By Emmanuel Okiria
The Regional Assistant to Mufti of the North Eastern Muslim Region, Shk. Obilan Abubakar Umar, has hold a significant meeting with the Regional Muslim Women Council of North Eastern Uganda at his office located along the Soroti-Mbale highway to promote empowerment, unity and development within the region.
The gathering, marked the first-ever Regional Muslim Women Council meeting held with the RAM
During the meeting, Shk. Obilan outlined a number of initiatives aimed at empowering Muslim women and advancing their socio-economic standing.
He highlighted the substantial budget for the region, which includes a special allocation of 1 billion shillings for the empowerment and capacity-building of women in the 2025 financial year.
The assistant to the Mufti also shared details about the 38 billion shillings regional budget, emphasizing that it would positively impact the development of both women and youth in the region.
Notably, Shk. Obilan announced that 100 partial sponsorships for vocational skills training courses at the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT) would be available for women and youth in the region.
He encouraged interested candidates to apply for the opportunities through their respective District Kadhis.
In addition to these updates, Shk. Obilan revealed that the 4th edition of the Ateker Muslim Development Foundation (AMDEF) Ramadhan Convention is set to take place from March 14 to March 16, 2025.
This year’s convention will focus on the theme Empowering Women for Sustainable Development of the Ummah, reinforcing the ongoing efforts to uplift women in the region.
The RAM further shared an exciting new development, stating that he had received the blessing of H.E. the Mufti of Uganda to introduce Mosque Membership Registers in the Teso-Karamoja Region.
This initiative aims to improve planning and coordination by keeping track of Muslim populations at the mosque level.
The registration process is expected to commence during the first week of the holy month of Ramadhan in 2025.
In his address, Shk. Obilan also stressed the urgent need for accelerated development in the North Eastern Muslim Region, citing that the region is currently 50 years behind other areas in both human capital and infrastructure.
He called on all leaders in the region to work with double the effort to close this gap.
The meeting was well-attended by a diverse group of stakeholders, including the Regional Muslim Women Council, District Amirats, District Secretaries for Women & Children Affairs, and County Amirats.
Hon. Aisha Neumbe, the Member of the General Assembly representing women, took the opportunity to update the council on the presidential pledge of 2 billion shillings for the women’s council.
She assured attendees that while the pledge had not yet been fulfilled, the council should remain patient and continue saving through their SACCOs.
Shk. Obilan’s leadership continues to inspire and promote unity and progress, as he works tirelessly to ensure the sustainable development of the North Eastern Muslim Region.
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