Marketing Uganda during elections: Roles of politicians and government agency staff

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OPINION

By Elly Twineyo Kamugisha

Election period. Almost six months. Almost half a year.

Election period is a long period not to lose out on growing the economy, household incomes, jobs, and private sector competitiveness.

Uganda’s achievements in various sectors and spheres of our society are enormous and noted. I don’t intend to discuss them here. And I want us to keep moving forward on the growth and development agenda. Let the praises keep coming for the achievements so reached.

I have observed that during every election season, some stakeholders in our economic progress don’t “keep on the ball”. Yet I think this is the time to continue growing household incomes; commercial agriculture, production and productivity at both farm and firm level, including agro-industry and value addition, manufacturing, and monetising the economy.

Division of labour between politicians on the campaign trail and MDAS technical staff in offices

While the politicians are at it again, campaigning, what are the MDAS staff (who are supposed to be technical people) in offices doing during almost half of the campaign and political season?

Division of labour is what we should be talking about. Politicians are doing their campaigns. Technical experts in Government MDAS supporting, facilitating, and advising the private sector on investment, interest rates, viable options investing, joint ventures, services to use to grow companies, commercial farming, production and productivity, and attractive markets. This group of stakeholders, MDAS, is doing their work well during this campaign period, ensuring that the economy is not ‘stopped’ and anyways Uganda’s economy shouldn’t be stopped because we need incomes, jobs, investments, industries, commercial farming, exports, tourism, and remittances during this time.

After the campaigns, the leaders will be seeking accountability for the performance of MDAs during this period. Tangible results. Remember that the leaders have already done their part. They have campaigned and been elected. Their part is done.

Therefore, the MDAS have a part to play. I call it marketing Uganda to various stakeholders during and after the elections. Because their work has not been stopped by the campaign period. And they have not been campaigning. At least not officially, or openly.

Uganda’s marketing message during this campaign period?

“Uganda is here peaceful and growing during and after elections”

Why market Uganda during this period and always?

There is always ‘fever’ during the election period in most African countries, as elections bring in undesirable results, including violence and political instability, which can affect businesses and households. Therefore, we need to market Uganda. Present it to the world with its peace and stability dividend. Reassure the world that this will not change.

Market Uganda so that we keep growing and moving into prosperity:   

• Increase total economy; Improve per capita income; Increase household income; Increase jobs in the economy; Increase firm profitability; stable prices for goods and services;
• Expand the markets.
• Assure our other stakeholders (investors, development partners, foreign buyers of Uganda goods and services, exporters, diaspora, and others) that Uganda is the right place to be and be competitive globally. That security is assured by assuring them of our prolonged period of peace in a region where other countries have a peace deficit. In Uganda, peace and stability have been here for almost four decades.
• That “No one will nationalise private property” or expropriate other people’s personal property. This fear keeps some private sector players unsettled. This has happened here before. Past leaders expelled some members of our community, and some properties were given away as gifts to friends.

How do we market Uganda?

Using our message already stated above, we should promote Uganda, based on factual evidence, in the following ways:

• Present the peace and stability situation positively to the world. Let them everywhere know that Uganda is peaceful and stable. The economy is growing and has been resilient even during periods such COVID-19 pandemic
• Showcase the investment opportunities, explaining that it is more profitable to invest and produce in Uganda than in other parts of our region and continent;
• Promote the fertile and arable land for commercial agriculture, with value addition, vital for both food processing industries and exports;
• Focus on people. Uganda has got a hospital, people and entrepreneurs too;
• Expound on the tourism potential for both investors in the tourism sector and tourists.
• Mention that Uganda’s Government (MDAS) has technical expertise in key sectors of our economy that can support private enterprise with policies, regulations, facilitation, and support in the competitive environment.
• The Government has a got the Tenfold Growth Strategy to guide the activities, the economy, and direction for sustained growth for the next 15 years.
• That democracy requires regular elections, and that is why we are having this election/campaign period. It is costly, but democracy may not come cheaply.

 
After the elections, Uganda will continue to require the following from our leaders:

Leadership. Leadership that focuses on our apparent needs and requirements;

Security. There is no alternative to security, peace and stability. We need it all the time. Investors need it. Households needs. Wildlife in national parks need it. Tourism needs it. We don’t need security for only Uganda. We need security for East Africa and Africa. Security has become strategic for almost all economies. We need to protect ourselves. No outsider will do so for us.

Markets. We need markets. Agencies of government that have a role in this may have to be put on notice. You don’t increase and expand the economy via investments; production and productivity, value addition, standards, and markets get out of our offices. Without markets, Uganda will not increase exports; increase foreign exchange receipts; create jobs; expand the total economy; and provide other benefits. What is your role in creating and expanding markets, expanding the economy, and increasing GDP? If you have no role, you should get out.

Good neighbours. We have to ensure that we have good neighbours. We have the EAC, and we are members. Let us keep nurturing EAC and support a positive agenda. Let us support peace efforts in the region.

Public goods and services. Power, railways, roads, health facilities, schools, and others are important for accessing markets and participating in the money economy, and the quality and quantity of the population.

Diaspora. Let us continue our closeness with our diaspora who love their country. They bring in and increase their remittances back home. They are sometimes (or via their networks) buyers of our exports. Sometimes they are major tourists here. They need to be encouraged to invest back home. They have networks where they are now friends and potential investors.

Government employees and contractors. There is a need for Government employees and contractors (civil servants and public servants) who support the Government agenda for economic growth and prosperity. When you don’t support an agenda, how shall you implement it? Honesty requires that you are committed to the cause, not just waiting for salaries and wages.

You have the Government (and the Head of State is the chief promoter and spokesperson of the country) promoting the Government agenda first and foremost. Then you have key MDAs marketing, with skilled professionals, not amateurs without practice but useless class notes, moving in different cities and locations (physically and virtually), promoting both the Government agenda under their areas of specialisation/focus or mandate (e.g., investment promotion, export promotion, tourism promotion, and diaspora desks). In Government, people in MDAs are occupied and sometimes obsessed with mandates, even sometimes encroaching on others' mandates, that they forget the Government agenda.

Lastly, let MDAS help Uganda reduce the noise in the marketplace and society generally.  Noise is any disruptions in our promotions/communications, and in business, it can be the competitors’ promotions. At the country level, we can see this noise as unwanted and disruptive information, distracting from our efforts to promote the Government agenda. We don’t want “noise” during and after elections.

After elections, we need service delivery from the Government to support private sector competitiveness. We need markets. We need actual buyers. We need friends as markets in the region of EAC/COMESA and AfCTA. We have to continue penetrating deeply and widely our target markets in Africa, UAE, EU, UK, and China, among others.

Leadership has been responsible for the growth of countries, for peace and stability, and for human dignity. Let us not forget that, as US president Bill Clinton put it some time, “It’s the economy, Stupid”. Therefore, leaders who don’t prioritise the economy will find that it’s Politics. Stupid” (as Dani Rodrik commented in Why Nations Book).

Let us vote for peace, stability, and prosperity. More of these, not less.

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The writer is an economist, author, professional on national export promotion and country branding, former ED – Uganda Export Promotion Board; currently Deputy ED - Uganda FreeZones and Export Promotions Authority (UFZEPA)