Entebbe | Uganda | In a thought-provoking dialogue that blended tradition with modern development, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged the Lango cultural leadership to spearhead a new era of social and economic transformation rooted in cultural values, education, and wealth creation.

During a meeting with the Lango Paramount Chief (Won Nyaci), Eng. Dr. Michael Moses Odongo Okune, and clan leaders at State House Entebbe, President Museveni emphasized that Uganda’s development must be anchored in both cultural preservation and structural transformation. He called on cultural institutions to take an active role in promoting indigenous languages, community-based education, and sustainable family wealth creation.

“Cultural leadership must now evolve beyond symbolism,” President Museveni noted. “It must drive transformation—by promoting useful traditions, discarding regressive ones, and guiding families toward wealth and modern livelihoods.”

The President highlighted that culture should not only define identity but also inspire innovation and economic independence, stressing that transformation begins at the household level. Using agriculture as an example, he urged families to transition from subsistence farming to commercial productivity, citing coffee and fruit farming as high-value enterprises capable of earning millions annually from just an acre of land.

“We need modern wealth based on money,” he stated. “When families organize their land, fence it, and manage it collectively, they can adopt irrigation, fertilizers, and pasture development — that’s how transformation begins.”

President Museveni also made a compelling appeal for education and health as pillars of transformation, urging clan and religious leaders to directly mobilize communities toward improved literacy, hygiene, and productivity. He drew parallels between cultural renewal and gender empowerment, citing reforms within his own Ankole culture that now recognize the inheritance rights of the girl child — a powerful symbol of progress and equality.

On his part, Won Nyaci Odongo Okune praised the President for ushering in an era of peace and security that has enabled the people of Lango to rebuild their lives after decades of turmoil. He acknowledged the success of government-led wealth creation programs, noting their impact on local productivity and family livelihoods.

President Museveni’s message to the Lango leadership underscored a larger national vision — that Uganda’s transformation must be community-driven, blending cultural wisdom with modern enterprise to achieve sustainable development. His remarks resonated beyond Lango, offering a model for Africa’s rural regions on how to align cultural heritage with economic modernization.

As Uganda marches toward its Vision 2040 goals, the meeting reflected a profound truth: that true transformation begins not just in policy or politics — but in the mindset, traditions, and collective action of the people themselves.