

Busoga Kingdom signs MOU with GRO Foundation to plant 30m trees
Busoga Kingdom through Kyabazinga Initiatives Limited and Gro Foundation in partnership with the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU), on January 31st, 2024 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to champion the planting of 30 million trees worth $10m in the Kingdom for the purpose of generating climate finance.
The five years MOU is made for the purpose of achieving grassroots community led large-scale reforestation and conservation programs with the goal of unlocking climate finance opportunities as a source of sustainable funding for social impact projects to benefit Busoga Kingdom selected beneficiaries.
The signing of the MOU occurred at the Kyabazinga’s Igenge Palace in Jinja Northern division, Jinja City and was conducted between Gro Foundation CEO Paul Flynn Mukalazi Senoga on behalf of the Foundation and Owek. Alhaj Osman Ahmed Noor on behalf of Kyabazinga Initiatives Limited under Busoga Kingdom.
In his address, Gro Foundation CEO, Mukalazi Paul Flynn noted that the signing of the MOU has marked the beginning of a transformative project that aims at planting 250 million trees in Uganda by 2030 and of these, 30 million will be planted and grown in Busoga.
Mukalazi noted that Gro Foundation is strategically focusing on reforestation and afforestation to mitigate climate change vulnerability and that the MOU is for the future generation to come and generate wealth.
Busoga Kingdom’s second deputy Prime Minister, Owek. Alhaj Osman Ahmed Noor, in his remarks expressed his gratitude to Gro Foundation under the stewardship of Paul Flynn Mukalazi, acknowledging his significant contribution of $10m that has been earmarked to facilitate the extensive tree planting venture across Busoga sub region.

Owek. Alhaj Osman said he is going to do mass mobilization of all stakeholders in Busoga, like Busoga Consortium, NGOs, Schools, religions leaders, institutions of higher learning and local council leaders at grass root among others to join in the campaign and also sensitise them about how the project will be implemented in various chiefdoms of Busoga.
“I want to tell the abasoga that this project was initiated by His Majesty the Kyabazinga of Busoga William Gabula Nadiope IV through the Kyabazinga Initiative and was specifically meant for greening Busoga, so today we have Gro Foundation who exactly fit into Baaba’s Initiative of greening Busoga.
He said the project will not only focus on greening Busoga through planting trees but it is also going to generate income for abasoga to get out of poverty.
Owek. Osman appealed to abasoga to embrace the project, welcome, support it and ensure that they really maximize the benefits of the project.
Prince Wilson Nadiope, a Director of Kyabazinga Initiatives Limited appreciated the partnership between Gro Foundation and Busoga Kingdom that aims at increasing income of the abasoga through climate financing.
In his appreciation message, James Mukwaya thanked the Kyabazinga and Inhebantu for allowing to partner with Busoga Kingdom for the benefit of abasoga under the greening Busoga project.
Present at the signing ceremony were Yudaya Babirye Kigenyi the Minister for Kyabazinga Affairs, Prince Wilson Nadiope and Busoga Kingdom’s Attorney General Robert Kafuko Ntuyo.
Those present from Gro Foundation included Heba Zahid, Joshua Laban Musinguzi the regional director, Bishop Waako Geoffrey the Busoga Regional Coordinator, Mukwaya James the project director.
They were accompanied by Rev Daniel Tokon Wejuli the Program Specialist Spirituality, Community mobilization and Mindset change at IRCU and Abdul Nasser Magezi the Chairperson Youth Interfaith Network Africa at IRCU. –End-