true Pan-Africanism and economic patriotism.
To catalyze this religious-led financial revolution, the President announced an immediate Shs 2 billion pledge to support the newly formed Pastors’ SACCO.
Moving Beyond Miracles: Multiplying Talents via Food Security
Addressing an international delegation of Christian leaders from Kenya, Tanzania, and across the globe, President Museveni emphasized that the modernization of Africa requires believers to “work for the pocket” alongside spiritual growth.
“I am very happy to hear Pastor Kayanja and other pastors talking about integration of Africa, political integration of East Africa. It is all music to my ears,” President Museveni stated, praising the 7-day conference for creating a potent network for cross-continental relationship building.
The President particularly spotlighted Kayanja’s transition from providing emergency relief during Karamoja’s hunger crises to building long-term agricultural resilience through the mechanized “Plough, Plant, Produce” initiative. Similarly, in Kiryandongo, Pastor Kayanja’s Gold Meadow Farm has seamlessly blended faith with commercial livestock and crop farming, creating massive employment and transfer of skills to local communities.
The Economics of Pan-Africanism: “Have You Heard of Africa?”
Reflecting on the National Resistance Movement’s (NRM) core historical pillars—Prosperity, Strategic Security, and African Integration—Museveni challenged African producers to scale up output and rely on regional markets like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).“You cannot achieve prosperity by begging. You need to produce a good or a service and sell it,” Museveni warned.
Museveni noted that as Uganda’s milk, sugar, and maize production stabilized, regional integration became a strategic necessity. “If Ugandans cannot buy what you produce, your neighbors can.”
Uganda’s Agricultural Boom: The President gave proof of historical growth, stating that coffee production has expanded from 3 million bags in 1986 to 9 million bags today (targeting 20 million), while annual dairy production skyrocketed from 200 million liters to nearly 6 billion liters.
A Call for Deeper East African Integration
Warning against protectionist trade barriers that sabotage local producers and consumers, the President advocated for a stronger East African Common Market. He envisioned a deeply integrated East Africa collaborating tightly on defense, foreign policy, and joint citizenship while allowing individual nations to manage localized portfolios like education and agriculture.
The integration discussions championed at the Rubaga conference, according to the President, demonstrate that the modern African church is waking up to its strategic role in fostering continental security and global affluence.
