Sh196 trillion silicon, glue industry launched
Representing President Museveni at the commissioning ceremony, the Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara said the factory, which is the 60th industry in the industrial park, would directly employ about 300 young people while creating opportunities for thousands of traders and businesses dealing in hardware and automotive products.
Balaam Barugahara (C) touring the YANGTZE Industry Limited in the Sino Mbale Industrial Park together with some of the investors. This was during the commissioning of the industry in Mbale City on Thursday. (Credit: Lawrence Mulondo)
MBALE - Uganda’s push to reduce dependence on imported manufactured goods has received a boost with the commissioning of a sh196 trillion YANGTZE Industry Limited factory at the Sino-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park, which will manufacture silicon and glue for the local and regional markets.
The factory, commissioned on September 10th in Mbale City, is expected to create jobs, support local manufacturing and help reduce the foreign exchange spent importing products used in the construction, automotive and hardware sectors.
Representing President Yoweri Museveni at the commissioning ceremony, the Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara said the factory, which is the 60th industry in the industrial park, would directly employ about 300 young people while creating opportunities for thousands of traders and businesses dealing in hardware and automotive products.
“This factory will manufacture products locally and reduce our dependence on products that the country has been importing,” Barugahara said.
He said increased local production would help Uganda save millions of dollars in foreign exchange that is currently spent on importing glue, silicon and other manufactured products.
Industrialisation
Barugahara said Uganda has the energy and infrastructure needed to accelerate industrialisation, citing electricity, roads, industrial parks and planned railway infrastructure as key investments that could support manufacturing and trade.
He said the Government’s industrialisation agenda is aimed at promoting value addition, creating employment and replacing some imported products with locally manufactured alternatives.
“Every factory we establish is a step towards economic independence. Our mission must be to make Uganda a major manufacturing and exhibition hub for the entire East African market and beyond,” he said.
He urged investors to look beyond Uganda’s domestic market, saying the country’s strategic position gives manufacturers access to a wider regional market.
He also assured investors of Government’s commitment to maintaining a secure environment for businesses to operate and grow.
The minister commended investors who have established businesses in the Sino-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park, including its chairman Paul Jang, and General Caleb Akandwanaho, whom he credited for contributing to Uganda’s industrialisation drive.
He said the industrial park already employs about 16,000 people despite occupying only about one square mile, demonstrating the employment potential of manufacturing compared with traditional economic activities.
Balaam Barugahara (C) joins other investors to switch on the operator machines at YANGTZE Industry Limited in the Sino Mbale Industrial park. This was during the official commissioning of the industry in Mbale city on Thursday. (Credit: Lawrence Mulondo)
Factory targets regional market
YANGTZE Industry general manager Zhang Yuguo attributed the successful establishment of the factory to support from the Ugandan Government and the management committee of the Sino-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park.
He said the company, as a manufacturing enterprise rooted in Uganda, would focus on creating employment, protecting the environment and producing quality goods for the East African market.
“We will adhere to localised operations and create more quality jobs for Uganda; adhere to green production and practise sustainable development; and put quality above all else while serving the East African market with superior products,” Zhang said.
Ji Yongling, chairman of Landy Industry Limited, said the establishment of YANGTZE Industry demonstrated the opportunities available to Chinese enterprises investing in Africa.
He said construction of the factory began in June 2025 and was completed in just over a year, describing the development as a demonstration of the speed with which industrial projects can be established when supported by Government and investors.
“I hope the industry will truly integrate into this land, make good use of local resources, cultivate local talent and make the ‘Made in Uganda’ label shine even brighter because of your presence,” Ji said.
He further urged the company to maintain high quality, describing quality as the lifeline of any enterprise.
Mbale City leaders welcomed the investment, saying it would contribute to employment, skills development, local production and expansion of the city’s tax base.
Mbale City Industrial Division Town Clerk Geofrey Mugisa said the city was committed to supporting investments that contribute to socio-economic transformation.
Mayor of Mbale Industrial City Division Abdallah Madoi said the commissioning represented more than the opening of a factory.
“We have opened more than a factory; we have opened jobs, hope and growth for Mbale City,” Madoi said.
Deputy Mayor Abdul Aziz Sharaf said the industrial park was helping address unemployment, particularly among young people. He urged existing investors to attract more manufacturers to Uganda, noting that the country still has land and a growing market.
He said Uganda should move beyond being known primarily as a food basket and develop into a major industrial hub.
Sharaf, however, called for Government and the industrial park management to establish a health centre within the park to provide emergency services to the thousands of workers employed there.
The Sino-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park general manager Wang Wentong and administrative manager Laurent Zhang said YANGTZE Industry had already secured orders from regional markets, including Tanzania, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The development places local production at the centre of Uganda’s efforts to reduce imports while positioning manufacturers to tap into the wider East African market.