Today, I presided over and witnessed the signing of an MoU between Uganda Security Printing Company (USPC) and Germany-based global currency printing giant, K&B Banknote Solutions.
The MoU sets in motion the project to establish a Sovereign Currency Printing Facility in Uganda.
The event held at the Office of the President, Minister's Boardroom, brought together officials from the Office of the President, Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation (UPPC) and USPC, and a delegation from K&B Banknote Solutions, among other stakeholders.
In my remarks, I conveyed greetings from His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Kataaha Museveni, and the entire staff of the office of the President.
I warmly welcomed our partners from K&B Solutions to Uganda and expressed gratitude for the start of our journey on collaboration for the establishment of a currency printing facility in Uganda.
As we begin on this journey, we expect the MoU to provide a framework for the technical, security, feasibility and commercial work that will guide Uganda towards final establishment of the printing plant.
This project directly supports the long-standing vision of H.E. President Gen. (Rtd) Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, based on three important principles:
1) National Sovereignty: Uganda should have the ability to produce important instruments of the State locally, including currency, passports, national identity cards, and academic certificates.
2) Value Addition: Uganda must use its labour, skills and other resources to produce more high-value goods and services locally instead of depending on imported finished products.
3) Capacity Building: Uganda must give its young people, engineers and technicians opportunities to acquire modern skills and work with advanced security-printing technology. We are not simply installing machines; we are building a national capability.
As the government moves towards the final agreement with K&B Banknote Solutions, we expect skills transfer to be a central part of the partnership. Our Ugandan engineers and technicians must be involved from the beginning. They should work alongside specialists during the planning, installation, testing and commissioning and gain the practical skills needed to operate and maintain the facility.
I was pleased to know that K&B has an academy that imparts technical skills to the youths that operate their machines. We therefore look forward to seeing our Ugandans tapping into this opportunity.
The project is fully aligned with Uganda's development priorities:
a). The NRM Manifesto 2026-2031, which places strong emphasis on industrialisation, production and economic transformation. Local security printing supports this as a high-technology, skills-intensive manufacturing activity.
b). The Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV), particularly its focus on sustainable industrialisation, employment, wealth creation, science, technology and innovation.
c). Uganda Vision 2040, which seeks to transform Uganda into a modern and prosperous country by building strong industrial and technological capabilities.
For this reason, I consider this project an important part of Uganda's wider industrialisation and technological development agenda.
Office of the President and USPC will establish a multi-sectoral technical committee that brings together key stakeholders, including the Bank of Uganda, the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, the Attorney General's Chambers, and the relevant security agencies to establish a formal monitoring arrangement to ensure that progress is regularly measured against the agreed roadmap milestones.
I urged the USPC team to remain focused on the objectives of the joint venture agreement in whatever they do for the good of our country.
For God and my country!
USPC signs contract with Sistrade.
Sistrade will supply the Enteprise Resource Planning (ERP) management System - a key component of our new security printing factory.
With this USPC moves a step closer to completion of the security printing factory, one of a kind in the region.
I walked into Diamond Trust Bank on Kampala Road at 4.09pm, generated a PRN, paid the fees for renewal of my driving licence, took a boda and got at the @GovUganda Driving Licence office at Railways Grounds at 4.16pm, and after going through a series of swift processes, biometric data and photo capture, walked out of the place with a new driving permit at 4.31pm- a record 20 minutes to complete the entire process. And I did not ask for any special help from anyone--each officer was simply doing their work professionally to each person in the line, with no special or preferential treatment of anybody.
We don't have to benchmark from very far away when it comes to Government agencies that are efficient at what they do & service delivery. USPC is right before us
I had been lazy about processing a passport until last year when one of the organizations I work with organized a trip to Kenya. Because of the "President" title, I was added to the executives' team that was supposed to fly.
Out of sheer embarrassment, I claimed I preferred traveling with the team that was using a bus.
"I love the vibe in the bus," I lied. 😂
On another occasion, I even had to use a temporary travel document. 🙌
On a serious note, this post is meant to appreciate the transformation at @mia_uga. Some time back, the place had become quite a mess.
When I recently visited for fingerprints and interviews, I ended up chatting with several Ugandans seated next to me, and almost all of them had positive experiences to share.
The improvement is noticeable, and credit should be given where it is due.
I only hope this kind of transformation spreads across all government agencies because efficient public service should be the standard, not the exception.
This might help you one day. No joke...
Can't Sleep?
Blink rapidly for 1 minute.
Nervous?
Pinch your nose; you'll calm down.
Low Energy?
Splash cold water on your face.
Stuffy Nose?
Put an ice cube on the roof of your mouth.
Anxiety?
Place your hand over your heart and take slow, deep breaths.
"My name's Raymond. I'm 73. I work the parking lot at St. Joseph's Hospital. Minimum wage, orange vest, a whistle I barely use. Most people don't even look at me. I'm just the old man waving cars into spaces.
But I see everything.
Like the black sedan that circled the lot every morning at 6 a.m. for three weeks. Young man driving, grandmother in the passenger seat. Chemotherapy, I figured. He'd drop her at the entrance, then spend 20 minutes hunting for parking, missing her appointments.
One morning, I stopped him. "What time tomorrow?"
"6:15," he said, confused.
"Space A-7 will be empty. I'll save it."
He blinked. "You... you can do that?"
"I can now," I said.
Next morning, I stood in A-7, holding my ground as cars circled angrily. When his sedan pulled up, I moved. He rolled down his window, speechless. "Why?"
"Because she needs you in there with her," I said. "Not out here stressing."
He cried. Right there in the parking lot.
Word spread quietly. A father with a sick baby asked if I could help. A woman visiting her dying husband. I started arriving at 5 a.m., notebook in hand, tracking who needed what. Saved spots became sacred. People stopped honking. They waited. Because they knew someone else was fighting something bigger than traffic.
But here's what changed everything, A businessman in a Mercedes screamed at me one morning. "I'm not sick! I need that spot for a meeting!"
"Then walk," I said calmly. "That space is for someone whose hands are shaking too hard to grip a steering wheel."
He sped off, furious. But a woman behind him got out of her car and hugged me. "My son has leukemia," she sobbed. "Thank you for seeing us."
The hospital tried to stop me. "Liability issues," they said. But then families started writing letters. Dozens. "Raymond made the worst days bearable." "He gave us one less thing to break over."
Last month, they made it official. "Reserved Parking for Families in Crisis." Ten spots, marked with blue signs. And they asked me to manage it.
But the best part? A man I'd helped two years ago, his mother survived, came back. He's a carpenter. Built a small wooden box, mounted it by the reserved spaces. Inside? Prayer cards, tissues, breath mints, and a note,
"Take what you need. You're not alone. -Raymond & Friends"
People leave things now. Granola bars. Phone chargers. Yesterday, someone left a hand-knitted blanket.
I'm 73. I direct traffic in a hospital parking lot. But I've learned this: Healing doesn't just happen in operating rooms. Sometimes it starts in a parking space. When someone says, "I see your crisis. Let me carry this one small piece."
So pay attention. At the grocery checkout, the coffee line, wherever you are. Someone's drowning in the little things while fighting the big ones.
Hold a door. Save a spot. Carry the weight no one else sees.
It's not glamorous. But it's everything."
Let this story reach more hearts....
Credit: Mary Nelson
RECAP
📸 at CURE BRAIN SURGERY RUN
On Saturday, our Mbale team represented at the Cure Brain Surgery Run.
Participating in CSR to feel closer to community and for a cause.
#CURECANCERRUN2025
Big news! 🇺🇬 Uganda through @MoICT_Ug and @NITAUganda1 has been selected to host the 4th Digital Government Africa Summit (#DGA2026) 🎉
Announced in Lusaka 🇿🇲 and opened by H.E. @HHichilema, the Summit brought together 30+ African governments to drive digital governance & innovation across the continent.
Accepted by Hon @CHRISBARYOMUNS1,he noted that this opportunity would be a strategic opportunity to showcase Uganda’s achievements, share best practices, and strengthen continental collaboration in building a digitally empowered Africa.
#DigitizeUg