France recently appointed STEPHANIE RIVOAL as their new ambassador to Uganda. Speaking to Ali Twaha on the sidelines of an event, she revealed her country’s development plans for the next couple of years in Uganda, and more.
What are some of the key highlights that the French embassy plans to look at in the next couple of years?
The three elements we would like to push as a country in Uganda is as much as possible the stability and security in the region. So, we have a military cooperation with the country to train the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), who are actually going to Somalia. We have mountain training, which is very specific because we have mountains in France. It’s in both our interest to have a secure country to develop.
Sustainable development is our second priority. We have a development agency which is pushing for big projects in hydro electricity, transport, energy, water and sanitation. These are the key projects we will push on sustainable development.
And because we are doing water, we very much would like to look at irrigation for agriculture. I feel this country has a huge and enormous potential in agriculture.
Our last one is to enhance economic development and relationship between the two countries because French companies have very high expertise in some areas, which I would like to bring in.
You seem to emphasize the potential of agriculture. How much can it impact on Uganda’s economy if fully embraced?
I am highly interested in agriculture because I spent 11 years in the humanitarian sector. So, I have been to more than 50 countries to address the issue of food insecurity and nutrition.
And this is what I have been doing for the last 11 years. I have seen the collateral damage that industrialized, overly-mechanized agriculture with the use of chemicals, fertilizers pesticides has done.
I have seen the strategy and I have seen the opposite. So, we are attached to preserving the planet, and there is a way to do agriculture which does all these things. The potential in Uganda is enormous.
If there is potential, where do you see the gaps and problems?
I think there is lack of knowledge about agricology. It’s highly technical. You need to have people who studied the crops, the soil, the climate, the rain and temperature in order to design an ecosystem with the best combination of crops and animals that can give you the highest production of meat and cereals or coffee or whatever it is.
So, if you haven’t studied that, you cannot know it immediately. The local people know a lot about their land but it could be enhanced [for better yields]. So, possibly we could have these people [experts in] agricology to come and talk to them. And we are bringing one [from France].
Then there is the issue of water. Irrigation is not done enough. People seem to wait for the rain. Also, the land is in small pieces. The cooperative model should be pushed here. There used to be more cooperatives. Possibly they can be revived or reorganized because when there is a group of people, then you share everything.
Why export coffee to Kenya [for value addition] and then back to Uganda for consumption? This is silly. Uganda should be able to do it all.
Should Ugandans passionate about agriculture expect some funding in that regard from the embassy?
We can’t do it all. We are only France and our focus has been on transport, energy, hydro electricity and sanitation. I am not going to change the strategy be- cause I am representing France’s interest in Uganda.
But as the ambassador, you do have influence over some of these decisions…
Yes I do influence but I bring in these experts. They do reports which will be brought to the ministry of agriculture and the ministry of water. So, I am here to make sure the knowledge is shared.
In terms of programming and funding, we are not the only ones [offering financial assistance to Uganda]; Europe is funding. So, once you are convinced about a design about agriculture, the money will come from various donors. I just want to make sure that Uganda is protecting its own.
How can Uganda make itself more attractive to France in the areas of tourism and trade?
The thing is I haven’t been to the national parks but I am going very soon. But this is an amazing country in that respect [tourism]. The thing is the French people don’t know any- thing about Uganda; they know a lot about the French-speaking African countries. They know about Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal.
They also know a lot about Kenya which has done a big job at promoting itself in France. Uganda has to do the same. You have to pay advertising on the French TV. The language is an issue but if Kenya made it, why not Uganda?
Lastly, if you’re to convince an investor to put his money here, which sector would you recommend?
I would say tourism for the French citizen maybe. Some people from France may put up restaurants near the parks, where people can actually speak French. They come for only one week and if they can’t speak very good English, it’s not easy for them. So, you can have that. They can also invest in agriculture and technology.
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