Uganda

Uganda is an Eastern African country. The official name of the country is the Republic of Uganda (Swahili: Jamhuri ya Uganda). The country has a population of almost 38 million, ranking it as the 35th largest country in the world in terms of population.

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 southwest of Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The South Sudan-Uganda border is porous, and there are frequent reports of criminal trade and movement of people across the border. Due to the influx of refugees from South Sudan into Uganda, there is a strain on the region’s health, education, and security resources.

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Uganda takes its name from the Buganda kingdom, which once encompassed lands in the southern reaches of the country. Bantu-speaking populations migrated into the southern portion of the country some 2,300 years ago bringing with them and developing iron working skills, as well as ideas of social and political organization.

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Kampala is the capital and largest city of Uganda.The city proper was estimated to have a population of 1,680,800 people on 31 July 2019 and is divided into the five boroughs of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Rubaga Division. It’s a dynamic and engaging city, with few of the hassles of other East African capitals and several worthy attractions to keep you occupied for a couple of days. As the heartland of the Buganda kingdom, Kampala has a rich and colourful history, visible in several fascinating palaces.

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The Uganda’s religious heritage is tripartite: indigenous religions, Islam, and Christianity. About four-fifths of the population is Christian, primarily divided between Roman Catholics and Protestants (mostly Anglicans but also including Pentecostals, Seventh-day Adventists, Baptists, and Presbyterians). About one-eighth of the population is Muslim.

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Uganda is one of Africa’s safer countries to travel. The country packs a lot into one small country. It’s home to Africa’s tallest mountain range (the Rwenzoris), the source of the Nile, the world’s longest river and the continent’s largest lake. Uganda has a very rich wildlife with well developed and managed tourist infrastructures. Wildlife in Uganda has nearly 1061 different species of birds, mountain gorillas, chimpanzee etc. Uganda can be a perfect holiday spot for those who like to travel in a tropical climate.

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“Uganda is a fairy-tale. You climb up a railway instead of a beanstalk, and at the end there is a wonderful new world,” wrote Sir Winston Churchill, who visited the country during its years under British rule and who called it “the pearl of Africa.” Indeed, Uganda embraces many ecosystems, from the tall volcanic mountains of the eastern and western frontiers to the densely forested swamps of the Albert Nile River and the rainforests of the country’s central plateau. The land is richly fertile, and Ugandan coffee has become both a mainstay of the agricultural economy and a favourite of connoisseurs around the world.

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Uganda has transformed itself from a country with a troubled past to one of relative stability and prosperity. Since its independence from Britain in 1962. The first elections occurred that year and were won by an alliance of two parties, the Kabaka Yekka (KY) and the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC).

Milton Obote became the Prime Minister. The Buganda King Edward Muteesa II held a ceremonial position as president. William Wilberforce Nadiope, a Kyabazinga chief, was vice-president.

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After a power struggle between Obote’s government and the King in 1966, the parliament, controlled by the UPC, changed the constitution to eliminate the ceremonial president and vice-president. The new constitution in 1967 set up Uganda as a republic and abolished the traditional kingdoms. Without any actual elections, Obote was declared the leader.

In 1971, Idi Amin deposed Obote and seized power. For the next eight years, Amin ruled and caused the death of 300,000 Ugandans. His actions crippled the economy.

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After the Uganda-Tanzania War in 1979, Amin’s rule ended. Obote returned but was deposed again in 1985 by General Tito Okello, who ruled for six months and was deposed by the National resistance Army (NRA). Its leader, Yoweri Museveni, became the president and still holds the office.

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The West praised Museveni in the 1990s as part of a new generation of African leaders. He involved the country in the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other regional conflicts. Thousands have been killed or displaced in northern Ugandan conflicts.

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Uganda’s 18-year-long battle against the brutal Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), an extremist rebel group based in Sudan, showed signs of abating in Aug. 2006, when the rebels agreed to declare a truce.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Uganda was worth 28.50 billion US dollars in 2019, according to official data from the World Bank and projections from Trading Economics.
Uganda’s economic freedom score is 59.5, making its economy the 102nd freest in the 2020 Index. The economy if Uganda is basically agricultural, and it occupies some four-fifths of the working population. Uganda’s moderate climate is especially congenial to the production of both livestock and crops which have contributed to the country’s agricultural success.

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Uganda has abundant agricultural resources and offers many opportunities for investment in agricultural production and agro-processing, as well as for trade in agricultural inputs and products. The agricultural sector is dominant in Uganda’s economy. Whilst this sector grew at an annual average of only 3.7 percent over 1990-99 compared to the far more impressive growth of the industrial and service sectors, the importance of agriculture in Uganda’s economy outweighs all other sectors put together. Agriculture is the backbone of Uganda’s economy, employing 70% of the population.  It contributed about 23% of GDP at current prices in 2011. Agricultural exports accounted for 48.5% of total exports in 2012.Coffee has been Uganda’s most important cash crop since the 1980s.

However, Productivity is limited by reliance on natural weather conditions and the still widespread use of traditional methods and equipment. The sector provides the basis for growth in other sectors such as manufacturing and services.