He said the problem is in the tropics, where people cut trees for firewood and invade the swamps to grow crops.
Meeting a delegation from Egypt yesterday, the President said the Nile waters and the environment can be protected by providing electricity to fuel industrialisation so that people shift from agriculture to industry.
The Cairo delegation, led by Egypt’s electricity and energy minister, Dr. Hassan Younis, were in Kampala to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the energy sector.
During the meeting, Younis also delivered a special message from the Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, to Museveni.
Museveni said there were at least five sites on River Nile that can be used for electricity generation including Karuma and Murchison falls.
He added that the Government was interested in the capacity of companies to generate electricity, and in the power tariffs.
Museveni called for investment in other sectors of development in Uganda, including food and meat processing and fertilizer production, saying these were virgin areas of investment.
He, however, said all these need electrocity to lower the cost of running them.
The Egyptian team, accompanied by the Egyptian ambassador to Uganda, Sabry Magdy Sabry, hailed Museveni for linking culture to the middle class through music.
According to a statement from State House, the Egyptian delegation requested for Museveni’s popular rap track, “You Want Another Rap”, saying it was the best way to communicate to the youth and children about the importance of their culture.
The meeting is the latest in a series of talks on the development of the Nile Basin.
In June, Museveni and Faiza Abu Naga, the Egyptian minister for international co-operation, discussed development projects in the Nile Basin, including irrigation.
The Nile basin comprises Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Egypt has intensified its engagement with the upper Nile countries since Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia signed the Nile Co-operative Framework Agreement two months ago.
Kenya also signed two weeks later, while Burundi and Congo are expected to sign soon.
However, Egypt and Sudan described the agreement as the ‘Entebbe Accord’ and insist “it is null and void”.
Member countries continue to discuss equitable use and management of the River Nile waters.
