NARO hosted the Minister of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development (MoFPED), Hon. Matia Kashaija, who visited the National Livestock Resources Research Institute (NaLIRRI) on February 14, 2023. He was received by the Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, Minister for Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries (MAAIF), accompanied by Fred Bwiino, the Minister of State for Agriculture, together with the leadership of NARO, led by Dr. Yona Baguma, the Deputy Director General for Research Coordination, amongst other leaders from both MAAIF and NARO.

He was given a guided tour of the facilities at NaLIRRI, which included the vaccine production platform, the zero-waste dairy unit, the milk production facility, the hay barn, the Aflasafe production unit, and the mechanization unit. Hon. Matia Kashaija was very impressed with the work being done by NARO and encouraged the team to keep on innovating new technologies that respond to the country’s needs.

Hon. Frank Tumwebaze welcomed and thanked Hon. Matia Kashaija for taking the time to visit NARO and experience first-hand what happens in the area of livestock research and development. He said,

In his remarks, Dr. Yona Baguma thanked the Government of Uganda for all the support and requested continued support for NARO, totaling 300 billion shillings annually for a period of 10 years. These funds are to enable NARO to generate the adequate revenue needed to wean her off government funding in the long run. Additional funding to enable the completion and operationalization of the anti-tick vaccine research and production facility was also presented for FY 23/24.

Hon. Matia Kashaija, together with Hon. Frank Tumwebaze and Hon. Fred Bwiino, planted a tree in the compound of the vaccine production facility to commemorate this visit.

There was a mini-exhibition showcasing technologies generated by NARO set up by NARO institutes in and around Kampala.