Table of Contents
PM MODI’S 3 NATION AFRICAN TOUR
•Rwanda – Uganda – South Africa
•It was first visit by Indian Prime Minister to Uganada in over 20 years. PM Modi also delivered keynote address at Ugandan Parliament, making him first Indian PM to do so.
•However, Modi had visited Uganda in 2007 when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat.
UGANDA
•Landlocked country in East Africa
•It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania
YOWERI KAGUTA MUSEVENI
The President of Uganda since 1986
WINSTON CHURCHILL CALLED UGANDA “THE PEARL OF AFRICA”.
• Uganda has plenty of lakes and rivers and hence it is a well-watered country.
•The climate is tropical and generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August).
HISTORY
• During the late 19th century, mostly Sikhs were brought to Uganda on three-year contracts, with the aid of Imperial British contractor Alibhai Mulla Jeevanjee, to build the Uganda Railway from Mombasa to Kisumu by 1901 and to Kampala by 1931. Some died, others returned to India after the end of their contracts, and others chose to stay.
• They were joined by Gujarati traders called “passenger Indians”, both Hindu and Muslim free migrants who came to serve the economic needs of the indentured laborers and to capitalize on the economic opportunities.
CRISIS
• These resentments came to a crisis when Idi Amin ousted Milton Obote by military coup d’état in 1971. The following year, Amin ordered the expulsion of Asians living in Uganda.
• As a result, many Indians migrated to the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, and elsewhere and began rebuilding their lives. After Amin’s death, however, more Indians who were born in Uganda started migrating back
IDI AMIN
UGANDA EXPELLED INDIANS ONCE
• Ugandan Indians 0.05% of Uganda’s population today, Ugandan Indians account for about 65% of Uganda’s tax revenue.
• In 1970, Ugandan Indians accounted for 90% of the country’s tax revenue and owned 90% of its businesses. Back then, they numbered around 80,000 compared to around 20,000 today.
• Sudhir Ruparelia, an Asian, is the richest man in Uganda and has an estimated fortune of $1 billion.
THE AFTERMATH
•But with Amin’s brutal dictatorship, even educated native Ugandans fled – the Ugandan economy felt the double whammy of this brain drain and the wiping out of its commercial class overnight.
•It plunged soon after, losing as much as 5 GDP points between 1972 and 1975.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced two Lines of Credit worth nearly USD 200 million to Uganda in energy, infrastructure, agriculture and dairy sectors.
- India will continue to play a stable partner in the country’s journey towards development.
- India will also render vehicles, ambulances and cancer therapy machine to Uganda.
- PM Modi also offered to build a commemoration centre in Kampala in memory of Mahatma Gandhi.
SIGNED AGREEMENTS ARE
•MoU on Defence Cooperation
•MoU on Visa exemption for Diplomatic and official passport holders.
•MoU on Cultural Exchange Programme.
•MoU on Material Testing Laboratory.
PREPARATION FOR BRICS
•The countries invited for the BRICS’ Africa outreach segment are Rwanda, Uganda, Togo, Zambia, Namibia, Senegal, Gabon, Ethiopia, Angola and the African Union chair, Tirumurti said.
•The countries invited for the BRICS outreach with leaders from the global south segment are Argentina, Turkey, Indonesia, Jamaica and Egypt, he said, adding that the UN Secretary-General has also been invited
INDIA-UGANDA TRADE TILTED IN INDIA’S FAVOUR
• Statistics from various sources, including the Bank of Uganda and the United Nations Comtrade database, show that India has the upper hand in a trade with Uganda.
• According to the Bank of Uganda, in 2017 Ugandan exports to India was just USD 43 million, while Uganda imported goods from India worth USD 678 million. This has been the trend over several years.
• India’s exports to Uganda in 2016 stood at USD 524.02 million while India’s imports from Uganda was just USD 68.22 million, according to the High Commission of India in Kampala
INDIA, UGANDA PLEDGE TO FIGHT TERRORISM IN ALL FORMS
•India and Uganda today voiced their strong commitment to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and reaffirmed the need for the UN Security Council’s comprehensive reform to make it more effective to the geo-political realities of the 21st century.
WhatsApp