'Uganda has opportunities for industrial development'

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Uganda's First Lady has called for the promotion of high-value manufacturing excellence in Africa, saying the continent is full of opportunities.

In particular, Janet Museveni, who is also the Minister of Education and Sports, pointed to Uganda's opportunities for industrialisation in the areas of agro-processing, import substitution, mineral processing, and tourism, among others.

In the agro-industrialisation sector, she explained, Uganda is among the leading producers of coffee, bananas and oil seed crops such as sesame (simsim), soybean and sunflower.

Industry state minister David Bahati listening attentively during an interaction at the two-day 19th Confederation of Indian Industry Africa Business Conclave, in New Delhi. (Courtesy photo)

The East African nation is also a major producer of tea, organic cotton, tobacco, cereals, fresh foods and vegetables, nuts, essential oils, flowers, poultry and freshwater fish.

In her statement to participants who attended the two-day 19th Confederation of Indian Industry Africa Business Conclave, in New Delhi, the First Lady said that at the time when the world is facing challenges — ranging from the Russia-Ukraine war, unemployment, rising commodity prices to climate change — countries need to work together.

Working together would enable member countries to provide a future that will guarantee opportunities for business, innovation and jobs, taking advantage of the current 4th Industrial Revolution.

“I am happy to note that this Conclave is focusing on discussing ways of promoting high value manufacturing excellency in Africa,” she said in a statement read on her behalf by the industry state minister David Bahati, who led the Ugandan delegation in New Delhi.

The conclave that opened on Tuesday (August 20) attracted several delegations from Africa.

Themed ‘Creating One Future’, it focused on, among other things, India pursuing an ambitious goal of doubling trade with Africa in the next seven years. 

It also discussed ways of enhancing a technology-driven partnership between India and Africa, particularly in the information technology sector.

In the commercial farming sector, the First Lady said there are opportunities in value addition like agro-industries, agro food industries, manufacturing of inputs such as improved seeds, fertilisers and pesticides; cold storage facilities and logistics, farm machinery manufacturing and assembly, packaging and irrigation schemes.

In her effort to woo investors to Uganda, Mrs Museveni said there are several opportunities for import replacement in Uganda, especially regarding industrial development.

She explained that Uganda currently imports goods and products worth sh44.2 trillion ($12b), which include oil and petroleum products, pharmaceutical products and steel products.  

In addition, more than 80% of the country has been surveyed for mineral quantities and locations.

“New geodata shows that Uganda has large underexploited metallic, industrial and rare earth mineral deposits such as gold, phosphates, copper, cobalt, rock salt, vermiculite, and others.

All these require extraction, processing and refining into final products hence providing immense opportunity for investment,” she told the meeting.

In her message, the First Lady said Uganda also has opportunities in tourism and ICT. She said the country needs more hotels, tourism facilities, Business Processing Outsourcing (BPOs), data centres, among others.

Uganda, according to Mrs Museveni, offers good incentives for investors, including a ten-year tax holiday for those who invest $10 million and above, free land for investment, and free movement of capital.  

In addition, she said, Uganda has a population of 45.9 million of whom 78% are young people between 15 to 30 years and a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $55 billion (sh202 billion).

Other opportunities include Uganda being a member of the East African Community (EAC), which has a total population of 336 million, which provides good markets for manufactured products. 

Bahati said in a message on his X social media platform that among other things, he had a productive meeting with the Vice President of Liberia, Jeremiah Koung, and at the heart of the prosperous future of Africa was the African Continental Free Trade Area, which he said will promote markets and industrialization.